Summer sampler: Ups and downs of convertibles

The car: The G6 is, hopefully, the last vestige of Pontiac's "built to rent" days. At best, it's a decent but dull car with little to recommend it over anything else. This version, at least, offers a relatively low price considering that it has a hard top and comfortable seating for four.

The cost: About $29,000 to start

The top: The G6 convertible is a car that definitely looks best with the roof off. With the roof up, this hard-top convertible looks weirdly proportioned.

The G6 has a steeply raked windshield that helps minimize wind noise, but watch out for those corners when getting in and out of the car. It's easy to smack your head.

The G6's heavy trunk lid - it's extra long to fit the folding top - is hard to open and close, and the trunk's not really usable with the top down.