Advice needed - new car - F33 4 series - convertible

[Mo D]

Hi all
Long time member, reader
My type r has been written off, rear end crash non fault - so in the market for a newer car, it was an fn2.
I always fancied a convertible- budget around £11-8 or £19k max
I had a 330d before, E39 525i for 6 years, and a 320d e90. All poverty spec unfortunately so I don’t want to repeat that. Got married last year, no kids yet so ideal time for convertible I think, wife is okay with that although prefers GC
Saw a few decent 430d, from £11500 all the way to 18k, but more 420i around, especially on AUC circa £16k which looks nice. At the moment I do 8k per year, work from home 2 or 3 days a week and work is 3 miles each way - not know diesel not good for this but I do go on the motorway at least every 2 weeks sometimes more, for an hour. For convertible I read it’s heavy, needs bigger engine ideally. What does everyone think? Heart wants 3 litre, head 420i (probably not D as the engine is a bit rough especially for convertible).
I’m aware they are cruisers not sports cars, I want more comfort now, after 5.5 years of bone crushing hard suspension on shoddy roads in the midlands. I also probably prefer auto now
I am aiming to keep it 4 or 5 years and get BMW warranty on it after - sub 50k miles I’m looking out for

[danb79]

No idea where in the country you are; but personally I'd be looking at a petrol and the 435i, maybe the 440i

This, as an example: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407292...

Add BMW full warranty on to it as you said and you'll have some good motoring

[Mo D]

Thank you! Looks good
I hear good things about the 435i - think 440 is outside my reach. I know I shouldn’t but the mph and tax numbers look a bit scary - but mpg better than by Type R and tax around the same.
What’s people experience with MPG in the 435i particularly convertible ? Compared to 420i or 420s

Was leaning towards AUC, they have a few 4 series £15-18k at reasonable mileage - less than 50k


I’m in Nottingham, incidentally so it this
Will check it out
Will also try the 420i convertible and also 430d. I did think i wouldn’t try diesel again but the 3 litre BMW is a great engine

[danb79]

Mo D said:

Thank you! Looks good
I hear good things about the 435i - think 440 is outside my reach. I know I shouldn’t but the mph and tax numbers look a bit scary - but mpg better than by Type R and tax around the same.
What’s people experience with MPG in the 435i particularly convertible ? Compared to 420i or 420s

Was leaning towards AUC, they have a few 4 series £15-18k at reasonable mileage - less than 50k


I’m in Nottingham, incidentally so it this
Will check it out
Will also try the 420i convertible and also 430d. I did think i wouldn’t try diesel again but the 3 litre BMW is a great engine

If you're going to stick to petrol; go for the 428i if you can find one... The 20i engine I found gutless when I was looking at F30's and F31s. The F30 328i I test drove was much better; felt a solid engine too and a great sound

Agree re the 30d; superb engine, but do you really need that, more so if you've been used to the K20 in your FN2 etc? If you were doing the miles and motorway munching then deffo; but I think petrol would suit your needs better...

Maybe the 430i?

428i here in Lytham St Annes (an excuse to go see the lights in Blackpool after collecting)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406110...

Good spec too: pro-nav, Brembo 370/345mm brakes, heated seats, ZF8 box, HK stereo etc (same spec as our F31) and I find it to be superb

[Mo D]

danb79 said:

If you're going to stick to petrol; go for the 428i if you can find one... The 20i engine I found gutless when I was looking at F30's and F31s. The F30 328i I test drove was much better; felt a solid engine too and a great sound

Agree re the 30d; superb engine, but do you really need that, more so if you've been used to the K20 in your FN2 etc? If you were doing the miles and motorway munching then deffo; but I think petrol would suit your needs better...

Maybe the 430i?

428i here in Lytham St Annes (an excuse to go see the lights in Blackpool after collecting)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406110...

Good spec too: pro-nav, Brembo 370/345mm brakes, heated seats, ZF8 box, HK stereo etc (same spec as our F31) and I find it to be superb

Thank you!
Eye opening that 435i, tempting. I called the dealer

I don’t really need the size for now, came across a M235i and a M135i
I decided I need a 3 litre minimum - my mileage over the past 5.5 years is only 45,000 miles

Always thought 35i engines bit risky, always hankered after a convertible
Swayed more now by 235i, or M135i, on auc, find that more attractive than £17k on 435i then taking a warranty on top.
Strangely insurance substantially more for 430d F33 compared to 235i or even 435i

Did a lot of reading about soft tops- is there any particular concerns I should have about 235i soft top, anything to look out for? I thought I’d prefer hard top for security, looks, but reading majority are fine with soft top
Plan to keep the car for a few years

[Court_S]

Personally I’ve never got diesel convertibles. The BMW straight sixes sound ok for diesels but there is no doubting that it’s a Massey Fergusson engine up front…

An N55 (35i) or B58 (40i) powered car would be much better.

My wife had an old 125i cab with a soft top for a few years and there were no security concerns or issues. With the roof up it was still pretty refined, warm etc. The only real issue was that the C pillars were massive so reversing it was a bit of a pain by you get used to it.

[paradigital]

I'd aim for a 440i as the B58 is a much better engine than the N55 in the 435i, I'd probably rather drop to a B48 engined car than the N55, but maybe that's just me.

I love my F33 440i, so maybe I'm biased

[Court_S]

paradigital said:

I'd aim for a 440i as the B58 is a much better engine than the N55 in the 435i, I'd probably rather drop to a B48 engined car than the N55, but maybe that's just me.

I love my F33 440i, so maybe I'm biased

Nah; the N55 is a nicer engine than the B48 which I found is effective but a bit gruff. The N55 sounds really sweet for a turbocharged unit…I think I prefer it to the B58 I had in my M140i.

[Mo D]

Interesting! I found 140/240i dropping under £16k but they were multiple owners 4+ from 2016. I thought they’re more efficient, less tax and more reliable than 235i engines - but warranty should cover my concern anyway, especially from AUC.

I am after 3 owners or less (like the 445i convertible or mM235i from AUC for less than 15.7k.
Trying to convince the other half I need to try out the 3 litre engines again as I may not get the chance in future - justifying it’s still more effience than the type R and more comfortable, and probably more reliable with warranty. Spent approximately £5k maintenance on the type r in the last 5 years, exhaust, compressor, suspension refresh (shock absorber etc), new front calipers £600 etc as it went from 63k to 109k

Also doing man maths to justify 420i v 235i or 430d or 135i - especially factoring in saving on warranty, and inspection (seems around £200 for comprehensive inspection) on cars from non AUC and circa £6/700 warranty (M235i) cheaper than 4 series on BMW warranty and insurance (even 430d)
May test drive the 435i linked above and also 420i from same dealer (3k less).
Good points on diesel convertible, just they seem tempting lower tax and mpg, decent on on auc £14,600 40k ish miles, but they do sound rough the 2 litre one

[Court_S]

Tax in a 35i/40i shouldn’t be too and if kept under £40k when new…my M140i was £150 a year.

DPF issues with a diesel will soon negate any VED savings.

The big petrol engines aren’t too bad on fuel; in reality there isn’t a huge real world difference between the N55 and B58. I know some people manage insane MPG figures in M140i’s in a run. My long term average across all usage was 28mpg….tye same as the 130i and E92 335i that came after.

[Mo D]

Thanks all for the replies, all helpful, what to look out for, options to have. Read many topics here and elsewhere too on buying advice

In the end, I went with a car from Soper of Lincoln BMW, 2016, 45,000 miles, two owners, full BMW history, new tires all round, next service due next October 25, M Sport with Harmon kardon, heated seats, even reversing camera
Best car I ever had, very comfortable and economical
Although in sport mode feels fast enough
Engine noise isn’t an issue at speed (once above 20/30mph), feels good with the roof down. First cabrio
Quite liking the BMW app too, nice touch

All in all, good to be back in BMW, the type r was fun but got a bit tired of it after 5.5 years, speed bumps and poor quality roads made it painful in the end
Much better in the F33

[danb79]

Mo D said:

Thanks all for the replies, all helpful, what to look out for, options to have. Read many topics here and elsewhere too on buying advice

In the end, I went with a car from Soper of Lincoln BMW, 2016, 45,000 miles, two owners, full BMW history, new tires all round, next service due next October 25, M Sport with Harmon kardon, heated seats, even reversing camera
Best car I ever had, very comfortable and economical
Although in sport mode feels fast enough
Engine noise isn’t an issue at speed (once above 20/30mph), feels good with the roof down. First cabrio
Quite liking the BMW app too, nice touch

All in all, good to be back in BMW, the type r was fun but got a bit tired of it after 5.5 years, speed bumps and poor quality roads made it painful in the end
Much better in the F33

That looks a great example; which engine did you go for?

And yes; it's leagues ahead of CTRs when it comes to comfort/refinement, then again it should be... 2 totally different cars...

Just wait until you buy a 7 series

[Mo D]

danb79 said:

That looks a great example; which engine did you go for?

And yes; it's leagues ahead of CTRs when it comes to comfort/refinement, then again it should be... 2 totally different cars...

Just wait until you buy a 7 series

Thank you!

I was a bit reluctant about the engine, as discussed here, wanted 430d or 428/430i or 435i - however on the AUC site, no chance at my budget of 15/17k - there was a 2014 428i but at £16,400, 420i at £15400 (47k miles also 2016)
In the end I test drove the 420d and was relieved it felt fast enough, especially once you are 30mph, mid range impressive. Definitely much better than the engine in the 2007 320d I had (163hp compared to 187now, more torque as well and higher red line of 5k rpm )

It was the cheapest convertible 4 series but it was very well specced and well looked after. Brake pads due in over 30k miles too

Drove over 240 miles over the weekend, to skegness on Saturday and then Sheffield - feels good on the a roads and very refined at speed


Regarding the 7 series 😄 I can only imagine
But this is a nice balance, I know it’s more of a gt cruiser not a sports car but it’s a good balance
Rear seats will be useful, had to get something a bit practical at least and comfortable enough as I had a lot of bad feedback about the Type R

Also feels like I’m in a spaceship compared to the type r with all the tech, Idrive etc, the app, and even concierge 😄

[Jamescrs]

Nice car OP, the thing to watch with the F series convertibles are the drain plugs for the roof which can get blocked and cause flooding inside the car which in turn can cause electrical issues, I don't own a convertible myself but I see this issue all the time on the M4 owners groups with convertible owners which seems to cause amplifiers to blow fairly regularly if not maintained.

[Mo D]

Jamescrs said:

Nice car OP, the thing to watch with the F series convertibles are the drain plugs for the roof which can get blocked and cause flooding inside the car which in turn can cause electrical issues, I don't own a convertible myself but I see this issue all the time on the M4 owners groups with convertible owners which seems to cause amplifiers to blow fairly regularly if not maintained.

Ah thank you for that! Bit concerning, I did come across these online and some said it’s the reason they prefer soft top

What kind of maintenance do I need to do? I’m not a diy person really, other half okay at that but I do the odd diy job, can have a go. I’ll be getting the BMW extended warranty once the auc warranty expires too

I like the security and the look of the hard top, I understand BMW stopped doing hard top for the 4 series (the sales person at the dealer said, and I yesterday saw a soft top 4 series 2020 onwards )

[Mo D]

https://www.4-seriesforums.com/threads/420d-conver...

Came across this topic, will keep an eye out for any water leak from the rear windows, will also mention this at the next vehicle inspection due soon

May also get a cover for the car when it’s parked at home

[danb79]

Mo D said:

https://www.4-seriesforums.com/threads/420d-conver...

Came across this topic, will keep an eye out for any water leak from the rear windows, will also mention this at the next vehicle inspection due soon

May also get a cover for the car when it’s parked at home

Good forums here; this is the UK group: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/forumdisplay.php...

Sign up; lots of info & knowledge on there

[Mo D]

danb79 said:

Good forums here; this is the UK group: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/forumdisplay.php...

Sign up; lots of info & knowledge on there

Thank you 👌👍I signed up to this yesterday, was also a member of Bimmerforums.co.uk since 2010 apparently but didn’t use it for ages
Glad to be back in the community, flirted with the idea of getting an IS300h but glad I didn’t in the end.

[Aluminati]

Jamescrs said:

Nice car OP, the thing to watch with the F series convertibles are the drain plugs for the roof which can get blocked and cause flooding inside the car which in turn can cause electrical issues, I don't own a convertible myself but I see this issue all the time on the M4 owners groups with convertible owners which seems to cause amplifiers to blow fairly regularly if not maintained.

This is good advice, and the reason I had to replace the HK Amp. Terrible design. Just pulled mine out and left them out. Side skirts make it a poxy job.