[JohnDeere]

DD has a chance to get an older Saaab convertable. Have you had 1? Would you buy 1 again? We live where it gets hot and snows sometimes in the same week.

[danceronice]

Um, I would have a good mechanic who knows Saabs go over it, recognize that getting parts will be a PITA when you need them, and I'd consider whether it's a hard versus cloth top and what condition it's in. Do you have an alternate vehicle if you have weather where a cloth-top convertible (if that's what it is) were not suitable for the weather.

[Wayside]

I have a soft-top convertible, and I love it, but I store it in the winters. Mine also has the plastic rear window, and despite being very careful with it, it has a ton of yellowing and crazing that reduces visibility a LOT, and last fall when I was zipping it up, the rear window split open. They can become quite brittle when it's cold out.

[GoForAGallop]

I love love love my little Cabrio. Firmer top than most, glass rear window. It is a BLAST to drive in the warm weather, and is the designated "girls trip out" vehicle...we just ignore the bad hair!

BUT.

It is not my year-round car. I would not want it to be. It gets great gas mileage, but isn't particularly fun to drive with the top up....the air noise from all the seals is just AWFUL! And it's completely water proof, so it's not that it's got great holes, that's just what the seams cause it to do. The blind spots are also horrific with the top up, and I know the Saabs are the same.

Also....an old Saab is not something to purchase if you don't have a good relationship with a good mechanic. Nothing is going to be particularly expensive to repair, but they are going to nickel and dime you to death with first one part and then the next going. Not known for reliability.

[Petstorejunkie]

never known a saab that wasn't a total piece of garbage.
that said I LOVE convertibles!

[Wayside]

I love love love my little Cabrio. Firmer top than most, glass rear window.

Side tangent, but how do you like your glass rear window? Obviously I need to replace the rear window on my Miata (actually, I'll probably just replace the whole soft top while I'm at it since it's 20+ years old), and switching to the glass is a definite possibility.

[GoForAGallop]

Side tangent, but how do you like your glass rear window? Obviously I need to replace the rear window on my Miata (actually, I'll probably just replace the whole soft top while I'm at it since it's 20+ years old), and switching to the glass is a definite possibility.

Love it. Has the defrost wires, obviously, which is great. I don't drive it in the winter, but on chilly/frosty mornings (I eek all the time I can out of it, as my winter daily is a 14mpg Jeep!) it clears it right up, or when everyone gets into the car soaking wet and steams it up!

Have had no issues with it, what so ever! Plastic is such a royal pain. Not that any convertible is particularly secure, but a plastic rear window is just begging to be slashed!

[Wayside]

Love it. Has the defrost wires, obviously, which is great. I don't drive it in the winter, but on chilly/frosty mornings (I eek all the time I can out of it, as my winter daily is a 14mpg Jeep!) it clears it right up, or when everyone gets into the car soaking wet and steams it up!

Have had no issues with it, what so ever! Plastic is such a royal pain. Not that any convertible is particularly secure, but a plastic rear window is just begging to be slashed!

Thanks! The price difference between the two wasn't huge, so I'm thinking glass might really be the way to go.

[JohnDeere]

DH can fix anything so no worries. Internet is good for parts.

Its a cloth top with glass window, will be her daily driver tho we have other cars. It snows in Jan/Feb not forever. Problem will be if she goes to college somewhere north.

[MMacallister]

I have a mitsubishi eclipse convertible. I love driving it in the summer, but it gets stored for the winter. Like the others there is limited visibility in the rearview if the top isn't down, it has TINY mirrors and even with the bright lights on they are pretty weak.

If its not the only car, I say go for it, otherwise probably not.

[GoForAGallop]

DH can fix anything so no worries. Internet is good for parts.

Its a cloth top with glass window, will be her daily driver tho we have other cars. It snows in Jan/Feb not forever. Problem will be if she goes to college somewhere north.

Well, just be prepared to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. I would NOT buy one with over 100k, just not worth the hassle. Believe me, I have an '87 Jeep, I am no stranger to fixing cars and have no problem doing it myself. I'd not buy a Saab, particularly not for a young girl. It's all fun and games until she's broken down on the side of the road.

For about the same $$$, if it must be a convertible, I'd look into a Cabrio. The 2.0 engines in them can't be killed, and while they suffer from gremlins in the electrical systems (like all VWs) they don't tend to spectacularly crash and burn in the way Saabs tend to. A Mazda Miata is also a better alternative than the Saab, although I wouldn't go so far as to describe them as reliable. Two seater, of course, and they'll cause a hike in the (already sky high new driver) insurance rates, but they also have strong little engines. The Mitsubishi Eclipse (in convertible or hardtop) mentioned above can also be found in the same price range, and are actually decent cars. Fun to drive. They're hard to find and getting harder because they stopped making them a while ago, but the older Toyota Celica convertibles have the Toyota reliability with the sportiness of a convertible...good gas mileage too!

As far as the snow...it's going to be as good as any other front wheel drive car out there. Adequate (with snow tires) in all but the worst conditions as long as you have a lick of common sense and are aware of how to drive in the snow.

[JohnDeere]

Adequate (with snow tires) in all but the worst conditions as long as you have a lick of common sense and are aware of how to drive in the snow.

Oh dear Lord.

We have older eclipse for DS. DD isnt to breathe on it much less drive it.

[GoForAGallop]

Oh dear Lord.

We have older eclipse for DS. DD isnt to breathe on it much less drive it.

So get her the fun girly convertible version!

[Glimmerglass]

A targa sports car is far better than a true convertible for reasons of the kickback wind.

Some more modern sportscars have the clear plastic behind the driver's seat (or variation thereof) to buffet the wind but absent of that its not as much fun as you might think Trust me I've owned both and will take a targa top over a true convertible.

Saabs because of the GM discontinuation of the entire brand - a Chinese company tried to buy but that failed and like Hummer it's gone - you will find parts hard to find long term. Yes there is a Saab owners community who adores it but more so the pre-GM ownership models.

I'm not a fan of the Swedish-made and very very quirky cars that just appealed to a thin percentage of the world. Get an Audi if you want a Euro-made car!

[Simkie]

My husband has a Mustang convertible and He. Loves. That. Thing. The top is ALWAYS down in the summer, and even for much of the fall and spring--as long as it's sunny! He'll blast the heat with the top down

That said, I struggle with it sometimes because I just don't like the wind and what it does to my hair. I wouldn't have the top down nearly as much as he does. We keep a hat in the car for me.

And a Saab? There's no way in hell I would buy a Saab right now, but I certainly don't have a live in mechanic. Does your husband have the Saab tools? It's my understanding that they're different than the tools for other cars...

[LockeMeadows]

I have a Corvette and love to put the top down. Well worth the extra $$$. We've taken it on trips and yes, it is so much fun for a girls day out!

[StellaTMK]

Love, love, love my convertible. It's a '03 Spyder. It's my daily year-round driver. Glass rear window, defrost, always parked outside. I live in nj so it gets all sorts of weather. In light snow or rain, it's safer than the 3/4 ton truck with the low gear ratio since tha just spins on the slick with the RWD and no weightin the bed.

The problem is the blind spots. This is my 3rd convertible, I have had one for the past 20 years, so I'm pretty used to it but the worst is merging into a traffic circle and not having good visibility back and to the right on that merging angle. Almost zero back seat so I never have to drive and the dog is perfectly happy back there.

I would stay away from plastic windows, white/light tops and high mileage cars

Good luck!

[PeteyPie]

Tell him you want him to be happy and to go for it. Just saying that will pay off more than you would expect. Think of it this way, why wait until he's older? You never know what the future holds, and if he can enjoy it now, that's a good thing.

As far as being practical, I had a convertible in Alaska and I loved it. It was warm and durable and fun in the summer. For snowy places, I would only go with a convertible with a glass window.

[Tucked_Away]

Glass window totally worth having for the Miata. Two thumbs up.

Upside to Miata or similar over four-seater 'verts: teeny cabin much easier to keep comfortably heated for extension of top-down season!

[gieriscm]

My husband has a Mustang convertible and He. Loves. That. Thing. The top is ALWAYS down in the summer, and even for much of the fall and spring--as long as it's sunny! He'll blast the heat with the top down

That would be me in my '69, candy apple red.
And yes, I keep extra caps, ponytail holders, and a brush in the car.