Winter cabrio row

Cabrios’ price poser

Will cabrios be hot property with buyers as the weather turns cold? The answer has the UK’s leading used car price guides split.

Auto Express Car Reviews

Black Book forecasts prices will hold steady...

By Ross Pinnock

25th October 2007

Trade experts at the CAP Black Book predict that convertibles will buck tradition and hold on to their value as the weather worsens, thanks to the latest generation of clever folding hard-top designs.

However, their counterparts at Glass’s Guide fully expect the seasonal drop in cabrio prices to hit home as usual.

Forecast manager at CAP, Jeff Knight, said: “We still have to see whether this ingenious, but complex, metal folding roof technology remains problem-free in the long term. But at the moment, the signs are that these cars are enjoying high demand, regardless of season.”

However, chief car editor at Glass’s Guide, Jeff Paterson, is less confident about their prospects. “The theory is that CC-style models are much more evergreen than rag-tops,” he said. “But we suspect traders will drive prices down during the winter months, just because they see the word ‘convertible’.”

Traditional soft-tops will not be completely replaced by metal hard-tops.
And on top of that, CC prices could be further dented by the fact that they don’t obviously look like convertibles once the hood has been put up – a possible problem in this image-driven market. “Buyers of these cars always like to be seen driving a genuine cabriolet, even with the roof in place,” explained Paterson.

Prestige brand Audi has stated its commitment to traditional fabric hoods. Both the forthcoming A3 drop-top and the next-generation A4 convertible will use a traditional rag-top design.

Bosses at the firm are convinced that cabrios with the latest cloth hoods will remain every bit as popular in the future.