I'm going to the experts

Convertible: an automobile or a boat with a folding top. That leaves a major range of vehicles to be considered and I doubt that anyone here is an "expert" in all that the term might entail. Miata experts - Some. Sports car experts - At least a few. 1965 Cadillac ragtop with a continental spare tire and chrome fender skirts - Probably not. 1935 Auburn Speedster - Definitely not.

You would have a better chance of receiving a thoughtful answer if you were to suggest which convertible(s) you were considering. Every one of them has virtues and vices especially for a newbie determined to drive in winter conditions.

Just my early-Sunday-morning $0.02 worth...

The biggest decision you need to make at this point is FWD, RWD, or AWD/4WD. I live in Northern NY and would advise against a RWD vehicle for 4 season use UNLESS you cut your teeth driving RWD vehicles in the snow, as I did.

95% of the time in the NE, a Miata with 4 Nokian snows (possibly studded) driven by a SEASONED RWD driver with a trained right foot should be fine. But those 5-10 days out of the winter when the snow falls faster than the plows clean it up, you will miss the FWD sedan.

My convertible for many years was a 4WD Wrangler and I didn't even use it in the winter because of the short wheelbase issues of driving in snow. FWD is generally much more idiot proof. I am a seasoned RWD winter driver, and would not consider having a Miata as my only vehicle up here in the winter, unless I could rely on another way to get to work in a storm.

no expert here. but if year round daily driver and convertible is the requirement then i say you should check out the new volkswagon eos. good looking, sporty, yet not so small as to be impractical. it seats four and has a trunk too. and a retractable hard top making it a convertible without the maintenance issue of a rag top. and it even has a sun roof for when that is all that you want open. i understand that they are selling very well and a more powerful edition is on the way. other convertibles on the market fall into categories of either impractical, expensive, or just plain ugly (sorry seabring and solara lovers). the eos fits the bill. check out

for in depth discussions about vw by vw enthusiasts. but of course i am required to tell what you really want to buy is a miata, ideally one from the 89-97 years.

I live in MA and drive my Miata all year. I'm going on my 7th winter. Just get a good set of snow tires or don't bother trying to drive in the snow.

(These are all cons. Drive a Miata on a nice fall day and learn all the pros yourself!)

I have used my Miata as a daily driver year round for 4 of the last 6 years here in Indiana. This year, I'm parking for the winter it in favor of the 1988 Chevy truck.

1. sport tires are worthless on snow. Much worse than I expected. (I have a flexible schedule and the snow doesn't get very deep here in East Central Indiana.)

1. dirt and grime. The inside of the car is always dirty.

2. SUV headlights and "driving" lights are normally above the rear deck, so in the mirrors. If tail gaters annoy you now, you may go insane in a Miata.

After 6 years and 3 children, I'm considering switching to a sport sedan. Roof down is great every once and a while, but you get used to it and the buffeting gets annoying. Even a hard top two seater is looking good (may be the hard top convertible!).

Joe

I sometimes miss the smoothness/quietness of driving a sedan. When I get in my wifes Camry it's like driving a cloud compared to the Miata!

I've only done one winter (on the stock tires), so I'm ready to get snows this year, but I miss having traction sometimes. Even with weight in the trunk I used to be able to open the door, get out, and push while the car idled in first gear with the rear wheels turning in place.

miker

Can't really comment on any convertibles other than the Miata, but for that one, the following goes:

- On long journeys I do occasionally miss being able to listen to people talking on the radio. I can listen to music, but the ambient noise is too loud to listen to people talking. Obviously it's worse with the top down, but even with the lid closed it's pretty noisy

- As others have mentioned, smoothness, especially again on long journeys. Maybe it's because my car's a '91, but you can feel pretty much every bump and bounce (and yes, I've recently replaced the shocks). Most of the time I really like feeling that in tune with the road, but especially when driving in my wife's Fiesta I realise how non-smooth my car is

- I do sometimes feel very vulnerable to the big monster SUVs, especially at night. Fortunately we haven't got that many of them here in the UK, but those that are around seem particularly fear-inducing in the Miata which is half the height of those things. And as someone else has said, you definitely get blinded by them when they're behind you, their lights glaring directly in your rear-view mirror

Eric

You shouldn't put weight in the back. The car is balanced 50/50. If you put more weight in the trunk you upset that balance. Just keep your gas tank full on the extra snowy days.

I live in Minnesota and have had a roadster for my only car for

10+ years now (one A-R Spyder, two Miatas). With 4 good winter tires, a Miata is a great car in the snow. A hardtop is nice (increased visibility) but not required.

The Miata will handle a lot better in snow. ;)

True. If you have to top down, the dash is always dusty, and there are always leaves and stuff on the floor and seats.

That is a bit annoying, but unless you switch to something _big_, it's not much better.

One word: earplugs.

Put 'em in, then turn up the volume on the radio. Cheap foam earplugs let you maintain a decent S/N ratio without having damaging SPL at the eardrum.

A lot of people mention this, but I don't get it. I like being able to feel the road. I find driving mushy "smooth" cars is a bit unnerving.

Does that allow you to understand voices properly? As I say my system is fine for listening to music, but making out words in speech is what's tricky.

It's more than "feeling the road" - as I say I mostly like that too. Smoothness can be nice when you're doing long stretches of boring motorway driving when the only feeling to the road is noisy asphalt, potholes and other damage to the road surface. That ain't fun, that's just annoying, and not worth feeling. That's where a nice, smooth ride can be preferable in my book.

Eric

hi i'm dave and i live in wisconisn. when i bought my 2005 miata, i was concerned about snow conditions. and, when i replaced the goodrich hi perf tires it came with, to goodyear all weather eagles...it handled ok in the snow---up to about 3-4 inches. it also drives great on dry roads too.

Works for me. I listen to NPR (which mostly talk) and books on CD that way.

I'm not worried about my driving.

The truck will handle 4,000 lbs of oncoming steel better.

Joe