What car? Soft top for a raspberry ripple

[kowalski655]

Looking to get a convertible for our next car,after too many years of people carriers to haul the brats around. Will still keep 1 for family outings/shopping/trips to the dump but now want some wind in your hair,flies in your teeth fun,and as SWMBO has "difficulties" getting about(to put it mildly!!!) we can get a lease car from those nice motability folks.
So looking to get some advice on the choices we have.
Smart cars and Fiat 500s are out(she doesnt like them...too"cute" apparently!) so really its a choice of:
(1) MX 5 (soft top version most likely)
(2) MINI Roadster
(3) MINI soft top(the 2+2 one)
(4) Citroen DS3 cabrio

Now obviously as this is Pistonheads the main recommendation will be the MX 5, my choice too and she does love a Mazda (I had 1 when we 1st met...aaaah happy days), and until today she didnt fancy the MINIs, but having seen the 2 options up close she is wavering. Are these as good as they say?Better than the MX 5?
Test drove the DS3 today, nice in a family car way but not a full soft top,more a sunny summer day cruiser than a "put the top down if it isnt pouring, all year round" type of car, but it does come fully loaded with all the electronic goodies men love to fiddle with

So, what should we go for if we do this? Any suggestions,advice,hints and tips all appreciated

Cheers

[deltashad]

Out of those four, God, I can't believe I'm saying this MX5

[Big_Dog]

We have a mini convertible. No supercharger with the rubber band gearbox. Always makes me smile driving it about, real fun car. I would advise to drive one before buying anything else.
As a reference the other car is a V10 Touareg.

[ORD]

MX5 in a heartbeat. It's not the car many say it is, but it is far more fun than a Mini. Minis are designed for and suite 36 year old women who work in marketing and get scared when the engine makes a noise.

[billzeebub]

MX5

[fatboy69]

Triumph TR6.

Far better, faster, etc etc than an MX5 will ever be. IMO......

[J4CKO]

fatboy69 said:

Triumph TR6.

Far better, faster, etc etc than an MX5 will ever be. IMO......

Hmm, cant imagine there is that much in it really vs a 1.8 MX5, 150 plays 130, half a second to a second 0-60 and the MX5 is probably a bit more dependable.

Rather have a TR6 but the Mazda is the only one that could do daily duties all year round and not give you headaches.

[Lordbenny]

Mini all day long, my Mrs has a Cooper s ragtop and she loves it, it drives so well, is quick enough and the super charger whine (early Minis had the supercharger) is addictive. It's also practical, you can seat 4 adults in comfort, the rear seat fold down and its easy to get in and out of.

[Deerfoot]

Lordbenny said:

Mini all day long.........It's also practical, you can seat 4 adults in comfort,

I'm only 5'8" but when I spent 10 miles in the back of a MINI it wasn't comfortable at all. And there were only 3 of us in it.

[blueheron]

I want to say MX5 but it can be awkward to get into if you don't have a lot of clearance either side of your vehicle. There's been more than one occasion when some idiot has parked too close to me, and i've been left to drop the roof and climb in through the passenger side.

I presume as you'd be getting on motability, you have a blue badge, so most of the time you should be ok for clearance.

You and her need to go and sit in some examples, with and without good space either side... to get an idea of what it's like.

[scotty_d]

Deerfoot said:

Lordbenny said:

Mini all day long.........It's also practical, you can seat 4 adults in comfort,

I'm only 5'8" but when I spent 10 miles in the back of a MINI it wasn't comfortable at all. And there were only 3 of us in it.

We have a hard top r53 and 30 mins in the back is plenty for most, its the Mrs car so normally picking me and some mates up from nights out ect.. Any one more than 6ft goes in the front.

[jdw1234]

How does motovility work? Can you get anything?

I'd quite like an eclass convertible. A bit like a "poor mans Bentley Azure". They seem cheap to lease and run.

[jdw1234]

If those are the choices though, the mini rag top sounds fun.

[tr7v8]

MX5 over the BINIs any day

[jdw1234]

I don't think any of the ones listed are a bad choice.

[simoid]

scotty_d said:

Deerfoot said:

Lordbenny said:

Mini all day long.........It's also practical, you can seat 4 adults in comfort,

I'm only 5'8" but when I spent 10 miles in the back of a MINI it wasn't comfortable at all. And there were only 3 of us in it.

We have a hard top r53 and 30 mins in the back is plenty for most, its the Mrs car so normally picking me and some mates up from nights out ect.. Any one more than 6ft goes in the front.

I would also like to bash the chap who suggests 4 adults in a Mini is comfortable

[Disco You]

simoid said:

scotty_d said:

Deerfoot said:

Lordbenny said:

Mini all day long.........It's also practical, you can seat 4 adults in comfort,

I'm only 5'8" but when I spent 10 miles in the back of a MINI it wasn't comfortable at all. And there were only 3 of us in it.

We have a hard top r53 and 30 mins in the back is plenty for most, its the Mrs car so normally picking me and some mates up from nights out ect.. Any one more than 6ft goes in the front.

I would also like to bash the chap who suggests 4 adults in a Mini is comfortable

They could be midgets, I suppose...

[carinaman]

J4CKO said:

fatboy69 said:

Triumph TR6.

Far better, faster, etc etc than an MX5 will ever be. IMO......

Hmm, cant imagine there is that much in it really vs a 1.8 MX5, 150 plays 130, half a second to a second 0-60 and the MX5 is probably a bit more dependable.

Rather have a TR6 but the Mazda is the only one that could do daily duties all year round and not give you headaches.

An MX-5 owner I knew had her head turned by a TR6 with a 'What's that?', perhaps it was the Michelotti styling, but if they were aware of the Z3 when she'd bought the MX-5 she may have considered those.

Z3, Z4, S2000?

[tr7v8]

fatboy69 said:

Triumph TR6.

Far better, faster, etc etc than an MX5 will ever be. IMO......

Umm Mk3 MX5 streets faster, Mk1 around the same. But TR6 horrible uncomfortable seats, crap driving position & boat anchor in the front. No thanks!

[VeeDub Geezer]

Last experience of Motability was that it was new cars only, and was quite restricted in what was offered by manufacturers.

Admittedly this was nearly 20 years ago now.