my mom wants to buy a convertible car for the summer months only, we would store it in the winter. she wants to spend 10-12g's. and she would like a back seat, so miata is out we're looking at a 2000 mustang rite now because i can get it for around 10g from my work. but i want her to get an eclipse spyder gs-t. what is a good convertible? relatively few problems, fun to drive, yadda yadda... general reliability issues. we've heard stay away from the sebrings and sunfires. anybody got some good advice??

 

My dad just bought a 2003 Eclipse Spyder, says he loves it. I haven't seen it yet, but I will (and probably drive it too) over Memorial Day weekend. I'll give you a report when I come back.

VW Cabrios are nice cars, too, if you don't mind the rollbar. And they're built by Karmann in Germany, so they don't have the Mexican build quality problems.

 

A back seat, eh?

Well, the Chrysler Sebring is v.well reviewed and has been around for awhile. Check into it for youself before you dismiss it.
Fairly reliable too.

Mustang = Electrical problems. Not much of a back seat either...

Cabrio? Hmm...underpowered and generally seen a "chick car".

Man, the only "reasonable" convertible I can think of is the Miata...

Perhaps a slighty used 318i BMW...

Man, mom's a bitch for forcing you to get a convertible...

 

I wouldn't get the Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T because they have a pretty ****-poor reliability record. DSM's are pretty cool looking and seem pretty appealing on paper, but they just don't last very long- look around, how many 10-year old Mitsubishis do you still see on the road? Just because it's Japanese doesn't necessarily mean it's high quality.

VW Cabrio? Bah. Girl car. Really, this is THE girl car- it actually has a higher percentage of female buyers than any other vehicle on the road for many years running. Also, I think that they all come with the gutless Two point Slow engine. Of course, you ARE buying this car for a woman, but still.

Here's what I would go for...
1) Mustang GT. Not the most reliable car on the road, some annoying ergonomic issues, less than stellar handling, but fun, powerful and it will ALWAYS be stylish, hold its value and be easy to fix.
2) Toyota Celica. Uncommon, not very quick, but they handle well, are rock-solid reliable and hold their value very well.
3) BMW 325Ci. (318Ci is pretty nice, but IMHO it's only 2/3 of a real BMW.) Quick, great car to drive, fairly reliable, holds value, but cars in the $10k price range will be older models that are approaching the possibility of catastrophically expensive repairs that older German cars are known for. Buy carefully.

Hope this helps! (Now donning flameproff Nomex suit.)

 

This would be my choice also.

 

I'd look at the mustang GT, stay away from the 3.8 though, it's god a pretty bad reputation, (especially in ATX form), The Sebring is pretty good, it's one of the most popular convertibles for a reason, it's got a good back seat, fairly good reliability, and used ones should be able to be had for 10-13k.

 

i just got a 1997 eclipes gs-t spyder for me and its realy nice car but back seat is realy small.i dont recomend vw cabrio,i work for vw and those cars are dogs and they barke too.

 

she test drove a cabrio but didn't like the way you sit in it. she said you sit too straight up. she also drove an eclipse but said the back seat was too small. we're gonna check out that mustang tomorrow though at my work and see how it checks out in the shop.

 

Personally, my only problem with most of Chrysler's convertibles is the overall structure of the car.

Not having a roof GREATLY reduces the stiffness of the body, which affects handling and ride - a lot.

The better convertibles take this into account, and the body and chassis (uni-body, whatever) is substantially beefed up to reduce the flex associated with not having a roof. The best convertibles are usually those designed as such from the get-go.

In reference to the Chryslers, at least the mid-to-late 90s Sebrings were pretty damn flimsy, and the car drives like crap because of it. My mother-in-law has a ....96 maybe?...and it flexes like all hell. Especially with the top down - when driving, if you hit a bump in the road, you can see the body panels moving, particularly where the door meets the rear fenders. That's a great test for a convertible - take a drive top down, and put your finger on the seam between the back of the door (like where the latch is) and the car. On a flimsy car, you'll feel substatial movement between the two surfaces over bumps. In a better car, the movement is reduced.

Personally, I'd never own a Sebring. I think the Stang or even a Camaro might be a better choice. They still could be flexible and not all that rigid, but at least you can buy the fun-factor of a meaty engine to make up for other shortcomings, and they can still be fun.

Of course, you could always pick up a Miata, and flip the trunk to open the other way, and install some rumble seats in there - welcome to the 1940s!

~HH

 

i've got a 92 mustang LX5.0 convertible and my dad's got a 96 mustang GT (with the 4.6).

never had a problem with either of them. both fun to cruise in. the handling is hurt of course by their immense bulk but they're still fun.

my dad's 96 is ten times the car mine is so i'd imagine the newer ones have improved even more.

convertibles never go out of style too. well, maybe the k-car verts.

 

Ride in true style...

 

update:
we went with an '02 mustang 6cyl 5spd. it's red and has a tan top on it. it looks pretty sharp. but i think it feels kinda slow. and body flex? oh my god, it's insane. you can feel it flex over every single bump. but hey, it's not mine. i'll just steal it sometimes and go cruise for chicas, haha