Summer sampler: Ups and downs of convertibles

The car: In its basic version the Sky is a good, but not great, sports car. The high-performance Red Line version benefits from more horsepower and suspension upgrades.

The cost: About $25,000 to start

The top: The Sky is a stunning looking car, especially with its roof off when nothing shows but its gleaming metal curves. Unfortunately, its manually folding top is the pits.

Taking it up or down requires getting out and running around the car while you open and slam the trunk lid. It hardly makes you look suave. When up, the top is lumpy and looks like it's barely tacked down.

Trunk space is minimal and oddly shaped with the roof up and completely filled up with the top down.