Are you looking to get 40mpg out of it?

It will handle like utter ****. The coupe/sedan is bad, cutting off a major support piece makes it wobble like a bathtub with wheels.

But for a cheap 'vert, hard to argue with.

Check out Miatas in your area. Good projects with straight body/frame can be had for $1k in many areas easy.

From Beetles to DeVilles, convertible models have extra body bracing to make up for the body flex issues caused by the loss of the top. Some do it better than others. That'* why convertible models are all heavier than their hardtop counterparts.

Yeah, I'm well aware of that you bastard But from all i've ever heard, the cavi'* of the 90'* have about none useful. It'll have a TON of cowl shake. STB'* can prob do a good amount for it, not sure if you can get one in the trunk with the top down though. It'* an econobox, and one of the cheapest convertables around in the 90'*. I suggest the Miata because it has a great aftermarket, is designed solely as a 'vert, and can still do good mileage. For a cheap summer car, it'* almost impossible to beat.

IIRC there are possibly 4 or so models i've heard of being very close to hardtop counterparts in terms of stiffness, like Ferrari F430'*... That'* out of the price range...

oh..and why not just ask them for the 8th digit of the vin? seems like the easiest way to get info from people that don't have much car know how

It has the 2.4. Guaranteed. You could only get the 2.4 in the convertibles.

IMO, the 2.4 is junk. They eat head gaskets like no tomorrow. But, then again, the 2.2 typically experiences one head gasket failure in the life of the motor too. It'* very common to have multiple head gasket issues in the 2.4 though.

I had a 1990 Cavy and a 1997 Cavy. I bought the '90 Cavy with 140K and sold it a year later with 173K when the head gasket started leaking. DAMN good car. Did nothing to it except change the oil every 6K miles.

The 1997 was another VERY good car. Bought it with 121K in 01 and sold it in 03 with 185K. It was an EXCELLENT little car. The only issue I had with it was the head gasket failed at about 135K. I seriously wish I never sold it. It was the perfect gas-sipper.

I used to have an old beat up 1989 cavalier that my mom gave me, I loved that car. In the entire time my mom had the '89 I think it had to be worked on only once, maybe twice. I just remember loving the car and it worked great, very rarely broke down (and it was always something real easy and cheap to fix), and easy to work on

very similar experience with my first car, an 88 cav with 2.0 and 5 speed. it had absolutley no luxuries or options, it was about as base as a car could get, and the previous owner wasn't so bright, she didn't take care of it. but it still ran like a dream, and from what i've heard...it still does. and i took care of it, but i also beat the living hell out of it.