Fun is what puts a smile on your face, a sparkle in your eye and a chuckle in your mouth.

That’s it. That’s fun.
And the easiest way to get that sensation while driving is to drive a convertible, one with the spirit to move you down the road, hair mussed, sun shining, and stereo blasting.

There is no other reason to buy one.
That kind of fun, however, comes at a price – one not easily met by the great middle class of this country. But wait – there is hope for the working man. For 2005, three new convertibles at around $30,000 are now available – the 2005 Mini Cooper S Convertible, the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, and the 2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible. They join a group already in the fun zone that includes the 2005 Toyota Camry Solara Convertible. Which one is most fun – and the best buy – depends on your perspective. For this reviewer, fun in the sun at around $30,000 comes first with the PT Cruiser, second with the Mustang, third with the Toyota Camry Solara and finally the Mini Cooper.

4th Place: 2005 Mini Cooper S Convertible
How shocking – last place for a car that sells itself as the fun alternative. They speak the truth, by the way, because driving it is very fun – it’s living with the Mini that makes it a chore. The distinction is subtle but significant: Fun is a car that sticks to the road as if it were a spandex yellow stripe. Not fun is picking bugs off your forehead because the smallish windshield offers little protection. Combined with the low-cut doors, it’s all wind all the time – and yes, I do believe it’s time to put that top up.

Fun is the stylish exuberance of the Mini, the kind of look that makes even jaded truckers smile. Not fun is squeezing an adult frame into a teeny-weeny backseat fit only for elves, waifs and fairies. Fun is an engine that sounds great, drives better and makes you want to enter the local city street Grand Prix. Not fun is an average mile-per-gallon of just over 20 for a car this small, and rearward visibility that actually gets worse with the top down, thanks to tall back seats with roll bars and a method of top stowage that simply stacks it up on top of the trunk. Looking out of the rearview mirror is like staring up a hole – something that sounds decidedly un-fun to me. Fun is racing stripes and Mini logos – not fun is hard plastics everywhere, barely serviceable cupholders and no room to stow anything. There are other irritants, such as the small trunk – suitable for one suitcase – and a trunk lid that opens out and down – making ease of use a back-wrenching hassle.

Fun is enjoying a sunny day out with friends. Not fun is going it alone, ‘cause no one else wants to ride in such a small, confining space, or maybe because you can’t afford to go anywhere anyway – thanks to the $30K you blew on this car. But go ahead – enjoy the drive. Me, I want a car that’s also fun to live with.

3rd Place: 2005 Toyota Camry Solara SLE Convertible
Where the 2005 Mini Cooper S convertible is fun over function, the 2005 Toyota Camry Solara is all function and a little fun – unless your idea of fun is waiting in line at Starbucks.

I would rather get my latte later, thanks. And while I would buy and live with a Solara rather than a Mini Cooper Convertible, I would rather drive a Mini. The trouble with the Solara is that its efficiency and mass-produced appeal make it like a mechanical mask on a real, snorting bull.

Give me a convertible Scion tC.
Until then, the Solara is a capable substitute – so organized and full of extras that it’s like going to a dinner theatre instead of a Broadway play. Aye, you will pay more for those Broadway tickets. And you’ll get a nice chicken dinner at the all-you-can-eat playhouse, with chocolate mousse, too. But “Oklahoma” plays at Harvey’s Chicken-and-Ribs Play Shack 354 days a year, and a Broadway play – why that’s something special.

Of course, the Solara is special because it’s a convertible – and there’s no such thing as a boring convertible, nor is there any way to describe the Solara’s V6 engine as a snooze-fest. The Solara goes fast, and has all the bells and whistles – including navigation screen – for a sticker price just a tick over $32,000. That is about the same price as the Mini Cooper S Convertible, but with navigation, top-grain leather, a superb interior design and a strong exterior design. Of the cars tested, the Solara was the best built, had the most room in back, featured the best interior and offered the best top mechanism. It was also the car with the least appeal, the sloppiest handling and, as a result, the least fun car to drive on a balmy Sunday morning. Fun for the Solara is getting a very competent, stylish car – with all the trimmings – for a price that makes the Mini blush.

2nd Place: 2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible
Sex appeal runs amok with the Mustang. And not just any old level of attraction, but retro titillation of the highest order, wrapped up tight in a car that carries with it the hopes and dreams of a Great Ford Comeback.

Here come the Dearborn Divas.
They ride on the wheels of the Mustang – first the fastback and, now, the convertible. Listen carefully and you can hear the sound of Ford dealers everywhere, sharpening their pencils and laying out stacks of four-square sales sheets.

They’ll use ‘em, because the Ford Mustang GT Convertible is the kind of car you’ll like to drive, love to look at, all while easily fitting it into your daily grind. With a back seat that’s bigger than the Mini but smaller than the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible or the 2005 Toyota Camry Solara, you can actually transport two adults in back – just not for a long road trip. Unwelcome rattles and whistling in the cabin is barely noticeable, thanks to the sweet, sweet sound of the Mustang GT’s 300-horsepower V8 engine.

Stop. Before you think that there’s something wrong with an abundance of engine noise, cast your mind back to our goal of fun-Zen, and remind yourself that the Mustang GT is the new-old muscle car – you’re supposed to hear the engine. Fun and function are capably represented here, from excellent design inside and out to the nicest drop top among the four cars tested, a fiber mesh material that will stand up to the rigors of the sun much longer than the canvas tops on the Solara, PT and Mini. What keeps the Mustang GT out of the first slot, however, is its spotty interior build, so-so ride and handling, and price. At around $34,000 as tested, this is the most expensive car in the test.

Fun, after all, does come at a price – and it’s more fun when that price is under $30,000.

1st Place: 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT Convertible
If you remember the PT Cruiser, you likely recall the hysteria that accompanied its entrance into the marketplace, the high prices and the waiting lists.

Mmmm. Good times.
But that was then, and this is where once upon a time slipped into the shadow of its own monster rebate. Now you can’t buy a PT Cruiser – or the convertible – without getting at least a couple thou back in discounts. Which is slightly amazing, because few moderately-priced convertibles match up to the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible.

It has ample rear legroom, more than any of the others in this test. It goes like a bat after a blood pie dinner – its 2.4-liter turbo engine is great fun to drive, and among its ilk it smokes off the line. Driving around corners is problematic, however, as the tall body of the PT Cruiser rocks and shifts and shimmies. There’s loads of torque steer – too much when driving aggressively. But from inside and out, the PT is exciting and fun to drive, thanks to great visibility, a high seating position and a turbo ride. Wind protection is as good or better than the rest of the field – only the Solara is as good. Sitting inside is rewarding, as all passengers get plenty of room; there are even inboard front armrests. Plastics fit well together, and there are plenty of soft and semi-soft surfaces to touch. The exterior is very much like the classic look of the PT Cruiser, with the roof chopped off. That’s a bit awkward – strange, in fact – and it doesn’t look nearly as “fun” as the Mustang or the Mini.

It also costs a few thousand less. At a sticker price of around $29,000, the PT Cruiser is certainly the best deal – and that adds to the fun factor. But price aside, it’s fun in the way it drives, its comfort and its design – with the top down. Of all four cars tested, give me the PT Cruiser on a balmy Sunday morning, and I will see you on Monday. And that is what fun is all about.