Convertibles have returned. The comeback built slowly at first, but convertibles now proliferate, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. Many people caught the convertible bug in the last 10 years because they've rented them while visiting in other parts of the country, said Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). In the time between the removal of convertibles from the roads and their return to the landscape, automakers found ways to make them nearly as safe as cars with steel tops. The key, of course, is to keep the shiny side up. While car manufacturers, particularly Chrysler, Ford, Chevy and Pontiac, were selling convertibles to rental companies, they discovered a lot of potential customers who are wallowing in cash (read baby boomers). Besides that, they are looking to have a little fun, according to the Post-Standard. "We're seeing a confluence of new customers with new sporty cars on the market and that's no coincidence," Taylor said.