Convertible 4 seater? ~$20k

[yellowsnow]

Wife and I are thinking of getting a convertible before we start popping out kids. any good suggestions? not interested in the solstice or mustangs or sebrings, etc.

preferably a 4 seater, so that leaves out a lot of nice convertibles unfortunately.
don't want to spend more than $25k

right now looking at:

2002+ bmw m3
mini cooper s (although back seats are atrocious)

not really too sure what else is out there at that price range...

[Unknown303]

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

I'm going to plug those in every thread no matter how far fetch the idea is.

[Uncle Flappy]

When you say solstice, sebring, and mustang, are you saying you just don't want anything domestic? Those three cars are about as far apart as you can get apart LOL, while still being a convertible.

x2 on jeep.

[Masked Bandit]

The back seat in just about any four seater convertible is going to be pretty brutal, pretty much reserved for luggage / stuff not people.

Any performance based requirements / wishes?

[Muji]

Jeep as well, you can drive it in the winter too. Anything else is going to be terrible for rear seat room and trunk space. Why not buy something you can use 365 and on days like we are having today? And I believe the Jeep mentioned actually seats five, so you know you have some room. Jeep to the top!

You might need to bump your budget a wee bit for a newer model.

http://autocatch.com/used-cars-classifieds/calgary~alberta~jeep~wrangler~~~~~~~~~~~~~~100~1~10~make~asc.htm

[relyt92]

2004+ Solara Convert?

[ddduke]

Originally posted by relyt92
2004+ Solara Convert?

I'm going to have to say that Solara is pretty much right on par with a Sebring.

Go with the m3, or give up the back seat. Every back seat I've seen on a convertible is tiny anyways. I tried to sit in the back seat of TT before and couldn't even fit in it sideways.

[t-im]

01-03 CLK320/430 Cabriolet

[TacoMexicano]

+1 For a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

Four door convertible, tons of rear seat room, as well as really good trunk cargo space. Being a 4wd, it'll be great in the winter too! Plus to me it has really good, classic styling. Worth checking out,

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

E46 convertible, not necessarily an M3.

[510-Trevor]

Have you looked at the VW EOS or Beetle?

[Xtrema]

VW EOS
VW Beetle
MB CLK
BMW 3
Lexus SC430
Audi A4
Mitsu Eclipse

With 4 seats and $25K, there isn't a lot of options when you taking Mustang and Sebring out.

[4WARNED]

Uh, is your plan is to actually put kids/car seats (both forward and rear facing) in the back seat of a ragtop? Then good luck to that, unless you're really short legged...been there, it didn't work at all....

Someone has already mentioned it, but if you need to haul kids at the same time, a Jeep unlimited is the only way to go.....it's not a sports car (but you won't be driving a sports car as they're meant to be driven with kids in the back seat anyways...)

[Everlast]

With 25k I'd stick with a non-M bmw. The repair cost would put you over budget.

E46 verts also have a hump in the middle of the backseat so it prevents you from putting in most child seats.

[tentacles]

PT Cruiser.

[Unknown303]

Didn't Cavaliers or Sunfires come in convertibles for a while??

Could probably get four of them for 20k.

[msommers]

Shock them hoes!

http://www.lat34.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/vanilla50.jpg

[slinkie]

sc430 looks okay, probably pretty reliable

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Everlast
E46 verts also have a hump in the middle of the backseat so it prevents you from putting in most child seats.

Why everyone is concerned about child seats?


Wife and I are thinking of getting a convertible before we start popping out kids.

OP doesn't have kids yet and I don't think they'll keep the convertible after kid(s) are here.

[Moe Man]

Saab 93 ?:dunno:

Volvo s90 ? both are nice cars

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Moe Man
Volvo s90 ? both are nice cars

C70. They didn't sell a lot and not many in the used market. Pretty hard to find IMO.

[yellowsnow]

lots of good ideas. never knew of the volvo and the mercs had soft tops.

we don't have kids yet, and plan to get rid of the convertible before having any kids!

Power wise.... more power the better! But I want it to be reliable.

out of these options, which would give the best performance/reliability?

M3
E46
MB CLK
SC430
Volvo C70
or Honda S2000 (i know 2 seats.. but maybe i can convince the wife)

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
lots of good ideas. never knew of the volvo and the mercs had soft tops.

we don't have kids yet, and plan to get rid of the convertible before having any kids!

Power wise.... more power the better! But I want it to be reliable.

out of these options, which would give the best performance/reliability?

M3
E46
MB CLK
SC430
Volvo C70
or Honda S2000 (i know 2 seats.. but maybe i can convince the wife)


C70 is soft top pre 2006, hard top after 2006. But I would assume more soft top would be closer to your price range.

I would pick E46 and S2000 out of that list. Although reliable, SC430 is too much of a rich old bitch car.

[Bizzareo]

You can find a lot of older muscle cars that have been restored for around that price (cheaper if you look at the states). Unless this is going to be a DD also, then I wouldn't got that route.

[yellowsnow]

yeah DD, and possibly driven in the winter.

[sillysod]

http://www.hmhoffroad.com/Portals/0/Images/geo_tracker.jpg
save $$$$, f*** b****

/thread

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Xtrema

Although reliable, SC430 is too much of a rich old bitch car. Eagerly awaiting 86max's rebuttal.

[86max]

Originally posted by Mibz
Eagerly awaiting 86max's rebuttal.

haha it's true...and the back 'seat' is only good for people with no legs

[dirtsniffer]

get a new mustang v6 vert, around 30 large though, but its new with warranty and a 300hp v6. dont knock the new stangs either...

[btimbit]

Hate to be the one to bring up top Gear, but;

"The only person who ever looked good in the back of a four-seater convertible is Adolf Hitler."

[yellowsnow]

who cares how 'good' people look in the back. i'll never be sitting there :D

[shanxk8]

XKR

We have an xk8 (coupe not convertible), and have driven with 4 in from NW to south calgary in reasonable comfort.

I do wish I had an R now. Love driving it to work in the summer, but don't wanna risk getting hit/rock damage in winter myself. But it does have all the nice winter options, heated seats/mirrors, trac control, even a front heated window. Would just need good winter tires.

Depreciation is pretty high on them, so you could likely find one under your budget under 10 years old.

[4doorj]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
lots of good ideas. never knew of the volvo and the mercs had soft tops.

we don't have kids yet, and plan to get rid of the convertible before having any kids!

Power wise.... more power the better! But I want it to be reliable.

out of these options, which would give the best performance/reliability?

M3
E46
MB CLK
SC430
Volvo C70
or Honda S2000 (i know 2 seats.. but maybe i can convince the wife)
Get the s2000! I love that car!

[SpoonDC2R]

I love my M3 Vert!

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo146/jsivadas/IMG_0221.jpg

[Bizzareo]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
yeah DD, and possibly driven in the winter.

Probably going to want something with a hard top if its for the winter also...


I think a jeep might end up being the best option here if its going to used year round..

[rage2]

The E46 vert is awesome as a 4 seater. The girlfriends would sit in the back, and it's so windy there at anything over 60km/h they can't hear or say shit. It's nice to have a bit of peace and quiet for the duration of the drive, makes it much more enjoyable.

[SpoonDC2R]

Originally posted by rage2
The E46 vert is awesome as a 4 seater. The girlfriends would sit in the back, and it's so windy there at anything over 60km/h they can't hear or say shit. It's nice to have a bit of peace and quiet for the duration of the drive, makes it much more enjoyable.

:rofl:

[n1zm0]

http://benautobahn.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/untitled21.jpg

[rage2]

On the E46's, I *don't* think you need a hardtop. I never drove mine in winter, but I have driven it on really cold windy rainy days, and the soft top seals really well, keeps the warmth in, and is very very quiet.

Coming from a hardtop convertible (SLK's) I was very impressed at how close it felt in the car with the soft top.

[Clever]

I'm biased but if you can find a mint e30 cabrio, you'll still have enough money left over for mods :) I'm actually looking for one. Any one know if the e30 m3's came in cabrio?

[gram]

The e30 M3 did come in convertible form but they are super rare


There were three versions of the E30 M3 convertible, all in left-hand drive and all built to European specification. Cars produced in 1988 and 1989 use the standard 2.3-liter S14 engine in either non-catalyst (200 hp) or catalyst (195 hp) form. After nearly a year out of production, a second batch of catalyst-equipped cars was assembled starting in March, 1990. These have the later 215-hp version of the S14 engine.
How many of each version were produced?
ECE (non-catalyst): 136 produced from 06/88 through 09/88 & from 04/89 through 06/89
ECE (catalyst/195 hp): 174 produced from 07/88 through 09/88 & from 03/89 through 06/89
ECE (catalyst/215 hp): 476 produced from 03/90 through 06/91