My mum currently has a Saab 900 Turbo S Monte Carlo . It's a great car, but it's getting on a bit and the roof leaks. She was recently offered £2k by someone who has been looking for a Monte Carlo (they're rare), and she's going to accept it.

I'm trying to help her find a replacement, the criteria are: Must be under or close to £2k, must be convertible, must be slightly reliable.

So far I've thought of:

Mazda MX-5
Toyota MR2 Mk2 T-Bar - she's not too keen on the looks
MGF - too unreliable
Alfa Spider - Too unreliable
Fiat Barcetta - quite expensive

Can anyone think of any other cars that fit in that catagory?

I guess the MX5 sounds the best.
It is reliable, it has 1.6 & 1.8l engines (1st gen) which means it is rather economical, and for a roadster, it is quite common, so getting spares at decent prices shouldn't be a big problem.

Quote from spookthehamster :

My mum currently has a Saab 900 Turbo S Monte Carlo . It's a great car, but it's getting on a bit and the roof leaks. She was recently offered £2k by someone who has been looking for a Monte Carlo (they're rare), and she's going to accept it.

I'm trying to help her find a replacement, the criteria are: Must be under or close to £2k, must be convertible, must be slightly reliable.

So far I've thought of:

Mazda MX-5
Toyota MR2 Mk2 T-Bar - she's not too keen on the looks
MGF - too unreliable
Alfa Spider - Too unreliable
Fiat Barcetta - quite expensive

Can anyone think of any other cars that fit in that catagory?

If she is going to replace the car with another soft top, remember they all leak, hard tops are you best bet. If you do get a soft top and you ask the seller if the car leaks and he says no, ask him to pour water over the roof or spray water over it to see if it leaks, then you will know if it does or doesn't, most likely does.
I don't know what car to suggest as you haven't told us what she looks for in a car. As I said before though, get a hard top, soft tops always leak

An MX-5 soft top in good condition (i.e. not mine!), with correctly adjusted door seals etc shouldn't leak in all but the heaviest (and I mean heaviest!) rain. It probably won't get through a car wash, or survive a direct spray from a hose, but a bucket of water over the top won't get in.

The main problem I've heard of with MX-5s is a harmless clutch judder, and a slightly weak air-con pump, which you can tell if it glonks and grinds (metal:metal sound) when you switch it on. Other than that they are pretty darn resiliant.

They are sensitive to tyre pressures too - if the ride is especially harsh you might just be 1psi out on one tyre, so don't condemn a car until you've checked tyre pressures

An MX-5 can go through a car wash, but you will get soaked Don't ask me how I know :P If the window seals are old and worn out, it can leak quite significantly. Even with new seals (I replaced mine last year) it will leak in very heavy rain, but for the most part it's okay.

But yes the MX-5 is a good bet...they are really very reliable cars, and cheap to maintain and fix. I've had my '90 for 7 years and taken it from 90,000km to 250,000km and it's not had a single thing go wrong with it. Yes, I've had to replace the clutch and shocks and do some other maintenance work of course, but it's not let me down once, and I'm not exactly kind to it

I don't know how much they cost in Britain but what about a Toyota MR2 Mk. III?

You answered yuor question yourself.

Quote from sam93 :

If she is going to replace the car with another soft top, remember they all leak, hard tops are you best bet. If you do get a soft top and you ask the seller if the car leaks and he says no, ask him to pour water over the roof or spray water over it to see if it leaks, then you will know if it does or doesn't, most likely does.
I don't know what car to suggest as you haven't told us what she looks for in a car. As I said before though, get a hard top, soft tops always leak

They ALL leak do they?

I suspect otherwise

Mx-5

Seems like MX-5s are the most popular choice.

Anyone had any experiences with 306 cabriolets?

Hmm, to be honest 2 grand ain't a lot. If i was gonna buy a drop top for that sort of cash i wouldn't look anywhere outside of Japan or Germany. Peugeot's are pretty unreliable even when they're brand new, so what they're gonna be like at that sort of price is quite frankly, a bit scary.

Here's a list of all the MX5's under 2K in Autotrader http://search.autotrader.co.uk ... -4294967256/search.action
at the moment, just to give you some sort of idea of what you'll be getting for your money.

And here's the 306's http://search.autotrader.co.uk ... -4294967204/search.action

Best of luck finding something.

Damn you! I'm now checking Autotrader to see how much I'd need to save up to get a Mk2 to replace my Mk1. Damn you! I'm trying to save money...

Edit: Damn you!

How about a bmw e30 conv.? they are cheap novadays

lol Tristan

Have you ever heard of a little game called Airport Shopping Dare as devised by James May and Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame ? He reveals the rules in his latest column

This could be fun

Try page 3 of the Autotrader site i linked too, 4th one down. You anywhere near Sudbury ?

Quote from Mazz4200 :

You anywhere near Sudbury ?

Why - out of interest?

Quote from Jakg :

Why - out of interest?

Thats where this car is http://pictures.autotrader.co. ... ervlet/media?id=755002157

Think we can try to persuade Tristan to buy it ?

He's about 60 miles away (although it's probably nearer to me by about 35 miles...)

Yeah, perhaps i should explain. I'm not interested in the slightest where Tristan actually lives. But after this post

Quote from tristancliffe :

Damn you! I'm now checking Autotrader to see how much I'd need to save up to get a Mk2 to replace my Mk1. Damn you! I'm trying to save money...

Edit: Damn you!

I'm simply following the rules of this game

[quote James May] "
As I'm sure regular readers will know, Richard Hammond and I once invented a game called Airport Shopping Dare.
In case you're not familiar with it, this is how it works: Richard Hammond (for example) will be looking at sunglasses in Heathrow Terminal Four. I wait until he tries on a really idiotic pair that make him look like a school matron on holiday, and then say something like, "Hmm, yes, those somehow suit the shape of your face" in such a compassionate and caring way that he buys them.
The instant the transaction is completed, I am free to say, "Hammond, those sunglasses make you look like a cock." An hour later, he wreaks revenge by convincing me that I look cool in a really shiny leather coat. So I buy it and then can't understand why he keeps whistling the Minder theme tune at me.
It's a great game, but it can get out of hand. Last year, the rules were relaxed to include the car showroom and a new player, Jeremy Clarkson. It didn't take much to convince him that he wanted, and looked good in, a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. He didn't"

So, that car posted above is quite frankly THE car that would make Tristan look a complete and utter cock. Just happened to be in Sudbury, that's all, didn't even know where Sudbury was tbh.

Go on Tristan, you know you'll look cool in it, go take it for a test drive, only 60 miles from you, practically on your doorstep.

Yes, I know that game. I read about it in one of May's books - it's not a 'new' column. Wasn't it also mentioned in Richard Hammond's book about the jet car accident?

Anyway, I think I'd draw the line at that. So you need to try harder to make me buy a car that makes me look even more of a cock than my silver MX-5

Edit: Damn you!

I think you'd look pretty cool in this...

Can't remember if it's in Hammonds book, been a while since i read it. But it is in "May On Motors", so it's not a new game...

Anyway, how about you go for a real mans car, a little Spity perhaps ? http://pictures.autotrader.co. ... ervlet/media?id=749981226

[edit] Just a bit more info about that Spitfire. Not sure how to link directly to the little pop-up Autotrader window, so will have to write out the spec here:-

41,150 miles. genuine with many mots to prove, Immaculate show room condition, Service history with service passport. Moted till April 09 and road taxed till Nov 08. Full stainless steel exhaust including manifold, New adjustable shock absorbers, New braided brake pipes, Broquet fuel catalyst in fuel tank to enable the use of unleaded fuel and other benefits, lasts 250,000 miles, Kept garaged and meticulously maintained by Triumph enthusiasts. Viewing essential £3,295

Don't be put off by classic Triumphs, properly maintained they should be just as reliable as most modern cars (err, yeah) But, don't forget that if the car was built in 1973 or earlier then you don't have to pay road tax, and, you'll be able to get classic car insurance on it too, so it'll be next to nothing. It's a pukka little British Sportscar too, national pride and all that..

You could go for a really nice TR6, or even a Stag, again both real propah mens motors, but, they can be a bit pricey for a decent runner, so the Spitfire might not be such a bad choice.

A colleauge of mine is a huge fan of Triumphs, and makes me drive as many as he can. I've yet to like one. Plus, it's a little too close for comfort to the MG Midget my brother had his accident in... Wouldn't go down too well with the parents.

Having said that, I did pick up a Morgan the other day, and I found... a redeeming feature! Whilst the ride, handling, steering feel, brakes, control positions, dash layout, pedal layout were absolutely terrible, the engine (merely 190hp from some huge [in English terms, not US terms] lump of iron) was actually quite nice.

Insurance cover is already a perk of the job, so I don't have to worry about that Fully comp on anything

Quote from tristancliffe :

A colleauge of mine is a huge fan of Triumphs, and makes me drive as many as he can. I've yet to like one. Plus, it's a little too close for comfort to the MG Midget my brother had his accident in... Wouldn't go down too well with the parents.

Yeah, i remember you mentioning this a few years back. And in light of some of the recent threads in this place, probably best to not take that any further

Quote from tristancliffe :

Having said that, I did pick up a Morgan the other day, and I found... a redeeming feature! Whilst the ride, handling, steering feel, brakes, control positions, dash layout, pedal layout were absolutely terrible, the engine (merely 190hp from some huge [in English terms, not US terms] lump of iron) was actually quite nice.

An uncle of mine bought a Morgan from Peter Sellers non-the-less. Said it was the worst car he ever had for the same reasons you mention. He sold it after a couple of weeks.

Think i'm right in saying the engine would have been Ye Olde Land Rover V8. So lets look down that route. How about a TVR S2/3. Made when TVR built cars that actually worked, didn't catch fire, and didn't try to kill you at every corner. http://search.autotrader.co.uk ... -4294966998/search.action

Quote from tristancliffe :

Insurance cover is already a perk of the job, so I don't have to worry about that Fully comp on anything

Git..


{Edit} Couple of Mk2 MX5's in Norfolk, both reasonably low mileage and both surprisingly cheap
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/283030.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/528363.htm

I just found this

Quote from Jakg :

I think you'd look pretty cool in this...

Shoot if he doesnt take it I will, that looks like a pretty nice color car.