What convertible would you buy?

[iinan]

The wife and I have been looking at convertibles. We have checked out the 2005 bug, 2005 mustang gt and the 2005 mini (all convertible) The only one with ample leg room in the back for our son, is the bug. But its to under powered for my tastes. I am trying to get her to wait till the g6 Convertibles come out next year. Anyone have any other suggestions? She really doesnt care about the "specs" as long as its a stick and yellow..

[ragingfish]

I wouldn't bank on the G6 coming in yellow...Pontiac never seems to be big on Yellows...sure, puke coloured lime green, but not yellow...That being said, the only ones I can think of, reasonably priced, that I didn't see you mentioned, were the Miata, Eclipse, or *ack* the Thunderbird.

[Raven]

Ferraris look very nice in yellow.

[russ257]

no bug

[kostby]

Welcome to the GenVibe Convertible Forum! LOL As a vintage (1984 VW Rabbit) convertible owner, here are a few issues to consider:Most convertible purchases, IMHO are purely emotional decisions. You confirm that with the "as long as it's yellow and has a stick" comment.That said, there are some logical and logistical considerations that may put in perspective why you should or should not get one, and why you will or will not keep it after the raw emotion fades away.Will it be 'your' car, 'your wife's car', or the 'family' car?Have you ever owned a convertible? If not, talk to some convertible owners before you take the leap.What's the weather like in Tacoma most of the year? IMHO, convertibles aren't ideal with the top down when the temperature below about 75 when it's very cloudy, or above about 85 when it's very sunny and humid (thats 80% of summer in central Indiana.) I enjoy mine far more (Would a retractible hardtop (such as the G6 or Chevy SSR) serve you better than a soft top? The life expectancy of a soft top is limited, and they're expensive to replace.Are you looking for a daily driver or a semi-precious collectible/collector's item that will (hopefully) appreciate in value if it's babied and stored or garaged most of the year and driven only in warm, dry weather?If you're concerned about legroom, have you checked the rear headroom of the New Beetle convertible? The coupe Beetle headroom was pretty limited in back because of the roofline as I recall. Convertibles usually have even less headroom when the top is up.Two passengers or four (or more), or does it really matter?Does insurance cost make a difference?Does gas mileage make a difference? Will it be a primarily commuter car or a pleasure vehicle?Other models to consider:The Mazda Miata is the world standard of two seat 4-cyl sports cars. The Audi TT convertible is nice looking (in a New Beetle sort of way) for a 2-seater. The Audi A4 Convertible (I THINK they still make them) has room for 4.The recent Chrysler mid-size convertibles (Sebring?) are relatively popular around here. I prefer the slightly older styling to the current model.Have you checked the PT Cruiser Convertible? It seems to have adequate legroom in the back, and is available with a 4-cyl turbo.FINALLY, all emotion aside, would a sunroof be REALLY adequate? I truly enjoy my Vibe with the moonroof open and the windows down ALMOST as much as I enjoy my VW.

[iinan]

WHEW lets see if i can respond to all your questions1. wifes car, she drives about 30 miles a week, our vibe is still our primary/daily car.2. had a convertible? Yeah a eclipse spyder (back seat to small for our needs today)3. Weather in Tacoma ? np..I had my top down in my spyder alot plenty of non-rainy days to enjoy it.3. hard top vs. soft top ? doesnt matter4. car will be garaged, we dont care about the collector aspects.5. vw leg room ? We have test driven the bug convertible.6. 2 or 4 people ? 3 in our household7. insurance is not an issue8. mpg is not an issue9. miata ? not an option, we dont like it..10. audi ? need to seat 311. Sebring ? Doubtful, looks like an grandmas car 12. PT cruiser ?? UGLY UGLY UGLY, I feel sick just looking at em. 13. sun roof ? Yeah we have the moon and tunes on our GT as well14. sun roof adequate ? hecks no Thanks alot for taking the time and the feedback, I really appreciate another point of view

[vcars]

I have to agree with most of what Kostby said.I have a 1987 VW Cabriolet - white with white convertible top and white leather interior. It's a fun car but not suitable for a daily driver. For one thing the trunk is a joke.I also have a 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible - black with a tan top and tan leather interior. It is quite comfortable and is suitable for long trips. 2 years ago we drove all of Route 66 in it with no complaints. I love the styling, but that's a personal thing.

[tnpartsguy]

Quote, originally posted by iinan »The wife and I have been looking at convertibles. We have checked out the 2005 bug, 2005 mustang gt and the 2005 mini (all convertible) The only one with ample leg room in the back for our son, is the bug. But its to under powered for my tastes. I am trying to get her to wait till the g6 Convertibles come out next year. Anyone have any other suggestions? She really doesnt care about the "specs" as long as its a stick and yellow.. I would look at ones that were engineered as convertibles; which the 3 you have looked at so far fit that bill, wereas the G6 (and ALL GM convertibles, except the Corvette, and the upcoming Solstace) are conversations. And from the standpoint of a service provider, there is nothing that ASC or any other converter can do to add the structure that they remove when they lombotomize the car. Case in point; we had a Cavilier that we worked on for 2 yrs that could NOT be fixed to not leak. Good luck! Keep us informed to the search.I can't offered much more, but if I was buying a convertible, I'd buy the Mini.

[Pablo1669]

If you say a sunroof might work instead, you should check out the panaramic roof on the Pontiac G6, that thing is freakin huge. Although again, it won't come in yellow. Not many cars do these days.

[iinan]

Well, I didnt say a sun roof would do instead, as I said our GT has one. And yeah, it seems that finding a yellow convertible is a tough one. The bug comes in "mellow yellow" and has the leg/head room, but is underpowered. The mustang GT has the power and comes in "screaming yellow" but there is no room in the back...oh well.thanks for the feedback

[tnpartsguy]

Don't they make a Turbo Convertible Bug?Edit;Yep, the 1.8T makes 150 HP, while the 2.0 makes a woefully weak 115. The Mellow Yellow is a WEAK-A$$ yellow though.....

[DaddyVibeMI]

Quote, originally posted by iinan »The wife and I have been looking at convertibles. We have checked out the 2005 bug, 2005 mustang gt and the 2005 mini (all convertible) The only one with ample leg room in the back for our son, is the bug. But its to under powered for my tastes. I am trying to get her to wait till the g6 Convertibles come out next year. Anyone have any other suggestions? She really doesnt care about the "specs" as long as its a stick and yellow.. 05 Bug is cool car and not much know about this car.05 Stang is sweet car, enough leg room in rear and gas hog....05 Mini Cooper is pretty sweet car but there is not much leg room in rear.Also I would wait try check Pontiac G6 out when come out....Just my 2 cent........

[silver_vibe]

Buy a sabre saw.

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[drunkenmaxx]

forgive me everone, but i think the PT convertibles are friggin' sweet!

[tnpartsguy]

*BLINK* *BLINK* Sabre Saw....made me remember.....GM does make another convertible that is engineered......and it comes in yellow.....SAAB!!

[iinan]

Thats it ! I am holding out for the Vibe convertible !I am going out now to buy 200 cans of yellow spray paint to get ready! ps. AWESOME PIC BTW

[AzFusionGT]

That pic ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!You do good work.

[Raivis]

hey i might have some help to your conv issues....hyundai... they are going to be making the tiburon in a conv in 06 or 07 looks pretty sweet don't know about yellow but if not just get whatever you get painted yellowwhat about the toyota i think its the avalon conv.??? they are decent cars

[tnpartsguy]

No Manual Tranny on the Solara, and no yellow, 2 things he said his wife insists on. I've just spent an hour looking at Volvo's, Saab, Audi, Toyota, Lexus, Porsche, Aston Martin, ect.....nobody makes a Yellow Stick.

[iinan]

Thanks for all the research and advice it will be a tough choice, it would seem that maybe we should hang tight till the 06 models come out and see if any fit our wants.Thanks again for all the help

[Pablo1669]

I was thinking the same thing about SAAB when I read the sabre saw comment.They are amazing cars, and IF I could afford one, I would have gotten one of those instead of the G6.

[rated_w]

Quote, originally posted by silver_vibe »Buy a sabre saw.that vibe is damn sexy

[silver_vibe]

Quote, originally posted by rated_w »that vibe is damn sexy Funny, after I finished I was disappointed in the way a Vibe conv would look because it reminded me of the Geo Metro conv. Hey, that reminds me...iinan, the Geo Metro conv came in yellow and a manual trans.

[tnpartsguy]

I like that Saab so much, I have it as my desktop now.....after I reversed it, and worked on the color a bit to make it brighter yellow.

[soldierguy]

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy »No Manual Tranny on the Solara, and no yellow, 2 things he said his wife insists on. I've just spent an hour looking at Volvo's, Saab, Audi, Toyota, Lexus, Porsche, Aston Martin, ect.....nobody makes a Yellow Stick.Almost nobody makes a yellow stick with 4 seats. I was just on Porsche's site and built a 911 Cabriolet with a manual transmission, in Speed Yellow. Anybody who rode in back would have to have had both legs removed though...a small price to pay for a 911 Convertible.

[iinan]

The yellow geo is a cute care, but it maybe underpowered just a tad And we need to put our son somewhere

[kostby]

AUDI TT Roadster 225 hp 6-Speed quattro® Base MSRP: $39,700 Tell your son he can come along when he's old enough to drive it!Comment by parent of a 14-year old itching to drive my Rabbit 'vert! (He still fits in the back seat, though.)

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[NascarXprt]

Try looking at the PT crusier( I feel the same way drunkenvibe bout the PTs), and hey ragingfish the T-bird is not that horrible. anyway back to my list, the 05 mustang convert., Toyota Camary Solara, or even better get an old 1971 Pontiac GTO 454 Convertable with a stick and just add paint and... well u get the pic.

[joatmon]

don't screw around with modern midget crap, you want a convertible, get a real one

[NascarXprt]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »don't screw around with modern midget crap, you want a convertible, get a real one yeah what he said

[kostby]

If it's a LITTLE more performance you want... 2005 Lamborghini Murcielago 2dr Roadster (6.2L 12cyl 6M)

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[NascarXprt]

How bout the mini cooper convert. or the toyota MR2 Spyder. they both come in yellow and have a stick.