I Need A Droptop For Under $15,000! What Car Should I Buy?

Joseph lives in Colorado and needs to replace his Eclipse Spyder with another droptop that can handle a road trip. He has a budget of up to $14,000 but would really prefer something with front or AWD. What car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario.

My 04 Eclipse Spyder GTS has been great but the top is almost done for and the clear coat is gone. It’s getting long in the tooth and time to go. My wife has a Nissan Cube, which we both enjoy for a city car. It has winter tires and does great in the Denver winters, good MPG and easy to park.

I would like to get another convertible to compliment the cube. The cube doesn’t road trip well and drives like an appliance (sometimes that’s a good thing). They Spyder was a manual but this time I think I want an auto so my wife can drive too, especially on long road trips, flappy paddles would be awesome. I’m older, so I want more of a GT than a sports car. Don’t care if it’s FWD if it’s fun to drive, AWD is awesome, RWD, meh, because I don’t want to run two sets of tires, but maybe for the right car. I need to make it to work everyday in winter with it, but it’s an easy short trip.

I’m all about total cost of ownership so that means factoring in MPG, insurance, maintenance,, and resale. The cooler and the funner the car the less that matters but…… It needs to fit all my camping junk so no early TT or Miata, too small. It doesn’t need back seats, parcel shelf is fine. It has to be pretty reliable so no A4, 6 or 3 or series or rare exotic thing with hard to find parts. I don’t want to die so it needs airbags and safety features are a plus. T tops and targas are acceptable also.

I’ve had in the past a Miata, Geo Tracker, S2000, and loved them. I also had a Chrysler Sebring convertible which actually did the trick, but could never love it. I’ve also had motorcycles and pickups and everything in between. The range of cars I’ve cross shopped is the 13-20 convertible beetle to watching an 04 SL500 auction on bring a trailer. They’ll probably end up similar price. I have a budget of 9-14k.

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $14,000

Location: Denver, CO

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Decent amount of space, not too hard to maintain, ideally FWD or AWD

Doesn’t want: Something too exotic

Expert 1- Tom McParland: You Can Have Fun Or Reliability

Image: Autotrader.com

Joseph, there is a fairly healthy selection of good convertibles for under $15,000, but the inventory narrows substantially when you filter out all the rear-drive cars. You seem to want to avoid most of the European stuff, so that leaves really only one option if you insist that your drive wheels aren’t in the back. It looks like you need a Toyota Solara.

The Solara is essentially a convertible Camry, which is a good thing for build quality and longevity. It has a generous back seat and a reasonable trunk for your longer drives. The 3.3-liter V6 won’t kick you back in your seat, but will provide enough passing power to get the job done. You said you aren’t looking for a sports car this time around, and the Solara is made for cruising. Here is a 2006 with under 100,000 miles for only $9,000.

Expert 2: Owen Bellwood – Can I Interest You In A Compromise?

Photo: Infiniti

Joseph, those are some pretty particular demands that you’re after. While I’d usually encourage anyone to look for the perfect car that meets all of them – finding a fun, non-European, front-wheel-drive convertible in your price range is a challenge. So I’m here to convince you to make a compromise. No, I’m not going to pitch a convertible Audi S5, as much as that would be a great car, instead I think you should get an Infiniti.

Specifically, I think you should buy this Infiniti G37 Sport from 2012. Just look at it! Convertible, check. Not European, check. Decent amount of space, check. Reliable, check. Sure, Infiniti might not be the first name that jumps to mind when you think of a fun convertible, but the features you get with this trim level, coupled with the nice condition it’s in means that it really could be a good option for you. Once you get past the whole rear-wheel-drive thing.

Expert 3: Andy Kalmowitz – Do You Hear The Thunder?

Joey my guy, I need you to trust me on this. The car you need is an eleventh-generation Ford Thunderbird. I know, I know. You didn’t want rear-wheel-drive, but I promise this car will fit all of your other needs so well you won’t mind giving up on front- or all-wheel-drive. Just look at this thing. It’s retro wonderful, don’t ya think?

They’re super reliable, have a lovely little V8, a strong five-speed automatic transmission and plenty of cruising comfort for you and your wife. Plus, it’s so good-looking that it’ll make up for the fact your Nissan Cube is sort of tragic. The trunk is also big enough (look at it, for the love of God) to fit whatever shit you’ve got to put back there. It’s also going to hold its resale value pretty well since there just aren’t that many of these cars out there.

Because I’m a great guy, I found you the perfect Thunderbird. It’s a classic black-on-black car, built in 2004. It’s got just under 50,000 miles on the clock and it’ll cost you just $13,850 (and I bet there’s some wiggle room there). Sure, it’s not in Denver, but a little road trip never hurt anybody. Joseph, trust me on this. As a fellow convertible enjoyer, you need a Ford Thunderbird.