The CAR WIZARD shares which fun Summer Convertible Cruisers TO Buy & NOT to Buy 

Truth, that was a pile of junk

@@ozarkliving7263 especially those that have the dreaded 2.7 V6 engine. The Chrysler 2.7 V6 wasn’t good on performance nor reliability.

I rented on to drive through wine country in California. It was a ball. But I’m glad I didn’t own it and have to pay for repair$.

@@atx-cvpi_99 as a Mopar guy, I 100% agree. The 2.7 sludged up as soon as it left the dealer from being purchased. There is a reason we don't see many around. It always was odd to me because the Chrysler 3.5 was a great engine, being very powerful for the time. There is a reason we don't see many around.

@@robertdrumm1127 They were great cars for regular driving. And for the price, they were tough to beat for convertibles. But that car helped to give Chrysler such a bad rep. The Ultrashift trans didn't help matters much either....

Raced off road with a Chenoweth chassis and a 1600 cc vw engine. Done right, one engine would last a racing season.

@@brianleslie7388 No doubt. And what most people don’t realize is even in stock form, they handle arctic weather amazingly. No block heater required, no freezing over.

If you can find one you can get the old VW beetles was built up till 2003

Not my friend trash is trash

Yep, just rebuilt the top end of mine $290 barrels & pistone $150 flycut heads $ few more for bits and pieces 👍👍👍

He actually mentioned 3 VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group) cars. A Trifecta.

@@tedsaylor6016 No. He mentionned 4, if you want to go with the conglomerate (One of them being the Boxter, but he said they were good car). I'm speaking about the only 2 cars that has VW badges on them, not the cars that were made by the VW conglomerate.

Profile pic checks out

What about taking a normal hardtop and turning it into a Beach Buggy?

VW's are trash.

Its probably the girliest car imaginable though

@@666cemetaryslut It is.

@@666cemetaryslut they improved the looks over the earlier 4.0L V6 models. The 2012+ had dual exhaust and some better looking wheels. 305 HP isn't bad either. I used to own a 2011 GT and it wasn't really that fun... the chassis and suspension isn't up to the power.

I had a 2011 V6 Mustang with manual 6 speed. It was not the convertible but boy was it a fun car. It was the first year they changed from the 4.0 to the 3.7 V6 and it had about 50% more power. Was pretty quick to 60, about 5.4 seconds, and still got 32MPG on the highway. Great car, still miss it.

@@666cemetaryslut lol

Yeah, he had a rare miss on this one. The VWs should've been more of an honorable mention since anyone looking for then should know what they're getting into. Smart car or new beetle would've been good choices. I don't really agree on the boxter either since you can't easily access the engine and you can get similar year corvettes/mustang for the same price if not cheaper. MR2 should've been more of an honorable mention as well since you rarely see them.

We had an 02 Sebring Convertible. It was a great and reliable car. If not for a jackass in a Mazda running a stop sign we would still be driving it. The 2.7 had close tolerances and needed to have the oil changed often. But it was an excellent engine.

Well if you’re buying a car just for summer driving, you’re def looking for specific cars. I think it’s a fine selection.

@@FlyMysticalDJ nah, I know plenty of people who would just look for a convertible so they could cruise with the top down.

I'm surprised he didn't mention Mercedes SLK or even the CLK cabrio. Their engines are a beast, yeah most of them are automatic. Automatic is a norm on Merc and they're smooth shifting so its great. If you want manual, look elsewhere. I would still prefer CLK coupe, 500 or 55 AMG (not a fan of cabrios). Don't have to worry about roof mechanism issues also. They're awesome premium muscle cars for the money.

Agreed

MX5 is cool but Abarth 124 Spider is the way to go if you can afford the couple extra bucks

@@schnuffelpuff3923 Why? The ND2 has more power

@@bindingcurve Comparing both 2019 Models the ND has only 11HP more but 45Nm less torque and both have close to the same weight. They are build on the same platform but the Abarth is supposed to be a little more sporty, that's why they also reworked the suspension, made the car a little longer for better aerodynamics and handling and used a sportier 1.4L Turbo instead of the 2.0L NA from Mazda

I’m 6’2” and I feel like I’m pushing the limits for my NB 😂

Good luck with that...

yeah they are actually pretty solid when maintained properly. 1.8t’s are one of the few VW engines that dont suck.

@@Cheepchipsable😂😂

Also had a 914 6. Now that car was a nightmare. So much fun when it worked. Painfully expensive when it broke and it broke a lot.

It’s too bad that there’s Not a Chevy or maybe a Buick version of the Solstice that could still been made after the Pontiac brand went away.

Hard to imagine a car with less space than a Miata 🤯

@@aygwm the engine’s in the trunk, and I don’t think there’s much space up front

Yeah I have one. 117k miles. It had been engine swapped (just a 1zz replacement…why not a 2zz) probably because of the precats. Unfortunately the new engine which was a junkyarder with only about 40k miles total was a mess. I did a head gasket and replaced the rod bearings. Glad I got the car cheap, because I now have over $10k in it. Despite the extra expense,which I didn’t expect from a Toyota, I don’t regret it. It is a lot of fun. Unfortunately here in Kansas there aren’t so many curvey roads so I can’t get the most out of it. Still a cheap mid-life crisis.

@@scottoleson1997 they did a weird thing and put an exhaust where the trunk should have been compared to an older mr2 😂 they give you a storage bin behind the seats that I believe fits the mandatory pack of golf clubs. And there’s a front trunk that has a spare tire but you could fit a thin backpack or some books in it. Remove the spare you could fit a haul of groceries in it.

@@robertdrumm1127 This is not uncommon on those MR2 models. If you were unfortunate to buy a pre-2003, then your engine likely suffered from the dreaded sludging problem that ruined the engines. They are not the beacon of reliability that some portray. After 2003, Toyota fixed the issue but the MR2 didn't stick around much longer. You'll often find MR2's with swapped engines because they just don't make it past 100k miles if they develop the sludge issue. I don't see many MR2's on the road anymore, and most of the ones I do see have had an engine swap. Of the first three cars Wizard mentioned, I would advise folks to stay away from the MR2 unless you can pick it up for cheap.

That's because she is! You might already know it, but it is her day job.

I had a 2004 soft top C70 T5:it was fast and reliable. More shoulder room than the newer hardtops and more cowl shake but you can buy under body braces that help stiffen them.

Good choice

@@ozarkliving7263 thanks I always loved them and looked for years this is a great example. The paint work isn't 100 percent but she's fantastic has alot of miles but solid as a rock

And then and then and then...

to be fair here in the uk they have a reputation as a decent sports car. i do wonder if the woeful reputation VAG has with the car wizard is due to them being foreign cars in america whereas over here theyre european and parts are way easier to get?

@@lawrencium2652 I'm a mechanic and I'm really surprised anyone thinks these are complex. Every single car has difficult things, these have a few known failure points and none of them are a big deal. Early ones had bad coils, which were recalled and still are 100$ for the lot and a 15 minute job at the most. Cluster gauges that fail aren't even soldered in so it's in and out and you can get them easily and for nothing. With fluid and belt changes these run forever and what, you got to change suspension bushings and rubber tubes every 15 years? come on. Plus, the wizard recommends the MR2 and Boxter, mid engined sports cars, as reasonable maintenance options against the Audi? The MR2 has a tiny, cramped engine bay in the fucking middle of the car, the porsche has all that, plus a flat 6 and Porsche parts prices. Gimme a break.

Pretty easy to work on, the main thing I've seen that you can count on at this point is the original plastic coolant flanges are cracked. Easy to replace those for cheap and you can upgrade to aluminum ones for lifetime use. None of the parts seem super expensive either.

I used to own a 2005 Toyota Corolla and that was the best car I've ever owned. I got 40 mpg with it, it never broke down, and just ran. It was slow and the 4 speed was showing its age (it went probably 245k miles without a fluid change), but it was reliable. I think the only maintenance I ever did to that thing was replace a tail light and headlight, a serpentine belt, oil changes, and a transmission fluid change. I sold that car with around 250-255k miles and the current owner is still driving it with 270k+ miles. As for the transmission, I'm one that believes in doing changes even if you don't know the service history. There weren't any metal flakes on the dipstick and changing the fluid did help resolve some of the issues with that transmission. I drained the original fluid, put new fluid in it (and underfilled it slightly), drove it around and noticed the transmission wasn't shifting right. Tried to top it off and I overfilled it. Then I tried to drain a bit of the fluid but it was too hot for me to reinsert the drain plug. Drove my mom's car to AutoZone and got some more ATF and filled it to the fill point. After that, it shifted as it usually did, but stopped slipping the 1-2 shift at 4000 RPMs.

@@bill_clinton697 I had the transmission replaced in mine as it is a 5 speed manual and the synchro’s for 3rd and 4th were pretty much gone. And I will say it’s much faster with the 5 speed, with about 128k it still does 0-60 in about 7-10 seconds depending on if the clutch slips due to heat. Still haven’t replaced that and i believe it’s the original clutch from 05. As for the engine I’ve done nothing to it since I got the car and it gets anywhere from 25-35mpg even with me shifting at 4500-5000 almost every time. Been through 4 oil changes and it’s almost come out gold every time. I change it about every 5-6 thousand miles. Magnet has been clean every single time and I mean 100% clean no flakes or anything. The throwout bearing has been driving me insane for the past 5k miles or so, the clutch fork wasn’t replaced with the transmission so it has some wear which put strain on the bearing which is now squeaking about 60% of the time

I got a 93 corvette. It’s an awesome car white with red interior

@@bigty4725 red on red with white top . Best car to have is a paid for sports car

@@shovel_head80 that’s awesome! Yeah for sure nothing beats that lol

I wouldn't either . I can't even remember the last time I evan saw a Toyota MR2 .

Startting to drop now, sanity slowly returning but the used cat dealers are getting twitchy now in the UK,

@@Derek8487 last time I saw them for sale years ago they were £1000 to £1500 tops

@@melb6528 Yep prices are dropping but dealers don’t want to drop the price of their stock as the paid over the odds for them

Scotty has been saying for years that used car prices are lower in the UK. From what I see parts and good mechanics are easier to find there as well.

Underrated beast. I think he didn't mention it because there's no manual gearbox option on them.

miata,s are chic cars.........dont get hit in a pick up in that shopping cart.....uncomfy death traps...all facts...

Troll Alert! (See other post) The Miata is definitely a great car and for those that actually KNOW... It's awesome to modify and reliable as hell! Great car to own and even better to drive.

@@theewelder chick car... debatable but they are very cute (although the nd gen is far more agressive). Uncomfortable... only if you're 6'1" or taller. Unsafe... yes the na and nbs are not very safe, but the nc and nd generations are quite safe. However. As far as cheap fun goes they are hard to beat.

I looked really hard at buying a Miata but it was just to small for me.......I'm sure it would have been a great little cruiser.

I loved my '95 Miata, it was (almost) bulletproof. Extremely reliable and a ton of fun to drive! But at 5'11 it seemed the footwell was a bit too short for me (my knees were pushed up close to the bottom of the dash), and I always felt that it was best suited for typical-sized American women and Japanese people. The thing that aggravated me the most about it was EVERY TIME it rained I had a steady, constant drip onto my left leg from the driver's window-- I had to keep a towel handy to cover my leg when it rained. Also, it was so low to the ground that street flooding caused by heavy summer thunderstorms caused me many tense moments as I very slowly sailed through. My replacement vehicle was a CRV with 8" of ground clearance, and plenty of leg room!

Sigh... Bosch K Jetronic shares ABSOLUELY NOTHING IN COMMON with the DB605 engine.

Oh come on dude, they are nothing alike. Can you name similarities?

@@blackbird8632 Yes, they're both injection systems using the same mechanical principles.

@@seanm2511 Ah, an absolutist with a total inability for lateral thinking. ALL injection systems are derivatives of the original MB system, just as all Homo-sapiens are derivatives of chromagnum hominoids and Neanderthals. Perhaps if we had remained purely chromagnum, we wouldn't be such a confrontational and aggresive species; but there you are. The same is true that all carburettors are derivatives of the original carb invented by that French bloke.

@@blackbird8632 Please read my original post again old chap, nowhere did I say that they were the same system, but that the latter was an evolutionary strand of the former.

Not as common to find

4th gen f body convertibles some of the ls cars got 30 miles per gallon on the highway as well

Don't forget the absolutely unpredictable summer rains lol

@@almostlastplace I look forward to those rains every afternoon!

Porsche is one of the most reliable brands actually

That's good.

I own a 2016 ND Miata and yes, tall people will not fit well in the passenger side very well, but I would certainly say anyone under 5'10" will be reasonably comfortable unless they are overweight. My wife is 5'7" and loves riding around in the Miata and has remarked about how comfortable it is for its size and purpose. But yes, it is very hard to go wrong with a Miata. The only car I would trade my Miata for would simply be a newer ND2 Miata.

I am 5'11" and bought an NA on a lark for a decent price a while back. I was overly enamored with it at first, but once I had it all to myself, realized I could NOT find a good seating position. What would you say would be the MAX height for driver/passenger in these vehicles, NA-> ND?

@@Sam-zb3ho I am 5'9" and 170 lbs and I hate sitting in the passenger seat of a ND. Sit in the passenger seat of a NC once and you'll see how much leg room is missing. There is a 6" thick subwoofer in the passenger footwell taking that space away.

If you can afford the small extra fee, then the Abarth 124 Spider is the way to go

@@NikMitchell My 2001 (NB) was WAY too small for me at 6' even with foam removed from the seat. If I sat up straight and looked straight ahead, I was looking OVER the windshield LOL.

He enjoys bashing them too much

Same with z4 first gen

@@edkalsbeek1765 I can understand modern BMW bashing, I don’t think I would own any BMW made after 2004. The older ones though, are great machines.

@@mikey_likes_it_ agreed, but I could never stomach the Bangle styling. Not saying it’s bad, it’s just not my cup of tea. Having said that, Bangle styling has aged well, better than I thought it would, but I still prefer pre-Bangle BMW styling.

Won't happen. Haters gonna hate.

Yep-I drive my 1931 Ford a LOT. It’s fun and very reliable. I’d check the oil and drive it any distance in any weather without a worry.

Good choice ,and surprisingly good on fuel on a trip…bit thirsty round town.

@@banjopete that's sure nuff the truth lol

Me too, my favorite car is that one but a 2006 Z06.

Yeah they have gone up in value exponentially people finally are realizing their value.

The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a do not buy, but most of the Volkswagen New Beetle's are a buy.

The pt cruiser was fine until it got over 10 years old. The Volkswagen was bad brand new

The catch with the Mustang is any affordable convertible is going to look like it has a bad case of herpes, with all the paint blistering off the front of the aluminum hood. If you're OK with that, they're fine, and you can't see that from the driver's seat anyway

@@16driver16 Agreed

The Chrysler Sebring is also a DO NOT BUY especially those that had the dreaded 2.7 V6 engine.

Nothing Audi is reliable….

@@LvLdGhost I've got one never broke in 100000 miles except service parts what's unreliable about that you talk out your arse you've never had one

@@e90baby have u had one or are u just another bullshit talker honestly best car I've ever had

Why would it be expensive to fix. Just basic VW parts. I think VAG is not paying Wizard enough mafia bribes so hence the bashing 😂

I can't see the people replying to me I get a notification then when I click it I can't see any more comments you tube is weird

My older retired neighbor has a early 2000s Z4 that he has driven daily for years, he absolutely loves it, despite several mechanical issues that he's had over the years. Puts a smile on my face every time I see him buzzing around in it with his golden lab.

The Miata body roll is easily fixed with a set of aftermarket sway bars. It's an inexpensive upgrade and pretty easy to install. The factory sway bars are super thin, not sure what they were thinking when they chose them during the design stage. Makes a huge difference.

Friend bought an early 80's Tercel back in the mid 90's for $80. Car still ran and drove like a top, but the body was quite rotted out.

Z3 prices started to go up also in the last year

@@edkalsbeek1765 I used that to seal the deal with my wife. "But, it's an investment."

I believe that the Beetles (and probably The Thing as well) went to Fuel Injection around 1975(?) or so. I remember this as my older brother bought one brand new that ended up being troublesome.

@@NVRAMboi i could definitely see the first generation of fuel injected engines being troublesome. Carburetors are annoying too but the good thing about old beetle carbs is they’re cheap and widely available, not even really worth it to try to rebuild. Just don’t let the e10 pump gas sit in it or you’ll be replacing them often…

Wizard is just scared of carburetors.

Wizard has a hate boner for BMWs

Z3 5 speed transmission is smoother than Miata

The single-vanos z3m is surprisingly reliable. Biggest complaint is the interior plastic, glovebox sag, and seat shift. As far as the drivetrain goes though, FANTASTIC.

Wizard dislike the s2000

Was Car Wizard's attitude toward the Cabby soured by one terrible experience? Probably not, but I've owned my '86 for 26 years and it's still running reliably with regular maintenance. Probably because I never let it sit unused longer than 10 days, let alone 10 years.

Always loved those. I see plenty of those here in the New England area.

I had a 2000 C70 convertible with the low pressure (higher HP) turbo and 5 speed stick. It was awesome but I drove it a couple miles at peak temperature after the radiator blew which eventually popped the head gasket. Wish I'd kept it and fixed it!

You probably won't find one for a decent price, but the bonus is it'll probably worth more when you come to sell it than what you paid for it.

@@drunkenhobo8020 tell me about it! My lovely 2007 SSM is worth more than what I pain for it brand new! Just wish I would have bought the hard top when it was still financially reasonable to do so.

This applies to any purchase from a banana to a house, only buy it if you’ve inspected it first

what's rust so said, everyone from the west!

Rust? What’s that?