Which convertible is the best?

Hi all.

I am planning to do some roadtripping for about 1.5 month this summer, together with 3 buddies.
We are planning to buy a convertible, but my mainconcern is the size.
Which convertible would you recommend? you have to remember that we are 4 adult male persons with about 1 bag of luggage each, and it has to be affordable too (max 5.000$)
Offcause we are mainly planning to buy an used car, or renting one.

I have looked at the Chrysler Sebring JXi convertible, because it seems like its roomie and cheap... but iam not an expert, in fact, i have neven seen one, only on pictures.

Please share your clever thoughts with me.

thanx

Convertibles are great- you really experience the areas you're driving through. But... there are some but's.

The back seat is not much fun in *any* convertible. The wind is much worse, and you usually can't have a conversation with the people in the front seat.

There aren't many 'big' convertibles, especially in the older ones that will be in your price range. But I'll discus what I know:

Mustang: I currently own an older GT convertible, and it's great fun. No way will it have enough trunk room for 4.

Celica GT: Smoother than the mustang, and quite a bit more trunk room, but the back seat is very uncomfortable - it has a nearly vertical back.

BMW 3 series - if you can find one, it might fit you all. But it's pretty gutless compared to the above.

I don't know much about the Chrysler... I knew some people with the '80s convertibles and they were pretty poor quality.

If it's just for a hoot, try looking at 'classics' - like 70's chevys, or even a caddilac. Good luck!

The Sebrings backseat is not the biggest place there is. I'm 6'1 and its not bad unless your going on long trips (which it seems you are). I would suggest getting out every so often to stretch out and trade seats. The front seats are very roomie. You may be able to fit all your luggage in there, but it will be very very snug (take only what you need). My parents own a 98 Sebring and its really a nice car, but the backseat in any convertible is going to be a bit more limited than a 4dr sedan. The brakes aren't the strongest but they still feel confident enough to stop when needed. The steering is sensitive (at least for my taste), but its ride is reassuring to the max. Gas milage is also good on it, I've taken it to NY a few times and it gets around 27/28mpg going around 75ish. Considering I had to go through Pennsylvania's mountains, I was pleased to say the least. This is with the 2.5 V6, I'm not entirly sure if they came with different available motors.

Bottom line, if your looking for a convertible the Sebring wouldn't be a bad choice. Just be aware of the limited space you may be dealing with when getting a convertible. Check one out and see for yourself. It wouldn't hurt to bring a luggage bag to get a perspective on the space available to the space you'll need. Good luck.

This is kind of a fun one. I imagine you're coming to the US for a vacation, plan to buy the car, drive around for a while, then sell it.

A camry Solara convertible would be nice, but out of your price range.

How about something like this:
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/view/vdetail.jtmpl?productWebsite=beachmotorcars&dealer_id=956501&car_id=127745623?&ac_afflt=none&mis=IVNLBDLNDS59

The price isn't listed, but it better not be over about $3000 - you'll spend the balance on gas, but each of the four of you can bring a friend.

I have seen a mustang sold at $7000. But I dont think that would be the best thing for 4 people. Just givin you a good price car.

Thanx for the great replyes, it helps me alot, and YES, iam comming from a foreign country, planning to buy a car and then sell it again, hehe, nice guessing.

That Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible seems really like what were looking for, what would be the esteminated price for a babe like that?
and does anyone have an idea what the MPG is?

Is it best to buy one at the east coast, and then try to sell it at the west? or the oppisite?

thanx all

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/62872Pdr_0071-med.jpg

but then again, the backseats are made for midgets with no legs

Ok here goes... may be more than you asked for. Remember, these are just the opinions of one guy.

This is a big country; people visiting often don't realize just how big it is. Driving across it is a long trip - like 7-10 solid days on the road, much through not so interesting desert and farmland. Think about what places you want to see, and find them on a map. Try using mapquest.com to find distance and driving time between them. Consider breaking your trip into two; half on the west coast, then fly east and spend the other half there. I think you are better off spending your driving time going up and down the coasts (Highway 1 in Ca is a must) than across the middle of the country.

For example, the drive from LA to Las Vegas is 5 hours through mostly boring desert - and it's worthwhile to do, I'd recommend LV as the prime example of American Excess. But after that, you'd have 20 more hours of driving throught the same sort of dirt and rocks to get to anything interesting again. Flights from LV are cheap, and it might be a good place to unload a car quick.

Look hard at rental car deals; you might still be able to get a convertible, and you might find one with 'unlimited mileage' - watch out for the fine print, I just saw a story about someone being charged a lot for taking the car out of state - and they had put a GPS unit in the car to track his trip.

If you do go cross country, I think you will do much better if you buy a car on the west coast. The winters are more severe in the east, and these older cars rust away. They last longer in the drier climate, then if you take one east, it will be cleaner than the ones there, and should be easier to sell.

That Caddilac was just an example; like I said in the earlier post, it shouldn't be more than about $3000. You're trying to find one that is old enough to be cheap, but not so old as to be a collectable classic. But remember, this is an OLD car. And American cars weren't all that great back then. If you go that route, be prepared that you might have problems. If you aren't mechanically inclined, or able to talk the talk with a repairman, you might consider something newer (like that Sebring). Also consider taking any car you buy to an independant mechanic - on the test drive, go up to a repair shop and tell them what you are doing, ask them what problems you are likely to have - They might charge you $40 to do the inspection, but you should get an honest opinion.

Gas mileage on the older cars will also not be great; something in the 12-15 mpg range. Gas is running around $2/gallon here, and projected to go up a bit over the summer. Use the mapquest info and figure out how big the gas bills will be - compare that to flying east and starting again.

Think about how you will sell the car - if you just go to a dealer, you won't get as much for it, and if you want to advertise it and sell to an individual, it could take longer (a week or two). This could be fine if you spend time somewhere that you can tolerate it; say the New York area, where public transportation is pretty good, and there's stuff to see without having to drive. I've had good luck with that Auto Trader site; but I don't know if it's just on the west coast. My advice would be to find what similar cars are going for, then price it on the low end of that for a quick sale.

Hope this helps; have fun, I wish I could take the time for a trip like that!

VW Cabrio, decent car that you might be able to find in your price range

Kirwan - that was good advice.