Six 1990s convertibles from only £1,000 for spring and summer fun (and the one to avoid)

Ah the Nineties. Oasis, the Spice Girls, Cool Britannia, football coming home, boot cut jeans – and cabriolets.
These days it's difficult to find new convertibles, but in the Nineties you could barely move for the things; seemingly every manufacturer made a chopped-down version of one of its popular hatchbacks and cute roadsters became cool once again.
Now, with some of these cars approaching 30 years old, they're entering that grey area where you might (tentatively, for fear of a tongue-lashing from grumpy old men with beards in MGBs) start to call them classics.
Yet there's not a lot of love for cars like these on the market. Many buyers still think of them as old tat – and prices are consequently depressed.
But if you fancy some eminently affordable fun in the sun, you could do far worse than one of these. They are modern enough to be reliable and simple enough to be cheap to fix, while the ones that have survived have, by and large, been pampered and well maintained.
So if you're pining for a cheap cabrio, don't write them off – there's a lot to like here.
The combination of the third-generation Golf's sensible, solid bearing with easy access to the sun makes this cabriolet a tempting option for those not wanting to push the boat out. The Golf is not fast and nor is it that exciting to drive, but its simple mechanicals and easy-to-find parts make it easy to live with and look after. If you can find a rust-free example, it's worth grabbing. A facelift in 1998 brought with it the frontal styling from the then-new Mk4 hatchback – although the rest of the car remained largely the same.
Price to pay: from £1,000
We found: 1999 2.0 SE, 89,000 miles, 12 months MOT, £1,800
Watch out for: Rusty front wings and floors, poorly maintained auto gearboxes, missed timing belt changes, dodgy aftermarket immobilisers and sound systems, failing electric windows.
Lauded by many as one of the best Rovers ever, the R8-series 200 spawned a variety of body styles, one of which was this pert little cabriolet. They're a bit floppy to drive, but the willing engines mean they can still be quite good fun; go for an earlier Honda-engined 216 (instead of the later Rover-engined ones from 1996) for the best reliability. Many of these are so cheap they've been abused, but hold out for a nice one – it won't cost that much more – and check it's been well maintained.
Price to pay: from £1,000
We found: 1994 216, 91,000 miles, full service history, immaculate, £2,250
Watch out for: Head gasket failures (except on early 1.6s), rusty arches and sills, dodgy fuel pump relays.
Few cars can offer such a sense of glamour for so little cash right now than the Audi Cabriolet. For a car that was once driven by royalty (and still reeks of Sloane Ranger chic) the Cabriolet is extraordinarily affordable; while the best examples of late V6 versions top out at £8,000, early four- and five-cylinder cars can still be had in good nick for a quarter of that. Inside, you'll find the interior from the 80 on which the Cabriolet is based – beautifully built and modern-feeling, with a surprising amount of room. Buy one now before the rest of the world cottons on.
Price to pay: from £2,000
We found: 1995 2.0, 120,000 miles, comprehensive service history, £3,750
Watch out for: Tired suspension, defunct hoods, rusting boot floors, airbag lights, failing heater fans.
Of all the manufacturers which tried to turn a humdrum family hatchback into a dashing convertible in the Nineties, Peugeot probably did it the best. Mind you, they were helped by the fact the 306 was already a looker; in cabriolet form with the roof down, you could kid yourself that you're a stylish French businessperson arriving for lunch at a cafe in Cannes with your significant other. As with all Peugeots of this era, 306s can feel rather brittle by now – but if you can live with that, the reward is a fine drive and looks that belie this car's bargain price.
Price to pay: from £1,000
We found: 1996 2.0, 93,000 miles, full service history, £2,500
Watch out for: Non-functional air-conditioning, coolant leaks, stuttering power roofs, electrical glitches.
The MX-5 is the go-to affordable roadster, with good reason; it's cheap to buy, cheap to run and brilliant to drive. And unlike the others on this list, it's a distinct model rather than a chopped-down saloon or hatchback. This second-generation car is probably the best value of the bunch at the moment, offering greater involvement than the later third-generation models without the cost of the earlier Mk1s. It looks good, feels great and if you can keep on top of the rust – for which MX-5s are known – it should be reliable and long-lasting. A 1.8 is the one to go for, but don't shy away from a 1.6 if money is tight – they're still good fun.
Price to pay: from £1,000
We found: 2002 1.8, 59,000 miles, full service history, £2,999
Watch out for: Rust everywhere, misfires due to worn coil packs, gearbox rattle on overrun, propshaft squeaking in reverse.
The cabriolet version of the Megane caused something of a stir when it arrived in the mid-1990s – and not just because of the particularly loud Sunflower Yellow launch colour. Renault did well to disguise the fact that the Megane came from humble stock. Even with the roof up it looked smart; with the roof down, exposing the two 'speed humps' behind the rear seats, it went from chic to sleek. Of course, it was comfortable and decent to drive, too, though you'd struggle to call it exciting. But these days there are few more eye-catching cars for the price.
Price to pay: from £1,000
We found: 1999 1.6e, 79,000 miles, long MOT, £1,495
Watch out for: Snapped rear suspension, flaky coil packs, dying crankshaft sensors, problematic injection systems on IDE versions.
Much has been written about the sub-par nature of the fifth-generation Escort, so we won't re-litigate that here. Suffice it to say that the same is true in convertible form, with floppy handling, a thumping ride, shuddering plastics and loose, flappy fabrics the order of the day. True, the 16-valve XR3i version was moderately quick and smooth, while things improved somewhat with a heavy facelift in 1995. But with so many better convertibles available for the money, the Escort is best avoided.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Fast Company

16 hours ago

• Fast Company

The story behind the innovative L.A.B. putter that just won the U.S. Open

On Sunday, J.J. Spaun sank a 64-foot putt to win the U.S. Open, one of the PGA Tour's four major tournaments. Over the final seven holes, he made more than 136 feet of putts, including that curling 64-footer on 18. He was the only player to finish the U.S. Open under par, and it was his first career major win. It was also the first major win for L.A.B. Golf, the boutique manufacturer that outfitted Spaun with his DF3 custom putter. L.A.B. Golf is the new company shaking up the putter circuit, and its innovation is simple. Traditional putters have shafts that attach in front of the clubface or at the heel, creating twisting forces during the stroke. L.A.B. putters position the shaft directly through the putter's center of gravity, behind the face, the shaft stabbing the putter head like a toothpick spearing a square of cheese. This creates a nontraditional forward shaft lean that eliminates torque and helps the face naturally stay square throughout the putting motion. 'Every other putter you've used, you're trying to keep it square,' Sam Hahn, L.A.B. Golf cofounder and CEO, says. 'With L.A.B., you're trying to let it stay square. So it becomes more like so many other stroke sports out there—throwing darts, shooting a free throw, throwing a ball—where you're not thinking about managing the instrument, you're thinking about the target.' The company has been built on one simple philosophy: Putting doesn't have to suck. An accidental garage innovation In 2014, a Reno-based club builder named Bill Presse made an accidental discovery in his garage. While testing new designs, he stripped the grip from a putter, and when he grabbed the slick, ungripped shaft, his hand slipped and the putter face flopped open, almost instinctively. The putter head wanted to twist and turn on its own. This sparked Presse's curiosity. Using a makeshift device crafted from a crutch and fishing wire, he tested every putter in his collection to see if any would remain square when properly suspended. None did. So he drilled holes in dozens of putter heads to find the precise shaft placement that would eliminate the unwanted rotation. This led him to design (and patent) the first lie angle balance putter, the Directed Force. He sold his L.A.B. putter directly out of his garage and at golf events and showcases. A key early adopter In 2017, Hahn acquired one of Presse's putters from a golf instructor and experienced dramatic improvement on the greens. (For you golf nerds, he went from a 1 handicap to plus 3.5 in six weeks.) Then, the club's head fell off. When Hahn called customer service and sent in his broken L.A.B. putter, Presse personally called to apologize. 'We hit it off instantly,' Hahn says. 'We talked for hours on the phone and learned that we're kindred golf spirits.' A few months later, Bill's club-making company was struggling and was about to close its doors. Hahn, a music venue owner in Eugene, Oregon, and a closet golf addict, saw an opportunity and partnered with Bill in 2018 to form L.A.B. Golf. 'The lie angle balancing concept was there, but nothing else really was,' Hahn says. 'The marketing wasn't there, the manufacturing wasn't there, the infrastructure, the branding, the general vibe—there simply wasn't a company there. But there was a concept.' The L.A.B. Rats With no marketing budget, L.A.B.'s growth had to happen organically. Hahn spent time jumping between golf forums and online groups, explaining the physics behind lie angle balance and taking a humble approach when skeptical golfers said their putters looked like branding irons. 'We knew we had to be a little self-deprecating and a little humble at first when we were out there making some pretty bold claims,' Hahn says. Then, in 2021, Hahn discovered something unexpected: Two L.A.B. customers had created a Facebook group for L.A.B. fans. The group exploded into a thriving community where golfers share putting tips and success stories, many singing L.A.B.'s praises. Hahn and his team began engaging with members, answering questions, and gathering feedback to inform their product design. It's a real-time focus group that Hahn and his team have leveraged to not only continue to iterate and innovate, but to build putters that golfers actually want to use. 'I log on to Facebook at night and see what's going on,' Hahn says. 'So when we sit in a product meeting and try to figure out what we should do next, it's easy, because the customers are telling us every day what they want next.' Today, the group has been rebranded as the 'Lab Rats.' It has more than 32,000 members and has been a critical component of the company's organic growth in popularity among amateur golfers. L.A.B. cracks the PGA tour Pro golfers are notoriously traditional and skeptical toward innovation. Yes, there are outliers, like Bryson DeChambeau, a famous tinkerer who has even used 3D-printed irons. Then there's Adam Scott: 2013 Masters champion, former World No. 1, and son of a club manufacturer. Scott first saw L.A.B. design in action during the 2019 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, when surfing legend Kelly Slater used the Directed Force to dominate putting competitions. 'Kelly rolled it better than anyone in our group—the two pros, the other amateur,' Scott recalls. 'You couldn't help but take notice.' Scott began using the putter on the Tour in 2019, pivoting to the L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 putter in 2022. The following year, Scott's curiosity evolved into collaboration when he and Hahn met at the L.A. Country Club for a couple of beers, talking putters and sketching designs on cocktail napkins. The result: the L.A.B. OZ.1. 'The initial inspiration for the OZ.1 started far away from putters and was more about classic, timeless designs that I like, like a Porsche 911 or a Rolex Datejust watch,' Scott explains. 'That was the starting point, and then the nice thing was that we got to include some of the real L.A.B. look in this more conventional design.' Scott became L.A.B.'s first official brand ambassador, and it's easy to see why. Since switching to L.A.B. putters full-time in 2022, Scott has achieved remarkable consistency, ranking 19th and 27th on tour in strokes gained putting the last two years, a significant improvement from his previous putting struggles that once saw him rank as low as 188th. And when one golfer tries something new and has success, others take note. Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, and Lucas Glover are among roughly a dozen PGA Tour pros who have used L.A.B. putters. With them, of course, is Spaun, who wielded L.A.B.'s DF3 model on Sunday, a refined version of the company's original Direct Force design. Span's specific setup includes a 34-inch length, 70-degree lie angle, TPT graphite shaft, and two-degree shaft lean customized with a blacked-out Scotty Cameron grip. The putter paid dividends throughout the tournament, where he gained over 10 strokes on the field with his putting—the second-best performance in the tournament. His final-round heroics included not just the tournament-clinching bomb, but also crucial birdies from 40 and 22 feet on the back nine. 'It's been really good for me lately,' Spaun said in a press conference earlier this year after The Players Championship, where he lost to Rory McIlroy in a playoff. 'Hopefully it keeps doing what it's supposed to be doing.' Spaun's win puts L.A.B. on the map L.A.B. placed two players in Sunday's final groups with Spaun and Scott each starting the final round in the top four, demonstrating the technology's growing acceptance among golf's elite performers, despite resistance from both players and manufacturers. 'The whole environment is wildly competitive, cutthroat even,' Hahn says. 'The other reps actively work to keep their product in people's hands, and they don't like it when nobody from nowhere starts taking market share.' Still, performance trumps politics. In addition to the dozen players on the Tour who have used L.A.B. putters, the company's European tour rep reports 16 putters in play on the DP World Tour, signaling the putter's slow but steady adoption. Spaun's U.S. Open win is yet another windfall for the young company looking to earn a larger share of golf's massive equipment market, valued at $11.7 billion globally in 2025. The company itself has grown anywhere from 150 to 300% every year since inception, according to Hahn, quadrupling its employee headcount to 225 over the last two and a half years. Sales tripled in both 2023 and 2024, and the company is currently on pace to double sales in 2025, though Spaun's win could accelerate that trajectory. And they've done it all while maintaining complete financial independence, and by defying conventional industry wisdom about marketing and endorsements—which Hahn says they'll continue doing, as long as it keeps working. 'We don't create product in the name of growth,' Hahn says. 'We create product in the name of making a better product. The growth just kind of takes care of itself if you honor the consumer.'

Miami Herald

3 days ago

• Miami Herald

Future VW Golf R EV Could Use Radical In-Wheel Motors

Volkswagen is said to be working on a hot version of the ID 2 small hatchback, likely to be known as the ID 2 R. While VW doesn't sell a hatchback smaller than the Golf in the United States, the ID 2 R could pave the way for the future all-electric Golf R, and VW seems to have come up with a clever way of integrating electric motors. These plans were revealed by Autocar, with its sources suggesting the ID 2 R will use electric hub motors situated in the rear wheels. As we'll see, this layout has multiple benefits. VW is already expected to debut the electric in 2026, but the new ID 2 R will be a lot more advanced. In addition to the front-mounted electric motor in the GTI, the R model will get independently controlled motors within the rear wheels, dramatically increasing performance and enabling all-wheel drive, which has traditionally been associated with the Golf R. By not going the more conventional dual-motor route, VW will be able to save weight and reduce the impact on trunk space, both important considerations in a compact car. Whereas the ID 2 GTI will make around 286 horsepower, a more likely output in the three-motor ID 2 R will be about 400 hp. This, together with the torque vectoring made possible by the hub motors, should make for a shockingly quick and agile hot hatch. Even more performance could be extracted from the larger Golf R EV with the same setup. While hub motors have many advantages, they can also increase unsprung mass - the weight of the components not supported by the suspension - which can negatively impact handling and grip. On the upside, the ID 2 R's tech has the potential to filter through to other small VWs with all-wheel drive. It would also allow cars with FWD, RWD, and AWD to be more easily built on the same platform, reducing costs and complexity. For now, the Golf R will soldier on as a potent ICE hatchback with its 328-hp turbo engine, snappy dual-clutch transmission, and dependable AWD system. But the potential of an electric successor looks bright - don't expect it to arrive much earlier than 2029 or 2030, though, especially with multiple brands backtracking on their EV plans. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Miami Herald

4 days ago

• Miami Herald

Next-Gen Audi RS6 Won't Repeat Mercedes-AMG's Costly Mistake

After the demise of the R8, most Audi enthusiasts tend to choose the RS6 Avant as the brand's most desirable model. It has epic looks, a monster V8, and the extra versatility of a station wagon body. But plans for a fully electric next-gen RS6 raised fears about this iconic model changing forever. Fortunately, Autocar has reported that a V8-powered RS6 isn't nearing extinction, as Audi will introduce both a fully electric one and a plug-in hybrid alternative in 2026. The latest BMW M5 Touring has a plug-in hybrid V8 that delivers 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Audi would struggle to match or surpass that without electrification of some kind, which is why the next RS6 will get its own V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain. An output of 730 hp has been touted for this RS6, making it the most powerful RS6 ever. Although the finer details haven't yet been confirmed, Audi is expected to continue using a version of its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, developed by Porsche, but in updated form. The plug-in hybrid setup will include an electric motor mounted on the gearbox, something Porsche already makes use of. The continued use of the V8 will be literal music to the ears of RS6 fans; everyone knows how poorly received Mercedes-AMG's new C63 was when it lost its V8. While it will be more powerful, it's almost guaranteed that the new RS6 PHEV will be heavier, too. For instance, the new M5 Touring weighs around 5,500 lbs, but the extra power enables a 0-60 mph sprint of 3.5 seconds. That's the figure the new RS6 PHEV will aim to beat, and standard all-wheel drive should help the Audi accomplish just that. Audi recently said it would keep selling new ICE cars for the foreseeable future. Previously, the brand planned to switch to EVs only from 2033, but the current management team realized the implications of switching over to a fully electric range before customers were ready for it. Instead, the goal is to offer multiple powertrain choices, even for niche models like the high-performance RS6. To that end, the next RS6 will also be available in fully electric form. The dual-motor setup is expected to yield in the vicinity of 670 hp and 701 lb-ft, but it won't step on the latest RS e-tron GT's toes, Audi's most powerful EV and production car. "It's unlikely to reach as far as the RS e-tron GT, but there will be a solid increase over and above the S6 e-tron as part of the differentiation measures," said an unnamed source when speaking to Autocar. A 94.8-kWh battery will be used, and like the RS6 PHEV, the EV will feature more aggressive bodywork, larger brakes, and a hefty price premium over lesser A6 models. We expect some styling elements to be shared with the S6 Sportback e-tron pictured above. For those missing the RS6 Sedan, this body style is also set to make a comeback, although it remains to be seen if it will be sold in the United States. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.