New Convertible Sales Drop

SEE ALSO: Compare Convertible Specs, Picture and Prices

SEE ALSO: Rank Convertibles By 100 Dimentions and Capacities

Washington DC April 14, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that when the Dow was surging, the dollar was whipping the euro, and gas cost around two bucks a gallon in the U.S., convertibles were flying off lots. The category - granted, a tiny one - outperformed the rest of the U.S. automotive market in 2004 and 2005 when total U.S. auto sales were still slowly improving.

"We joke that a convertible is a midlife crisis car, it's a feel-good emotional car," Lonnie Miller, of R.L. Polk, tells BusinessWeek. "If people are uncertain, it falls to the bottom of the priority list when it comes to transportation needs."

That was evident in 2007, when convertible sales dropped more sharply than overall sales, by 8.9 percent, to 257,313.

Besides the slumping economy, falling curb appeal could help account for the drop in sales for the Solstice and Sky, the Toyota Camry Solara SLE Convertible, the Volkswagen Beetle convertible, and the Mazda Miata.

Sales are down so far this year for all those models, none of which is new. As a result, now is the time to get a deal.