1993 Volkswagen Cabrio Cabriolet Classic review from North America

Nothing other than normal wear & tear items for an 11 year-old car.

I have owned a number of Volkswagen Cabriolets, my latest edition a very clean one-owner Cabriolet Classic with only 64k original miles on the odometer.

VW Cabriolets are not perfect cars. The reliability of VW's from this era is not their strongest points. But Cabriolets are fun, fairly quick, well-handling little convertibles, packed with charm and personality.

If you buy an older Cabriolet, expect to spend some money regularly on replacing wear & tear items on a regular basis. VW electrics can also be very quirky.

Acceleration with the 1.8 and 5 speed manual is actually quite good. Gas mileage is excellent. Handling is superb.

Choose a good all-season performance tire and you will be set for all weather conditions. These cars handle snowy conditions with aplomb.

I recently replaced a set of worn Dunlop's with BF Goodrich Traction T/A's

and am very please with the handling characteristics of the T/A's.

Perhaps the best feature of the Cabriolet is of course that it is a convertible! Lowering and raising with

padded top is a quick and easy one-person job.

In summary the VW Cabriolet is a fun, practical little car that you can drive every day with a personality perhaps not seen in a car since the original Beetle.

Clean examples of these cars will one day no doubt be very collectible as well.