Fly to a tropical location for a vacation, and chances are excellent that your rental will be a Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Anyplace with palm trees is littered with the things, scurrying about airports and tourist traps like ants on chocolate. Though its ubiquity in rental fleets diminishes enthusiasm for the Sebring, and its rapidly advancing age makes it the least compelling vehicle on our list of affordable convertibles, there’s real value to be had in this ragtop if you measure bang-for-the-buck by rebates and incentives.

Offered in Base, GTC, Touring, and Limited trim levels, there’s a Sebring Convertible to suit almost anyone’s tastes, with prices ranging from just over $26,000 to almost $32,000. But don’t forget that Chrysler offers big discounts to keep the metal moving, and actual transaction prices are substantially lower by thousands of dollars.

Just be forewarned that handling is mediocre, and performance from the 200-horsepower, 2.7-liter V6 that comes in all but the Base four-cylinder model is lacking. In fact, everything about the Sebring Convertible’s nuts-and-bolts is unrefined, from the steering and suspension to the brakes and transmission. Ditto the Sebring’s interior, which looks low-rent despite leather upholstery and fake wood grain trim.

But the Sebring Convertible does offer true room for four adults and a decent amount of luggage space in the trunk. Plus, the top is quick to pop, requiring only the manual release of the latches and the push of a button for it to whir away into its well. And some people really like the styling.

Unless you’re a sucker for 25-percent-off sales, though, we’d recommend something else, and leave the 2005 Chrysler Sebring Convertible to honeymooners on Hawaii.