Judge my Convertibles!!!

[Six-cylinder]

I had to drive again this morning (within Guidelines) so with the weather today I picked a convertible, the only one easy to access being the Merc CLK. This set me thinking about the other convertibles I have in working order and trying to put them in order of best liked.

I found it impossible as they all have something good about them so I am asking you to see if you can put them in order of best convertible?

I am not looking for what you would choose instead, but I will not be offended if you rubbish all my convertibles as long as you give me an order.

1.     1999 Mercedes CLK 320 – Really easy to live with and super comfortable

2.     1996 BMW M3 Evo – Fast, well at least by my standards, the great bit is the raw driving experience of a well engineered, powerful 6 speed manual rear wheel drive car with no electronic skid control.

3.     1970 Triumph Vitesse – A classic, a different world but capable of holding a 75 mph on an Autobahn

4.     2002 Peugeot 306 1.8 16v – Stunning to look at and nice to drive.

5.     1994 Mazda MX5 1.8i – A delicacy of driving nothing else can match.

6.     2002 Chrysler Sebring – Different, nobody else has one, superbly comfortable over long distances and I have driven one 1076 miles in one day.

[eddyramrod]

My choices would be:

Vitesse

Sebring

306

MX5

The other two: wouldn't even make my list but if I absolutely had to pick, I'd take the Merc over the BMW.  Just.

[SRi05]

Just now I'd say the Merc, I'm driving an SLK just now and while enjoying it, I'm envious of the extra room in that CLK ?

The MX5 looks very tidy also

[Skizzer]

Hmm. Probably:

MX5, fun

M3, accelerative

306, pretty

Sebring, comfy

Vitesse, old car smell

Merc, nice engine but too 90s

 

 

[Jimblob]

You forgot the Visa

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[Six-cylinder]

4 minutes ago, Jimblob said:

You forgot the Visa

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Still broken and marooned in Scotland.

[Matty]

Vitesse

Vitesse

Vitesse

Vitesse

Vitesse

Vitesse

?

[RayMK]

1. Vitesse

2. Sebring

3. 306

4. BMW

5. Mercedes

6. MX5

1 for character, 2 - 5 there's very little in it. All good cars.  MX5s are lovely to drive but passenger legroom is very restricted (Son had a recentish one).

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

I had to drive again this morning (within Guidelines) so with the weather today I picked a convertible, the only one easy to access being the Merc CLK. This set me thinking about the other convertibles I have in working order and trying to put them in order of best liked.

I found it impossible as they all have something good about them so I am asking you to see if you can put them in order of best convertible?

I am not looking for what you would choose instead, but I will not be offended if you rubbish all my convertibles as long as you give me an order.

1.     1999 Mercedes CLK 320 – Really easy to live with and super comfortable

2.     1996 BMW M3 Evo – Fast, well at least by my standards, the great bit is the raw driving experience of a well engineered, powerful 6 speed manual rear wheel drive car with no electronic skid control.

3.     1970 Triumph Vitesse – A classic, a different world but capable of holding a 75 mph on an Autobahn

4.     2002 Peugeot 306 1.8 16v – Stunning to look at and nice to drive.

5.     1994 Mazda MX5 1.8i – A delicacy of driving nothing else can match.

6.     2002 Chrysler Sebring – Different, nobody else has one, superbly comfortable over long distances and I have driven one 1076 miles in one day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*SLAG MODE ON

merc - too flash too like the saloon sorry

bmw - see above only quicker

vitesse - hello i like heralds and these arent too messed with not to hate

pug - meh nice shape but modern so meh

mx5 - never driven one so must remedy that but i like the mk1 always have

seemyring - its weird its yank its cheap (ly built) whats not to like

id say

mx5

sebring

vitesse

pug

merc

bmw

why have you not got a mk1 spit or a 304 pug or a 46 ford then we'd be talking and thered be no vote cos it wouldnt be needed :D

hope yer trip out was how you expected it :)

[hairnet]

21 minutes ago, Matty said:

old car

?

old git :D

[Tamworthbay]

Vitesse

MX5

Pug

But if I had a Vitesse I wouldn’t even look at the rest

[Six-cylinder]

8 minutes ago, hairnet said:

why have you not got a mk1 spit or a 304 pug or a 46 ford then we'd be talking and thered be no vote cos it wouldnt be needed

 

We have a Spit Mk2, Spit6 Mk3 and a Pug 504 all will be back on the road one day. Not keen on 46 Ford.

[St.Jude]

My order:

1. Peugeot 306
2. Mazda MX5
3. Triumph
4. Chrysler
5. Merc
6. BMW

Would love to have a go behind the wheel of a convertible Peugeot 306. They're still the best looking cars Peugeot produced. 

[Asimo]

They would all be better cars with a proper, permanent metal roof!

But the only one of these I have driven is a Sebring so that goes to top of my list. Very quiet and comfortable for long journeys. Definitely the one to drive to the Med. tomorrow.

Next - Vitesse. Because I know I could always fix it.

Last - The 306 'cause there is a good hardtop available which makes them just such a pretty car.

The other three? No thanks, just can't find anything at all about them to like. Obviously they are the best cars here in absolute terms, but there's nothing about them makes me want to get in one and drive it. Let alone own it! 

 

[SiC]

1. BMW definitely - I mean it's an M3 ffs

2.  MX5 - best journeyman sports car there is

3. Vitesse - not a big fan of the Herald/Vitesse shape but this is has a 6 cylinder (given your forum Alias, why isn't this your number one in the list?!)

4. CLK320 - decent engine in an slightly above average chassis.

Rest don't make the list. Purely posing cars with no performance credentials. In my eyes, folding == sports car. Sports cars handle well and/or have good sprightly performance. 

Sebring would be acceptable if it still resided in the USA!

[Andyrew]

For me I like them all,  this would be the order in which I would test drive them if you chucked me a bunch of keys.

Vitesse 

Mx5 

Pug

Sebring

Merc 

Bmw

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I find the image of convertibles mellows very quickly, it seems like only yesterday an e36 M3 cabriolet was the ultimate low level Council Estate druglord wheels of choice  I remember seeing a skanky looking girl in a baseball cap paying for £5 of petrol and some green fag papers, whilst a shifty looking Herbert sat in a nasty M3 Cab sat smoking on the forecourt.

Now they are bonafide  classic cars and worth a lot of money .

Likewise there was an advert on TV when I was kid that featured a flash git in a Vitesse Convertible towing a boat , that you were supposed to hate and the hero of the ad that got the girl drove a Mini- can’t Romberg what it was an ad for- pipe tobacco? Chewing gum? Doesn’t matter we all hated the show off in the Vitesse- now it’s a cuddly old school classic.

The306 similar , maybe one of M3 boys customers...

Anyway less of my cod psychology .

Ive already got a CLK so I’ll pass on that 

M3- because M!
Vitesse- because the smell of hardboard and petrol in Triumph boot’s reminds me of my Grandad and makes me cry.

Sebring- pretend I’m in Florida when I’m just going to Aldi.

MX5 and 306- not fussed, Mx5’s are fun  in small doses , I’ve  ever really got the 90’s Pug thing, although our 406Coupe is inoffensive enough 

 

[Split_Pin]

It's hard for me to judge as I haven't driven any so I'll base it on your comments

1) Chrysler Sebring. I've actually sat in this one. Massive inside. Superior comfort and a lazy wafter are top of my list. Plus I love US domestic cars. 

2) Mercedes CLK. Again, comfort, looks good and seats 4. Lovely. On my bucket list.

3) 306. Looks good but in 3rd as I'm staring at a 306 dashboard.

4) M3. Gorgeous to look at but raw driving experiences just aren't for me at all now. I'd prefer a lazy automatic 325.

5) Herald. Is it not a bit shoogly? Looks great though and I'll bet it's fun.

6) Mx5. A driver's car, not enough waft by a mile for me.

All in all a fantastic collection.

 

[hairnet]

apart from sic everyones dissed the beemer

love it :D

 

[willswitchengage]

BMW if I was going to cruise around the city with three Asian friends, the Vitesse if my passenger was female.

[Cookiesouwest]

1. Merc

2. Pug

3. Triumph

4. Mazda

5. BMW

6. Chrysler

To be fair 1 & 2 are pretty equal for me.

So are 4 & 5.

[Shite Ron]

1 - Vitesse 60’s and 70’s was the best time for cars

2 - 306, great looking even though it is wrong wheel drive, I cannot understand how the replacement was so ugly.

3 - MX5 proper fun sports car

4 - M3 - Fast!
5 - Mercedes - nice RWD and 4 seats

6 - Sebring

1 to 5 could change depending on mood and day? all have merits.

[Jimblob]

1. Triumph
2. Pug
3. MX5
4. Merc
5. BMW
6. Chrysler

Tricky in a way because it depends what you want to use them for. Purely on a charm/aethetics point of view I'd settle as above. Maybe swapping 4 and 5

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[Floatylight]

1 - vitesse

2 - MX5

3 - 306

4 - M3

5 - CLk

6 - Sebring

 

 

 

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[Matty]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

old git

Young in body owd in head ?

[Matty]

55 minutes ago, hairnet said:

apart from sic everyones dissed the beemer

love it

 

Love it too. Really love old beemers but I'm not really into rag tops. Vitesse saloon was our first car when I was 3. Want to buy one now but need new front windows first ?

[hairnet]

41 minutes ago, Shite Ron said:

 

2 - 306, great looking even though it is wrong wheel drive, I cannot understand how the replacement was so ugly.

 

because not farina

nuts because theyd worked with farina previous

[New POD]

Can I ask why and how you ended up with so many convertibles. ? 

 

[New POD]

Can I ask why and how you ended up with so many convertibles. ? 

 

[timolloyd]

This is a great selection in terms of prestige designers who turned their hand to relatively mainstream cars. If you think about it in these terms, and with plenty of my own opinion, the top 3 would be:

1. Vitesse / Michelloti 

2. Pug 306 / Pininfarina

3. E36 / Pinky Lai

The common thread with all of these is that you get a properly flat deck with all of them, when the hood is folded.