How practical is a 6 Series / M6 Cabriolet?

[997c2scab]

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

[5678]

997c2scab said:

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

I've just bought a 650 and this was purchased with a view to being able to accommodate a family (it would have been a 997 if this wasn't the case!)
The boot is cavernous, you will fit all you need in there. I'd say it would take 3 if not 4 sets of Golf clubs easily to give you a reference.
The rear seats will take baby seats and do have Isofix mounts. There is more space back there than in your 997 but it's still more of a 2+2 than a 4 seater (maybe 2+2.5?!) You may want to try one and see how you find access to the back.
Mines an auto so no box problems to worry about. The SMG is not the same as in the M5 though so no 5 figure bills to worry about.

[chrisx666]

997c2scab said:

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

I have has a 645ci for the past year and had no problems at all accomodating a new baby. As said above the boot is huge* for this type of car and swallows a pram and all the other stuff easily. *The cab version may be different - not looked at one.
ISOFIX child seats are essential (the angle of the rear seats is too steep for the setbelt types IMO). You do need to move the front seat quite far forward with the baby carrier in the back though - if your other half is tall (mine isn't..) it may be a bit uncomfortable in the front. The back seats are for children or short trips only.

Manuals/SMG's are very rare. Never driven the SMG but reports at the time said it was too jerky for this type of car and to stick to the std auto or man transmission.

Personally I wouldn't want to own one without a BMW warranty - though so far it has been pretty well behaved.
Serious misfire when warm - cylinder head breather valves replaced under warranty. Rear ball joints - again done under warranty. Oil service £218 inc vat, brake fluid service £52. That about it. The correct tyres are £1100/4 for the 19's though not needed any yet as they seem to wear evenly.

[richterswil]

5678 said:

997c2scab said:

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

The SMG is not the same as in the M5 though so no 5 figure bills to worry about.

Is this definitely the case? I thought the M5 and M6 were pretty much the same car underneath with the same engine and gearbox etc?

[997c2scab]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Do the back seats have isofix anchor points or just the front?

Also what kind of mpg can be expected from 4.5 & 5.0? I have been getting 21 from the 997 and around 24 on the z4mc

[chrisx666]

997c2scab said:

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Do the back seats have isofix anchor points or just the front?

Also what kind of mpg can be expected from 4.5 & 5.0? I have been getting 21 from the 997 and around 24 on the z4mc

Only the back seats have ISOFIX - Maxicosi stuff fits. 30+mpg at constant 60mph, 26 at more realistic motorways speeds and 18 on runs to the shops etc. I average 22 with a lot of stop/start mixed with a weekly motorway run. By the way, the 645 is a 4.4 and the 650 is a 4.8.

My choice would be either a low-priced option-less 630ci manual (not much heavier than a loaded 1-series) or a fully loaded (auto, dynamic drive, 19's etc. etc) V8. Cabs weigh around 200kg more than the coupe if that bothers you.

[M-J-B]

richterswil said:

5678 said:

997c2scab said:

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

The SMG is not the same as in the M5 though so no 5 figure bills to worry about.

Is this definitely the case? I thought the M5 and M6 were pretty much the same car underneath with the same engine and gearbox etc?

That's as I understand it as well?

I had a look at a 650 coupé and convertible a couple of years ago and frankly the back was terrible at best.

That said, I'm now looking at a 997 and that's not much better!

[5678]

M-J-B said:

richterswil said:

5678 said:

997c2scab said:

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

The SMG is not the same as in the M5 though so no 5 figure bills to worry about.

Is this definitely the case? I thought the M5 and M6 were pretty much the same car underneath with the same engine and gearbox etc?

That's as I understand it as well?

I had a look at a 650 coupé and convertible a couple of years ago and frankly the back was terrible at best.

That said, I'm now looking at a 997 and that's not much better!

Sorry, I've misunderstood, plus thinking about I'm not sure if I'm right anyway. The M5 and M6 are the same mechanicals as I understand it. I [b]did[/i] think that the non-M SMG versions used a different box to the M cars. I may be wrong on this though.

As another poster said, my Wife is not very tall at all so having the passenger seat forward and a kiddies seat behind it is not a problem.

[fen7on]

Same gearbox in M6 as M5, so you 'may' have large bills, although BMW warranty is excellent & a must for the M5/M6; Mine had three little problems in February, warranty work was £5,000.00 in parts alone.

Child seats: rear facing seat behind driver: no issue if you're 6ft. I've got two kids, 4 year old & 18 month old, both fit in back (just).

Boot space: massive, I had a phil & ted 3 wheeler double buggy, kids bike & big bag of toys in the boot (better reference for your upcoming arrival).

Coupe/cab: I'd go for the coupe, realistically you're not going to be happy for the most important thing in your life to be out in the open.

MPG: I had an E46 M3, so same engine as your Z4, used to get 23, sold with 20k on the clock though, so hardly run in. Then got X5 4.8is, same engine as 650i, would get between 15-20. M6 I get 7-17 (although managed 26 on a dull lets see how high mpg I can get).

[M-J-B]

5678 said:

M-J-B said:

richterswil said:

5678 said:

997c2scab said:

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

The SMG is not the same as in the M5 though so no 5 figure bills to worry about.

Is this definitely the case? I thought the M5 and M6 were pretty much the same car underneath with the same engine and gearbox etc?

That's as I understand it as well?

I had a look at a 650 coupé and convertible a couple of years ago and frankly the back was terrible at best.

That said, I'm now looking at a 997 and that's not much better!

Sorry, I've misunderstood, plus thinking about I'm not sure if I'm right anyway. The M5 and M6 are the same mechanicals as I understand it. I [b]did[/i] think that the non-M SMG versions used a different box to the M cars. I may be wrong on this though.

As another poster said, my Wife is not very tall at all so having the passenger seat forward and a kiddies seat behind it is not a problem.

Two points:

Correct - the M sport versions (635D for example) do have different boxes (and far better in my experience).

And as long as your wife is vertically challenged, the car is great

[5678]

M-J-B said:

5678 said:

M-J-B said:

richterswil said:

5678 said:

997c2scab said:

Guys,

I have recently found out that the wife has a baby on the way and therefore need to change my Z4m Coupe for something a little more practical.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1692915.htm

I have been thinking of a 6 series cabriolet or M6 to replace however I wasnt sure how practical they are?

Do / Can the rear seats in a 6 Series take a baby seat? ISOFIX?
Is the the boot a useable size reference to fitting a pushchair etc?

Are there any known faults with the 6 Series that I need to be aware of when purchasing? Some have the SMG Box, Does this mean they encounter the sames faults as E46 ME & E60 M5?

Thanks in advance

The SMG is not the same as in the M5 though so no 5 figure bills to worry about.

Is this definitely the case? I thought the M5 and M6 were pretty much the same car underneath with the same engine and gearbox etc?

That's as I understand it as well?

I had a look at a 650 coupé and convertible a couple of years ago and frankly the back was terrible at best.

That said, I'm now looking at a 997 and that's not much better!

Sorry, I've misunderstood, plus thinking about I'm not sure if I'm right anyway. The M5 and M6 are the same mechanicals as I understand it. I [b]did[/i] think that the non-M SMG versions used a different box to the M cars. I may be wrong on this though.

As another poster said, my Wife is not very tall at all so having the passenger seat forward and a kiddies seat behind it is not a problem.

Two points:

Correct - the M sport versions (635D for example) do have different boxes (and far better in my experience).

And as long as your wife is vertically challenged, the car is great

lol

I'm quite happy with the auto box in my 650 sport. I can imagine a manual to be fun, but it just doesn't seem to be the type of car for hustling. It has so much torque that leaving it in M3 is enough for those 'pressing on' moments.
Even with my driving position I anticipate being able to get a seat in behind it. By the time we have two kids to ferry I'll have moved onto something else anyway.

[ALittleEXcited]

Boot not all that good on the convertible. You can make it larger by folding the roof storage bit up - but it means you cant put the roof down. No way would I get 3 or 4 sets of clubs in.

Will take pictures later.

[130R]

The coupe is very practical, huge boot and the back seats are about 100 times better than in a 997.