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“Phoenix is just the perfect town for convertibles,” said one of my newspaper cohorts, Dave Sweet, who bought himself a new ragtop for his 50th birthday.

“You can put the top down in the summer at night and put the top down during the day in the wintertime, so you can use it all year round. In the Midwest, in the wintertime, you’re just stuck.”

Despite their charm, convertibles have never been a huge piece of the market, with many more people talking about how they’d like to have a convertible than actually buying one.

Part of the reason is expense. Convertible price tags are considerably higher than their coupe or sedan counterparts. They’re more expensive to produce because of limited production and the extra engineering needed to stiffen the body structure after removing the steel roof.

But there are some relatively inexpensive automobiles with removable tops. One of them is Chevrolet’s Cavalier LS, redesigned and substantially improved for 1996 and carried over to ’97.

Here’s a sharp looking little car, fully equipped with a slick electric top, all for less than $20,000. It’s even a pretty cool image machine.

The best part is, of course, its folding top. And this top is 100 percent struggle-free. Hop in behind the wheel, unlock the windshield latches, hold down the magic button, and the top folds itself away with a soft whirr, just like the big, expensive boys.

Attaching the tonneau cover over the folded top does require a small amount of effort, but not too much.

The Cavalier is good little driver, too. Not racy or soul stirring, but competent and even kind of sophisticated. Chevrolet put out the effort to design the convertible version of its popular economy car with its own rigid structure.

As a result, this drop top drives without the shakes or shimmies that can plague some ragtops. The Cavalier’s suspension system is kind of mushy, so flinging it through turns like a sports car doesn’t quite have the desired effect. The power rack-and-pinion steering has a good, direct feel, but is somewhat over-boosted.

Our test car was powered by Chevy’s much-improved Quad 4 engine, a dual-cam mill that puts out 150 horsepower. This engine is just a $400 option on the Cavalier LS, and well worth it. In our test car, it was linked with a four-speed automatic transmission that shifted nicely and didn’t sap too much of the available power.

The interior is reasonably roomy for a small car, with a back seat that can actually accommodate full-size humans, though not real big ones.

The dash and interior styling is pretty dull, with an economy-car feel even in this upscale LS version. Still, for the price, it’s not too bad.

Chevrolet offers a gaggle of convertibles in its lineup besides the Cavalier: the tiny Geo Prism, Geo Tracker, Camaro (or if you prefer Pontiac, the Firebird), and the Corvette, which is all new for ’97.

Some other convertibles, all priced higher than the Cavalier but worth considering , are the new Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon models, Chrysler Sebring, Toyota Celica, Honda Del Sol, Ford Mustang and, of course, Mazda Miata.

Though the Cavalier convertible is keyed in to younger drivers, middle-age folk shouldn’t be put off. Here is a decent way to enjoy our favorable climate, and help smooth out the rough edges of mid-life crises.

1997 Chevrolet Cavalier

Vehicle type: Five-passenger, two-door convertible, front-wheel-drive. Base price: $17,500. Price as tested: $19,720. Engine: 2.4-liter inline-4, 150 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, 155 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. Transmission: Four-speed automatic. Curb weight: 2,838 pounds. Length: 180.3 inches. Wheelbase: 104.1 inches. Safety features: Dual air bags, anti-lock brakes. EPA fuel economy: 22 mpg city, 32 mpg highway. Highs: Relative low price. Slick electric top. Improved styling. Lows: Mushy suspension. Bor ing interior. Economy-car aura.