Convertibles
 

I think the Mrs and I are in the market for a convertible to use as a fun car.

Daily driving duties are handled by my 8.1 Suburban (which I absolutely love) and the fun car is a Hellcat Challenger. I’m driving the Hellcat less and less these days, and with the very high propensity for theft and a very high value, I’m thinking it’s time to put it up for sale. The Hellcat was a bucket list item for me and I’m glad I had the opportunity to own one, but it’s time to go. With the equity I have in the car, I can walk away with some real cash and buy a used replacement outright or have a very small note that could be taken care of very quickly.

Convertibles. Must be performance oriented but comfortable/capable for long trips.

Some cars on this list:

SL550/SL63
CLK550
S550 (would need to be a really good deal)
Maserati Granturismo (2013 plus+)
Jag Type-R (V8)

And my favorite… 911 (997.1 - I think the 997.2 is out of the range).

I’m not interested in a Corvette and not a big fan of BMW. A few of the ones on my list have big maintenance costs, but I can do a lot myself (interestingly, the Maserati suffers from the worst depreciation making it really affordable - it’s also very reliable which is a rarity for Maserati - though may be too gaudy for me and the Mrs).

Would love some thoughts and any other suggestions as well as experiences.

TIA!

I specialize in Mercedes, keep an eye on our inventory www.mercedeshowroom.com. SL550 is always a great bang for your buck. SL63 is definitely more fun but the maintenance will be more, brakes more, etc. I also have a really nice 2011 E550 Cab in rare Designo Mystic Red/Beige with 44k Miles we’re prepping.That car is a lot of bang for the buck and a little newer looking then a CLK.

Stay away from a Maserati, just my opinion.

Tom - curiosity here, but why shy away from the vette??

mine is FABULOUS…..

Museum Delivery was a great experience and I’m loving the car….


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...6aa689ee9.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c1d711ef5.jpeg

No idea why these are the best photos I could find of the car but don’t judge it based on how dorky I look or why my wife snapped a photo with the door half open in the street, but…..

Folding hard top 2004-2008 AMG SL55/SL63 (R230)! Its a tried and true V8 with a Kompressor (supercharger). The maintenance can be expensive BUT the performance is top notch.
SL500/550 if the AMG level of performance (complexity) is not required.

I really love Mercedes-Benz. I drove an early 2k’s SL500 quite a bit while dating a lady that had one. Awesome car and I did some good road tripping with it, too, so it may be something to get give a go. The thing is that because I already semi-owned one for a while, I feel like I’ve already done it. I guess I need to check out a newer one and go for a spin. It was at the top of my list for a long time.

lol

The C8 would be out of my planned price range for now - have considered a C7 but there’s just something about it that makes me shy away. Once the kids are out of the house, I might try a C8 - I feel it’s right on par with its European super cars counterparts - just not in the cards right now.

I’ll say though… the C8 is one quick car! Lots of traction. I’ve run a coupe with the Hellcat, and it takes everything I’ve got to come around one on the street. With drag rubber it’s another story - I’ll miss driving a stock mid-10-sec capable street car (bragging rights mostly).

I hear you on the Maserati.

I’ll keep an eye on your inventory. I do like the E550 cabriolet for sure.

I had a older SL (folding soft top) and swore OFF MB until I drove my SL55 AMG. The power/brakes and dynamic ABC suspension are (were) outstanding. Due to age/complexity/maintenance costs (when the ABC started to have too many issues), I pulled the ABC and replaced it with a great adjustable coil-over suspension and swaybars...knock on wood, trouble-free.