Have you ever bought from a brand you hate and find yourself ...

loving what you bought?

My wife's little RAV4 has, on paper, no redeeming qualities. It is too tall, too under-powered, too blah. But where we are it is a great little appliance. Enough ground clearance to cover the rough New Orleans roads, short enough to park almost anywhere, just a great little vehicle.

Now I have never made it a secret that I am no fan of Toyota, (rack and pinion split due to cost down, still bitter) but I have a thought that a Tacoma may be my next vehicle. I really like the next vehicle I get be a little pickup as the wife would drive it when she needed it, but then again there is another possible scenario.

The wife really wants a convertible. It would have to be something comfortable, reliable, seat 4 people minimum, and low maintenance. So this is pointing me toward a Solara.

So two scenarios and both seem to be pointing toward the brand that tried to kill my family.

So what say you GRM? Alternatives?

4-seat convertibles seem to be pretty useless. Usually people in the back get very little room and/or they get hammered with wind while looking a bit silly and they aren't terribly useful due to lack of trunk space.

How about a rig with one of those huge glass roofs?

turboswede wrote: 4-seat convertibles seem to be pretty useless. Usually people in the back get very little room and/or they get hammered with wind while looking a bit silly and they aren't terribly useful due to lack of trunk space. How about a rig with one of those huge glass roofs?

If you think it could be sold to my wife, sure. We have plenty of 25 mph drives we can take.

Omg if you get a mornano convetable kill yourself now. Solara will be more than adequate for a woman

More than adequate for a woman? Wow, dude, life with you must be a barrel of laughs...

we hadn't heard from you in a while … glad to see you're still with us …

and by-the-way … good answer

I drove a Volvo c70? Convert. One of those hardtop jobs. I don't know how reliable they are, but it was a really nice place to place my buttocks while top down motoring. Seated 4 as well.

Strong enough for a man, pH balanced for a woman?

Geo Tracker/Chevy Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick/Suzuki Vitara will give you much of what you like about the Rav4 (ground clearance, rough road durability, ease of parking) while also giving 4 seat convert.

Need newer?
Jeep, including 4 door version.

May be lacking in your requirement of "comfortable."
New Fiat 500 Cabriolet could be more comfortable while still being an easy "city car"

In reply to Lesley:

I know your avatar is a picture of you exiting a gull-wing door car.

But the picture is small, and my eyesight is not so good. I can see your face, shape of your body, and position of your arm. That's about it- can't see the car.

So, based on the arm position and my knowledge of your personality, my brain always processes it as you coming around a corner with a pistol held high, ready to take someone out. Perhaps a Magnum, or something tactical. It's how I picture you. Bad ass car girl ready to take someone down.

Which made your post all the more awesome.

I saw your picture and thought, "Oh E36 M3. Newbie's fixin to get splattered!"

Welcome aboard, chiodos. Lesley is our official welcoming committee!

he does have a point with the kill yourself now if you get a murano convertible thought though. they are so ugly they make me crave a yellow aztek

Derick Freese wrote: Strong enough for a man, pH balanced for a woman?

Thank you for not making me the only.one.

I drove a Sebring convertible last summer. I wanted to hate it. I don't like convertibles and I don't like crappy mid size sedans.
I kind of liked it.
Totally made sense. Mid size FWD sedans are best driven gently. Floppy convertibles are best driven gently. The world with an open top is most enjoyable when driven gently on mild sunny days when looking around. I used to laugh at middle age people in their four seat convertibles. Now I get it.

4 seat convertible for a car enthusiast (guy or gal)- how about a BMW E46? Or if you are digging on Toyota's now, maybe a Celica vert from the 90's? Those were made back in Toyota's "over engineering" days, and you can sometimes find garage-kept, summer-driven examples for a song.

PS: I really like my wife's RAV4 too.

Here's your perfect car!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeemobile#mediaviewer/File:Monkeemobile2.jpg

I wear low-top Vans now. Couldn't find any Converse. They are comfy and I can tie the laces just right so they don't need to be tied or untied.

I feel like when the Simpsons cast went to Shelbyville and found everything there was nice.

In reply to Knurled: You might try velcro. I hear it's all the rage with the geriatric set. No knot, no dangling shoestring.

dodge, after my first one i swore i would never own another one. Freind offered me a good deal on the turbo sundance and i needed wheels. sold it because someone needed it more then me and now i own an old beater dakota. my ford is starting to feel lonely around here.

My 91 Camaro fits the bill. Chevy doesn't make the highest quality or most reliable cars, especially before 2008. The car sucks; the ride is horrible, the suspension geometry is bad, it has the floppiest chassis, the T-tops leak, and the reliability isn't great. But, it's fun to drive (good summer tires) and it's cheap, so it's a perfect $2015 challenge car and a track car. I wouldn't cry if I crashed it in a wall at 80 mph.

In reply to dropstep:

Interesting. I'm not sure how to sum up my feelings for ChryCo vehicles any more. I learned to drive in a Plymouth Acclaim, had 2 DOHC neons, and racked up miles in a last gen Dakota, along with caring for a family fleet that included another neon, 2 4th gen minivans, and a newer pentastar caravan. Driving feel has ranged from dreadful to rather good(for what they where). Reliability has been mediocre at best. Several times I have sworn off the company but yet each time I need something new I always consider one.

I drove a 911 Turbo S Cab from here to Quebec in a blizzard, that was one berkeleying fine drop top.

My mothers 1984 Volvo 760GLE made me swear off Volvos forever.

Then I bought an 850 Turbo Wagon. I killed the engine in the car with too much boost but if I were shopping a wagon, an 850 or it's replacement would be short listed.

I've since modified my opinion to just hate cars with French powerplants.

And Chrylser, nothing can redeem those E36 M3piles.

Hated Ford bought a Mustang because it made the most sense for what I wanted. Love it.

Lesley, might be out of the budget, just a little. But I like where your head is at.

We both love the idea of a Jeep but the fuel economy is just too much to deal with. We have thought about the Fiat 500 vert, but it maybe just a little too tiny. With the comfy seats in the Volvo, I find them a very strong competitor. Once again just a little nervous about newer Volvo reliability. Probably unfounded though.

Flight Service wrote: Lesley, might be out of the budget, just a little. But I like where your head is at. We both love the idea of a Jeep but the fuel economy is just too much to deal with. We have thought about the Fiat 500 vert, but it maybe just a little too tiny. With the comfy seats in the Volvo, I find them a very strong competitor. Once again just a little nervous about newer Volvo reliability. Probably unfounded though.

Looked at the 500L with the glass roof yet? We really liked them when we looked at them at the auto show. Probably going to take them for a spin next year when we're ready to start shopping.