Joseph lives in Colorado and needs to replace his Eclipse Spyder with a convertible that can handle long distances. He has a budget of up to $14,000 but would really prefer a car with front-wheel drive or AWD. Which car should he buy?
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Here is the situation.
My 04 Eclipse Spyder GTS is still great but the hood is almost done and the paint is gone. The tires are worn out and it’s time to replace them. My wife has a Nissan Cube that we both love as a city car. It has winter tires and runs great in Denver winters, gets good MPG and is easy to park.
I want to buy another convertible to complement the cube. The cube doesn’t handle well on the road and drives like an appliance (which is a good thing sometimes). The Spyder is a manual but this time I think I want an automatic so my wife can drive too, especially on long trips, paddle shifters would be nice. I’m getting older so I’d rather have a GT than a sports car. FWD doesn’t matter if it’s fun to drive, AWD is great, RWD, meh, since I don’t want to run two sets of tires, but maybe for the right car. I need to drive it to work every day in the winter but it’s an easy short trip.
Total cost of ownership is important to me, which means MPG, insurance, maintenance and resale. The cooler and more fun the car is the less important it is but…… It needs to fit all my camping gear so no TT or early Miata, too small. It doesn’t need a back seat, a rack is fine. It needs to be fairly reliable so no A4, 6 or 3 or series or something rare with hard to find parts. I don’t want to die so airbags and safety features are a plus. Convertibles and targas are acceptable.
I’ve had a Miata, Geo Tracker, S2000 in the past and loved them. I also had a Chrysler Sebring convertible that could really do it, but never loved it. I’ve also had motorcycles and pickups and everything in between. My cross-shopping range was a 13-20 Beetle convertible to see an 04 SL500 auctioned on Bring a Trailer. They’d probably be priced similarly. My budget is $9-14k.
Quick Info:
Budget: up to $14,000
Location: Denver, CO
Daily driving: Correct
Want: Spacious, not too difficult to maintain, ideally front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
Don’t want: Something too strange
Expert 1- Tom McParland: You Can Have Fun Or Reliability
Joseph, there are plenty of good convertibles under $15,000, but the number dwindles considerably once you filter out rear-wheel drive cars. It sounds like you want to avoid most European cars, so that really leaves you with only one option if you insist on your drive wheels not being in the rear. It sounds like you need a Toyota Solara.
The Solara is essentially a Camry convertible, which is a good thing in terms of build quality and durability. It has a spacious back seat and a decent trunk for your longer trips. The 3.3-liter V6 won’t push you back in your seat, but it will provide enough power to get you through the task. You said you weren’t looking for a sports car this time, and the Solara is built for cruising. This is a 2006 with under 100,000 miles for just $9,000.
Expert 2: Owen Bellwood – Can I interest you in a compromise?
Joseph, those are some pretty specific requirements you’re after. While I generally encourage people to look for the perfect car that ticks all those boxes – finding a fun, non-European, front-wheel drive convertible in your price range is a challenge. So I’m here to convince you to compromise. No, I’m not going to make a an Audi S5 convertibleWhile it’s a great car, I think you should buy an Infiniti.
Specifically, I think you should buy This Infiniti G37 Sport is from 2012.. Look! Convertible, check. Not European, check. Spacious, check. Reliable, check. Solid, Infiniti may not be the first name That’s what comes to mind when you think of a fun convertible, but the features you get with this trim level, coupled with its good condition, mean it could actually be a good choice for you. When you get through the whole rear-wheel drive thing.
Expert 3: Andy Kalmowitz – Do You Hear Thunder?
Joey, man, I need you to trust me on this. The car you need is the eleventh-generation Ford Thunderbird. I know, I know. You don’t want rear-wheel drive, but I promise this car will serve all your other needs so well that you won’t mind giving up front-wheel or four-wheel drive. Look at this thing. It’s classically awesome, don’t you think?
They’re incredibly reliable, have a lovely little V8, a powerful five-speed automatic, and are a comfortable ride for you and your wife. Plus, they’re so beautiful that they’ll make up for the fact that your Nissan Cube is a bit of a wreck. The trunk is also big enough (look at it, for God’s sake) to hold whatever you have to leave in there. They’ll also hold their resale value pretty well, since there aren’t many of them out there.
Because I am a great guy, I have found you the perfect Thunderbird. This is a 2004 all-black classic. It has less than 50,000 miles and is priced at $13,850 (and I bet it still has some value). It’s definitely not in Denver, but a quick road trip never hurt anyone. Joseph, trust me. If you’re a convertible guy, you need a Ford Thunderbird.
