Used convertible cars for sale

Looking for a pre-owned convertible to make the most of summer? There’s a surprisingly wide range of used convertible cars for sale, from two-seater sports cars right up to soft-top SUVs. Buy or finance your used convertible online with BuyaCar, and arrange delivery to your door. Find your perfect used convertible today.

What are the cheapest convertible cars to buy?

Convertible cars tend to be quite expensive, as there’s a significant amount of additional engineering that goes into removing a car’s roof while ensuring it remains strong enough to be safe and enjoyable to drive. Bargains can still be had, though, with used Mini Convertibles and Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolets being good choices as they mix retro design with modern mechanicals.

The closely related Abarth 595 Convertible and Fiat 500C are also characterful alternatives. Their soft-tops are essentially giant fabric sunroofs, so they drive near-identically to the more conventional hatchback versions.

Are there different types of convertible car roof?

There are a number of different roof types, with the most common being of multi-layered fabric construction. Those layers are insulating to keep the heat inside during winter and most benefit from a glass rear screen, so your vision isn’t as impeded as it would be with an ageing soft plastic alternative. There are also convertibles available with folding metal roofs, which make the interiors much quieter than a fabric roof when they are up, but use up most of your boot space when they’re down.

Folding metal tops are also very heavy, meaning your car is likely to use more fuel, which goes some way to explain why they're not so common today, with the Mazda MX-5 RF being one of a handful still sold new. Many manufacturers give different names to their open-roof models, but today roadster and spider are titles usually associated with two-seater bodies, while most labelled cabriolet or convertible can seat four. 

Why buy a convertible car?

A convertible car offers true wind in the hair motoring thrills, and gives the driver and passengers a deeper connection with the journey they are on. Not only can you hear the car’s engine more clearly, you can smell and feel the environment you’re driving though. How pleasant that is depends upon where you drive, of course, but there’s something about driving a car with the roof down that cannot be experienced any other way on four wheels. Today’s convertibles also have roofs that keep out the worst of the weather and the cold when they’re in place, meaning they are perfect for year-round use.