Just wrote this to the Guys, but though someone here might have a good suggestion too…
When I was 16 I dreamed of someday owning a Corvette Convertible (a 1967 Sting Ray to be exact, I slept under a picture of it). Twenty years later, I’m bitterly disappointed to learn that Corvettes weren’t made for 5’1" women. Every time I try to sit in one it’s like I’m climbing into a hole. I suspect it’s the combination of low riding and bucket seats. Are there any sexy convertibles that won’t have this problem? I’m willing to try an older model, maybe a Chrysler LeBaron or Pontiac Sunfire? I’ve heard the Ford Probe was designed for Women, but I don’t think it was ever a convertible.
No, the Probe was not made as a convertible.
And, if you are interested in a car that handles well and performs well in general, you would probably be sadly disappointed with a Chrysler LeBaron.
At one time, there were aftermarket convertibles made from Toyota Celicas, and the Celica is proportioned well for smaller-framed people. It won’t be easy, but you might be able to locate one of these older Celica convertibles.
I will second the Mazda Miata…But if you find something you really like, there are people who can raise the seat of almost any car to fit you, including Corvettes…
It is all about fit. My wife (5’4") has no problems with an '04 T’bird convertible. The T’bird was made from '02 to '05, with the '03-05 models having some nice imrovements. Find one somewhere to test drive. You are looking at $14 to 18K for decent condition T’birds of this era.
I’m 6’ 1" and I feel like I’m climbing into a hole when I get into a Corvette too. Not only that, but I find those buckets to be extremely uncomfortable once I’m in one.
While the Miata won’t outrun a Vette in a straight line, they are quite spirited, get good gas mileage, have a good repair record, and look good doing it. Sort of like a latter day MGB.
The Mustang convertible with the V6 combines power (300 hp), handling, and decent economy. It’s as fast as that '67 Corvette (5.4 s 0-60, 14.0 s 1/4 mile), and a MUCH better daily driver. You can get an electric seat that should put you where you want.
Regarding the old Corvettes, I will add that if you owned one of these things you might get disillusioned with it pretty quickly. I’ve owned one in the past and several people I know also owned them.
Assuming you were lucky enough to have one with A/C (these things are furnaces on wheels without it) the ride is similar to what one would expect to find in a logging truck.
They’re way cool no doubt about it and I’d walk over a mile of broken glass to have another but they do have their drawbacks.
On a side note, just a few years ago a pair of fools accidentally set a barn on fire and burnt it to the ground; taking out several ATVs, a 2 ton truck, a Ford pickup, and the most horrible thing of all; a 67 Vette Roadster with a 427. The loss was estimated at 200 grand.
The mustang is very ergonomically adjustable.
Even the manual seat has good height adjustment.
My dad’s late boss’s 94 year old wife is less than 5 feet tall and still drives Mustangs.
The Fords usually have high doors which make it difficult to rest your arm on the top of them. I haven’t been in one of the new Mustangs, so I can’t be sure. High, thick doors with small windows are used to reduce noise, but in a convertible noise isn’t such a big deal. You know there will be some. Miata maybe.
You really thing Chrysler LeBaron or Pontiac Sunfire are “sexy”. They will bore you to death and are ho hum cars to begin with.
A Miata is a driving pleasure and plentiful and reliable for all budget ranges.
They hold up well. My college roomate got a 1990 used back in 1994 as her first car. She still drives it to this day however it spends majority of its life in her buildings parking garage in Manhattan and summers itself on Nantucket.
You haven’t hinted what your price range is.
I have a bad back, and found it easy to get into and out of a Nissan 370Z ragtop. And that’s definitely a performance sportscar. For a modest price.
Since you mentioned the Sunfire, I’ll guess that you don’t have a lot of money to spend. Two nice used convertibles are the Toyota MR2 Spyder and the Toyota Camry Solara convertible. I prefer the Solara. It has 4 seats and the interior is more like a Lexus than Toyota.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! My price range is $15K to $20K, and given what you’ve all said, I think I’ll start testing driving the Thunderbird, the Mustang, and the Miata.
Hmm…$20k max puts you into an several year old Mustang convertible, that V6 is not so good. A year older with the V8 would be better. But the Miata at $20k would be really good.
I don’t know if the following would be an issue or not but a V-8 Mustang will be a GT and once the VIN is run through the insurance company the rates will probably take a big jump up as compared to the 6 cylinder.
My daughter has an '05 Mustang with the 4.0 6 cylinder and it’s been a great car. It’s right around 160 or so thousand miles, runs/drives great, and uses zero oil in between changes. It’s also a very easy car to service.
My main complaint with the car is that Ford appeared to have cornered the market on plastic. The interior is just hard; seats, door panels, the entire dash and if the car were mine I’d have to do something with that interior; I just don’t know what. Glue on some velour in spots or something.
