Buying New Convertible, Tiptronic-Type. Whats a good buy? 30,000$ish

[LIONS*LEADER]

hey everyone, new to the forums. im in the market for a new convertible.

im looking for a 2004 or newer (but preferably new) decently sporty convertable with a tiptronic type transmission. im looking to spend around 30,000$ a little more is ok if its faster than the car im presently driving. If you could point me in the right direction with some suggestions it would be appreciated.

right now im driving a 2001 Z3 3.0L with 225HP and like 214 torque i belive. it weighs in at around 3000ish or so i cant recall the exact number. but im forced to share it with my father so we need a new car. however ive fallen in love with the steptronic transmission, and ive always loved convertables so these two requirements are a must. but its no fun driving a slow convertable so something zippy like the z3 would be nice

i was looking at the 2006 BMW Z4 3.0si and the 2006 Porsche Boxter S as well as the Saab 9-3 Aero convertible
here
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/N...08/Act/Prices/
here
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/N...84/Act/Prices/
and here
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/N...87/Act/Prices/

but they are abit above what id like to pay if possible, so i was looking for some cheaper suggestions if there are any. but i just keep thinking to myself, for another few thousand i get everything i want... maybe i should just break down and spend 40,000ish



for those of you who might not know which cars have these types of transmissions i figured id paste this info i found.

Tiptronic® is a registered trademark, and it is owned by German sports car maker Porsche, who licenses it for use by others such as Volkswagen and Audi.
Other manufacturers use Tiptronic-like systems under different names:

• Acura: SportShift
• Audi: Tiptronic
• BMW: Steptronic
• Ford (Australia): Sequential Sports Shift
• Hyundai: Shiftronic, H-Matic
• Infiniti: Manual Shift Mode
• Jaguar: Bosch® Mechatronic
• Lexus: E-Shift
• Mazda: Sport AT
• Mercedes-Benz: TouchShift
• Mitsubishi: Sportronic
• Vauxhall/Opel: Easytronic
• Peugeot: 2Tronic
• Pontiac: TAPshift
• Saab : Sentronic
• Smart : Softip
• Volvo: Geartronic.

[JLad10687]

What about the new eclipse GT convertible?

VW and Pontiac are coming out with hard top convertibles for about that price. VW has the DSG paddle shifter and I'm not sure if Pontiac offers the tiptronic.

Just throwing some ideas out there.

[LIONS*LEADER]

thanks for the helpfull suggestions, the pontic solstice sounds great for 20,000$ even though its not really comparable to the Z3, hey who's complaining at 20G's thats a super suggestion. heres the specs
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/N...823/Act/Specs/

and for 30,000 the Eclipse GT Spyder sounds superb
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/N...100/Act/Specs/

if anyone else has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

[PlayStation3]

you could try the 350z roadster. it has that manuel shift buttom not sure if that is the same or not.

[highteknology]

you could also look at the Nissan 350Z Roadster. it's a little more pricey, around the 40 grand mark. but it does have the "tiptronic" shift mode. Obiviously it comes with the automatic tranny, which consequently is 5-speed, where as the manual mode comes in a 6-speed.

or take a look at the Pontiac G6 convertible. it is a hard top convertible and the roof retracks into the trunk of the vehicle. i believe that the G6 comes only in the auto/tiptronic mode (probably a 5-speed as well). these are pretty nice looking cars. My sister and I had the chance to look at one the other day. they have some nice lines. you could probably pick one up for about 32,000. the BIGGEST drawback to this car though is that when the the top is down it severly minimizes trunk space. With the top up the trunk area is about 6 cubic feet. When the top is in there it is reduced to only about 2 cubic feet. i don't know how valueable trunk space is to you but that is something to consider.

thirdly i would consider the Audi TT roadster. a little more on the pricey side, probably pick one up around 35,000. Of course this is a convertible as well. you can get two differnt kinds of shift possibilities with this car. One is the "tiptronic" kind. The other is a paddle shift mode. I think that would be sort of cool. the car is a little bit on the small side though.

finally you could consider the Volvo C70. It is a hardtop convertible like the Pontiac G6. This car is a little more, about 40,000. It has the "geartronic" shift and it has a turbo engine. don't know how much that plays into it but thought i'd throw it out there. The thing about this car, like the G6, is that the roof folds into the trunk. It looks cool but i'm not quite sure how much room it takes up. As usual, you get the Volvo name and safety that goes along with the cars.

hopefully this will help you out a little bit. these are some of the cars i would consider, along with the Eclipse GT and Solstice (or you could look at the Saturn Sky Redline)

[JLad10687]

Originally Posted by LIONS*LEADER

thanks for the helpfull suggestions, the pontic solstice sounds great for 20,000$ even though its not really comparable to the Z3, hey who's complaining at 20G's thats a super suggestion. heres the specs
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/N...823/Act/Specs/

and for 30,000 the Eclipse GT Spyder sounds superb
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/N...100/Act/Specs/

if anyone else has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

The solstice is coming out with a GTP(it may be GXP) trim which is supposed to be pushing about 250 hp I think so you could always wait for that.

[LIONS*LEADER]

wow, thanks for that. thats the car i want. the Pontiac Solstice GXP

its 42,000$ worth of speed, looks and pleasure of driving all for 26,000$

http://www.pontiac.com/solstice/index.jsp

260HP/260Torque 2988 LBS
but yeah this is by far the most affordable speedy car out there that ive seen yet.

[JLad10687]

Originally Posted by LIONS*LEADER

wow, thanks for that. thats the car i want. the Pontiac Solstice GXP

its 42,000$ worth of speed, looks and pleasure of driving all for 26,000$

http://www.pontiac.com/solstice/index.jsp

260HP/260Torque 2988 LBS
but yeah this is by far the most affordable speedy car out there that ive seen yet.

I'm warning you now though, when I was looking to buy a car I wanted that solstice so bad but because they were so rare, the mark up was nuts, a $21000 Solstice was on sale for 30,000. I assume it has to be lower by now because they arent as new. I would def say go with the solstice GXP then. The Saturn Sky is the same car but it just has a few tweaks to it so you may like that one better.

[PlayStation3]

Originally Posted by JLad10687

I'm warning you now though, when I was looking to buy a car I wanted that solstice so bad but because they were so rare, the mark up was nuts, a $21000 Solstice was on sale for 30,000. I assume it has to be lower by now because they arent as new. I would def say go with the solstice GXP then. The Saturn Sky is the same car but it just has a few tweaks to it so you may like that one better.

i would get the saturn sky redline cause of the dent resistence and i like it looks nicer then the solstice

[LIONS*LEADER]

yes the sky redline and the solstice GXP look good, though the solstice is cheaper, i think thats just due to a nicer base interior or something on the redline.

they are sweet, do you think they are going to keep the 260hp models around for more than just a limited edition? cause im thinking it may belike you said, hard to get and well overpriced.

[PlayStation3]

Originally Posted by LIONS*LEADER

yes the sky redline and the solstice GXP look good, though the solstice is cheaper, i think thats just due to a nicer base interior or something on the redline.

they are sweet, do you think they are going to keep the 260hp models around for more than just a limited edition? cause im thinking it may belike you said, hard to get and well overpriced.

they probelly will but the only differences between the one's now and the one's that are ccoming out is they are turbocharged with a little bit of performence extra like limited-slip diff, and the sport tuned suspension.

[DinanM3_S2]

Here is how my choices for an automatic would go-

1) Porsche Boxster- It is probably the best roadster available anywhere near your price range. It looks great, the interior is a cut above, its handling is precise unlike anything else mentioned, and its generally engineered to perfection. If you can get an S, it also has a fair amount more power then the other cars mentioned. The Boxster might be the best all around roadster ever made. It will make you completely forget about the Z3 3.0i you own. The only problem with it is a big one, you get what you pay for. Because it is the best in the class its also by far the most expensive. The new Boxster S starts at $54,000 and the regular Boxster starts at $45,000. Once you see the options list on a Porsche you'll want to cry. There is also a bit of a problem because "its not a 911." You'll feel envy towards the 911 and the 911 owners will look down upon you. Such is Porsche. I would suggest checking out certified used, but you'll probably have a hard time finding a new Boxster since they restyled them about a year ago.

2) BMW Z4- Another really good overall car. Looks good, handles well, and its closer to your price range. It isn't quite as good as the Boxster, but its probably closer then anything else to it. The 3.0si Z4 might be about on par with the base Boxster, but not the S. A more experienced driver might actually be able to have more fun with the Z4 because it isn't so neutral and you'll be more used to BMW because of your Z3. The Z4 chassis is significantly better the the Z3, but the only engine that will beat your 3.0 is found in the newer 3.0si version. Its too bad that you don't want a manual because the new M Roadster costs less then the Boxster S and is significantly quicker.

3) Mercedes SLK350- more expensive then the Z4, less expensive the the Boxster S. Its a hardtop convertable so it'll be a little more luxurious then the others, but I don't think its quite as fun. Some like it more then others. I'd definitely check it out.

[JLad10687]

Originally Posted by DinanM3_S2

Here is how my choices for an automatic would go-

1) Porsche Boxster- It is probably the best roadster available anywhere near your price range. It looks great, the interior is a cut above, its handling is precise unlike anything else mentioned, and its generally engineered to perfection. If you can get an S, it also has a fair amount more power then the other cars mentioned. The Boxster might be the best all around roadster ever made. It will make you completely forget about the Z3 3.0i you own. The only problem with it is a big one, you get what you pay for. Because it is the best in the class its also by far the most expensive. The new Boxster S starts at $54,000 and the regular Boxster starts at $45,000. Once you see the options list on a Porsche you'll want to cry. There is also a bit of a problem because "its not a 911." You'll feel envy towards the 911 and the 911 owners will look down upon you. Such is Porsche. I would suggest checking out certified used, but you'll probably have a hard time finding a new Boxster since they restyled them about a year ago.

2) BMW Z4- Another really good overall car. Looks good, handles well, and its closer to your price range. It isn't quite as good as the Boxster, but its probably closer then anything else to it. The 3.0si Z4 might be about on par with the base Boxster, but not the S. A more experienced driver might actually be able to have more fun with the Z4 because it isn't so neutral and you'll be more used to BMW because of your Z3. The Z4 chassis is significantly better the the Z3, but the only engine that will beat your 3.0 is found in the newer 3.0si version. Its too bad that you don't want a manual because the new M Roadster costs less then the Boxster S and is significantly quicker.

3) Mercedes SLK350- more expensive then the Z4, less expensive the the Boxster S. Its a hardtop convertable so it'll be a little more luxurious then the others, but I don't think its quite as fun. Some like it more then others. I'd definitely check it out.

$30,000, I have a hard time thinking he'd actually be able to get any one of these for under 35,000 after taxes. I know he mentioned the Z4 in the original post but I just dont see it happening. As in the Porsche and SLK he's looking at like 40,000+.

[PlayStation3]

Originally Posted by DinanM3_S2

Here is how my choices for an automatic would go-

1) Porsche Boxster- It is probably the best roadster available anywhere near your price range. It looks great, the interior is a cut above, its handling is precise unlike anything else mentioned, and its generally engineered to perfection. If you can get an S, it also has a fair amount more power then the other cars mentioned. The Boxster might be the best all around roadster ever made. It will make you completely forget about the Z3 3.0i you own. The only problem with it is a big one, you get what you pay for. Because it is the best in the class its also by far the most expensive. The new Boxster S starts at $54,000 and the regular Boxster starts at $45,000. Once you see the options list on a Porsche you'll want to cry. There is also a bit of a problem because "its not a 911." You'll feel envy towards the 911 and the 911 owners will look down upon you. Such is Porsche. I would suggest checking out certified used, but you'll probably have a hard time finding a new Boxster since they restyled them about a year ago.

2) BMW Z4- Another really good overall car. Looks good, handles well, and its closer to your price range. It isn't quite as good as the Boxster, but its probably closer then anything else to it. The 3.0si Z4 might be about on par with the base Boxster, but not the S. A more experienced driver might actually be able to have more fun with the Z4 because it isn't so neutral and you'll be more used to BMW because of your Z3. The Z4 chassis is significantly better the the Z3, but the only engine that will beat your 3.0 is found in the newer 3.0si version. Its too bad that you don't want a manual because the new M Roadster costs less then the Boxster S and is significantly quicker.

3) Mercedes SLK350- more expensive then the Z4, less expensive the the Boxster S. Its a hardtop convertable so it'll be a little more luxurious then the others, but I don't think its quite as fun. Some like it more then others. I'd definitely check it out.

notice tough to main factor's: 30k or just a LITTLE bit more. and the prefer new/ not older then a 04.

the 3 you mention are like the next level in terms of roadsters/convertables.

[DinanM3_S2]

Originally Posted by LIONS*LEADER

maybe i should just break down and spend 40,000ish

This and the fact that the only cars he actually mentioned were the Z4 and the Boxster (and the Saab, which isn't very good) was why I talked about them. The Benz SLK is their natural competitor.

These three are miles ahead of cars like the Solstice, Sky, 350z, TT, and G6. The only roadster that can really come near the performance of the Boxster and the Z4 on the cheap side is the Honda S2000, and they only come in manuals. The Mazda MX5 (Miata) is also very good, but you'll miss the power of the BMW 3.0L I6.

I would stay away from convertables that were origionally designed to be regular hardtop coupes. When a company sets out to build a coupe the roof is an integral part of keeping the car stiff. When they cut off the roof the car looses alot of its regidity. This would be cars like the 350z, G6, Saab 9-3, BMW 3-Series, and Audi A4.