Quote:
Originally Posted by IB M
Not a moon-roof fan so I typed a long book.
My friends think I'm a retard not to want them on my cars so get in line.
Agree with you that rust and leaks are very rare these days on newer cars. However note that you live in Dallas with mild weather and less dirty tall trees. You probably garage ur car. If you lived in New York, Boston or others areas where weather and tree debris assault your car roof daily it could/ might rust and leak over time or your headliner could sag. Not an issue if you trade in for new every few years but for a long term keeper it's a liability.
My 2001 4Runner - slicktop - still own it, clean solid steel roof and original headliner.
My 2004 4Runner - sunroof - barely used it. It jammed once when only 3 years old - had to have dealer unjam, align and grease the tracks. Sold that car, should have kept it even with the sunroof  because V8
Not to throw gas on the fire but a few more minor (I said minor) considerations for those maybe undecided as to which to choose:
6 - IMO the full steel roof looks cleaner all one color with no big black glass rectangle
7 - if u decide to track your SUV the slicktop has more headroom for your helmet - we can all hear it already - well you know the x3M is faster than the F80M around the green hell.....
8 - should the x3M SUV become a "hit" and be very desirable and sought after on the aftermarket 15 to 20 years from now, hey u never know, then no moon roof X3Ms will be more rare and worth more money just as with E46M slicktops and E90M slicktops.
Another 15 minutes of my life wasted and claimed by Bimmerpost  |
: At 7 and 8 .. priceless.
Don't forget
9- lower center of gravity, less mass high above the ground ..
The e30 M3 and the Honda above were Midwest vehicles although garaged. Man that Honda ran through mufflers ... but the heat and temps and sun in Texas , while not Phoenix bad, is at least equally good at destroying rubber windshield and sunroof seals as rust and debris in the Midwest.
Both areas can have trees that leave sap/pollen/debris.
To add more useless data - I also have owned three BMW e46 convertibles and each of those have been originally well cared for but out in the elements from 85k to 160k and no leaks and they still work perfectly. My Ex wife's car spent a lot of time top down time in the sun and the leather seats became trashed however.
I take the 2004 E46 through the car wash whenever I can get the keys from my kid and it's perfectly dry inside. I can't tell you how impressed I am with older BMW convertible soft tops. They really are superb.
Back to moon roofs,
At the very least , should these 9 "dislikes " not deter X3/X4M buyers from getting the moonroof , in my estimation, if it's reasonably well cared for , owners can expect the interior to stay dry for certainly the length of time of their lease
plus probably about 15 years.
