Take The Top Off: My Personal Picks

2007 Chrysler Sebring

Author: B.Keeler

Although there snow is covering most of the mid-west and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, spring is just around the corner. As, the weather grows warmer and the sun begins to shine many people will be looking forward to swapping their Sport-Utility Vehicles and sedans for the open-top experience of a convertible.

Here are a few of my personal picks for the open-top motoring experience.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

If you have an unlimited supply of money to spend on your convertible, I would recommend the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drop Head. It is a symphony of pomp and circumstance with a stainless steel hood.

 The Drophead uses the same 6. 7L V-12 as the big Phantom sedan but unlike the sedan, you as the driver get to enjoy that massive engine. The V-12 engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that Rolls-Royce says will help reduce carbon emissions.

The Phantom oozes excess. The convertible top is made of 5-layers of cashmere, which aids in keeping the vehicle quiet and comfortable. It also features an optional teak rear deck. To keep it looking fresh and new every time it is serviced, they oil and wax the wood.
The Phantom convertible is also the ultimate tailgate vehicle. In the actually useable trunk, you will find cut glasses a refrigerator and a built in picnic table. That makes the Drophead perfect for afternoon polo matches at the country club. Jaguar XJS V-12 Convertible



Jaguar XJS Convertible

If you are on a smaller budget, I would recommend the Jaguar XJS V-12 convertible. This convertible would be more suited as a weekend driver, mainly because it suffers from Jaguar reliability issues.
The electrical system was one of the XJS many faults, in an episode of BBC’s Top Gear James May reported that British Leland executives turn them down as company cars. The reason for the XJS’ electrical issues because during the manufacturing process very cheap resistors were used that wore out in about 5-years.

Jaguar XJS Convertible Interior

As time went on, however, the build quality did improve but enough that I would trust it as an everyday driver. If you opt for an example with the 12-cylinder engine you are in for a real treat. It is often called the smoothest engine on the planet, and it produces monstrous amounts of power. 

Decent examples of the XJS convertible are up for sale around $11,000 mark.

SAAB 9-3

Although Saab is dead, there are some serious deals to be had with their vehicles on the second-hand market. The Saab 9-3 convertible, in my opinion, is one of the best convertibles around.

 

2008 Saab 9-3 Convertible

It is quirky like all Saabs and features all the normal oddities. For example, the night panel button which turns off most of the dashboard lights except for the speedometer. If you find the night panel useless there is the standard Saab single cup holder which folds into the center stack when not in use.

Notable safety features include the starter key in the center console, which Saab says stops the key from going into the driver’s knee during a crash. On post, 2006 convertible models feature anti-roll bars that would deploy in a rollover crash.

2008 Saab 9-3 Convertible Interior

Aside from being safe, the 9-3 convertible is also very fast with its 4-cylinder turbo engine. If you happen upon an older 9-3 Viggen convertible, it will be capable of doing 150 miles-per-hour.
 
A post 2006 convertibles are up for sale for just a hair over the $16,000 mark. 

Closing Thoughts

If you find yourself craving the open-top driving experience, there are numerous contenders like the Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang. Older and less-expensive options include the Mazda Miata or Buick Reatta. The only one I would advise against in the Chrysler Sebring or as it is now known the Chrysler 200. Although it is cheap, its build quality is terrible.