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was thinking of a lebaron, any suggestions? Will be used for highway 75mph,I'm big so no geo metro convertable. I need "torque"?,american peffered. ANYTHING ANYBODY!!!!!!!!!!

American convertible means Lebaron, or Cavalier/Sunfire (GM), or Mustang.

You can get the Mustang with the 2.3L and although it won't win at the drag strip, it will climb hills with a downshift.

The older Cavalier/Sunfire have the pushrod 2.2L and 4AT and are in the same class as the Mustang. The newer Cavalier/Sunfire with the 2.4L QuadOHC engine should be checked for head gasket issues before seriously considering purchase.

For the Lebaron, the last year for the base model (with the 2.5L four) was '93. The 94-95 are GTC or LX trim only with 3.0L V6 and 4AT. People are afraid of the transmissions, so you can usually get them for a song if you know how to scare them into thinking the transmission is just about gone. The transmission, if it hasn't been abused, overheated, or filled with the wrong fluid, will last a long time. The parts for these cars are cheap, and the only things to watch out for are the dreaded shark fins (rear windows that are inoperative due to corrosion in the window tracks, and rear footwell flooding due to the drains in the rear rocker panels getting plugged with debris (which also causes the window issue). If the front fenders are dented inward at the rear edge where they meet the doors, the door hinges are shot. For a low budget solution, bend the fender outward with a large screwdriver and simply slam the door to close it.

I've had the Lebaron for 6 years now, and it soldiers on, needing only periodic maintenance, and some replacement of older parts (now that it's heading for 17 years old). It's a good car, and you can get good solid used samples without breaking the bank.

Hi Prospector318:

We would all like but we all need a lot less in reality. If you want a fun to drive yet fuel efficient convertible, the Mini is the best thing going here in the US.

A Lebaron is possibly the worst car made in the US in the past 10-years and if you want to see a poor TCO number, look it up! It is truly that bad.

Good Luck

Wayne

Although not a torque monster stock (still has zip, can drop v8 in & destroy FE), utterly impractical, and maybe not "American" (Mazda is/was owned by Ford, some Ford components are used), If you can fit comfortably, the Mazda Miata convertible may be the most fun car ever produced.

If you want a convertible just to say you have a convertible, the Cav drop top (cheap) and Mustang (flashy, big) are the ones to look at. The Sebring (Lebaron) is so-so comfy, but loud and prone to big engine trouble (my parents mid-life crisis car). I'd also look at the Mini for FE, but honestly the Miata is so much fun I stopped looking pretty quick.

If you are willing to spend the money, mini or smart convertible.
If you are looking for cheap and used, PT cruiser turbo convertible.

Hi Prospector318:

A Lebaron is possibly the worst car made in the US in the past 10-years



Except it hasn't been made in at least 15.

Except it hasn't been made in at least 15.

I would take the original meaning to extend to the Sebring, which is next evolution of the LeBaron... and it has a HORRIBLE track record as was implied.

If you're looking at a LeBaron, you should watch out for the 2.2 Turbo version. I've had one of those in the past (an 88) and it went through two head gaskets in the span of a year (the first being the original, the second being the replacement). Sadly, the mini-mopar site has been long out of commission as it was a great reference for that model dodge.