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
www.vwvortex.com 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.)

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

3. 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

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.