Thought About Selling My Celica Convertible....., Ever Had that Feeling???? Options

[FrankB2]

I wasn't aware of the lack/high cost of parts for the convertible when my wife and I bought it. The weather stripping for the windows is about $400 per side, and that's just for the rubber! There are pieces that the rubber attaches to, and they are expensive as well. We looked at Miatas, since they've made a zillion (closer to a million ) of those little suckers, and I test drove a Chrysler Crossfire a few days ago. The Crossfire was nice, but lacked the zippy steering of the Celica, and parts for that car are getting scarce as well! Crossfires don't seem to be much in demand, and this one is being sold by a new car dealership. They gave me the CarFax, and it shows that they've moved it to all three of their dealerships since April 2012, and still haven't been able to sell it!

While the Crossfire had a LOT of power, I was very glad to get back behind the wheel of my Celica on last Thursday. Parts might be expensive and hard to find for the Celica, but I don't think it's time to spend $12,000 on a used car with equally hard to find parts (Mercedes and Chrysler parts!!!), and the Miata just doesn't seem to go with my height. Guess I'm stuck with my Celica for now. I should mention that my Celica is in pristine condition, and doesn't need any parts right now. I was just a little concerned that the day will come when I'm just outta luck.

It was in the upper 50's yesterday, and we spent several hours burning up fuel with the top down. We did pass a Triumph TR6, and I said to my wife, "Now that's a roadster!" I then began to wonder how much parts for that car would cost.

[FrankB2]

350Z Convertible!!! I forgot about that one. There's a nice looking specimen less than a mile away, but it's at a cheesey looking used car lot. They're asking 20K, but I can't see buying from used car lots.

Steering:
Out of all the cars I mentioned, the only one I've driven has been the Crossfire. Straight line highway cruising would be fine, but man that thing feels like the first Mercedes sedan I drove back in the early 1980's...and that's not a compliment. The door sills are super high as well, and it was nearly impossible to rest my arm on the sill. Actually, we drove it with the top down, and the salesman and I were laughing at the way it looks with your arm on the door sill.

I like my Celica, and looking at other cars over the past month has confirmed I made a good choice back in October.