Here comes the sun! Ten used cars for the top-down season

It would be far too easy to kick this list off with a Mazda MX-5 and then fill it with nine other specs of MX-5. Light, affordable, frugal and – above all – fun, it’s the perfect roadster for summer. But you’ve come here seeking something different, so how about an MX-5 in a retro Italian suit? The 124 Spider rolled down the same production line in Japan, but gained a punchier turbo engine and a different look. It’s softer than the Mazda, but there are more than one million of those in circulation – you’re much less likely to pull up alongside another two-seater Fiat at the lights.

The canvas-roofed city car is a wonderfully rich niche, with a wealth of roll-top Citroen C1s, Toyota Aygos and Fiat 500s on the market. But they’re practically people carriers compared to a dinky little Smart, which represents the peak city car. Stroll around Milan or Paris and they’re everywhere. But not all of these can come in brown, however, or boast a harder-cored Brabus spec, both available in the Smart. A rambunctious Micro Machine for the road with the ability to sozzle the top of your head, how could life not be cheerier ensconced in one of these?

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The wider Mercedes group has plenty of alternatives if the Smart really is too wee, however. If that’s the peak city car, then maybe this E-Class is the peak convertible. A four-seater with a big boot, it slots easily into any situation and allows everyone to come along for the ride. It’s popular too, with plenty to choose from online at the time of writing: the E300 sticks its head above the crowd with its smooth petrol power. The king of waft.

‘Summer’ means lots of things to lots of people. Perhaps you relish BBQs in the back garden, or enjoy basking at the beach getting sand all over your ice cream. Or maybe two weeks of all-inclusive heaven by the pool? But for plenty, it’s track day season – that glorious time of the year when evenings are long and you can pop home from work via three hours of cooking brakes rather than sausages at the local circuit. So, what better than a gnarly 270bhp hot hatch that’ll also cart the kids and their stuff to Skegness on a sunny Saturday morning?

Perhaps your idea of summer enjoyment is much gnarlier. Perhaps you like wading through water, thumping through mud and clambering over rocks. Perhaps you’re an off-roader. Sure, you could have a good ol’ Defender or a rusty but reliable Land Cruiser, but Suzuki’s game little mountain goat might just wipe the floor with them all. And with that ladder on the back, this Jimny is ready to be loaded up with overnight gear to ensure you’re not merely green-laning around the back of the house.

Convertible cars aren’t always revered in the hardcore petrolhead community. Their slightly more relaxed, ‘soaking up the sun’ vibe is not necessarily conducive to carving apices at a race circuit. It’s hard to tan in a helmet and Nomex. But among the handful of exceptions – the Caterhams and Lotuses of this world – is the beautifully handling Boxster, a car that saved Porsche and brought its fine feedback and visceral thrills to a more affordable and useable car.

If the Boxster doesn’t quite float your boat, then how about its arch-nemesis from Munich? The BMW Z4 entered its third generation with a little help from Toyota, and this handsome roadster shares plenty with the new Supra. It goes for a slightly more relaxed vibe, however, its front engine and automatic gearbox a bit less hardcore for use every single day. But with rear-wheel drive and a punchy turbocharged engine, it’ll still be mightily satisfying on your favourite country road, roof up or down.

Not all summer fun has to be topless. Nowadays, we’re spending much more time in the splendour of the British countryside, and how better to explore it than aboard an adorable little van capable of swallowing bicycles, camping equipment or even just a large, elaborate picnic? The Fiat Fiorino twins frugal 62mpg economy with flexible load space, boasting seating for five if you’re less actively minded and your kids simply dream of being delivered to the school gates by a real-life Postman Pat. Either way, buy it before someone else does …

Perhaps the warmth of the Mediterranean sun is more your version of ‘summer’. You’ll need a cross-continental GT then, a car that makes the trip from Calais to Monaco more of a leap than a stroll. But you’ll also need it to look one million euros parked outside Café de Paris at journey’s end. Step forward the Lexus LC. Still looking scalpel-sharp after six years on sale, it brings a slice of LFA exotica to everyday life. There’s a hybrid option, too, but the naturally-aspirated V8 of this LC 500 will sound much nicer reverberating off the walls of those Monegasque tunnels.

…and we’re back to reality. That’s how we all imagine a summer voyage to France, but the reality is probably much closer to a clammy carful negotiating endless Chunnel queues on the way to a campsite already chockful of other Brits. So allow the car to relieve some of the strain and make sure there’s something in it for the grown-ups, too – get something big enough to swallow all of your kids’ paraphernalia yet still have room for a supermarket sweep of the cash ‘n’ carry on the way home. This eight-seat, 50mpg (!) Peugeot Traveller should fit the bill perfectly.

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