[yk4k]

So, I'm getting ready to purchase my first BMW (finally--I've been love with BMWs from as early as 7 years old).

I know I definitely want a 3-Series, but my only problem is: which one?

I love the sedan, because of its ease of access to the rear seats when I want to be generous and give my friends with not-as-great cars rides/ride around with hot b*tches. (Well, not really, but I like that I at least have the option with the sedan. ) This is especially a plus when taking my boss/colleagues to lunch.
Also, it has a very sexy, yet classy look, which is approriate whether I'm at work, church, or a nightclub.

But the coupé is dead sexy....long, low (which might be a problem considering the not-so-stellar roads I travel on occasion), sleek. I'm a single guy, and the coupé just seems like the ultimate "gentleman's" (or gentle-lady! don't hate) car for a young, upwardly mobile person like myself.

I fell in love with the convertible, however, back in 95, and have thought fondly of the day when I'd be able to own one. And the change to a hardtop has only made me like it that much more.

I'm leaning towards a black-on-black color-combo, though for the coupé/convertible, I'd opt for red leather.

Just to tell you about myself, I'm a professional working in customer support for accounting software...single, no children.

So, help! Have you been in this situation? If you have, do you regret choosing one body style over another? Why or why not?

Love the forum and all the pics! Thanks in advance.

[digivue]

I'd go with the vert. I guess the climate is not a problem to go with top down all year around.

[yk4k]

Originally Posted by digivue

I'd go with the vert. I guess the climate is not a problem to go with top down all year around.

Yeah, it's not so bad. I moved here from the US about six months ago, and the coldest I've seen it so far has been around 40 degrees F. Right now it's in the 70s. No crazy precipitation, just rain. And you're right, there have been some perfect convertible days lately...

[Curt2000]

I went with the sedan...I was in pretty much the exact situation you are in. I took my boss, my boss's boss, and my boss's boss's boss out to lunch one day at a conference in it and I was happy they didnt have to climb in and out of the back seat. Plus it looks just as good as the coupe IMO. The vert is heavy and expensive and you loose your trunk if your riding with the top down.

I'd say go with the sedan, put some CSL 19's, blacklines, and an aero package on it and your golden.

[malloy44]

I'd go with the coupe. I recently bought my first BMW, E90 and I somewhat regret not getting the coupe. Although the sedan is terrific, and as you said provides the added practicality of a legit backseat, the coupe is such a sporty, great looking car. And as for the convertible, the hardtop is nice, but for the price difference and the lack of trunk space, I'd go for the coupe for sure. Good luck!

[drZ]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

I'd say go with the sedan, put some CSL 19's, blacklines, and an aero package on it and your golden.

..and you'll have exactly the same car as the op has haha..nice car by the way man i have the coupe and it is such a nice car..as everyone's described,low slung,sporty,you get a tails of people eyeing the driver but at the end of the day its a coupe,and though its lovely to drive there's a sensation of longing for something else..i'm getting the e90 m3 next hehe..hopefully good luck anyway

ps..got my wheels today,had to stand them up in their boxes on the rear seats..i'm sure there's gonna be stains on the centre arm rest another bad thing about the coupe hehe

[fl_cyclist]

I love convertibles but the best looking model is the coupe hands down. I own the sedan because I have two kids, otherwise I would have went with the coupe. This is even though my previous car was a 350Z roadster, I just found that keeping a vert's interior clean is a major amount of work and I am no longer willing to sacrifice the car's lines and the maintenance for the open air.

[Kilgore Trout]

Wagon! Great looking vehicle, fits my bike and camping gear, and with that panoramic sunroof, it is almost like a vert.

[Frank2808]

How often do you have people in your back seat? I got a sedan and used my back seat 3 times in 3 years. I'd go coupe because they look better unless you need room for a car seat or something in the back...

[Kilgore Trout]

The Sedan is pretty nice looking though. IMO, just as nice as the coupe. And, personally, I hate those big doors on coupes (have had many coupes over the years).

Do coupes retain their value better? More sporty looking vehicles are always in a bit more demand on the resale market.

[Bark]

Originally Posted by malloy44

I'd go with the coupe. I recently bought my first BMW, E90 and I somewhat regret not getting the coupe. Although the sedan is terrific, and as you said provides the added practicality of a legit backseat, the coupe is such a sporty, great looking car. And as for the convertible, the hardtop is nice, but for the price difference and the lack of trunk space, I'd go for the coupe for sure. Good luck!

I definitely agree with the coupe vote, but let me point out that I think the back seat in the coupe is pretty "legit." Certainly not an uncomfotable place to sit. The coupe is 3 inches longer than the sedan (yes, that's correct), which helps keep things spacious in the cabin. The only downside is the lack of rear doors, but for as seldom as I have back seat passengers, and for as small of a task as it is to fold/slide the front seat forward, I'll take the looks of the coupe over the convenience of the sedan any day.

yk4k: In my opinion, the coupe is the best looking of the various e90 series body styles. The coupe seems to be the layout that best conveys the look BMW intended to create with the e90 series, while the sedan and convertible are trying their best to look like the coupe.

For me, the coupe looks so great that the features offered by the sedan and convertible aren't worth considering. Let alone the extra cost and weight of the convertible. I don't think you'll be missing the rear doors of the sedan or the top down option of the convertible when you're melting faces in your new coupe.

[Cyrax91]

Im about in your boat dude. Although I do have a wonderful girlfriend so im not single. But im a financial analyst with an accounting background. No kids. I work in a professional setting, but I love to go out. I have a 335i coupe and I have zero regrets. Its fast. Looks amazing. And even though the back seats are tight. I take my co-workers to lunch now and then and it works great Buy the coupe!!!

[06-325]

Buy what you love that way you won't have the buyer's remorse.

[JDLM]

All depends on your needs

[ramorendez]

Go with the E93!

[yk4k]

Goodness...you people were supposed to make this EASY! haha.

In regards to my needs for extra seating: if I were to be really honest, the work lunch doesn't happen too often, though when it does I like to be ready. I have two nephews and a few X5-loads worth of cousins around my age, and we all hang out together pretty often. So I know that once the car arrives, they'll all want to take turns riding around with me. Though, in the past I've never had more than 3 passengers. I also drive my dad around fairly often, two or three times a week--he's almost 70, and while he's definitely "young" for his age, I think it'd be easier for him to get into and out of the sedan than the other two.

I will admit that the coupe is the one that turns my head most often, but put a nice set of wheels on the sedan and I'm smitten all over again. I'll look at few more pics, see the cars in person once again (trust me, I don't mind) and keep thinking about it! Thanks for your advice so far.

[hanmaas]

you're only going to get biased reviews on this forum . you have to pick what suits you best overall. if you're asking for my opinion, you have to go with the coupe . the e90 is fugly, although it has gotten a little better with the facelift. the e93 has too much additional weight and looks weird with the top up compared to the coupe. but i'm not much of a convertible fan in the first place.

[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

Wagon! Great looking vehicle, fits my bike and camping gear, and with that panoramic sunroof, it is almost like a vert.

I was going to mention the Targa-sized panoramic moonroof.

[CyberGypsy]

Sedan

[Deda]

bmw convertible!

[sekitori]

Originally Posted by Bark

I'll take the looks of the coupe over the convenience of the sedan any day.

I agree that as rule, coupes look better than sedans. To me, a car with two doors just looks "cleaner" than one with four doors.

I had a coupe a few years ago (a Toyota Solara) and while I thought it looked great, it was very inconvenient for a reason I didn't realize until after I bought the car. The doors of coupes are quite a bit longer than the doors of sedans. The difference between the two in some models can be several inches. When space is restricted, it may be difficult to fully open the doors of a coupe. Also, just getting into and out of the back seat of a two door car can be a pain.

There is a wall on the left side of my parking space in my condo garage. Although I tried to park as far from the wall as possible, there were times the door of the Solara contacted the wall and wouldn't completely open. As a result, getting in and out of the car was somewhat difficult. I also had the same problem in parking lots opening my doors with cars on either side.

I now have a 3 series sedan and while it doesn't look quite as good as the coupe, the narrower doors are much easier for me to handle, both in my condo garage and in parking lots. Because of this alone, the convenience of a sedan is more significant to me than appearance of a coupe.

If the the appearance of the car is more important to you than the ease of entering and exiting, go with the coupe.

[willa1975]

Originally Posted by yk4k

So, I'm getting ready to purchase my first BMW (finally--I've been love with BMWs from as early as 7 years old).

I know I definitely want a 3-Series, but my only problem is: which one?

I love the sedan, because of its ease of access to the rear seats when I want to be generous and give my friends with not-as-great cars rides/ride around with hot b*tches. (Well, not really, but I like that I at least have the option with the sedan. ) This is especially a plus when taking my boss/colleagues to lunch.
Also, it has a very sexy, yet classy look, which is approriate whether I'm at work, church, or a nightclub.

But the coupé is dead sexy....long, low (which might be a problem considering the not-so-stellar roads I travel on occasion), sleek. I'm a single guy, and the coupé just seems like the ultimate "gentleman's" (or gentle-lady! don't hate) car for a young, upwardly mobile person like myself.

I fell in love with the convertible, however, back in 95, and have thought fondly of the day when I'd be able to own one. And the change to a hardtop has only made me like it that much more.

I'm leaning towards a black-on-black color-combo, though for the coupé/convertible, I'd opt for red leather.

Just to tell you about myself, I'm a professional working in customer support for accounting software...single, no children.

So, help! Have you been in this situation? If you have, do you regret choosing one body style over another? Why or why not?

Love the forum and all the pics! Thanks in advance.

As far as coupe vs. sedan is concerned, it sounds like you prefer the coupe's lines, much like myself. You're not going to have rear-seat passengers every day, and the rear seat room in the coupe is no different from the sedan, at least based on my own observations, having sat in the rear seats of both in the dealership showrooms. The only difference, obviously, is that it takes more agility to get into the back seat of the coupe than it does for the sedan. But, unless you're going to have your parents in the back seat on a regular basis, I don't think it will make a difference. The sedan claims to seat 5, but unless the 3 people in the back are kids, I don't think that's very realistic.

I am currently shopping for a 335i. I entertained the idea of purchasing a sedan, since it is a bit cheaper, and I like the changes that came with the LCI upgrade. But I just like the coupe a lot better. Also, being a single, childless guy, much like yourself, the loss in practicality that comes with having two doors instead of four will be, at most, marginal. And, as a tall guy, it's easier to get in the front seat of a coupe than a sedan. I think the choice between coupe and sedan is an easy one.

I think the tough decision for you is whether to get the coupe or the convertible. I, personally, wouldn't get the convertible. For one thing, the vert does feel cramped when I sit in it, unlike the coupe. Also, the vert, unlike the coupe and sedan, does not have a legit back seat, at least if both you and your rear-seat passengers are taller than 5'5". Finally, it just isn't worth the extra $10k for me to have the convertible.

But, if you've been dreaming of the convertible since '95, and you feel comfortable in it, and can afford the extra $$$, then go for it, man. You're in the right climate for it. Just don't put any adults in the back seat.