Here are some of the characteristics that I think make a roadster great?
The first characteristic is evident, and that it has to be a roadster. By the strictest of definitions, a roadster is an open-top, two-seat car with a design that emphasises sporty characteristics. Now, there are plenty of great sports cars out there, but if you can't roll the top-down, then it doesn't qualify as a roadster. The European trend of creating convertibles from sporty hot hatches or sedans won't cut it as a roadster. They are often a compromise, being a daily driver that wants to pretend it is a roadster.
It has to be affordable. It might be a fun car, but roadsters are not practical, so they are often purchased in addition to a daily driver or a family transporter. However, many good second-hand roadsters are on the market and plenty of options to suit a budget. And if your car is old enough to qualify as a historic vehicle, then you may be able to take advantage of reduced registration and insurance costs for such cars.
A roadster doesn't need to be unreliable either. I know you're probably thinking about the British roadsters of the 1960s that were unreliable and dropped oil on your driveway. However, when Mazda introduced the MX-5 in 1989, the reliability of the roadster took a giant leap forward. If you choose carefully, you could find a second-hand roadster with more than 200,000 kilometres on the clock that will be reliable and remain durable.
A roadster must be fun to drive. It has to be lightweight, well-balanced, and have outstanding handling characteristics. When you lean it into corners, it should have no trouble hanging on. If the tail comes around a little too much, you should be able to ease off the accelerator, and it will straighten up again. Most of all, it needs to put a big smile on your face when you drive it.
The first characteristic is evident, and that it has to be a roadster. By the strictest of definitions, a roadster is an open-top, two-seat car with a design that emphasises sporty characteristics. Now, there are plenty of great sports cars out there, but if you can't roll the top-down, then it doesn't qualify as a roadster. The European trend of creating convertibles from sporty hot hatches or sedans won't cut it as a roadster. They are often a compromise, being a daily driver that wants to pretend it is a roadster.
It has to be affordable. It might be a fun car, but roadsters are not practical, so they are often purchased in addition to a daily driver or a family transporter. However, many good second-hand roadsters are on the market and plenty of options to suit a budget. And if your car is old enough to qualify as a historic vehicle, then you may be able to take advantage of reduced registration and insurance costs for such cars.
A roadster doesn't need to be unreliable either. I know you're probably thinking about the British roadsters of the 1960s that were unreliable and dropped oil on your driveway. However, when Mazda introduced the MX-5 in 1989, the reliability of the roadster took a giant leap forward. If you choose carefully, you could find a second-hand roadster with more than 200,000 kilometres on the clock that will be reliable and remain durable.
A roadster must be fun to drive. It has to be lightweight, well-balanced, and have outstanding handling characteristics. When you lean it into corners, it should have no trouble hanging on. If the tail comes around a little too much, you should be able to ease off the accelerator, and it will straighten up again. Most of all, it needs to put a big smile on your face when you drive it.