In reply to pres589:
Yeah, those are almost as good as the pimptastic Sevilles of the early 80's. Very superfly.
In reply to pres589:
Yeah, those are almost as good as the pimptastic Sevilles of the early 80's. Very superfly.
I've only seen one myself, too; not sure if it was aftermarket or factory, but I think it was factory, or at least something you could buy through a dealership, like a Toyota Sunchaser. (Hmmm... I'm not sure you can fit five people in a Sunchaser, but I spotted one on the highway sometime in the past month and was a bit surprised.) I believe that generation Riv was the only way GM ever put a 3.8 Turbo into anything FWD. The main reasons it came to mind was that it's unlikely to be too expensive, and it's big.
Some other possibilities outside the muscle car era:
Not sure if Sebrings can fit three in the back seat, but they're big enough they should. As others have noted, LeBaron convertibles are similar.
I haven't seen very many of them, but the Mercedes E-class came in a drop top.
70's IH Travel-All/Traveler
pinchvalve wrote: Saab 900 Back Seat.Turbo, 5-Speed, Fun, Tuneable...
That photo isn't from a convertible, or the car has been modified - Saab 'verts only have four seats.
I honestly think OP is going to be limited to a malaise-era U.S. pimp cruiser unless heavy modification is done - even then, everybody quit making five seat convertibles years mostly because it is a Very Bad Idea since the center rear passenger is placed in a very unsafe position and a center shoulder belt conflicts with the top mechanism.
Although, come to think of it, I think the 1g 4Runner may have had a center lap belt in back to seat five. Might be wrong, it's been a while.
SlickDizzy wrote:pinchvalve wrote: Saab 900 Back Seat.That photo isn't from a convertible, or the car has been modified - Saab 'verts only have four seats.
^^ What he said, except that I'll go one further and say that it can't even be modified to accept the third belt in the back. There's no room.
If you're wrangler shopping, do yourself a favor and buy a TJ 4.0/5-speed. Best all-around package. The auto's are absolute DOGS(and weak). 2" Budget boost, Bilstein's, 31" tires, exhaust/intake, done. Any more lift/tires/locker or LSD and you'll have to upgrade axles... ask me how I know.
Chrysler LeBaron 'vert....
Not only is there no middle belt in the ones ive had, there's also no ROOM for a 3rd person of any size.
All convertible back seats are narrower than the coupe back seats. This is the main reason why there arent any 3-person back seats in factory convertibles that arent 8 feet wide to start with.
Also a 5-seater, also a 5-speed, and TONS of aftermarket support.
6 speed, get it straight!
Were they wide enough for 3 across in the later gen 2 door Wranglers? I know the Unlimiteds are big enough. But too new.
There used to be such a thing as a 2dr unlimited (TJ) but all pre-JK wranglers have pretty narrow back seats and would not be 3-person friendly in the back.
Honestly, maybe somebody said this and i missed it, but the primary thing that comes to mind for ME for a 5-seat convertible is to find a convertible version of a car that was available with a 3-across bench in the front row, and swap the bench and belts into the convertible. I think that's way more feasible than trying to do 3 across in the back unless you're getting one of those 70s barges.
In reply to 93EXCivic:
Yeah, someone at work just suggested that. I already have a Mazda 6 that turns about as well as a beached whale. I don't WANT to drive something that is the size of one too.... 
But I know, pickins are slim on this one.
No one has commented about first gen Mustangs/F-Bodies. Are they "wide enough" and without a hump separating the rear seats (like in later F-bodies).
And again, thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
Honestly, maybe somebody said this and i missed it, but the primary thing that comes to mind for ME for a 5-seat convertible is to find a convertible version of a car that was available with a 3-across bench in the front row, and swap the bench and belts into the convertible. I think that's way more feasible than trying to do 3 across in the back unless you're getting one of those 70s barges.
This is the angle I was going for. Most convertibles after the 70's began shrinking, and losing any sort of real back seat. Besides, for the original purpose (cruises, beach, ice cream runs) some sort of 70's convertible with a big back seat or bench upfront would be a lot more fun AND will probably hold your investment a bit better than picking up a used 1980's convertible. Guess it depends on what sort of price you're looking to spend.
redhookfern wrote: This is the angle I was going for. Most convertibles after the 70's began shrinking, and losing any sort of real back seat. Besides, for the original purpose (cruises, beach, ice cream runs) some sort of 70's convertible with a big back seat or bench upfront would be a lot more fun AND will probably hold your investment a bit better than picking up a used 1980's convertible. Guess it depends on what sort of price you're looking to spend.
Price is one of the big factors. I don't have a hard number, but I am trying to keep it as low as possible. I'm ok with it being rough. I'm ok with it being not-running as long as it is a car that has a lot of easily sourced parts that won't cost you an arm and a leg (those already have several people in line waiting for them 
). If it needs a new engine/trans right off the bat, I'd probably have to pass. Not afraid to replacing brakes, etc. I don't know how to do major rust repair, but if the bones are solid, I could stand looking at some rusty panels. Would love to learn to weld/do some body work. Same with the interior. It can be kinda rough as I look at it as an opportunity to learn to redo upholstery.
Yeah, I keep on coming back to something from the late 60's/early 70's. Problem is, up here in the great salt north (Northern MA), there are not a lot of pickings on Craigslist (and I am checking everything in New England and Eastern NY). Plus, I'd kinda like it to be able to handle corners, or be made to.
If only I had that billion dollars we were all talking about.....
I know... Picky Picky.
In reply to Wxdude10:
I totally understand the dilemma of rust. I lived in MA for 10 years and now the NYC area. I usually have to extend my search a bit outside of the region.
Keep in mind, having ridden in the back seat of a Lebaron 'vert with the top down, I have to say it sucks.
I'd opt for a 5-seater with a huge sunroof (something with one of those neat dual sunroofs would do the trick) Or something without B-pillars when the windows roll down.
Also a full size early 90's Bronco. Removable fiberglass roof. Though the roof is probably a bit of a bear to remove.
Wxdude10 wrote: Yeah, I keep on coming back to something from the late 60's/early 70's. Problem is, up here in the great salt north (Northern MA), there are not a lot of pickings on Craigslist (and I am checking everything in New England and Eastern NY). Plus, I'd kinda like it to be able to handle corners, or be made to.
I would say your best bet to get to where you want to be is something like a GM A-body with some suspension bolt-ons (plenty available) and head south to get a rust free example.
redhookfern wrote: Also a full size early 90's Bronco. Removable fiberglass roof. Though the roof is probably a bit of a bear to remove.
I was looking at this too. I saw the discussion a few weeks ago about building a full size Bronco with a P71 front end swap and the DOHC 4.6. I also looked at the full size Blazers too (70's-early 90's). Started some wheels a turning... 
Agreed. I've been casually shopping them as a potential trade for my 944. I have fond childhood and teenage memories of them.
redhookfern wrote: Agreed. I've been casually shopping them as a potential trade for my 944. I have fond childhood and teenage memories of them.
Man. I can't believe no one has offered you something irresistible for that car if it's as nice as it looks in photos. Interested in my Cadillac?
I had offered it to Cutter for his E30 convertible, but with everything that he went through, I haven't heard back in a bit. I actually emailed him last night and said the offer was still there if he wanted it.
I tried to offer it up as a trade a few times on local things like a 900 convertible, an 84 GTi, etc but either they flaked or their car wasn't so hot in person.
mid 1960s Galaxie 500 vert? I don't view them as barge-sized. Not small, certainly.
I found this in CT. I thought it looked nice, but needs a frame? And that trunk looks rough to me.
I don't know Galaxie's that well, but a quick look around (including ebay) suggests that buying the best example you can afford is the way to go - I see nice looking driver examples with asking prices around 10K or less. You could have that much or more into that CT example just to get it on the road, and the pics suggest you'd be dealing with rust throughout.
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