Small, tin roof cabriolets ...any experiences?

peasant

(alternative thread title ...peasant goes girly )

I'm kinda half toying with the idea of getting myself a small cabriolet as a second car.

For a multitude of reasons I'd like it to have a small engine (1.6 max) and a STEEL ROOF (retractable, of course) and it shouldn't cost more than 5k.

That would pretty much narrow it down to an Opel Tigra or Peugeot 206cc.
(so no MX5's, no SLK's, no Saabs, etc, thank you very much)

Anyone got any experience with either?
Any known faults (other than they're slow and "girly")
Do the roofs stand up to shoyte Irish weather?

Any and all first hand info will be gratefully received.

Mr Benevolent

peasant wrote: »

For a multitude of reasons I'd like it to have a small engine (1.6 max) and a STEEL ROOF (retractable, of course) and it shouldn't cost more than 5k.

Dare I ask - why a retractable steel roof?

peasant

Weather, assholes with knifes, insurance ...

Mr Benevolent

peasant wrote: »

Weather, assholes with knifes, insurance ...

What about a hard-top MX-5? It's not as though you'd take off the roof very often...

peasant

Confab wrote: »

What about a hard-top MX-5? It's not as though you'd take off the roof very often...

err ...no.
The whole idea is that you would be able to take the roof off at the press of a button ...if and when the sun does indeed come out.

Tigger

mrs tigger has a 1.6 mx5

brilliant car; reliable economical, fun and fun

hard roof - soft roof change takes 20 mins

peasant

No offence guys ... I know that an MX 5 is a fine car ...I still don't want one though.

I want a cabriolet that I can park outside in all weathers and socio-economic environements without damage or flooding and one where I can open the roof in a few seconds whenever I want.

Mr Benevolent

peasant wrote: »

err ...no.
The whole idea is that you would be able to take the roof off at the press of a button ...if and when the sun does indeed come out.

Ok. Inside budget but outside engine range:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2821877

Inside your specs but it's a Megane:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2779236

Inside budget but outside engine range (just):

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2703341

All the rest are 206s, 307s or Tigras.

Ideal time of the year to buy one though.

peasant

ahh ...ffs ...

peasant wrote: »

That would pretty much narrow it down to an Opel Tigra or Peugeot 206cc.
(so no MX5's, no SLK's, no Saabs, etc, thank you very much)

Anyone got any experience with either?

Mr Benevolent

There's feck all choice in the cabrio/steel roof/<=1.6/<€5000 category. No man is going to recommend a Tigra, 206CC or Megane with a clear conscience. Besides all of them being crap cars they don't look good or drive well. Therefore you're left with the MR2, SLK or an MX-5 hardtop. If I went onto the fashion forum and asked for recommendations about pink feather boas I'd get the same advice. Get a good one or don't do it at all.

unkel

How about a Micra? Ticks all the boxes.

peasant wrote: »

peasant goes girly

Can't get one much more girly than that.

Please do tell us though what your urge is with girly pink cabrios? Did you get yourself surgically changed into a woman?

ottostreet

Why are you on the lookout for a bad car?

R.O.R

Drove a Pug, think it was the 207 from the city to Drogheda one night. Roof down with the cheesiest choons I could find, with my mechanic mate in the passenger seat.

Got a few funny looks, but had a laugh.

Only memory of the driving experience is the horrific body roll on the roundabout coming off the M1. I do recall it being much better with the roof up.

Anyone I know with one of these small hard tops, has had water ingress issues.

ShadowHearth

peasant wrote: »

No offence guys ... I know that an MX 5 is a fine car ...I still don't want one though.

I want a cabriolet that I can park outside in all weathers and socio-economic environements without damage or flooding and one where I can open the roof in a few seconds whenever I want.

Drive my mx5 to work everyday. Summer, winter, autumn, spring. Rain, sun. Soft top all true time.
I park it anywhere where I want. If an asshole will want to break in to your car, then he won't give a feck is it soft top, or hard top, or tank top, ham and cheese top.
For me it takes less then 5 seconds to put down the roof. I can do it while waiting for green light. It's the matter of unlocking two clamps and putting roof down with one hand behind you.


You are right, it's a pure torture to live with such car. I am driving it for 2.5 years, and I can't imagine how I will last longer... Madness!

oregano

206cc not famous for roof leaks at all, it's the one I find easiest to sell, they never come back under warranty, and are not particularly dated looking, in my opinion.

peasant

unkel wrote: »

Please do tell us though what your urge is with girly pink cabrios?

The thought process is as follows:
-The Syncro (my only driver) might profit from some extensive repairs/improvements in the near future and may be off the road on and off.
- A second car might come in handy so, but it must be cheap all round
- The logical choice would be some bangernomics yoke ...but two potential non-runners outside the door are no good when you need to get to work on time.
- something slightly younger and fitter then, but still cheap to run and insure
- the next logical choice then is some small car ...but where is the fun in a shopping trolley?
- The logical choice then is a shopping trolley with an opening roof ...at least some fun, cheap to run, cheap to insure and resonable resale once I'm done with it.
- And because I have no garage and might have to park the thing in a dodgy area once or twice, a steel roof somehow seems preferable.

The fact that it's girly is neither here nor there

alias no.9

peasant wrote: »

The thought process is as follows:
-The Syncro (my only driver) might profit from some extensive repairs/improvements in the near future and may be off the road on and off.
- A second car might come in handy so, but it must be cheap all round
- The logical choice would be some bangernomics yoke ...but two potential non-runners outside the door are no good when you need to get to work on time.
- something slightly younger and fitter then, but still cheap to run and insure
- the next logical choice then is some small car ...but where is the fun in a shopping trolley?
- The logical choice then is a shopping trolley with an opening roof ...at least some fun, cheap to run, cheap to insure and resonable resale once I'm done with it.
- And because I have no garage and might have to park the thing in a dodgy area once or twice, a steel roof somehow seems preferable.

The fact that it's girly is neither here nor there

A compromise on the bangernomics and open top may be a Nissan 100nx Targa with its '90s jap oily bits. Keep it for a few years and you may even make a few quid.

For the likes of yourself the two potential non runners isn't a real fear, plenty of decent and reliable stuff about for small money now, the novelty or fun aspects of the tin tops would be shortlived I expect.

db330

My sister has a 206cc, there a bit cramped inside, i'm 6'3 and my head hits the roof, but so far it's been reliable and good to her, most are driven by your typical women driver so the ones that were looked had a few marks form parking and what not, but it doesn't seem to be a bad car.

anthony4335

I would suggest the MX5 also , drove one once and it was really nice. Reliable and cheap. The megane has some issues with the roof leaking from what I hear. For your price range the only car that fits you buget is a megane.

Big Nasty

Personally I just couldn't but if you really, really have to I would go with the Tigra.

L-M

I drove a 307cc for about an hour, felt the same as a 307. My only complaint would be that I went through a car wash with it (power hose) and got soaked.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2472862

Same as the above, infact it could easily be same the thing.

Big Nasty

LIGHTNING wrote: »

How about something completely off the wall like a Honda Beat or suzuki Cappuccino? Fun, small,cheap and not as girlie as a Micra CC.

I love those Cappuccino's!

There's one close to me with a big spoiler on the back - reminds me of those little toy cars that you put a penny in the back of to make them wheelie!

(Wouldn't for the life of me be seen dead in one though! )

For Forks Sake

Limerick man wrote: »

My only complaint would be that I went through a car wash with it (power hose) and got soaked.

Put the f*cking roof back up !!

Big Nasty

I forgot to say that this thread has 'teh ghey'!

-Corkie-

MCMLXXV wrote: »

I forgot to say that this thread has 'teh ghey'!

Daihatsu Copen wins so....

Honey-ec

I had a Tigra for two years and couldn't fault it. Ok, she wasn't the fastest, but she handled great, you can absolutely throw them around the road. Never had any issues with the roof leaking. Boot is huge for a cabrio and it also has a full-size spare wheel, which you don't get with some marques.

The only reason I got rid of it was because the cost of petrol was killing me; I've a 180km round-trip to work every day.