Trying to help a mate out who has a budget of 4 grand for a convertible for mainly weekend use.

It needs to have 4 seats, so no suggestions of an MX5 please


Few suggestions so far:


SAAB 9-3

VOLVO C70

BMW 3 series

AUDI A4



What would you buy ?

Any comments appreciated as always

Mercedes clk?

I have a Saab 93 convertible (07) & it's a great car with lots of spec,turbo too

[Edited on 27/1/16 by lewis]

+1 for the volvo

or form an extra £1k....

1997 Jaguar XK8 4.0 auto CONVERTIBLE

[Edited on 27/1/16 by gregs]

Don't go near the c70. Especially the 2001~2002 models. The electrics make a Renault Megan look bullet proof. Google Etm.

Bmw 330 convertible.

bmw
rwd
good looking
bullet proof

Something big and american? May be stretching the budget though. Way cooler than any of the above.
Or does he want sensible?
Or start going classic. Modernish Golfs
then back to 60's stuff. Not fast or really suitable for long journeys, but for the experience can be great. However, prices are seriously on the up at the moment.

Can you get an eos for that money? My wife's had two. Really well put together.

Buy one with the least scuttle shake. I.E not the Saab. Unless you don't mind bolting on a lot of chassis bracing of course.

The BMW's aren't too bad, but could really do with some additional bracing. The 330 is a stonking engine too. Just watch for rusty arches.

quote:

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Originally posted by gregs
+1 for the volvo

or form an extra £1k....

1997 Jaguar XK8 4.0 auto CONVERTIBLE

[Edited on 27/1/16 by gregs]

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I wouldn't recommend one but the Chrysler Sebring was recently the best selling convertible in America (I think I can't be bothered to check). They are big cars for the money.

I've never driven one and I don't rate modern Chryslers very highly (My mum and uncle both had PT Cruisers that were terrible brand new, so I wouldn't recommend a PT Cruiser convertible but might be worth considering as they are cheap).

I'd probably start looking at Saabs personally

Lots less than 4 grand - Citroen C3 Pluriel
Easy 4 seater
Cheap
and if you go for the 1.6 110bhp model you get discs all round and a flappy paddle gearbox!

I test drove a 1.6 pluriel in 09 and thought it was brilliant fun.

Has anyone mentioned an Audi yet?
Plenty of different options with the A4 cabrio, depending on what he needs- 2wd/quattro, 4pot T/V6/TDi, manual/semi-auto/auto etc etc
Something like this might be my A4 choice-

Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 quattro Sport Convertible New clutch and flywheel 12 S/S

I was looking for a 4 seater cabrio for a similar budget last year and was edging towards the BMW 330i. In the end none of the options really floated my boat (couldn't stretch to an M3 and the added running costs ) so I sacrificed 2 seats and went for the faster/lighter/ nicer Z4 3.0i I know this doesn't help but it was the right decision for me.

Tell him to make 2 journeys, it'll be fun!!



[Edited on 28/1/16 by Nickp]

04 on saab are much more rigid than the previous ones
I run a 210bhp aero and its a great car - cheap too , and many parts are vectra C
Volvos are awful , even the later ones

+1 for the saab. I had the v6 turbo and it was on the new platform. Very rigid. Mine was also mapped to 290 Bhp . It never once in 3 years skipped a beat, had a great leather interior and the satnav/controls were really thought through. The aircon/heating was super efficient.

Oh! The saab was also the first convertible in its class to get an ncap 5* rating.

From your list I'd most likely go for the Audi A4 as a 4 seat soft top - that said, I don't like soft top cars one bit myself.

Out of the list, I'd be looking at German - Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, or Merc CLK.

Never really been a massive Audi fan myself, but appreciate them for what they are (especially the Quattro's).

The BMW is a good choice, but I've always found them to be a bit of a harsh ride when on 17" or 18" wheels and low profile tyres, as they usually have the slightly lower M-Sport suspension.

I'd personally go for the CLK, but I'm biased as I have a 2005 CLK 320 coupe as my daily drive. You've got a good choice of engines from the 1.8 supercharged (avoid the 150BHP version, go for the 180BHP), 240/280/300/320 V6's. I drove to Manchester last week and got 36.2mpg cruising at 70mph (with a +10mph tolerance included).

But be warned that some of the bigger engine cars may fall into the higher tax category, I think from mid 2005 onwards. I got one of the last pre-facelift CLK's and pay £240 a year tax, as opposed to the £400 for one 6 months newer!

My aunt has or had an audi a4 convertible which she was always very pleased with.

Personally I can't stand the look of them, soulless things.

On the other hand my dad's had a fairly recent (but not latest shape) saab 9-3 aero for the last 5 years or so which has been faultless as far as I know. I've driven a fair amount of miles in it having borrowed it for couple of weeks a few years ago and thought it was really nice.

Great turbo engine, wafts you along effortlessly. Its definitely not got sports car handling but it's a quick luxury cruiser and great for top down cruising on a sunny weekend; even with 4 adults. Getting adults in the back is ok, we managed to get a bride (in full wedding dress with train) and groom in the back of it having rescued them from their vintage Citroen wedding car which broke down!

If I was a responsible adult and in the market for something like the OP I'd definitely be looking at the saabs.

My old boss had a Saab 9-5 tin top which I drove quite a bit. It was OK, but not something I'd buy myself.

quote:

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Originally posted by 19sac65
04 on saab are much more rigid than the previous ones
I run a 210bhp aero and its a great car - cheap too , and many parts are vectra C
Volvos are awful , even the later ones

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Nick - the later edition v6 convertibles are an excellent car. Raving fool below captured it well. The engine is lovely, the car drives well, and it's a really nice convertible. I think the shape stands up well to the test of time - pity they went under, but that's GM for you.

You can also really lay down the miles in these and not suffer - they're great cruisers, and very quiet and civilised with the roof up.

I saw one on auto trader in the same lime-yellow as mine, V6 auto (so 240bhp) and 4k. If I didn't already have a car, I'd look to buy it anyway.

quote:

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Originally posted by nick205

quote:

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Originally posted by 19sac65
04 on saab are much more rigid than the previous ones
I run a 210bhp aero and its a great car - cheap too , and many parts are vectra C
Volvos are awful , even the later ones

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Interesting - I had a V50 and despite the fact it looked good externally it was not great to drive or be in.

I suspect the fact they're derived from Fords now doesn't do them a great deal of good - daft really as Fords by all accounts are quite good.

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quote:

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Originally posted by cliftyhanger
Something big and american?

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Triumph stag ?

4 proper seats, and a classic

steve

As always some really good info there gents, Thanks for that

I will forward the info onto my mate and go from there


If I'm honest I think he is heading in the SAAB direction

quote:

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Originally posted by smart51

quote:

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Originally posted by cliftyhanger
Something big and american?

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We have a 2013 Mustang at work. 5l V8. Nice looking if that's your thing. Its the size of a Mondeo but the rear seats are tiny. It's all engine and boot.

It isn't insured for the road yet but I've driven it round the site. It's possible to push the accelerator to the floor and release it without affecting the road speed at all. The engine growls but the torque converter loses all that. Then the autobox decides to change down. Then when you lift off, the box changes up again. All without transmitting any increase in power as far as the rear wheels. The suspension's limitations are easily demonstrated at 20 MPH too.

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mate has a saab 93 viggen for sale thats a cracking car.

i always fancied either a clk500 or an a4 v8.

may still scratch that itch one day.

I'd pick the A4 without a second thought. Would love an RS4 cab in the 'collection'. Sadly they are worth about 10x what I had to spend!

Eg this one:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/audi/rs4/2007-audi-rs4-4-2-cabriolet--only-64k-full-history--pristine-example-sat-nav--bose-sound-sys tem/4762408

It's over budget too, but I think an E46 M3 cab would be a good buy. You can get them under £10k and I'd bet they appreciate in value. I know it's more money but the cost of ownership sums might work once depreciation is taken into account?

Chris

BMW e46 3-series for me.

Slightly biased as i owned one (albeit the coupe).

Great car, great engine, and IMO, one of the few "regular" cars that genuinely looks good as a convertible!
Plus as others have mentioned, quite bulletproof, likely to keep their value if you make sure you get an m-sport model!