Weird but true: I’ve always liked the Volkswagen Eos. From the first time I saw a new one in 2007, the Eos always grabs my attention. It’s cute without being “cute”, it’s aggressive without being overstated, it’s clever without feeling over thought. I love the retractable hardtop; it gives you great coupe looks with the top up and a nice clean look with the roof stored away. As a 4 season convertible, Volkswagen just looked like they got it right. Most of the Eos were shipped to the U.S. with automatic transmissions, but a few early on got a 6 speed manual mated to the 200 horsepower 2.0T found in the GTi. The result? A convertible GTi that’s lost the “hatchback” look. Aimed squarely at the BMW and Mercedes crowd, these were never a cheap option but today you can grab a lightly used model for about the same price as a lightly equipped Golf. Take a look at today’s fantastic in Salsa Red over Cornsilk Beige interior:
Year: 2010
Model: Eos
Engine: 2.0 turbocharged inline-4
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 50,423 mi
Price: $21,981 Buy It Now
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2010 Volkswagen Eos on eBay
Year:
2010
VIN:
WVWAA7AH4AV011022Make:
VOLKSWAGEN
Stock:
9642Model:
Eos 2dr Conv Manual Komfort
Condition:
CERTIFIED PRE-OWNEDBody:
CAR
Title:
CLEAREngine:
2.0L I4 16V GDI DOHC Turbo
Exterior:
SALSA REDCylinders:
4
Interior:
CORNSILK BEIGETransmission:
MANUAL
Warranty:
Volkswagen Certified Pre-OwnedMileage:
50423Economy:
City 21 MPG / Highway 31 MPG
This is the perfect Eos package; the Salsa Red is a gorgeous deep bluish red, the beige interior is the one you’d want with the top down (think: black=bacon), and this car is equipped with the 2.0T mated to the 6 speed manual. Win! Further, although this is a “Komfort” model it’s equipped with the upgraded and nice looking “Le Mans” alloys. Sure, this isn’t the performance monster than many people would dream of, but it’s a great all-around car that is economical to run, sporty when you want it, has good looks and is a true 4 seat convertible. At $22,000, it’s not cheap, but it’s a lot of car for the money and with a CPO warranty you can get a few years of topless fun in before worrying about maintenance. If you don’t want the social stigma of driving a Cabrio, a Z3, an SLK, a TT or a Boxster, the Eos remains a great option.
-Carter
Not really seeing how the social stigma of driving an Eos is meaningfully different than the Cabrio, Z3, SLK, TT, Boxster, 3-series convertible, etc.
I won’t get started on how stupid that stereotype is (it’s really stupid), but as the spiritual successor to the VW Cabrio – the archetypal 80’s teen girl’s car – how can it be perceived that much differently?
Larry,
At least around me, the people I see driving Eos (Eii?) are markedly different than the people I see driving SLKs, TTs and Z3s. But, that could just be in Rhode Island. I think the Eos fades into the background much better than it’s predecessors or any of the other German convertibles; it’s handsome but understated and so expensive out of the box that few are buying them for their teens – unlike the Cabriolet and Cabrio. It strikes me as more of an alternative to the 328iC, honestly.
To be fair, I don’t typically see a lot of Eii (to borrow your plural) on the street. Certainly not as common as the Cabs were in their day. The drivers, with only one exception, have been women. Autoblog seems to agree (autoblog.com/2007/09/27/officially-official-volkswagen-eos-a-chick-car/).
The Eos design is far more subtle than any of the others mentioned, but it’s still perceived as a Golf convertible – not so much a BMW competitor. In the mid-late 80’s – when the Cabriolet was the hot high school graduation present for “daddy’s girls” – they were still priced in the high teens – well below even an 318iC.
Even though it seems like VW has tried to upmarket the Eos, price-wise it really hasn’t. For example, a mid-level Eos Sport at nearly $38K is comparable to a $19K Cabriolet in 1988 dollars. A base 2013 328iC starts at $48K.
Larry, I think we’re talking the same language here. As I said in the post, this is effectively a convertible GTi; much sportier than the Cabrio or Cabriolet were out of the box, and in my comment I suggested rather than being considered competition for the 2 seaters, this was more an alternative to the 328 – I didn’t mean it was direct competition. Is it a “woman’s” car? Well, I don’t think that’s any more fair than saying that the Boxster is a “man’s” car; I don’t think many men desire – especially at high prices – a 4 seat convertible; that said, it’s a nifty package and pretty unique to the market. When compared to the 328iC, it seems to be a much better deal, no? I mean, a Kia Forte is much cheaper than a Toyota Corolla but achieves effectively the same thing. If you want a hard top 4 seater convertible from Germany, those are your two options. Fair point about the price point of all of the cabriolets; it’s amazing that they’re priced at twice the going rate of a Golf.
Hmmm… My wife and I have owned an ’87 Cabriolet for 26 years, we had a Z3 1.9 for 3 years and a Z3 2.8 for 3 years. I don’t recall feeling any social stigma attached to the cars.
When we bought our most recent convertible (’04 Volvo C70, used) we took a very long, hard look at the Eos. Really liked the cars but found we got more for our money with the Volvo. Maybe next time we go shopping the Eos will be in what I consider to be a reasonable price range.
You are right with the notion that there aren’t that many of them out there on the used car market. In my opinion that is one of the reasons for their higher prices.