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10 eye-catching convertibles for under £10k

With summer in full swing, automotive data experts cap hpi has produced a list of convertibles and drop tops that eagle-eyed motorists can pick up for under £10k.

Motoring expert Clive Wilson* car valuations editor at cap hpi identifies ten drop-tops that are relatively cheap to acquire, great for hitting the open road, making the most of the sunshine and in some cases, could even potentially be a good investment.

cap hpi’s list of 10 drop tops you can buy for under £10k:

Mazda MX5 - My personal pick of the bunch. This is the best-selling sports car in the world and for good reason. They are great fun to drive, reliable, easy to maintain and relatively practical so can be used every day. Because of its success there is lots of choice (including electric hard top folding roof variants) and even very low mileage examples can be picked up for well under 10k.

Porsche Boxster - OK so you are not going to be able to purchase a late car for under 10k but look carefully and there are some good earlier examples to be had. They are extremely well built, relatively reliable and stand the test of time but above all it’s a Porsche! Condition and history are key with this car.

BMW Z4 - Having only ceased production this year it is still a modern looking car with plenty of choice in the market now being replaced with the latest model in 2019. There are a lot of engine and trim variants so there should be something to please all tastes and most have decent factory options fitted too. Later cars have the hard folding roofs if security is a worry but check carefully they operate correctly.

Mercedes SLK - Mercedes have been making variants of this car since 1996 so there is always a large choice available. Most are automatic however, there are some manuals but harder to find. They have the kudos of the badge and are easy to live with but not as cheap to maintain as some.

Renault Wind - This is a bit of a marmite car in this category but has been included on the basis of value for money. An economical car and even low mileage examples can now be found for around 4k at few years old. Not everyone’s taste but open top motoring does not come much cheaper.

BMW 1 series - Produced since 2008 to 2013 there is lots of choice in both petrol and diesel variants with a wide range of power options for both fuel options. M Sport specification would be the best for those requiring the sportier drive which is something this marque has a reputation for as they are all rear wheel drive.

VW Golf - Produced over a five year period with diesel being the most popular choice. As with all Golfs they are very well built and offer open top practicality especially as there is no folding roof option to worry about which can sometimes prove expensive should they go wrong.

Mini - An iconic brand and successful car for BMW and is the only car in this group which offers both 2 and 4/5 seat options. The 4 seat version offers an interesting folding roof mechanism which can essentially offer various stages of being open from sunroof to full convertible at the touch of a button. Mini’s generally have high factory option counts so look carefully for the higher specifications to take advantage of.

Audi TT – An iconic design and a well-built quality car with many variants including diesel should you do the mileage. Whilst they are rarer 3.2 V6 variants can be had for under £10k however, they can be more costly to run all things considered. Both manuals and S Tronic gearbox are good depending on your preference.

Vauxhall Cascada – Maybe not everyone’s taste but if you need 4/5 seats then this car is now looking value for money. 4/5 year old cars with low mileage can now be found for under £10k which considering they started life at £24k + then one could be the beneficiary of the previous owners depreciation pain.

*The above constitute the sole opinion of [Clive Wilson] and does not represent the official views of HPI. The above does not constitute advice to buy or sell motor vehicles or related assets nor investment advice and should not be relied on as such. Buyers/Sellers should always conduct their own due diligence and evaluations before entering into transactions.

Automotive Industry Digest

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