for me my decision to get a roadster (my first ever ragtop car) was based on what i was going to use it for.... its a weekend toy that come out when the weathers nice or we have a nice place to drive to for the day / weekend / long weekend abroad.
on that basis i decided to go for the ragtop as it was only going to get used when the weather was good anyway so i might as well make the most of the weather and get the roof down while using it. if it was going to be a daily driver i might think differently... that said after buying and enjoying the roadster we went out and bought another soft top for the misses to use everyday (BMW 1 series) as she loves a bit of roof top driving. i cant see us being without a soft top in the stable from now on.
as for the difference in handling...... good luck noticing any difference on the road. the 350 is a very solid soft top with no noticable scuttle shake and can certainly handle all you are going to throw at it on the public highways. if i was going to regularly track the car i would prob get a coupe but more for the safety aspect rather than the handling as i wouldnt much fancy rolling a roadster
in asnswer to your questions
is it a lot noisier?
roof up.. yes you do hear more wind noise than you do in a coupe but with the roof down its a lot noiser in a very good way!!!!!
Do you lose any of the already small boot space with it being a convertible?
yes you do. the roadster has a small boot but you can get a suprising amount of stuff in it and it also has some very useful storage space inside the cabin behind the passenger seat (wine bottles fit in there perfectly!)
Any other drawbacks to having a convertible than a coupe?
if left to stand for a long time over winter you can get moisture problems but i keep some of the moisture crystals in the car to stop this. the roof CAN be tempramental and will only go down when its above between 5 to 10 degrees. obviously there are motors in the roof as well as many moving parts all of which could fail
Are the hoods usually in good condition or is there anything I should look out for that's a common fault?
depends how well they have been looked after. look for the stitching coming aprt on the rear seam. look on the inside above your head there is a metal rail with some tags on it which has also been a known failing point. as the seller what they treated the roof with. if you get a comprehensive cleaning and treating regime (usually Autoglym) followed byt them telling you the places to treat with silicone lube then its safe to say its been well looked after
any of the above help?