Affordable convertibles are becoming scarce
These days, if you’re in the market for a brand-new, cheap, zippy convertible with enough seating for four, your options are minimal, especially compared to what they were just ten or fifteen short years ago. The least expensive option, the $33,690 Mini Cooper Convertible, might leave you tight on space. The next closest thing is the $37,130 Ford Mustang Ecoboost Convertible, which gets even pricier if you decide to opt for any desirable options, not to mention the available Coyote V8 upgrade. The reality is that these days, not many people have $35k plus lying around to toss into a purchase as emotionally based as a convertible.
Ford
However, if you’re someone who’s found themselves in the midst of a quarter- or mid-life crisis, if you’re a party girl living in a big city with the girlies, or if you’re just any old tasteful individual with a penchant for retractable roofs on automobiles, and are considering the purchase of an inexpensive and relatively new four-seater convertible, the following four options, in my opinion, are some of the most overlooked and undervalued options out there.
1. 2016-2019 Buick Cascada
General Motors
Over its short four-year stint in the North American market, Buick sold just over 17,000 of these rebadged Opel Cascadas. Despite its American automaker badging, the Buick Cascada was developed and designed in Germany, and all of them were manufactured in Poland. It shared its platform with the Chevrolet Cruze, the Buick Verano, and the Opel Astra. Even when new, the Buick Cascada was a relatively overlooked model, with many convertible buyers opting for offerings by more established European luxury brands, such as the Audi A3 Cabriolet and the BMW 2-Series Cabriolet, which offered superior driving dynamics, albeit at a pricier cost.
General Motors
General Motors
These days, pre-owned Buick Cascadas offer tremendous value on the used market for buyers looking for an affordable convertible that isn’t too old and isn’t too high-maintenance. They’re reasonably fun to drive as well, despite being equipped with front-wheel drive, thanks to a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that pumps out an impressive 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque, which is paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox. The Cascada does have some love handles, weighing in at a whopping 3,979 pounds—more than a brand-new Honda CR-V Hybrid—but it’s still reasonably efficient, with an EPA-rated fuel economy of 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Despite their rarity, the Cascada isn’t too difficult to find on the used market. Right now, CarMax has 19 of them listed for sale. Here’s a gorgeous blue over tan example of a 2016 Buick Cascada Premium with just 39,000 miles for sale with an asking price of just $19,998.
2. 2010-2015 Lexus IS 250 C
Lexus
Since Lexus offered the IS 250 C as their sole convertible model between the fall of the SC 430 and the rise of the LC 500, most people often overlook it, and you’d be forgiven if you never even knew Lexus once offered a convertible variant of its popular IS sedan. Featuring rear-wheel drive and a 205-horsepower 2.5-liter V6, Lexus aimed its sights directly at the BMW 4-Series Cabriolet with the IS 250 C, and missed. The BMW Cabrio’s more agile driving dynamics, combined with its enduring popularity and fiercely loyal clientele, made it a dramatically more popular choice among sporty luxury convertible buyers. Just because the BMW was the hotter choice in its day doesn’t mean it’s still the better choice when comparing period models. These Lexus IS 250 Cs are fiercely reliable, unlike early-2010s BMWs, and hold their value accordingly. They also typically attracted a much older audience than the BMW, and were therefore generally owned by elderly and more affluent people who cared for them religiously.
Lexus
Lexus
These days, well-kept, low-mileage, ten-year-old Lexus IS 250 Cs aren’t exactly cheap, having held their value to a far greater degree than that of comparable BMWs. Still, I’d argue that the Lexus is the better bang for your buck, promising top-tier durability paired with an aptly dynamic driving experience and a luxurious, well-aged interior. CarMax currently has a few examples listed online, including this 21k-mile 2015 Lexus IS 250 C with an asking price of just $25,998, and this silver 29k-mile 2015 Lexus IS 250 C with an asking price of just $27,998.
3. 2016-2019 Volkswagen Beetle Dune Cabriolet
VW
Perhaps the third coolest VW New Beetle of all time, next to the RSi and 1.9 TDI-powered New Beetles, the Dune package gave the Beetle a half-inch raised suspension, protective exterior body cladding, and an exclusive Sandstorm Yellow Metallic paint job. Available either as a coupe or as a cabriolet, the Beetle Dune offered a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder in its early production years, which made 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in its later production years, which made 174 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque—not much of a difference.
According to a VW USA press release, some 1.8-liter-powered early examples were available with a five-speed manual gearbox. In VW’s own press shots of the Dune Cabriolet, as shown below, the convertible was displayed with a six-speed manual gearbox. Somehow, though, MotorTrend’s period review of the Beetle Dune claims it was never offered with a manual gearbox. VW Canada press material lists a five-speed manual gearbox as a standard feature for the 2016 model year, so I’m not entirely sure if a manual gearbox was ever officially offered in the Dune Cabriolet, and I haven’t been able to find one for sale online. If you manage to locate one, that’s the one I’d go for.
VW
VW
Regardless of the truth of the mystery of the Beetle Dune’s manual gearbox option, most of these were sold with conventional six-speed automatic transmissions with Tiptronic and “Sport” mode. Anyone would look genuinely stylish driving one of these today, especially painted in the vibrant Sandstorm Yellow colour with matching wheels, as pictured. They’ve achieved a sort of post-ironic appeal in an extremely short period of time, which can be primarily attributed to the death of the long-living VW Beetle in favor of needlessly larger crossovers and SUVs. It has a sort of hipster-cool persona that will get you plenty of invites to secret raves in abandoned warehouses just by cruising around town. CarMax currently has several of these for sale, including this 67k-mile Sandstorm Yellow 2017 VW Beetle Dune Cabriolet that’s asking just $22,998, and this 50k-mile Deep Black Pearl 2018 VW Beetle Dune Cabriolet that’s asking just $25,998.
4. 2011-2017 Chrysler 200 Convertible
Stellantis Media
Scoff at it you may, but the Chrysler 200 Convertible is, by a significant margin, the most powerful convertible on this list. Although its standard engine was a 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which produced up to 184 horsepower, a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 could be equipped instead, packing 283 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. These powertrains were both paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox and front-wheel drive. Despite massively superior power figures, Chrysler 200 Convertibles can typically be had for less money than every other convertible on this list, and are pretty easy to find, because roughly 20,000 were produced each year in the model’s prime.
Stellantis Media
Stellantis Media
Sure, it might drive as if the top’s been sheared off a Caravan, but there’s no denying that it still offers plenty of power, reliability, and a reasonably luxurious interior with ample comfort. They’re incredibly cheap, too, even in pristine condition. For example, this mint, tan over tan, 66k-mile 2014 Chrysler 200 Limited is currently for sale on CarMax with an asking price of just $13,998. For reference, CarMax also has a base model 40k-mile 2017 Kia Soul listed at the same price. If that’s not “bang for your buck,” then I’m not quite sure what is.
Final thoughts
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to affordable and reasonably good-looking 4-seater convertibles. We’re sure we missed some, so if there’s any that you think should have absolutely made the list, let us know in the comments!
About the author
Cole Attisha
Staff Writer, Autoblog