Am I the only one who thinks both are kind of unremarkable-looking? I don’t know how they drive, but if I was going to buy a fun little extra car I’d want it to be adorable, you know?
A friend of mine is looking at a mini convertible. THAT is a very cute car. I agree neither of mine is “adorable”, but I’m a tall nearly middle aged guy who wants an ultra luxurious toy. 
Well, maybe “adorable” was the wrong word. They aren’t sexy.
Well, I just got back from test driving the BMW. It is a gorgeous car, sporty and sexy through and through. The dark exterior contrasting the white interior just looks perfect.
It is undeniably a sports car. Yes, it has some luxuries but not nearly as much as the Merc. It’s zippy and fun to drive.
So now I’m still torn. The Merc is luxury and power; the BMW is zip and sporty. I guess I have to decide which one I really want for the weekend drives.
Any further opinions always appreciated.
Dude - if you’re in Australia can you look for a Walkinshaw Commodore?
Or maybe a Senator HSV. there should still be some of the good Toranas running around right?
All should be less costly and a whole lot more fun than the Beemer et al.
IMO, the Merc CLK body shape is fucking awful. It looks fat in the ass, and not at all sleek. It looks like they took one of their already-weighty sedans and just chopped the roof off.
The BMW 3-series is no Z4, but it at least looks like they’ve done a good job turning a sedan into a convertible.
Never had a Mercedes, cause I bought the BMW first!
I don’t think you can go wrong with either. Both are top of the line. I find the BMW easy to work on* because of the clearly thought out design. I’m sure the 3-Star is the same.
Have fun!
*doesn’t need it much. Some people bitch about shit going wrong at 70k. Shit! The average “other piece of crap” is done and in the junk yard by then! I’ve got 175k and expecting 300.
Which BMW do you own? Did you buy it new or used? Any problems at all?
Thanks!
I agree the back of the Merc is not terrible stylish. But the interior and the front is beautiful.
In any event, I seem to be leaning more and more towards the BWM. It really was an incredible looking car, and with only 38k kms on it and only 3 yrs old it’s hard to let it go. The drive was really fun, which is what I want for a weekend convertible.
Buy neither, get yourself an Audi, build quality of Mercs has been criticised of late, and their customer service regularly ends up in pit threads on these boards.
Audis seem to be well built, although the cuope has had its problems. It will cost just as much to repair as the others, but you won’t have to do it as often.
In objective data, Audi cars are pretty much just as bad as all German cars when it comes to reliability. If the OP really cares about reliability, he’ll buy a Lexus (Toyota) or an Acura (Honda), or something from Ford (not a fancy name).
No one buys an expensive, fancy car because of such mundane characteristics as reliability. I say go for the Mercedes!
They don’t sell Acuras in Australia.
Time to distance yourself. a 23000 mile 330Ci in excellent condition is worth $29900US according to Kelley Blue Book.
Find the kind of car you want, research if the values are in range, then do your best to consider it a financial transaction only. Would you pay $5 for a $3 gallon of milk? Even if the atmosphere in the grocery store is nice?
Private party sale is even cheaper. Course, there’s a LOT of distance between Denver and Australia.
BMW owner here. We’re on the other end of the scale, though. We have a luxury vehicle, the 750il. Hub is also a European repair technician and he prefers the BMW hands down over a Mercedes. I can’t tell you all of the details but he enjoys working on (and respects the engineering of) BMW’s.
What on earth does that have to do with the price in Australia? 
Indeed. If I were to buy the car in Denver, I would have to:
a) Pay to have it changed to a left-side drive. That would cost a fortune
b) Pay to ship it to Australia
c) Pay the applicable tariffs
Yes, I am quite aware of the fact that cars bought in Australia, especially foreign imports, are more expensive than they are in the US. But since there is nothing I can do about that I guess I’ll buy the Beemer!! 
Do you not have a domestic industry that puts out cool reasonably priced cars of the type you’re looking for?
Holden and I think maybe Ford are locally made. Quite possibly some of the lower end brands as well.
Holden do make nice cars, but the only thing comparable to what I’m looking for is the Astra convertible. They’re okay looking cars, but not for me.
ETA: Bear in mind I need a rear seat for my little one. So none of the cute little roadsters will work.
Those Astra look like the offspring of a Volvo and a Toyota.
Yes, not really a sexy car at all.
The Audi convertibles are quite nice, but I haven’t seen any I really love. The Volvo convertible is a Dad car, not a sports car. All the rest are either too small or not very nice to look at.