I had a Focus CC3 Cabriolet.
It was the only car I've had that caused several people to approach me to say 'nice car' - you don't get that with a Focus hatch.
I will concede I didn't drop the roof as often as I thought I would, but to say 'it's summer only' is the remark of someone who has never had one.
Some of my best drives were in crisp, still, frosty mornings in the Yorkshire Dales.
Running with the top down is also a different experience because you can hear so much more, bird song, and the conversation of pedestrians when you stop at a zebra crossing or trundle along a high street.
You also find yourself occasionally talking to other road users, which never happens in a tin top.
That included a cyclist who rested his mittened hand on my rear wing to avoid unclipping - cheeky beggar.
I recall pulling over for a police car with its sirens blaring and getting a bollocking from the driver behind - I had heard the cop car several seconds before him.
Being a Focus, mine handled nicely, even with the top down.
I had no leaks, but the roof did creak a bit when up.
I kept the car for about four years - about standard for me - using it most days for work or pleasure.
Depreciation was a little more than I expected, but I'd had about 75,000 reliable and fun miles out of it, so no complaints there.
Worth remembering the majority of people who tell you how crap convertibles are have never driven one, let alone owned one.
