We are in the search of a new car and have several options. One of which is a 2.0T SAAB convertable :)

What I need to know is how people find convertables and any downsides to them .

Lucy
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I haven't got one but i did test drive a few before i got my new car last year, the one thing that put me off was the lack of space or no space in the back of convertables, so in the end we didn't get one. That though was the only drawback we found.

It should be ok as it is quite a roomy car . My friend has one out in NZ and we had a great time travelling around in it. Fitted four adults and one child without any problems :)

The only thing I keep having in the back of my mind is leaks from the soft top :)

Lucy
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By "Convertable" do you mean that you get wet when it rains and your hair blows in the wind? If so, I have one. It's called a Landrover!

Best wishes, John

If it's like the one we used to have, that happened in the cab, too! ;)

Yes, but it's no problem. When you open the door the water runs out and washes the inside at the same time! I consider it to be labour saving device! :d

:D

OH has an MX5(midlife crisis me thinks) he loves it

We had a Megane convertible and I would personally never have another.  As you asked for the downsides, when you drive on the motorway or reasonable fast, it becomes quite noisy inside the car due to the soft roof.  Although, the absolute nightmare for me was that you look like a complete rag Brigitte Jones style when you drive with your hair down.  If I had just 'done' my hair, i wouldn't allow my OH to put the roof down!  The best tip for this is to always have a cap in the car to tame your hair.

However, it was pretty cool having a convertible in the summer especially when doing some leisurely driving around town.  Also can do a bit of posing with some cool music - stay away from S Club 7 to achieve this effect!!!

I had a 307cc hard top convertible coupe. I sold it asap and lot a lot of money on it. I would not touch one with a barge pole now unless it was something very desirable like a BMW. It was noisy, heavy to drive, faults with the roof every five minutes, very blowy with the roof down and generally people look at you as if you are a right poser :D :D

My boss has a BMW Z4 but is getting rid of it as it is too noisy etc. He's says that they are no good if you do use them as a normal car, rather than just a fun car for the summer :) :)

Daisy

Hi Lucy!

We have a Peugeot 306 cabrio ("nice carrrrrrr!" :D :D :D).  Monty fits on the back seat in his seatbelt harness, wind blowing through his ears.  It's great fun to drive! <evil grin>

Downside: you get deafened by the radio/cd being so loud, so as to drown out the road noise above 65mph, even with the roof up - NOT good on the motorway!  You worry about where you park in case someone decides to slit the roof.  Baseball caps essential for the topless experience :p - keep two in the glove box at all times!  Everyone tries to burn you off at the lights. :rolleyes:  Perky gearbox encourages you to drive a bit too assertively.

It's a while ago now, but we test-drove a saab before we chose the 306 and decided against it because, although it was faa-aassst, it was a bit twitchy and light on the steering.  Fun for a while but we didn't think we could live with it.

So we went for the 306, which is a good, positive driving experience.  Even after 6 years, it still makes us smile!  But it is too impractical for everyday use, so spends far too much time in the garage on its own. :(  I wouldn't have a cabrio as my only car, especially if I did a lot of driving.

We have a SAAB 93 and love it. The only convertable we will consider is a SAAB (can't yet as we need a 'sensible' car for taking my parents out in and as I've only got a Mini the 93 will have to stay !). I think the SAAB looks so fantastic, will definately get one in the future. They do have that 'wow' factor !.

Val

I love my convertible! :D  It obviously depends on the make and model, but I have found mine to be very roomy inside and in the boot.  I have always had hardtops (where noise isn't an issue) but I think it depends on the car as regards how noisy a soft top can be-where I've driven Mazdas, I've found them to be quite quiet whereas the BMW Z3 was atrocious for noise!  Also, obviously a hardtop also presents less of a security risk.  But I love putting the roof down on a nice day (doesn't have to be warm-just put your heater on if necessary!) although it does sometimes pose an issue when it comes to your hairstyle! :)

Lucy my first car 16 years ago was a little convertable MG.. Boy did I think I was great in that. :-) you had to take it off and on yourself though LOL..

The saab is fine one of the engineers who work for me has one in fact I think it is his 3rd one. 

Thanks all. I have taken in all your comments and will digest and we will decide :)

Lucy
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Hi Lucy

I had a Golf convertible until last May and I loved every minute of it.  The only downside was the lack of sunny days!  :D  I really loved my Golf and was only tempted to move it on why my hubby bought me a TT.  I was extremely sad when it went (to the first person who saw it), despite the new (to me) TT in the driveway.

Let us know what you decide.  :)

We have parked the convertable idea now :)

We have narrowed it down now to a Subaru estate or a SAAB estate.

I think the Subaru may win on this contest :)