I used ot own a 5 series BMW - not a convertable, however, Bimmers ARE expensive to maintain, and our local dealer, anyway, is on insentive to charge you out the whazoo for service. My car had 113,000 mile on it (which should be nothing for a BMW) and in one yrears time they took me for over $5, 000! Stick with the Japaneese cars - they are the most reliable and and less expensive to service.