Happy Monday morning to you all! Today we’re going to look at a pair of German convertibles that are either killer deals or wallet-killers, depending on your perspective. But before we get there, let’s see who won Friday’s ute battle:
Yeah, I think I’m with you. Generally I’d prefer the El Camino, but if it’s that Ranchero versus that El Camino, then the little white truck is the better choice.
Now then: When you think of fun-in-the-sun open-air motoring, I know the first country that comes to mind is Germany. I mean, it never rains there, and the Germans are so well-known for their easygoing carefree spirit that of course convertibles are going to be their car of choice.
OK, yeah, not so much. But they have become adept at lopping the tops off their cars and making them more fun and appealing to us Americans. Today we’re going to look at two of them, one older and one newer. Both of them run, both of them look reasonably watertight, and neither will suffer casual maintenance or lackadaisical owners gladly, but either could be a good source of some cheap open-air thrills. And take it from someone who drove a convertible for eight years: October and May are the best months for top-down motoring, so you’ve still got some time left on the season. Let’s get into them and see what they have to offer.
1990 Volkswagen Cabriolet – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter OHC inline 4, 5 speed manual, FWD
Location: Fairview, OR
Odometer reading: 160,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep!
Volkswagen has a long history of making convertibles from their bread-and-butter cars; the Beetle was offered as a drop-top throughout most of its long run. The Golf was offered as a converible for several generations, but the convertible skipped generations – there never was a Mk2 or Mk4 Golf cabriolet; the Mk1 and Mk3 bodystyles handled convertible duties through the even-numbered runs. That’s why this 1990 model still looks like a Rabbit, even though it was six years into the Mk2 Golf run.
This car was built by Karmann Coachworks, using mechanical components supplied by Volkswagen. Karmann’s body design isn’t quite a full convertible, retaining the B-pillars and a “basket handle” roll bar to keep some structural rigidity and safety. The top is insulated and has a glass rear window, making the Cabrio a little less “convertible-y” with the top up than some others. It’s manually-operated, so no worries about failing motors.
Mechanically, this car is standard-issue early watercooled VW, with a 1.8 liter version of VW’s long-lived EA827 engine. It’s fuel-injected, easy to work on, and generally reliable; I’ve always liked this motor. Here it’s backed by a five-speed manual, as it should be.
This particular Cabrio is a little beat-up, and the seller says the title is lost, so that will have to be sorted out. But it runs and drives well, and the air conditioning works for those summer days when it’s just too hot to have the top down.
2004 Audi A4 Cabriolet – $1,499
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter turbochaged DOHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD
Location: Tacoma, WA
Odometer reading: 130,000 miles
Runs/drives? It does indeed!
Audi’s A4 isn’t an uncommon sight at the bottom end of the car market. A combination of high maintenance needs, fragility, and abusive second or third owners makes for a lot of cheap A4s. What isn’t seen very often is the A4 Cabriolet, the two-door drop-top variant. It wasn’t a common car to begin with, and honestly, until I saw this one for sale, I kind of forgot it even existed.
This A4 is powered by a 1.8 liter turbocharged four, with 5 valves per cylinder and variable valve timing. This engine’s reputation precedes it: Oil sludge problems, coil pack failures, and water pump failures are common issues. But it’s also praised for its power and tuneability. In the front-wheel-drive A4, it sends that power through a continuously-variable transmission. The CVT has its own set of potential pitfalls, mostly electronic issues. The seller says this one runs and drives fine, but the engine has a coolant leak from somewhere.
Other problems with this car include inoperative air conditioning, something screwy with the top mechanism (it opens fine but need some help to close, it sounds like) and several rips and tears in the leather upholstery, including in the back seat. It looks nice and clean outside though, and the top is said to be leak-free.
This is one of those cars without a purpose, to some degree: it isn’t luxurious, it isn’t sporty, it isn’t practical, and it isn’t economical. But it is cheap, which counts for a lot around these parts.
I really want to make some sort of “topless German” joke to wrap this up, but I’m just not finding it. So just pretend I wrote something really witty, and if you find the perfect joke that is eluding me, feel free to post it in the comments.
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
The Bierhaus Dirndl Décolletage editions?
Make my choice the BDD edition Audi 🙂
That Audi is just waiting to ruin your life. I’ll take the Golf and register it in Vermont.
The VW would be terrifyingly unsafe to take on public roads these days, but it’s otherwise the more fun and practical choice. Love the way they look, and there’s less to fix than the audi
When I was in high school, and before the days of political correctness, some of my less enlightened associates (certainly not me, so don’t cancel me) referred to that particular model of Rabbit as a “bitch basket” in an apparent reference to the moral failures and general meanness of the typical occupants of the vehicle at that time. For that shallow reason alone, I chose the Audi.
VW, anything German with a turbo is generally bad. Audi CVT is nearly as bad as Nissan in this regard. the VW also looks kind of radwood, and has the manual, so even though I would not buy either, the rabbit is superior.
I like the looks of the Audi, but the VW is better deal cosmetics aside.
The title is not an issue, my state doesn’t require one on anything 10 years or older. Worst case, I Vermont loophole it. Also do a VIN check to make sure nothing sketchy comes up.
I already have a Miata, it’s in much better shape than either of these, and what problems it does have are ones that I already know about. (I really hope I didn’t just curse myself, there.) I’d rather not get involved with either of these, so if I bought one it would be to part out. The Audi is cheaper and probably has a much bigger market, so I’ll take that one.
I picked the Wabbit. Goes against my usual instinct against buying old crap that isn’t old enough to be smog exempt, but it looks like a lot less trouble than the Audi.
I would have voted for the Audi if not for the coolant leak. At $1500 you’ll get your money’s worth out of any car if it lasts even a year, but this car may not last another month. The VW is easily worth spending a few hundred more bucks.
Owners, get your title issues sorted out, or price your car at about $500 to make it worth my while to wrestle with the DMV! I’d have the VW, but not for that price and a “good luck making it legal” from the owner.
I went VW. I’m sure there will be a lot of age-related part replacement needed, but it is FAR less daunting than that Audi. Plus – rolling in a vintage VW cabrio signals to me that you actually like that car and choose to drive it. The nearly 20 year-old entry-level Audi signals to me that you are a clueless wannabe rich kid that can’t afford the car you really want and will likely not be able to afford any significant repair that thing needs.
If the seller is unwilling to provide a title, I’m not a buyer. Full stop. Yes, there are workarounds, but that’s their job, not mine.
Gotta go VW here for the stick alone, but I also love the breadbox golf convertible design. I’ll always have a soft spot for VW’s quirks, even if my VW ownership experience wasn’t great. The Audi A4/A5 convertibles are actually totally fine for what they are. My mom owned an A4 drop top for 6-7 years and it’s a reasonable amount of fun if you equip the handling package, plus you can fit 4 adults in it.
I really take little issue with the mom convertible genre. You’d be surprised at how much fun they can be. Hell, the wife and I got upgraded to a Mustang ecoboost convertible for our rental this weekend and I’m a little embarrassed at how much I enjoyed it. Yeah, I’d prefer the V8 and a stick, or a Miata…but you can still have a good time with the 4 popper in the twisties.
That being said…CVTs are an instant no dice for me. I absolutely hate them. They drain every ounce of character out of the engine they’re paired with. They’re fine in appliance cars for non-enthusiast drivers but I will never consider owning a CVT for my personal car. The wife’s CRV has one and driving it at highway speeds way more of a task than it should be. The only way you’re going to pass is by absolutely burying the throttle.
Cabriolet for me. I spent years wrenching on the next gen (Cabrio) model, and they’re fairly easy to fix and fun to drive. Parts can be found but you have to be willing to search.
And from my pov, best part here is the already-manual top.
My old girlfriend’s Cabrio had a powered top that eventually became a manual…I was able to fix the motor, but not the fitting at the end of one of the hydraulic lines. She never stopped complaining about it, but I was always like “it’s easily a one person job, you just have to get out to do it.”
A while back, some friends and I puzzled over the use of the French (or at least French-sounding) word “Cabriolet” used by German company VW and wondered what the German word for “convertible” or “topless” might be.
We settled on “Hertitsbeshöwin”
“[T]he seller says the title is lost”
Oh, so it’s stolen, then.
While this isn’t the correct generation, VW convertibles always evoke that “Pink Moon” commercial they used to run back in the ’90s when they were just crushing it with their advertising, and I like that.
What I *don’t* like is seeing those rear trapezoidal windows up when the roof is down. Nothing looks dopier than seeing some jamoke drive around with those little shark fins up either because they’re broken or because they’re manual and the driver can’t be bothered to reach back and roll them down.
Oh, were you expecting me to say something intelligent about the cars or even pick one over the other? Nah, that’s not my style.
Honestly, this is one of those times where even though the A4 is nicer, if I actually had to live with it I’d rather have the Golf. Relatively simplicity wins for me in this case. Less to go wrong usually means more hours enjoyed.
Which Teutonic Titwillow will I choose today, gimme the Cabriolet. At least it looks like it will meet my hippie standards.
That Audi looks great but…
Coolant leak probably head gasket, or worse. Besides if you fix up and drive the Cabriolet, you can go trolling for high school cheerleaders.
Ehhh… I’m not sure on this one. Manual is better than auto, and a traditional auto is better than CVT. However the age of the VW is concerning. Also concerning is the Audi parts of the Audi.
I dunno, can I just drive my Miata?
I never like the roll hoop style convertible in the first place, and that VW is 6 years older than its registration as far as I’m concerned. Replacement titles are simple for the registered owner where I am: go to the title office with the VIN, proper ID and $15. Not sure about Oregon, but I’m assuming it can be sorted out.
The VW is a solid little chassis, has a strong motor family, and a very good manual transmission. You might have to search hard for those body moldings, but I think you’ll find them. But the style is only good for days when you’re in a retro mood. This one has limited upside in today’s market, so don’t go nuts making it too nice. Better off finding a nice one in the first place, if that’s what you want.
The Audi is a thousand times more risky! I have a “no CVT other than Hybrid Synergy Drive” rule because of Nissan grenades. The sketchy top mechanism might be a simple adjustment, a cheap linkage, or a $3,300 hydraulic pump. Coolant leaks in the engine are a huge danger sign. Lack of AC maintenance is “secret” huge negative sign to me. If you let the AC remain broken, it’s a sign you’ve given up long before you sold it. I’ve never bought a car with broken AC without later finding many other much more severe problems.
I voted Audi, but I would go back and change it.
A couple observations to add:
I’ve been told that Minneapolis/St. Paul was by far the Miata’s best selling market for at least the first two generations. I know that MGs and Triumphs sold very well in that area as well. People who live in places with cold, cloudy and wet weather often make up for it by taking the most advantage of the sun during the limited times when they can.
Joking about Germany aside, many public parks in Germany permit topless sunbathing, and it wasn’t uncommon to see when I was there. Again, people who see great weather less often take full advantage of the limited sunny days.
“people who see great weather less often take full advantage of the limited sunny days.”
Totally…I’ve always thought this explains the British love of open-topped cars and the very existence of the Saab 900/9000 convertible.
The Saab convertibles exist as a play to the US market. There was a major player in Saab’s US arm that made it his mission to get convertibles out of the company and it was a hit.
How wonderful – just makes that car even quirkierly-cool.
There are also lots of great places to drive around in a convertible around the Twin Cities area. But you’re right, Minnesotans really embrace the outdoors when they can!
I feel like the Audi is a lot more car for the money. Plus, since I’m smarter than the average bear, I don’t want to drive a pic-a-nic basket (don’t care for the term “bitch basket”).
The Golf cabrio! Even though they can be quite fiddly Mk1, Mk2, and Mk3 VWs are surprisingly easy to work on & can be surprisingly (ha) reliable especially if well maintained, as noted in the article (“neither will suffer casual maintenance or lackadaisical owners gladly”) and even Mk4 VWs can be easy to work on despite the head-exploding lack of room in which to work under the hood, not to mention all the confounding electrical gremlins. As for the other convertible, Audis, especially 21st century ones, are most certainly not for the faint of heart or weak of wallet…
Title issues are tough, but should be able to be worked out. I’d take that over mystery issues. Give me a breadbasket.
The great state of Vermont has you covered, so long as you live in an area where cops don’t seem to be super picky about what kind of license plate is on your vehicle. I’ve been riding a non-title scooter in Illinois for over two years now on Vermont plates, and nobody cares. I ride it a lot too. I’ve put about 5500 miles on it in that time.
I understand in some jurisdictions, they will nail you for such an offense as driving on plates from not your home state, but mine is not one of them. I’d buy the Rabbit … err, Golf … in a heartbeat, and I wouldn’t even bother trying to title it. I’d just rock some green Vermont plates.
so long as you live in an area where cops don’t seem to be super picky about what kind of license plate is on your vehicle.
Take the process a step further and get local plates after you get Vermont plates. An out of state registration in your name sidesteps a lot of the problems you have initially when the car is in someone else’s name or not documented at all.
I’d buy the Audi just to put the wheels on my Sportwagen.
This might be the best answer. Proper spare wheels and tires aren’t cheap these days!