Shopping for a vert

[Bimmer_man]

So I'm thinking about getting a vert for a second daily so I can retire my ix from daily use.

What I want to know is what to look for as far as problematic areas in the convertible. I know the cloth top usually isn't too good but that's about where it ends for what I know on the vert specific stuff.

Please let me know thanks everyone.

[DesktopDave]

Much like the iX, the biggest trouble with an iC is model-specific parts. Most of the sheet metal and much of the interior is unique to the 'verts. Then you have stuff like water leaks, dead seat heaters, clogged drains in the top stowage area, leaks in the trunk from the 3rd brake light, etc. Some of them also got the unreliable Electro-Mechanical (EM) power top that never works.

It's also the heavyweight E30, with like a 300# weight penalty. So it's slow. It also tend to flex a bit when you're pushing it. It's also hard to see out of when the top is up.

But...it's awesome with the top down. Not too many RWD four-seat 'verts around, and it's still an E30 when you get down to it. It's a fun car...but it's not for everyone. I have to admit that I love/hate my Cabrio.

[KIRIEIW]

Much like the iX, the biggest trouble with an iC is model-specific parts. Most of the sheet metal and much of the interior is unique to the 'verts. Then you have stuff like water leaks, dead seat heaters, clogged drains in the top stowage area, leaks in the trunk from the 3rd brake light, etc. Some of them also got the unreliable Electro-Mechanical (EM) power top that never works.

It's also the heavyweight E30, with like a 300# weight penalty. So it's slow. It also tend to flex a bit when you're pushing it. It's also hard to see out of when the top is up.

But...it's awesome with the top down. Not too many RWD four-seat 'verts around, and it's still an E30 when you get down to it. It's a fun car...but it's not for everyone. I have to admit that I love/hate my Cabrio.

Out of the 4 e30 convertibles our family's purchased in the past couple years, everyone has had a leaking 3rd brake light. Look for rusted tool's in the tool kit when checking out the car. Not a deal breaker for buying a car for me, but make sure the light works. The little motherboard in the light can fail from corrosion. Sometimes you can clean it, but the worst case scenario is you need a used replacement off the forums. I guess the very worst case would be rust bubbling under there but lets hope not :D

Also, I recently just bought a convertible (2 weeks ago) after selling my last. It's really nice to have a weekend car.

[rcsoundn1]

You are going to check the usual things, suspension, trans motor etc. Vert top is expensive, hope for a good one. And look for rust in the usual area. Yes these cars have a lot of vert specific parts. BUT many were 2nd cars and lived a bit of a sheltered life, so sometimes that kept them in better shape.

[aegul44]

Definitely take it for a test drive on HIGHWAY, Speed up 60mph to hear wind noise and see if you can endure it for DD. I was really disappointed with my vert, basically too much wind noise when top is up but When the top is down and windows are all up its much better than most modern verts. Still not regret buying it but If you are planning to go over 100mph for some reason, its not the best car for you. My friend ripped his top while going over 100mph. (frame was gone too.)

[cory58]

Love my 'vert and plan on keeping it forever. Anyone that tells you theirs does not leak in the rain is lying or hasn't found the wet carpet yet, so keep that in mind if you don't have a garage. Mine has the EM top, which I like, but it requires periodic repairs that are expensive if you are not handy at sourcing used parts and fixing things yourself. Join the Yahoo BMWE30IC group.

Enjoy the awesome topless driving as much as possible!

[Bimmer_man]

Thanks for all the incredible information. Seems to be a lot like the ix only opposite end of the spectrum for obvious reasons haha. I'll definitely be careful when purchasing a ic. It's going to take me a while to decide on one but when j finally have one in my possession I will definitely post it and see what needs to be fixed. I'm going to look into seeing how much the cloth top would be as well. I already know the hard top for these cars is 1000 +. I remember seeing a few for sale in the past.

I don't plan on flooring it and going racecar with the ic. It's just mainly going to be the daily till I buy a much newer car.

Thanks again for all the information any more info please feel free to let me know.

[Cha Ching]

I currently own 2 'verts and used to own a third.

They are fun cars, but weather helps. I tip my hat to those owners in colder climates that rock 'verts without a hardtop.

A new top makes a HUGE difference in a car, all things being equal. So factor in the cost of a replacement and you will be good to go. Otherwise, owning a vert is just like a coupe or sedan. Except they have cooler functions like M3-style seats and seat heaters.

Swap the bumpers over to plastics or euro bumpers and you have small tails as well (which some prefer). Just be sure to budget or plan for changing the main convertible top seal, new top and boot cover shocks. Paying attention to these areas will make your experience as a vert owner much better.

These items are seldom cared for here on R3v because they don't make your car lower/faster/reliable, but they pay big dividends in your driving experience and ownership.

[Bimmer_man]

yeah i get that haha. With my ix yeah im making it faster but im adding A LOT of stock options to the car that it didnt come with. I upgraded my 6 button to a fully functional 13 button. I fixed all my power steering issues. Im going to keep my ac that for some reason a lot of r3v owners delete. Im going to do the same to the iC.

The iC wont be as tedius of a restore/fix as my ix. That being said im not going to just fix the bare minimum. The gf wants to be able to enjoy it as well, and shes extremely picky on looks and the sound system

Also if anyone happens to come across a iC with a blown engine or bad transmission or the engine and driveline missing all together please let me know. I will have a spare engine and transmission to put down its throat when i get the car anyways.

Just so I know for the future. Where would I grab a new top for the iC? I'm sure I could get one from bmw for an outrageous amount. Just curious for the future

Also how difficult would it be to convert a manual roof to a power roof? That is my gfs requirement haha. I habe no problem doing it just want to know what it entails.

[Das Delfin]

Most interiors on convertibles are shot and as such the used market sucks but if you have tan or black it shouldn't be too hard to find something nice. If you wanna go new it's 600-1000 for a diy kit depending on material

There's a ton of seals that keep the top weatherproof and you will want to buy the bmw seal conditioner which has a really funny name. But basically you want to check out convertibles like the day after it rains and feel the carpets to see if they're wet. Some of the seals are easy fixes but anything which is attached to the top itself is hard. You can also adjust the positioning of the top to help dial it in. None of these things are stuff you'll be able to really check out in detail before you buy the car though. Then of course there is also the realization that it's an old convertible design and being bmw's first, it's in no means perfect, so you might just have to keep it in the garage and don't drive it if it's rainy outside.

The plastic rear window usually degrades before the rest of the top does, so look for a car which either has a new top, but preferably one with a zip-in rear window. You can get ragg topp to keep the top in good shape and help with waterproofing

The battery tray in the back is almost never rusty because there's no battery there on convertibles, so that's a plus! But that means you have to check the battery tray up front

The 3rd brake light seal issue.. I never got my check panel to work right so I deleted it in favor of an e34 dome light, which fits near perfect on our cars and you don't have to cut up the light or anything.

A good resource is e30ic.com. The guy there tells you stuff like when they went with electric tops. An early manual top can't really be converted to be electric. I mean you can do anything but it's way easier to just fix a broken electric because there's a bunch of different parts and it's arranged differently and the electric top has all these sensors which the manual doesn't have so you'd need a whole new top and frame and it's pointless. Everyone seems to have problems with their electric top. I bought a manual so that it can't break. The main problem with the electric tops is one or both of the motors go bad because the top's tension straps have lost their elasticity, which means you have to replace the motor AND the top. So it can get expensive if you want a working top. If you go with a manual top, it's really not hard to do. And it's better because you need to help the plastic rear window fold correctly so it won't tear prematurely.

Everything else is normal. Tail light seals, elephant trunk, rust in typical places, normal maintenance. I used to have a love/hate with my convertible, but I don't anymore. What changed? I solved most of the leaks and came to terms that rainy days suck, but sunny days are pretty cool

[Mwishlist]

A new top makes a HUGE difference in a car, all things being equal. So factor in the cost of a replacement and you will be good to go. Otherwise, owning a vert is just like a coupe or sedan. Except they have cooler functions like M3-style seats and seat heaters.

Just be sure to budget or plan for changing the main convertible top seal, new top and boot cover shocks. Paying attention to these areas will make your experience as a vert owner much better.
experience and ownership.

Yeah, you will definitely need shocks for the top cover if it doesn't hold itself up. That is a huge PITA. The front seal is pricey and it seems they all leak at the front corners. As stated above, a big plus to the verts is you don't have to look for an IS version if you want the nicer sport seats, seat heaters etc. I replaced the non-functioning seat heaters in mine with Dorman ones for $60 a seat. I spliced the wiring into the stock wiring and it's good to go.

There are two panels between the trunk and the rear seats for extra strengthening, so pull the carpet in the trunk behind the rear seats and check to make sure some jackass hasn't cut up the sheet metal to mount some big subs (as the PO did in mine).

We own two, mine is the manual top and my wife's is the electric. Fingers crossed, her's works pretty well now but I would never buy one with an electric top without planning to convert it eventually. It's a crazy slow / fragile seeming system that I don't see lasting long with regular use at this age. My manual is super easy to put up or down.

I had a hell of a time finding a manual one, most are auto in my area unless they have been swapped. I bought an auto because the body was so clean and rust free, my wife's was swapped by the PO. But like someone else noted, a lot of these have been garage kept and not abused too badly.

The third tail light seal fails but the seals are not sold separately (that I know of), they only come with the whole $250 assembly. I took mine apart, and then clear rtv'd the original seal - no leaks so far.

I never wanted a convertible till I bought mine, now I absolutely love it! Good Luck!

[McGyver]

too bad you're so far away, i'm about to list 2 for sale that have 90% of the maintenance taken care of.

[87cabrio89is]

I much prefer my cabrio over the is, but both are a blast to drive. Re noise, the cabrio is much quieter with the top and windows down than my 2013 allroad with sunroof open and Windows down. I had a hard top, but my vert doesn't see much use in the winter so I sold it. Found a newer OEM top at a JY and it is way quieter than the single layer top that was on my vert when I purchased it. Seals are expensive and WILL need to be replaced as if original, they are more than 20 years old. Figure a bout $2k to replace all seals (top, doors, windows inners and outers, top storage) and top. Took mine on several 2000 mile round trip journeys with no regrets.