What to look for when buying a used convertible?

What to look for when buying a convertible? This is the question that comes up most often in my mail. It’s no secret that the number of aftermarket cars continues to grow and new convertibles sell rather infrequently, and it needs to be said out loud, specialists in selling new convertibles are still few in number.

So the ones that come to us are usually cars from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy. Each car trader has his own revirs and beliefs from where it is best to buy cars, some say that the German market guarantees the best condition of the vehicle, those who import cars from France say that here the price decides everything, also each trader is right. Of course, many legends revolve around motoring from sunny Italy, but “not to every dog a burqa,” and one should not think that every convertible from Italy has 500k on the odometer and a third life.

By the way, living in Italy some time ago, I noticed two, very extreme behaviors in relation to motoring, the first – the car as a vehicle from point A to B, which no one with the owner in the lead cares about, pushed when parking, dirty and generally damaged, and the second, that is, an almost mystical approach to the care of your car, so if you juz decide to get a car from Italy, it may turn out that you hit on an exceptional specimen.

When deciding on a purchase, it is worth paying attention first to the basic elements of the car that will directly signal its condition. As you know, in Western markets, a convertible, or convertible if you prefer, is the second or third car in the family, so there is a good chance that when buying a used unit, you will end up with something interesting, and not necessarily a “run-down unit”.

You should pay attention first of all to the body, doing a visual inspection look for signs of putty, poorly applied paint, door lines that do not “clip” with the fenders, differences in the gaps between the elements, all this will quickly show you ew. the past of your potential dream convertible and will allow for conversation when negotiating the price.

Check the doors in a convertible well, this is a must, usually their “abandonment” signals some flaw in the structure of the car, heavy closing or wiped to “bare sheet metal” closing marks will inform you of future problems. Of course, when looking at the car, you must pay attention to the roof! Nothing worries the owner of a convertible more than a damaged roof.Here it is important to check if there is no ew. of abrasions and if there are any, in what places? Do they rub through where the roof usually closes and opens, or are these abrasions the result of traffic damage, for example.

Another important element in this external visual inspection is the roof trim and windshield, for example, are the threads not sprouting? Are there no holes near the glass? Of course, if it’s just a tarp, there’s a chance of replacement, but count on the cost of an average of 1.5 to 2k and, importantly, there aren’t many of these workshops (I’m cooling down any comments right away, I’m referring to roofing and sheathing professionals, not replacers) Appointments with professionals are usually far in advance of the season, so take a good look before you buy.

That leaves the last topic of the external ones – gaskets and rims. The former are troublesome insofar as for some vehicles they have to be made to order and then it starts to get expensive and long, I mean waiting time. If they are cut, scraped, the rubber is crumbling, it is worth asking about availability before buying, and here I mean either at the ASO or on groups specializing in parts trading, to say the least, not the car dealer.

Rims seemingly a mundane topic but… there are many enthusiasts riding on originals and I think I am writing to many right now, so if you will be buying your first convertible, it is worth paying attention. The so-called. “orginales” always do the job. They may have signs of damage, but many will tell you that a better original rim after a minor restoration is better than some Chinese rim-like product.

So let’s move on to the interior. Nothing irritates a new buyer more than damaged upholstery, remember that these damages can be due to many reasons, for example:

• The car was being driven by a so-called. “heavy rider” and in this situation, usually the driver’s seat is in a worse condition or simply the viewed copy has already had its years and “shot kilometers”
• Steering wheel, usually in used cars is damaged, pay attention to its condition – if it looks like new and the car is 10 years old, the question is how come it has not suffered or has no signs of use (by the way, the same applies to the front bumper) Once I went to get such a beautiful SAAB to Gniezno and the lady in the commission shop to my question why the steering wheel is so badly ragged replied quote: “…because, you know, the guy who drove it had a ring on his finger and it made the steering wheel so jagged” Don’t fall for this foolishness.
• rubber pads for the clutch, brake or gas pedals, if you see that a car that has been inspected has new pads… Know that Satan is interested in it (I wrote this to distract you to check that you are reading) and seriously, you probably already know that if they are new, they have been replaced
• key, usually reveals a lot – damaged, indicates mileage, but may also be subject to replacement, then do not be afraid and ask why?
• Seat belts, they often have numbers stamped on them with the production date of the car, not always, but worth checking if they are? In the case of tensioners, do they work? – check , don’t forget
• Opening and closing the roof, it is best to check from the inside and outside, that is, listen from the inside to see if there are no rasps, friction, disturbing noises when opening, similarly carry out a test on the outside
• Roof gaps, are there any and what size? Their size will later cause driving noises
• The windows in our dream convertible, do they have the same markings? And if not? Then why? It is hard to believe that a car with a replaced windshield and side window, for example, is the result of a stone chipping on the road
• always ask about the windshot or more in German “windschutz” is the element that, when using your convertible, will not allow you to break your head at high speed – the cost of used windshots is usually a few hundred zlotys, I think you will be happy if you save at the start to buy a windshot, sellers usually try to keep silent about having them

Now that you have checked as much as possible at a standstill, it is worth making a test drive. Here there are many schools of thought, some prefer to sit in the passenger seat others behind the wheel. Personally, I like to drive and any opportunity to drive a convertible is very important to me, so I encourage you to drive.

Therefore, it is important to pay attention:

• Whether driving with the roof closed there are blowouts and sometimes strange noises creep into the car, this could be the result of, for example, just a bad adjustment of the cables at the tarp roof, but it could be something more serious. This test is worth doing at low and high speeds,
• you should also check the tightness of the cabin, the best test is at hand car washes, where, courtesy of the owner, you can rinse the car yourself and check if there are any. Stains, leaks, etc.
• In the case of the so-called. “hard roofs” it’s worth listening to see if you can hear any creaking while driving and if, when closing the roof, the pressures work flawlessly

A few tips at the end, hoping that you already know what to look out for when buying a used convertible:

• don’t be afraid to ask the previous owner if he impregnated the roof? This is also an additional cost at the start worth a few hundred zlotys (we are talking about the situation when we buy a car before the season)
• take advantage of a nearby workshop and drive the car to the canal (rust in used convertibles, especially on the sills is a daily occurrence)
• be vigilant in your purchases, remember that for every opportunity there is another and if you have doubts, call or write we will try to help you!