Mothers Day-Best convertible for her

[reachme]

Here in the US is "Mothers Day" tomorrow. My kids are starting to go off to college and my wife is starting to think about having a weekend convertible again. When younger she drove a White VW Cabriolet but wants something different now, based on showing her a series of possibilities I see her taste is still european so I am putting this out there to see if anyone has ideas I haven’t thought of, or if you want to quick pick up something last minute for a mother/wife in your life you can show her this post then hit eBay.
And I'm not saying any of these are ONLY chick cars, merely they appeal to women too
Here is what her old VW cab looked like


Here are the loose requirements so far:
1. reliable every time you turn the key (so no Triumph, or Peugeot fun though they are)
2. relevant (able to accelerate and stop to keep up with modern traffic so old Mini’s or VW Beetle Convertibles are out (though she really likes the look)

What to avoid:
rare/expensive (no Astin Martin, Classic Mercedes Roadster)

too powerful (Shelby Cobra “looks unsafe”. . it is)

too exotic looking (likes the Ferrari replica below but it would get too much attention)

Miata does not excite her

but then neither does 70's Lotus Elan


60’s Jag are awesome to me but she says “hood too long”



She really likes the styling of these:

Loves the newer Boxsters


Alfa Romeo Spider (do you really need to see a picture?)


356 Speedster - maybe a replica with enough power to keep up. She liked the Blue speedster in last November Reincarnation

61 Ferrari 250GT replica (but she does not like the hood scoop)





Other possibles:
1956 Nash Metropolitan Convertible Restomod (more power, maybe safety upgrades)


VW Karmann Ghia (not sure how safe they are considered nowadays)


1954 Lancia Aurelia B24 S



Any others I am not thinking of?
Which ones does your wife/mother like?

[Noah930]

Does VW still make the Eos? A retractable hardtop is actually a good idea with the climate the way it is where you live (Natick/Framingham?). Makes the car more of a 3-season vehicle. And it rains even at least once a week, even in the middle of summer.

Or any of the other late-model power hardtop convertibles like a Mercedes SLK?

[pavulon]

M3, Z3/Z4 cab?

[motion]

Get her something safe and reliable. Something with airbags and reliable enough that you don't have to worry about her when she's out running around. Boxster or New Beetle convertible.

[stevej37]

Honda S2000 convertible?

[stevej37]

forgot the pic

[reachme]

Honda S2000. Forgot that one
very good thought
thanks!

[dafischer]

Lancia Aurielia? Nice taste, but be prepared to go well into the 6 figure ballpark for one of those, if you can find one for sale.

[dafischer]

What about a Mustang? Not Euro but still a damn nice droptop.

[OldSpool87]

MX 5 Miata gets no interest? How about Alpha 4C Spyder?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Is this list for you or her?. Cool cars but most aren’t modern, reliable, easy to drive, or frankly safe by modern standards. What is your price range?

[Jims5543]

Another vote for a Z3 or Z4 depending on taste, I prefer a Z3 3.0 was next to one on the road yesterday and caught myself admiring it.

[jwasbury]

you won't let her drive the 930 cab?

It looks as if you're focused on older/classic vehicles rather than modern/new. Is manual transmission a requirement?

I really like my SL500 Benz. These are not old enough to be too expensive. In fact they are just the right age (IMHO) to be cheap, yet they are modern enough where it doesn't feel as if you're driving an antique.

Hardtop is removable. With the top down and the wind deflector and windows up, the cabin is quiet enough for comfortable conversation at highway speeds.

[reachme]

that Mercedes looks great, I’ll show it to her. She has absolutely no interest in driving the 930 even though all my daughters have driven it in office parks (not the 14-year-old yet . . .but I’ve offered)

This car is for her but there definitely is bias in what I am showing her. BMW has never excited me which is why I missed the Z4.
Budget is 5k to 60,000.
Timeframe is the next 2 to 4 years so not in a rush. Thanks for all the suggestions

[ckcarr]

A car should match the personality and also physical characteristics and size of the driver.

We had an attorney once who was around 6' 6" and 350 pounds. He would show up in a Mazda Miata convertible wearing a stupid English driving cap. He reminded me of a cartoon character and looked ridiculous... But I digress...

A modern VW Beetle Turbo Convertible is cool.

Jeep Wrangler soft top?

[billybek]

Maybe a nice Boxster S? A few years old and after the massive depreciation hit still with the flat 6.

[LWJ]

Here is an outlier - Cadillac XLR

North Star v8 on a corvette chassis.

Not very common, retractable hardtop, and about the coolest modern American car I can think of.

I don't know how to post pics! Sorry