Nobody buys a convertible for practical reasons, which might explain why sales of drop tops dropped to just 1 percent of the market following the Great Recession.
Still, the image of zooming down the highway, sun in your face and wind in your hair, remains a powerful one for American drivers, especially the baby boomers who drive convertible sales.
As the economy recovers, those boomers finally have some cash to spend, and interest in convertibles is revving back up. Industry experts expect sales of convertibles to pick up this year, buoyed by the improving economy and a stronger market for car sales in general, which last month saw their best sales in a decade.
Manufacturers have responded to the increased demand with a bevy of beautifully designed vehicles that scream “carefree luxury” more than “midlife crisis.”
The roofs of today’s convertibles pop up and down with the push of a button, unlike the manually operated models popular a decade ago. Buyers are also increasingly turning toward soft-top cars, thanks to technological advances that allow them to better insulate the car from the cold (or hot) weather when they’re up.
Sales are generally strongest in the Sun Belt states where drivers can enjoy the benefits of topless driving all year-round, but residents in New York and Illinois join California, Florida and Texas among the top five states with registered convertibles, according to data released last summer by Experian Automotive.
While that report found that most convertible buyers have incomes above $75,000, convertibles don’t have to take a huge slice out of your wallet, with some models available for as little as $20,000. And, of course, if you're not in the market to buy, renting may be an option.
