Occasionally a car comes along that’s so good looking it achieves instant and universal praise. The Audi A4 cabriolet is the perfect example.

While its saloon and estate brothers look a tad bland compared with executive rivals such as the BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-class, with a canvas roof the A4’s tasteful lines suddenly shine through.

Introduced to the UK in 2002 — nearly two years after the demise of Audi’s previous cabriolet, based on the

Audi 80 — the A4 became an instant hit. Waiting lists stretched through to the following year and even today a 2002-registered car will still fetch about £16,000, or about two-thirds of its list price.

As with all cabriolets, buyers should choose their car with care. Not only is there a range of engines and transmissions to consider, but getting the colour and trim combinations right is important.

With a cabriolet the interior will be on display almost as much as the exterior and few buyers will settle for anything less than their ideal combination.

Under the bonnet the choice between diesel or petrol power should be based on your annual mileage: if you cover less than 12,000 miles a year then plump for the petrol.

Smoother and quieter than the 2.5 litre diesel they are also more readily available. The entry-level 1.8 litre turbo producing 163bhp struggles a little in the cabriolet which, because of its extra strengthening, weighs about 200kg more than its saloon equivalent.

The 2.4 litre engine produces only marginally more power than the 1.8 turbo so the pick of the bunch is the 3 litre V6. With 220bhp and 221 lb ft of torque it feels smooth, decently quick and suitably warbly for most tastes.

Your decision whether to buy a manual or automatic is entirely down to personal taste. Both the multitronic and tiptronic auto boxes work well and do nothing to dent performance, while the five and six-speed manual boxes are slick and strong. And perhaps best of all Audi offers all models with an auto and manual option, something unique in this category of car.

Audi’s obsession with quality certainly shows with the A4 cabriolet. Not only is the exterior panel fit and finish superb but the interior detailing, which Audi knows will be on show when the electric roof is folded down, is also faultless.

When you are looking at a used example, virtually regardless of age or mileage, expect the interior to look brand new. Wear should be expected only on leather upholstery and if present can be easily rectified by a professional leather treatment.

On the road the A4 cabriolet drives nearly as well as it looks. The extremely rigid body shell banishes any hint of scuttle shake and the multilink front suspension virtually dismisses the sensation of torque steer. The steering is also nicely weighted and provides good feel.