Which £10k 4 seat Cabriolet?

[W00DY]

My mum has decided she now wants a cabriolet instead of buying a new Ibiza. So here's the spec

4 decent-ish seats
No older than 2002
Preferably <60k miles
Usable boot with roof up
Not too thirsty

The options I've come up with are an A4, 3 series or possibly (but difficult on budget) Volvo C70. I'm favouring the A4 because I think they look great and she's not a petrol-head and I'm not sure RWD is a great idea given she lives out in the country. Seen this and think it seems good value for a diesel facelift car?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

She would keep it for probably 6-10 years so resale is not an issue and she does around 10k per year so petrol is fine. Any thoughts on the cars I've picked or other ideas?

Thanks

[anonymous-user]

A4 is one of the best of the bunch for all round ability. If she is interested in comfort and style over sporting ability it might be worth looking at the Saab 9-3!

[W00DY]

Not a bad shout on the 9-3 they're certainly good value and I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable they are. Will add it to the list.

[550Hep]

VW Eos?

[Chris_w666]

If it is comfort not handling and outright ability then 9-3, A4 and C70 would be what I looked at.

Though slightly smaller and not great looking the focus CC can be found very cheaply but the best engine is the 2.0 tdci, the EOS may appeal but they look a bit cramped in the rear.

[W00DY]

The Eos is probably a bit small and I don't really like them. The focus might be a possibility but they are pretty awful to look at and as with many family hatches converted to cabriolets, they seem to miss the point a little.

[Liokault]

A4 is by far the best looking of the bunch.

[Chris_w666]

W00DY said:

The Eos is probably a bit small and I don't really like them. The focus might be a possibility but they are pretty awful to look at and as with many family hatches converted to cabriolets, they seem to miss the point a little.

Agree the focus is small and not pretty and the Saab or Volvo would win my vote for a sensible 4 seater cab. I mentioned the focus as AFAIK ford are discountinuing them and there should be some bargains to be had as they can't shift them.

The A4 is a good cabriolet but I have only experienced a 3.0tdi which is a very effective way to cover ground, and the S4 which makes you want to live in a tunnel, but neither are sports cars even though both are very fast.

[Liokault]

Anyone know if A4's hold the miles well? Looks like there are some real "bargains" with high miles.

[DanGPR]

The Astra convertible isn't too bad looking, and 10 grand can get you an 08 car, with less than 15k on the clock.

Alternatively, there's also the MINI convertible, but the back seats could only be used for very short trips really, and there's Mercs CLK, but that looks rather dated for a £10k car now.

EFA: We had an A4 cab 3.0 TDI, which was used for a daily commute, circa 150 miles, it was economical, comfortable and did wear well BUT it did blow a turbo at a cost of around £1500 IIRC, which might be worth bearing in mind.

Edited by DanGPR on Monday 18th October 15:43

[djt100]

If it were my money I'd be looking at a Volvo or Mercedes.

[W00DY]

Mercedes are out and the CLK is a bit crap anyway.She'd love a MINI but they lack space and they don't do a lot for me. Astra? WTF? Next I'll get someone telling me she should get a Megane or something from Peugeot. Not happening.

I'm liking this: http://www.autoquake.com/used-audi-a4/3.0-sport-2d...

Plenty in reserve for petrol and no turbo worries.

[anonymous-user]

Liokault said:

A4 is by far the best looking of the bunch.

It's also incredibly dull but a good car none the less.

[Chris_w666]

I know I am a fussy sod when it comes to cars but I am always put off by cars, especially expensive to run ones, where someone has fitted 4 totally different tyres.

[lordlee]

The A4 Cabriolet is by far the best bet IMO as it's beautifully built, looks great and eats motorway mileage with aplomb. It should be a great ownership prospect too. I had no probs with mine over three years and I would have another in a heartbeat. I do think they are quite colour sensitive though and met black or dark grey suit them much better than silver or light blue - just my opinion though.

[walm]

doogz said:

W00DY said:

Mercedes are out and the CLK is a bit crap anyway.She'd love a MINI but they lack space and they don't do a lot for me. Astra? WTF? Next I'll get someone telling me she should get a Megane or something from Peugeot. Not happening.

I'm liking this: http://www.autoquake.com/used-audi-a4/3.0-sport-2d...

Plenty in reserve for petrol and no turbo worries.

Those engines eat coilpacks (one per cylinder) and mine averaged just over 20mpg the whole time i had it. I mostly racked up motorway miles on the way to work as well, economy was pretty poor. Timing belt involves taking the front off the car too.

Other than that, loved it though. Made a nice noise, 220bhp is reasonable in a car that size imo, and mine was on just over 100k when i sold it, and i had no issues with mine (all coilpacks had been changed, at great expense, by the previous owner)

I am probably outside the realms of my expertise but on my wife's 2005 A4 1.8T the coilpacks cost £25 each.
My wife changed them with one hand while holding a baby with the other at the side of the road each time one died.
Since all 4 died and were replaced they have been fine.

Of course, the V6 coilpacks might be stuck somewhere very weird so who knows, just my tuppence.

[lost in espace]

Beetle tdi cab

[Ry_B]

E46 330 cab.

[David911RSR]

I had an A4 Cab 20 T S-line on loan for a few weeks when my own car was having it's DRC issues rectified.

I thought it was a dreadful car. The suspension was rubbish, no traction when the road wasn't bone dry and the fuel consumption was appalling for a modern 2.0 ltr engine.

A friend has recently acquired an '03 BMW 325i Cab Auto for 8k. First impressions are good and it rides much better than his new C-class.

Edited by David911RSR on Wednesday 20th October 07:07

[Adz The Rat]

Buy E46 M3 cab and just live with the mpg.