Just a thought-
The used car market is going to be "flooded" with a ton of flood damaged cars from Rita/Katrina, if you are looking to buy a used car, even if you don't live in the affected areas of damage you should still be weary. A lot of unscrupulous sellers are taking these flood damaged cars out of state and getting them retitled and resold as good used cars so just make sure you use some common sense and carfaxes will be a good help (but not fullproof).
As for convertibles the most obvious thing would be to check the condition of the top- check the backglass where the glass seals to the fabric, also check the corners for telltale cracking (it happens to all vinyl tops) near the rear quarter glass where the top folds when retracted.
Also check for recall issues (the fan relay is the big one that comes to mind).
I guess the bottom line is to do some research before committing to buy any used car- look for signs of hidden damage (checking framerails in the engine bay, and also check in the trunk as well for signs), new paint, any signs of flood damage, etc.
Taking a few extra minutes and getting a carfax could mean the difference between getting a good used car and a nice lemon lawn ornament.
