[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Convertibles (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 8/12/2014 7:19:35 PM EDT
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I never had any interest in convertibles, and up until this year, I'd never even ridden in one unless you count a stripped out M998.
I was bored with my daily driver, and I was wanting a second vehicle I could play with. I wanted something affordable and reliable with good handling, rear wheel drive, and a manual transmission. The 240sx and MR2 were on the shopping list if I could find good examples, but I ended up at the obvious answer- the Miata. In the turns, the Miata has been everything I wanted it to be, but between the turns, I discovered how nice it can be to just cruise down an open road with the top down. The Miata is okay in that role, but it's not the best, and that got me thinking... What happened to the classic American drop top? 
Okay, so fuel costs and the EPA have killed the market for new yachts, but why is it that the closest thing is a Camaro? They used to be sold in most models across all brands, and now the only ones I know of are the Mustang, the Camaro, the Corvette, and... that it? I understand their practical limitations, but has the market really rejected them to that extent? |
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Hard to pass safety standards
And they suck. The wind blowing through your hair and the rushing noise drowning out all sound gets old in a hurry. Can't talk on the phone or hear your radio or mp3. Rain Snow Sunburn Hot Cold. They leak, have terrible insulation, require more upkeep, cannot be secured age fast and are expensive to replace. I've had two, one in the eighties, one in the ninties. You can have them. I'll take my quiet and airconditioning. ETA; more than two if we're counting Jeeps.... |
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Hard to pass safety standards And they suck. The wind blowing through your hair and the rushing noise drowning out all sound gets old in a hurry. Can't talk on the phone or hear your radio or mp3. Rain Snow Sunburn Hot Cold. They leak, have terrible insulation, require more upkeep, cannot be secured age fast and are expensive to replace. I've had two, one in the eighties, one in the ninties. You can have them. I'll take my quiet and airconditioning. Your in Florida and are anti fliptop? I bet you have AKs too... 
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Originally killed by gov't roll over standards which would have required a full roll cage. Styling guys didn't like that idea very much. Avg owner today makes $175k or more. Drove a Sebring once and had to duck to see out windshield, and I'm not that tall. Prefer mine with two wheels. |
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Your in Florida and are anti fliptop? I bet you have AKs too... Quoted:
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Hard to pass safety standards And they suck. The wind blowing through your hair and the rushing noise drowning out all sound gets old in a hurry. Can't talk on the phone or hear your radio or mp3. Rain Snow Sunburn Hot Cold. They leak, have terrible insulation, require more upkeep, cannot be secured age fast and are expensive to replace. I've had two, one in the eighties, one in the ninties. You can have them. I'll take my quiet and airconditioning. Your in Florida and are anti fliptop? I bet you have AKs too... Never even held one. Only accurate Rifles are interesting...... |
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Your in Florida and are anti fliptop? I bet you have AKs too... Quoted:
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Hard to pass safety standards And they suck. The wind blowing through your hair and the rushing noise drowning out all sound gets old in a hurry. Can't talk on the phone or hear your radio or mp3. Rain Snow Sunburn Hot Cold. They leak, have terrible insulation, require more upkeep, cannot be secured age fast and are expensive to replace. I've had two, one in the eighties, one in the ninties. You can have them. I'll take my quiet and airconditioning. Your in Florida and are anti fliptop? I bet you have AKs too... Apparently, he's old, and he forgot his Centrum Silver. And he is probably having trouble finding the Country Kitchen. 
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All convertibles that aren't built to be purely convertibles are fucking shit. Miata, S2000, MR-S, those are good convertibles. Mustang, Sebring, other shittboxes are terrible convertibles. To be fair, you don't strike me as a Mustang fan in general, and the Sebring is one of the most ironically named cars in history.
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To be fair, you don't strike me as a Mustang fan in general, and the Sebring is one of the most ironically named cars in history. Quoted:
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All convertibles that aren't built to be purely convertibles are fucking shit. Miata, S2000, MR-S, those are good convertibles. Mustang, Sebring, other shittboxes are terrible convertibles. To be fair, you don't strike me as a Mustang fan in general, and the Sebring is one of the most ironically named cars in history. Mustangs shouldn't be convertible. It makes them fucking terrible. Try fucking your girlfriend with a limp dick. It is as effective as driving a convertible Mustang. |
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Ten years ago I went out to buy a convertible sports car and after test driving my five top picks I found that only the Porsche 911 and Boxster were worthy.
The biggest problems caused by the lack of the roof are: 1. Cancer. That sun is a bitch. 2. Noise. I hate having to listen to other people's music. 3. Smoke. Sucking in the exhaust of other people's poorly maintained cars. 4. Heat. Even with the top up the sun's heat just beats through. 5. Height. The convertible tops sat lower than the hard tops. 6. Looks. Subjective but a sporty car with a roofline looks so much better than the same model with the top down. Only the Porsches were equipped with an insulated roof to mitigate these problems a bit. |
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Apparently, he's old, and he forgot his Centrum Silver. And he is probably having trouble finding the Country Kitchen. Quoted:
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Hard to pass safety standards And they suck. The wind blowing through your hair and the rushing noise drowning out all sound gets old in a hurry. Can't talk on the phone or hear your radio or mp3. Rain Snow Sunburn Hot Cold. They leak, have terrible insulation, require more upkeep, cannot be secured age fast and are expensive to replace. I've had two, one in the eighties, one in the ninties. You can have them. I'll take my quiet and airconditioning. Your in Florida and are anti fliptop? I bet you have AKs too... Apparently, he's old, and he forgot his Centrum Silver. And he is probably having trouble finding the Country Kitchen. He must have had a few bad cars or something. Only a couple of those points apply to me. You can't ride with the top down when the weather is bad, but why would you anyways? Mine doesnt leak. It doesnt have terrible insulation. It doesnt require more upkeep. I've never been sunburned. I can hear my radio just fine with the top down. I can hold a conversation just fine with the top down. And the wind blowing isn't an issue at all...that's what windows are for. 
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Ten years ago I went out to buy a convertible sports car and after test driving my five top picks I found that only the Porsche 911 and Boxster were worthy. The biggest problems caused by the lack of the roof are: 1. Cancer. That sun is a bitch. 2. Noise. I hate having to listen to other people's music. 3. Smoke. Sucking in the exhaust of other people's poorly maintained cars. 4. Heat. Even with the top up the sun's heat just beats through. 5. Height. The convertible tops sat lower than the hard tops. 6. Looks. Subjective but a sporty car with a roofline looks so much better than the same model with the top down. Only the Porsches were equipped with an insulated roof to mitigate these problems a bit. 1. I don't think the average American in 2014 gets enough sun exposure for this to be a concern.
2. Do you ever drive outside the city? 3. You live in CA. How often is that really a problem there? 4. My Miata is black on black on black, and it doesn't get any hotter than my hardtop. 5. I can't debate this, but there are some pretty big dudes who probably can. 6. Subjective indeed. |
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Okay, Lifetime of T-Tops here. I still have my 88 IROC T-Top car. It's pretty much a race car at this point. The IROC in my avatar and a '91 Corvette convertible...... FUN,FUN, FUN ! Get one and never look back. I'll never buy another fast car that has a lid on it again. |
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I miss my old YJ ragtop - that was a great commute vehicle
Wife has a 328 convertible hardtop - the wind is brutal at speed - also having done a road trip in it i can attest that there is only so much top down one can take per day after which its top up and AC. |
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I never had any interest in convertibles, and up until this year, I'd never even ridden in one unless you count a stripped out M998. I was bored with my daily driver, and I was wanting a second vehicle I could play with. I wanted something affordable and reliable with good handling, rear wheel drive, and a manual transmission. The 240sx and MR2 were on the shopping list if I could find good examples, but I ended up at the obvious answer- the Miata. In the turns, the Miata has been everything I wanted it to be, but between the turns, I discovered how nice it can be to just cruise down an open road with the top down. The Miata is okay in that role, but it's not the best, and that got me thinking... What happened to the classic American drop top? http://carspics-db.com/data_images/gallery/01/cadillac-convertible/cadillac-convertible-07.jpg Okay, so fuel costs and the EPA have killed the market for new yachts, but why is it that the closest thing is a Camaro? They used to be sold in most models across all brands, and now the only ones I know of are the Mustang, the Camaro, the Corvette, and... that it? I understand their practical limitations, but has the market really rejected them to that extent? "Convertibles are for playboys. Hardtops are for serious drivers"... Enzo Ferrari http://www.urbaninsuranceagency.com/2009-ferrari-599-california/ I rented one a few years back and took the top down for a 2 hour drive to visit the client... At the end of the 2 hours... I had decided that I no longer desired a convertible. I now have a car that has 2 removable tops, one is semi transparent and the other one is painted the color of my car. I typically use the painted one as the transparent one gets way too warm and it kind of sux sitting in the sun all of the time. Several times of year, I will take the top off in the evening and enjoy a drive around town... I like the look of convertibles and it would be nice to have one as a 3rd of 4th car to drive (occasionally)... for me... I don't need one, but enjoy looking at them. |
This is the one I'm checking out to buy on Sunday for my wife as a "semi-retirement" present. One owner, 14k....a retired guy who has 4 sports cars and is selling it to get a collectible roadster. The thing is immaculate, Worth the 3 hour drive to go check it out.
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Ten years ago I went out to buy a convertible sports car and after test driving my five top picks I found that only the Porsche 911 and Boxster were worthy. The biggest problems caused by the lack of the roof are: 1. Cancer. That sun is a bitch. 2. Noise. I hate having to listen to other people's music. 3. Smoke. Sucking in the exhaust of other people's poorly maintained cars. 4. Heat. Even with the top up the sun's heat just beats through. 5. Height. The convertible tops sat lower than the hard tops. 6. Looks. Subjective but a sporty car with a roofline looks so much better than the same model with the top down. Only the Porsches were equipped with an insulated roof to mitigate these problems a bit. I totally agree with your list (except #6 in my case). I almost never drive this car 
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Nothing like going to your car in a parking lot only to find the top slit and the 4 track & tapes missing. 
Not the best choice should you decide to roll one over using your head as a roll bar. I never considered any of that when I had my '56 Merc Montclair convertible. |
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I owned a '99 Miata for 12 years. Tremendous fun. Got rid of it only because it had 200k+ miles and too many little things were simply wearing out after many years of good service.
Replaced it with a 2000 Sebring drop top with 55k on the odometer. Not as agile but nearly as much fun as the Miata. Actually gets nearly as good gas mileage. The Miata was not an econobox. While the Miata cost $20k back then, I spent only 5k on the Sebring. The Sebring takes care of the problems that a Miata has for men approaching 60. Much more comfortable, auto transmission, cruise control, trunk space, back seat for grandkids, smooth and quiet ride. It cannot do what the Miata does which is scoot and shoot. But at my age it is a fun drop top. Regardless, the measure of a man is not his car; it is his behavior. |
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Convertibles are fun out in the woods. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CSXdQDjSI2k/U0snOd4df5I/AAAAAAAAISg/kM5Of1gkztE/s800/SAM_1260-w1200-h1000.jpg I don't take my top all the way down unless i'm on a heavily forested trail for the most part. The sun beating down while driving down the road and not being able to hear anything gets old quick. I don't consider this a convertable, this is the exception to the rule along with bronco's 
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I don't consider this a convertable, this is the exception to the rule along with bronco's Quoted:
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Convertibles are fun out in the woods. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CSXdQDjSI2k/U0snOd4df5I/AAAAAAAAISg/kM5Of1gkztE/s800/SAM_1260-w1200-h1000.jpg I don't take my top all the way down unless i'm on a heavily forested trail for the most part. The sun beating down while driving down the road and not being able to hear anything gets old quick. I don't consider this a convertable, this is the exception to the rule along with bronco's What would you call it then? |