Welcome back! Today we’re going unseasonably topless and looking at a pair of convertibles. But first, let’s see which project you chose yesterday:
Well, I can’t disagree with that. I’ve loved the MGB GT since I was eight years old, which is why I have one. This one looks like a good blank canvas to start from, and you’ll certainly know something about cars by the time you get it back on the road. Somebody go grab that thing and join the fun!
Now, for today’s choices, I didn’t actually go looking for convertibles. I just happened to find two that piqued my interest. Apparently the automotive classified gods want us to look at droptops. So be it.
1998 Chrysler Sebring JXi – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5 liter SOHC V6, 4 speed automatic, FWD
Location: St. Charles, MO
Odometer reading: 155,000 miles
Runs/drives? Runs well, they say
If you rented a convertible any time between about 1996 and 2010, chances are it was a Chrysler Sebring (or maybe a Mustang). My wife and I spent a very pleasant weekend with one down in Los Angeles going to a wedding. They’re nice cars. But that rental-car stigma has stuck with them, and a lot of people are surprised when they hear that some folks actually own them, and you can actually buy one.
This is the first-generation Sebring Convertible, which was a completely different car from its hardtop counterpart. The convertible was related to the “cloud cars:” Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Cirrus, and Plymouth Breeze. The coupe was not; it was based on the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and built alongside it at Diamond-Star Motors in Illinois. The two versions had completely different chassis and sheetmetal, and offered different four-cylinder base engines, but shared the same Mitsubishi-based 2.5 liter V6 as an option.
This Sebring convertible has had its engine and transmission replaced at some point, but there is no indication of the mileage of the replacements. I doubt they were new. The car comes with a service history, so maybe that information is included there. As it sits, it runs and drives well, and everything works as it should.
It really does look like a nice clean car. The seats look a little mashed-down, but the leather is in good shape, and it’s nice and clean inside. Outside, the paint looks nice, and it’s a good color, too. All the rental Sebrings seemed to be white or silver; it wears this cranberry color well.
I’ll just go ahead and say it: I really like this car. Being a Midwest car, it should be checked carefully for rust underneath, but as a convertible it may have escaped the worst of the road-salt wrath. If it checks out, I think this would make a nice daily driver, actually.
2008 Saturn Sky – $2,200
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4 liter DOHC inline 4, 5 speed automatic, RWD
Location: Carlsbad, CA
Odometer reading: 120,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep, but check engine light is on
The Saturn Sky, and its sister model the Pontiac Solstice, were a big surprise when announced in 2006. A rear-wheel-drive two-seat roadster from General Motors wasn’t a surprise; the Corvette has been around for decades, after all. And the Pontiac variant kind of made sense; they were GM’s performance division ever since John DeLorean’s days. But a Saturn? Really? The same folks who built all those stodgy-but-reliable sedans in the 1990s?
Yep, Saturn. Really. Not only that, but they offered some serious horsepower from the “Red Line” model, with a 260 horsepower turbocharged version of GM’s Ecotec four. Our own Mercedes Streeter has one, in the best possible color: bright screaming yellow. Sadly, the Sky we’re looking at today has neither the Red Line’s hot motor nor its manual gearbox. Instead, it makes do with a 2.4 liter naturally-aspirated Ecotec, backed by a five-speed automatic transmission.
This Sky is cheap for a reason. Several reasons, actually. It has only 120,000 miles on it, but shows quite a bit of cosmetic wear and tear. The check engine light is also on, for an unknown reason. The top doesn’t seal properly; not an issue in sunny San Diego maybe, but buyers in less friendly climates might take issue. And last but not least, it has a salvage title, also for an undisclosed reason. The seller has got some ‘splainin to do, I think.
But if some questions can be answered satisfactorily, this might be a good, fun, cheap runabout. You’re not likely to find a drivable Sky or Solstice for cheaper.
So there they are. Unusual choices, especially for mid-November, but I’ve never been one for convention. Either one of these could be a really good deal for the right person, I think. Which one is right for you?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
First off I generally dislike Chrysler products, but I’m going to have to vote Sebring.
The Sky has a bad top, the bad choice transmission, the bad choice engine, bad interior, bad warning lights, bad title, it’s all bad.
Personally, I’ll stick with my NC2 PHRT 6MT.
Was fully expecting to go Sky…but with the condition, I’m going Sebring, especially with more available supposed service receipts.
My hometown is now officially on the map being featured in Shitbox Showdown! St. Charles, MO thanks you, Mark!
The Sky is a great looking car, and I have always liked them. I test drove one right out of school just for shits and grins, but it was super cramped. I’m 6′ 1″ tall and couldn’t find a comfortable position, and I used to drive my sister’s old NA Miata with no issue. I guess I’ll go with the car I can fit in, since neither are going to be road rippers anyway seeing how the Saturn is spec’d.
I really wanted to vote Sky, but man that one is trashed. I guess it is priced right at least.
There should be a NEITHER option on these polls. I don’t like convertibles, and I suspect a majority of convertible owners regret the choice. Convertibles sound a lot more fun than they turn out to be. More often than not, when I see a convertible (including the hard top variety) on the road, the top is up — even in perfect top down weather. Because they’re a nuisance to open and close, and noisy and drafty when they’re open.
Nope, never regretted a convertible! Unless I left the top down and it rained, but. Not the car’s fault!
No I didn’t put the top down when I was running errands, or on my way to work, but for cruising or the ride home, Hell yes!
Summer in Florida is NOT convertible weather, so yeah some days I would drop the top and crank the AC!
I hate to admit this, but I am “picking” the Sebring over the Sky.
The Sebring is like your high school girlfriend who was a bit plain but has taken care of herself over the years.
The Sky, on the other hand, was the beautiful and cool girl who smoked Marlboro reds and now looks looks far older than her stated age. Beware of the Marlboro reds girl!
The Sky, on the other hand, was the beautiful and cool girl who smoked crack and now looks looks far older than her stated age. Beware of the crack girl! FIFY
That Sky has seen some things….
This is the perfect example of the used-car rule that states “how the car has lived in the wild is more important that what species it is.”
I don’t play golf or am a member of a country club. I’ll take the sky.
Despite the issues I’m still going Sky. My sophomore year of college my roommate’s girlfriend had this generation of Sebring. It was fun to roll around campus in, but it’s hard to overstate just how boring these are. I drove it a few times and even shitheaded 19 year old me couldn’t have any fun with it. They’re the laziest of lazy cruisers imaginable…and I personally think these Florida retirement community drop tops stray entirely too far from the roadster ethos to be appealing.
Admittedly I’m a bit spoiled, but my idea of a what makes a good drop top is largely influenced by the significant seat time I’ve had in the NA Miata, which in turn carries on the influence of the classic British roadsters. To me a roadster should be small with a short wheelbase, manual, and highly maneuverable/responsive.
Powerrrrrrr (Clarkson voice) is nice but it’s not a must. As I’ve said a few times, the wife and I had a Camaro SS drop top on our honeymoon and I thought it was great. Portly for sure, but still very dart-ey. You really don’t ever feel the weight of that car. I found it to be shockingly nimble on mountain roads and that V8 roar with the top down is a symphony for the senses.
But at the end of the day small and responsive rules the day for me. The Sky is a little closer to my ideal roadster than the Sebring is, flaws and all. Hell…I’m more bummed by the automatic than the salvage title. Every now and then I see halfway decent examples of the turbo versions of Sky/Solstice pop up in the 10-20k range and they’re mighty tempting. I imagine the values are going to skyrocket (pun intended) in value sooner rather than later. They’re almost like a working class Boxster.
I owned a Sebring convertible, mine was a 96 but it still was the absolute worst car I’ve ever owned. I can’t vote for it. I didn’t read a single thing because 2 years of suffering with one was more than enough.
Mark, I hate you for making me pick a Sebring over a Sky…. Damn you to hell….
Check out how cockeyed the steering is on the Saturn. To me the Sebring is the better choice here. Not going to win any competitions, but it’ll be a nice cruiser.
The Saturn is a perfect race car candidate, it’s already pretty rough so no need to worry about the cosmetics. The salvage title means it’s already “ruined” so nobody should feel bad taking it off the road and driving it hard. Just a transmission/engine swap away from a great time at the autocross….
The Sebring at least looks cared for. The Saturn looks a bit trashy and I am nervous about the salvage title. I had a neighbor who had one and it was always having issue with the convertible roof. She kept it in covered storage in the winter in MD.
The Sky has always appealed to me strictly on a visual level. I’ve found it infinitely more attractive than its Pontiac counterpart. To really throw in and say, “Yep, I’ll spend my internet currency on that one,” I’d have to get some answers. Sure the salvage title and low price are concerning, but why does the driver seat look like a tactical nuke from their shorts?
I have a soft spot for three diamonds, and the Sebring is in pretty solid shape, so that’s a plus. I just wish it had the 5 speed manual instead of the Ultra-Crap transmission. Still, I’ll settle for “problems later” instead of “problems right now.”
Se-bringing-it home on this one.
At least the Sebring is old enough it doesn’t have the 2.7L.
Still, I’d go with the Saturn
Voted Sebring. It seems better sorted, and the salvage title on the Sky makes me nervous with how rough it looks otherwise.
I also have a probably misplaced affinity for 90’s/early 2000’s Chrysler products, having grown up with and/or owned several of them. So there’s that.
JFC that Saturn seen some unholy shit. Sebring it is.
The only way a goddamn Sebring is going to beat out a Sky for me is if the Sky is an active crime scene. As long as the victim isn’t still in the car slowly bleeding out, I’m going with the Sky. The seller of this one seems to have removed the corpse and gone over the seat with some shop towels, so that’s good enough for me.
This is hilariously the exact correct answer.
The only person who buys a Sebring is a person who hasn’t driven one. For $2,200 drive the Sky like you don’t care, and the previous owner didn’t, and when it bricks you can part it out or sell it as is for $2k.
Yep, buy the already worthless Sky and hoon the shit out of it. Let it be the rattiest track rat out there.
I was rooting for the SKY, but then the problems came up.
I will take the Michael Scott special.
Although it’s rough I’m going with the Sky. I’ve always loved the looks of them, and a poorly sorted, very rough, gm of this era will still be less of a headache than the best example of this era of chrysler!
The Sky is at least the starting point for something I might want and enjoy. The Sebring was the default new car of midwestern rich girls who wanted a convertible, when I graduated high school in the late 90’s. I cannot get over that stigma.
Probably not able to find anymore, but they did at one time make an LS swap kit for these little gems
This. LS swap and a T56. WANT.
I’d really like the Sky, but Given the choice of these 2 specific vehicles, Id pick the Sebring. Just too many red flags and lights in the Sky.
Salvage title worries me a lot more than a check engine light. The Sebring seems more sorted. I went for the Sebring.
I voted Saturn, obviously, but the auto makes me sad. Who DOES something like that? Oy