7 Convertibles You Can Pick Up for Summer 2015 Without Spending a Bundle

Starting price: $31,205

This is where “around $30,000” starts to get generous. Sure, the base Chevrolet Camaro convertible edges the Mustang with a 323-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 engine that still gets 28 miles per gallon on the highway. It also comes with fog lamps, a rear spoiler and a top that drops in 20 seconds.

But it takes more features than that to make up for the price. A color heads-up information display on the windshield, the MyLink app center with 7-inch color touchscreen and Pandora, a rear-vision camera and Apple Siri Eyes Free that lets iPhone users send text messages through voice commands are just some of the perks behind the muscle. With apps for roadside assistance and diagnostics, available navigation and a remote starter, the Camaro's a whole lot more than just looks and a motor.

Starting price: $17,930

Hey, the Smart Fortwo cabriolet costs that much and gets a combined 36 miles per gallon. That's not terrible.

That said, don't expect a thrill ride. This little two-seater is this efficient not only because of its size, but because it has all of 70 horsepower cranking out of its diminutive three-cylinder engine. Also, when cruise control is part of a $280 option package along with the trip computer, “stripped down” doesn't even begin to describe the Smart driving experience.

Starting price: $26,100

Small cars were once underpowered, cramped and inherently bad vehicles fit only for game show giveaways. As films such as 2002's Austin Powers: Goldmember and 2003's The Italian Job showed U.S. audiences, however, a modernized take on the classic British Mini could not only be fuel-efficient, but fun and fast at the same time.

The Mini Cooper convertible comes loaded with its Mini Connected entertainment center featuring a 6.5-inch high-definition display, Apple-designed Bluetooth interface and app for smartphone and iTunes connectivity and optional GPS. While's it's also hooked up with Sirius satellite radio, Pandora and HD radio, the most indulgent item built into the dash is an Openometer whose sole purpose is to count the number of minutes or hours your convertible top is down during your trip.

Starting price: $20,145

As much as its American cousins at Dodge like to promote the bigger, brawnier Charger and Challenger, Fiat doesn't mind making them feel as if they're overcompensating by giving drivers just as much fun in a smaller package. The Fiat 500C measures a scant 140 inches long and 64 inches wide, gives parallel parkers a 30.6-inch turning radius for squeezing into tight spots and finds room for 10 cubic feet of trunk space — nearly double that of the Mini.

The retractable, pool-cover-style sunroof, power outlets, five cupholders, cruise control, power windows and 40 miles-per-gallon highway mileage — not to mention 31 mpg in the city — are a whole lot cooler to the post-bailout buyer base than gas-guzzling reincarnations of Dodge muscle cars.

Starting price: $23,970

What does a Mazda Miata owner have that a Porsche Boxster owner doesn't? Almost $30,000 extra dollars, a more reliable automobile and, maybe, just a little more self confidence.
OK, so the engine is is a little pokier at 167-horsepower from a 2-liter, 4-cylinder — no matter which trim you pay for. That said, the two cars have similar acceleration (zero to 60 in 6.5 seconds for the Porsche, seven seconds for the Miata), similar ratings from Consumer Reports (90 for Porsche, 89 for Mazda) and similar customer satisfaction. The Miata's available hardtop that kicks the starting price up above $27,000 only closes the gap further.

Starting price: $27,680

This isn't the convertible you drive to the beach, but the one you drive on it. Chrysler's marketing team will be more than happy to remind you for this on May 16, its eighth annual Jeep Go Topless Day, but Jeep Wrangler's loud, flapping ragtop appeals to a certain segment of drivers far more than some stodgy convertible sedan.

“Beloved by many for its legendary 'trail-rated' off-road prowess, the Jeep Wrangler serves a specific lifestyle niche: With room for five adults, the Jeep Wrangler is the only four-door four-by-four convertible on the market,” Schaffels says. “It's meant to go off road and get dirty, and your passengers might get dirty too.”

There's no substitute for open-air off-road driving, which is why the Wrangler is more than happy to be the last utility vehicle to offer that feature. Given that it isn't all that comfortable a ride otherwise, though, our experts suggest that more situational convertibles may be in order.

Starting price: $29,300

Back in 2005, when the Ford Mustang was redesigned with a “retro-futurist look” that was basically an update of the first generation's classic aesthetic, fans responded instantly. Sales jumped from fewer than 130,000 in 2004 to more than 160,000 in 2005 and 166,500 in 2006. It gave the Mustang line a huge boost just before the Great Recession and prompted Chevy and Dodge to make similar retro tweaks to their Camaro, Charger and Challenger.

Ford's softened up that style a bit and gave the 2015 Mustang an overhaul that looks more like a jacked-up Ford Fusion than anything else. Still, the Mustang is a brawny little pony that lends itself well to a convertible configuration.

Yes, that's 300 horsepower pumping out of that base-level 3.7-liter V6, which makes features such as leather racing seats, leather steering wheels covers and high-powered headlights not at all ridiculous. But that 28 miles per gallon on the highway, six-speaker sound system and 4.2-inch touchscreen entertainment and navigation display give it all great features of a practical midsize without ditching any of the muscle.