I Need A Cheap Droptop For California Cruising! What Car Should I Buy?

Phil lives in California and wants to pivot from the madness of rush hour traffic into slowing down and enjoying the scenery with an open top ride. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but he also doesn’t want to spend a lot of cash. With a $10,000 budget what car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario:

I am getting into my late fifties, and finally learning to slow down and enjoy the view when I drive. So I am looking to buy my first convertible. I am not interested in sporty- what I want is to cruise with the top down on Mulholland Drive with friends by my side and a frosty virgin margarita in my hand. This car would also be my daily drive for the eight-mile commute on side roads past the Rose Bowl to get to my work. I’m not sure whether a convertible is right for me for the long term so I would like to get a relatively inexpensive used car to see how I like driving it year-round. Less than $10,000 would be ideal. It does not have to be eye-catching, but if it is that would be a plus. However, I can’t get a roadster, I do need to fit two adults in the back.

Quick Facts:

Budget: Around $10,000

Location: LA

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Drop top, four seats

Doesn’t want: A roadster

Phil, it’s nice that you are now in a position where you can enjoy life and go for a nice drive. Now, finding a quality convertible in that $10,000 segment isn’t easy, as almost everything is going to have well over six figures on the motor, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy a basket case. Also, anything with rear seats is going to be a tight fit no matter how you slice it, so I hope your friends aren’t too big.

My recommendation is the Infiniti G37 convertible, it’s essentially the “nicer” version of the Nissan Z roadster, but with a retractable hardtop and a “usable” back seat. Under the hood is the stout and powerful VQ-series motor that cranks out about 330 horsepower. Naturally, you will also get all the comforts you expect from a luxury car of this era. The G-series cars gave the European offerings a run for their money at the time, before the Infiniti brand lost its way. The G37 isn’t going to stand out in the crowd, but these cars can be fairly durable if well-cared for. Here is a 2009 in a nice metallic light blue with under 100,000 miles right in your budget zone.

If you want to cruise around the Los Angeles area in an eye-catching top-down way, but you don’t care about sportiness, the one and only answer for you is an old Jeep Wrangler, buddy! Your $10,000 budget is difficult to meet for almost any four-seat drop-top, so we have to get creative and recommend the best thing to ever come out of Toledo, Ohio. Despite this being a two-door vehicle, there is actually room in the back seat for two mildly-squished adults. This is the kind of small SUV that you can get away with using in the cold months with the hard top, and just remove it altogether for the summer.

Catch some rays, you’ll enjoy the Wrangler life.

As a noted convertible lover, I get so happy when I hear someone else wants to free themselves and finally live the good life. I also understand your worries about not falling in love with your new convertible, but in my experience, focusing your search on two features will give you the best chance of finding a convertible you’ll enjoy — a back seat and a power-operated top that still operates at low speeds.

The back seat isn’t about carrying passengers. It’s about carrying stuff. Convertibles often have smaller, weirdly shaped trunks that make even grocery runs annoying, but if you can just toss your bags or boxes in the back, it’ll make your life easier. As for the top, it isn’t about rain — something you’ll rarely encounter in Pasadena — but parking. If you’re the kind of person who gets nervous about leaving their top down, being able to raise and lower the roof as you pull into or out of the parking lot makes actually driving with the roof down a lot more convenient.

With all that in mind, I think your best option is going to be an A207 Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible. It has a back seat you can use for hauling things, and you can operate the roof at speeds up to 25 mph, which is probably as fast as you should be driving in a parking lot anyway. And since it was built for seven years, you have all sorts of options at different price points. Plus, it’ll be nice and comfortable for all that slowing down and rose-smelling you plan to do.

You can definitely find these cars at or around your $10,000 budget, but this is one of those situations where I think you’ll be much happier if we throw your budget out the window and spend more to get more. Specifically, this 2014 Mercedes-Benz E350 looks like a great deal with 62,700 miles on it for $17,973. That’s less than 6,000 miles a year, and it’s clearly been well taken care of. Is it the sportiest thing you could buy? Nope, but for you, I’d argue it’s exactly what you’re looking for. (edited)

My friend, if you’re looking to calmly cruise through the California air, you’d normally be the perfect buyer for a big V-twin cruiser — a Harley, an Indian, something in that vein. But you need a back seat, and I did the “buy two motorcycles” bit last week, so I’ll recommend you the other de facto mid-life crisis-mobile: The Ford Mustang.

Now, for $10,000, you’re not getting a current Mustang. I’d hoped you might be able to sneak into a prior generation EcoBoost, but that doesn’t seem to be an option for you either. So, you’re getting this: The last year of the S197, a 2014 Mustang convertible for $9,687. Does it have a V8? Nope! But you don’t need big power for slowly cruising through twisty California roads. You just need the wind in your hair, and this Mustang will certainly give you that.

It’s an easy choice, an obvious choice, but for good reason — the Mustang is the consummate affordable pony car. Get yourself one, go for a cruise, and enjoy the feeling of the California sun on your skin. Use the remainder of your budget here for skincare, because you’ll definitely need some sunscreen.