10 Most Affordable BMW Coupe and Convertible Models You Can Buy in 2023

Having said that, what you might deem as being too pricey, someone else might consider to be within their wheelhouse, so it’s best to not pass judgement too harshly when it comes to money, and simply rank the following vehicles based on starting MSRP.

It’s the simplest way of going about making such a list. No other criteria needed – like dependability or being exciting to drive. Speaking of criteria, while we will be taking specifications into consideration, we won’t be looking at any xDrive variants, mainly because we’re dealing with sporty models to begin with, and second, because we’d end up with too many “repeat offenders”.

Before we get started on the rankings, there’s just one more thing. At the very end, I’ll try and work out which of the following 10 models represents the best bang for your buck, and to do that, I will take several things into consideration, like performance, comfort and so on. To be fair though, seeing as how all these cars are sporty rear-wheel drive models, comfort will definitely take a backseat to driving dynamics and overall engine characteristics.

#10. BMW M4 Coupe ($78,100 MSRP)

You’re probably surprised to find the M4 on this list. What’s funny is that car prices have gone up so much, generally speaking, that what was once a somewhat flagship model for the Bavarian carmaker, is now not even close to being one of their most expensive offerings.

Then there’s the fact that the M4 Coupe is nothing more than an entry-level spec, superseded by the M4 Competition and the M4 Competition xDrive Coupe as far as pricing is concerned. Then you've got the M4 Competition xDrive Convertible, which is the only convertible spec available for the M4 and is a $93,300 affair.

So then, with a starting price of “just” $78,100, you can kind of see how one might consider the M4 Coupe as a relatively affordable car, especially within its segment, where you won’t find anything that hits 60 mph in over 4 seconds.

The M4 can achieve such targets thanks to a twin turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six, good for 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, with everything going to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission – BMW's amazing ZF 8HP gearbox, to be precise.

Once you floor the throttle in your M4, 60 mph should occur in 3.4 seconds, which is, safe to say, blisteringly quick.

#9. BMW M440i Convertible ($69,550 MSRP)

The BMW 4 Series Convertible in M440i spec is pretty much the last drop top Bimmer you can buy before things get really expensive.

Even so, $70k is a lot, but to be fair, you’re also getting a pretty sweet ride in the process. Compared to lesser trims, the M440i looks more aggressive and is more fun to drive thanks to its standard M Differential and standard M Sport brakes.

The powertrain is a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, rated at 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. It’s enough for a zero to 60 mph time of 5 seconds flat, and a top speed of 155 mph. On paper, this car certainly is quick enough, although you can go even faster for less money – so do keep an eye on that story as it develops.

At the end of the day, the only question you need to ask yourself as far as the M440i Convertible is concerned, is whether or not you NEED the roof to go "bye-bye" in case of good weather. If not, you might as well save $8,000 and get the Coupe variant, which resides further down in our rankings.

To some people, the M440i, be it a coupe or a convertible, might feel like too much of a half measure, and we’re going to touch on that a little bit when we try and figure out what the best car is here, in terms of value for money.

#8. BMW Z4 M40i ($66,300 MSRP)

If you mostly care about performance, the BMW Z4 M40i can literally be all the car you need as far as 2-door Bimmers go. This thing has the exact same power train as the M440i, except that in the Z4, that 382 hp straight-six will accelerate you to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds – it’s over one second faster than its larger sibling, at least over such a short distance.

Other highlights, as far as the G29 Z4 is concerned, include its wonderfully elegant styling (the Z4 Concept on which this car is based was an absolute beauty), and the balanced chassis. The Z4 rides on the Toyota-BMW joint sports car architecture.

It’s almost impossible not to have fun behind the wheel of a Z4, especially this M40i flagship variant, which by the way is more appealing in the U.S. than in Europe, where the turbo L6 only connects for 335 horsepower, and the car is slower overall to 60 mph by nearly half a second than its U.S. market counterpart. That’s a fun little nugget to throw out at parties.

The only downside to the Z4, generally speaking, is that you end up with a basic sports car that can’t double as a GT if need be – like a 4 Series Convertible would.

#7. BMW M2 ($63,200 MSRP)

I actually wanted to go on a rant about how BMW dared to price the Z4 M40i higher than the M2 Coupe. Sure, the former is a roadster, and you can drive around with the wind in your hair, but it’s not a genuine M car, I mean, not really, right?

Unlike the Z4 M40i, the M2’s 3.0-liter straight-six engine is twin-turbocharged, producing 453 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, which ultimately gets you to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. Wait, that’s actually slower than the Z4 M40i. Yeah, it’s why I stopped myself from going on said rant to begin with.

In a sense, or at least from a performance standpoint, these 2-door Bimmers are priced well in relation to each other. Also, the M2 is reasonably priced compared to the opposition, where you have the 2024 Audi RS 3 (which is actually a four-door sedan), and the Porsche 718 Cayman. Frankly, the M2 will blow the entry-level Cayman out of the water, and it’s more fun to drive than the RS 3.

Anyway, if you’re an avid driving enthusiast and you don’t need anything bigger than a compact-sized sports car, the BMW M2 should fit your lifestyle wonderfully. Although to some, they might still struggle with the price a little bit – at just over $63,000, the 2024 BMW M2 Coupe may not exactly offer the best value-for-money, not as far as this group is concerned. But more on that later.

#6. BMW M440i Coupe ($61,450 MSRP)

Sports car buyers who don’t field the desire to own a convertible should be very satisfied with owning something like the BMW M440i Coupe. We already went through the numbers when discussing the convertible, but we’ll go through them again because the Coupe is slightly quicker off the line (understandably).

Power comes from a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six unit, good for 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the convertible variant, which hits 60 mph in 5 seconds flat, the Coupe will get there in 4.6 seconds, which is actually a considerable advantage.

In terms of value-for-money, you should be good to go with a base-spec M440i Coupe, where in return for just over $60k, you get the previously mentioned engine, rear-wheel drive as standard, an eight-speed Sport Automatic transmission, Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Traction Control, M Sport brakes with blue calipers, an M Sport differential, variable sport steering, the M Sport suspension, 18-inch bi-color M wheels, Shadowline exterior trim, power front sports seats, LED headlights, a rear-view camera, just the works.

It’s not fully specified, but it’s got plenty of goodies standard. Although, if you’re on any kind of a tight budget, then perhaps a BMW M440i isn’t for you – usually the people who can afford these cars will tick several options purely out of reflex.

Still, you can get it “as is”, without breaking a sweat. It should be more than good enough.

#5. BMW 430i Convertible ($58,100 MSRP)

Back to drop-top land with the entry-level 4 Series convertible, the 430i, which is quite a sensible choice.

This entry-level BMW is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 engine, producing 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, sending power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Performance is adequate, allowing you to hit 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, which is respectable but not impressive.

This is the type of BMW you buy when you’re not as concerned about driving dynamics as you are about the casualness of life, enjoying your time in the sun, driving from A to B while basking in the Southern California climate, or maybe in Florida somewhere.

The 4 Series Convertible actually makes for a decent purchase by elimination. Your alternatives are the Audi A5 Cabriolet and the Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet (the old C-Class, that is). Neither of them is as sharp to drive as the BMW, and their on-board tech isn’t quite as new.

There is a slightly cheaper alternative though, and it’s one that might suit your lifestyle perfectly, if you don’t need any room in the back for extra passengers. And guess what, it’s coming right up at no. 4 on our list.

#4. BMW Z4 sDrive30i ($53,600 MSRP)

This is the entry-level BMW Z4, and it’s also the cheapest new 2-door BMW money can buy, with a convertible roof. Technically, it’s a roadster, but if you want the wind in your hair, you can’t get it any cheaper than $53,600, at least not at retail.

What does sDrive30i mean? It’s basic BMW lingo, where ‘sDrive’ means it’s a rear-wheel-drive model, whereas the 30i stands for the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 unit found in the 430i Convertible.

However, the Z4 doesn’t weigh as much as the 4 Series, so those 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque translate into a zero to 60 mph time of just 5.2 seconds, and that’s pretty darn good. Seriously, a smidge over 5 seconds flat is a great sprint time in a car which costs $53k. What else are you going to get for that money?

You can’t get an Audi TT Roadster anymore, and the Porsche 718 Boxster... I mean, forget about it. It costs upwards of $70,400, and yes, to be fair, it’s an overall better car than the BMW Z4, but is it $20,000 better? Just something to consider.

As far as I’m concerned, the Z4 sDrive30i is a candidate for offering the best bang for your buck out of all these cars. Does it take the cake though? Stick around and find out.

#3. BMW 430i Coupe ($49,900 MSRP)

We’re finally in sub-$50k BMWs territory, and that’s remarkable place to be, because German premium cars are not getting any cheaper.

Personally, I think the fact that the 430i Coupe is cheaper than its Convertible sibling by nearly $10,000 is significant. Maybe it wouldn’t bother you much if you’re stretching the payment out over a longer period of time, but this specification proves that you can still get a reasonably priced 2-door BMW in 2023 without having to break the bank.

Again, power comes from a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4, good for 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. As expected, the Coupe is quicker than the Convertible, needing 5.5 seconds to hit 60 mph from a standstill, as opposed to 5.9 seconds.

Not bad, right? Roughly half a second quicker is never insignificant. You can actually feel this type of discrepancy.

In terms of alternatives, you’re looking at the Mercedes C 300 Coupe, which also starts from just under $50,000 ($49,550 to be precise), and the Audi A5 Coupe ($47,700). Both rivals are highly competitive, but the 4 Series Coupe should edge them out, seeing as how it arrived later to market.

Ultimately, the 430i Coupe is a super solid choice for budget-conscious BMW buyers, although driving enthusiasts will certainly prefer the very next car coming up.

#2. BMW M240i Coupe ($49,700 MSRP)

The second-cheapest 2-door BMW model you can buy right now in the United States is the M240i Coupe, which retails from $49,700. It’s also one of three coupes that cost less than $50,000 retail, before you start ticking boxes when configuring yours.

The M240i Coupe is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 unit, good for 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. It’s the same engine found in the M440i Coupe. On paper, the two cars are comparable in terms of performance. The M440i will hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, while the M240i needs 4.5 seconds.

The only difference is, you’re spending over $10,000 more on the M440i and frankly, it’s probably not even worth it unless you genuinely have an issue with the size of the 2 Series Coupe in general. Most people won’t, though.

It may not be as large as the 4 Series Coupe (which isn’t very large to begin with), but you still get a rear bench for what it’s worth. This is not a Z4, so do expect decent levels of practicality.

In terms of sporty Bimmers, it’s hard to imagine you could do better than the M240i Coupe for this type of money. Ok, let’s take any hypotheticals out of the equation. You literally can’t do any better, and the car we’ve got coming up at no. 1 on this list, is first simply because it’s the cheapest overall, and not the best (value-wise).

#1. BMW 230i Coupe ($38,800 MSRP)

Well, there you have it. The sub-$40k BMW 2-door coupe is real and it is available to purchase at your local dealership.

If you’re not particularly obsessed with acceleration times and you just want a 2-door coupe with a BMW badge, meet your new car. There’s no reason to spend money on anything else you might find in their portfolio, because the 230i Coupe is sufficiently quick, sufficiently fun to drive, and best of all, reasonably priced.

There aren't many comparable cars you can purchase for the price of a 230i Coupe, which retails from $38,800. That’s 2024 Toyota GR Corolla money. I mean, can you even imagine a person walking into a Toyota showroom to purchase a GR Corolla (300 hp / 273 lb-ft of torque), when you can have the BMW 230i Coupe, with its 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque?

For the record, they’re about the same in terms of 0-60 mph acceleration, but rest assured that no Corolla will ever be more fun to drive than a BMW when the road starts to bend.

In any case, the 230i Coupe “wins” as far as our rankings are concerned, because we simply wanted to count down to the single least expensive BMW 2-door coupe model you can purchase right now, and we have. But as promised, we can’t just leave you with such a barren conclusion, so now it’s time to find out which of these 10 cars is the absolute no.1 in terms of value for money.

The real MVP

We’re not trying to hoodwink anybody here, but the best bang for your buck in terms of 2-door Bimmer coupes is a car that technically is and isn’t on this list.

Drumroll please for the 2024 BMW M240i xDrive Coupe. That’s right, it’s the M240i again, but not the more affordable rear-wheel drive variant that took home second place, rather its xDrive all-wheel drive sibling, which costs an extra $2,000 ($51,700 MSRP).

Now, at just under $52k, the M240i xDrive Coupe is cheaper than 70% of the cars we just talked about, yet only two of them will outrun it to 60 mph. That is just tremendous if you stop to think about it.

The M240i xDrive Coupe will hit the mark in 4.1 seconds thanks to its improved grip at all four corners, and should consistently hook better than just about any car here.

On paper, only the Z4 M40i (3.9 s) and the M4 (3.4 s) are quicker, which means that yes, you can theoretically out-accelerate the M2 Coupe (4.2 s) in your M240i xDrive Coupe, while coming home with $11,500 in savings. If that’s not value for money, we don’t know what is.