Comments on: Question of the Day: Do You Like Hard Top Convertibles?

By: TR3GUY

TR3GUY — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:11:37 +0000

Talked to the Mazda dealer today. If I took the plunge my payments would really go up for an 09 HT. But it was tempting – as its raining today. I can say even with a HT Miata They were going to ell for 1K over invoice. That’s lousy on a GM for for a Miata HT I don’t know.

By: Justin Berkowitz

Justin Berkowitz — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:24:44 +0000

@TR3GUY:

You said it. That’s why hardtop convertibles do well here in New York and the rest of the northeast.

What’s the biggest market for hardtop convertibles in Europe? Why it’s London of course!

Hell, the VW Eos sold out its entire allocation in Canada BEFORE THEY COULD RUN ANY ADS FOR IT.

By: TR3GUY

TR3GUY — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:52:27 +0000

SEATTLE The reason so many Seattle folk respond is that with less sunshine we want every day we can have in our top down cars. That’s why after reading all the posts I think it’s another Miata with a HT. The Volvo is a nice car — softer ride but it’s not a sports car. In ten years I can go there but it is like my dad deciding if he wanted a “motor Sailor” boat. No stay with a sail boat (Mason 34) unless you want a motor boat. (Alben) So get a sports car – HT or rag top but get a spots car. Unless you just want a convertible.

By: GBG

GBG — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:31:03 +0000

The only convertible I have spent much time in was a rental T-bird in 2003. I loved driving that car, but it was a heavy drinker. At least gas was still below 2.50 in California in those days. With the top up, it was noisy at highway speeds, which made me think that back home in Boston, if I ever had one (used), I’d get the removable hard top to fit. This is one convertible that looks good with the top up or down, or with the hard top on.

Not many of the hard top convertibles look as good as the coupes they are based on. And the ones that do, are waay expensive. Caddy, Mercedes, I am looking at you. So the rest, if it looks OK, it probably does not have a coupe version.

autoclay.blogspot.com

By: billc83

billc83 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:59:32 +0000

I was seriously considering a slightly used XLR – depreciation is hitting those pretty hard. I cannot comment on the structural integrity of any retractable hardtops, since I haven’t spent any major time in them with the top up, but I really think, styling wise, they’re hit or miss (and that, of course, is always subjective).

I love the XLR. I like the SL and SLK. I like the Eos. I hate the G6 (ironically, I like to coupe). I loath the Sebring.

My current convertible is a soft-top, but I just put the hardtop on for winter (it won’t see much driving time, and it frees up some space in the garage). The whole summer I put the top up once, during a rainstorm at a car show!

Oh, and I’m from Seattle, too!

By: Stephan Wilkinson

Stephan Wilkinson — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:32:35 +0000

Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, officer. It’s a Village where my friends on the job–I’m an EMS volunteer and see them all the time–complain mainly of boredom.

This is a community that has _twice_ been featured on a rundown of police-blotter reports from across the country, that David Letterman used to do. The one I remember was, “Woman called 911. Said a walnut had fallen from a tree onto her car and left a dent.”

Austin, Texas? You’re kidding. I’ve been to Austin, and that’s a war zone compared to here. You need to get out more, but I, ah, feel your pain.

By: oldlt43

oldlt43 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:19:07 +0000

Have been reading TTAC for about a year and have raved about it to the few in my email address book that it is the place to go to find out what’s happening in the automotive world free of vapid advertisement funded ‘enlightenment’ or just plain old bs caused by a refusal to face facts and stop viewing the world through the rose-colored glasses apparently handed out wholesale by GM’s press people. I veered off course a little here but this is the first time I’ve ever commented on a website so please bear with me. The orginal comment that fired me up was Stephen Wilkinson’s comment to the effect he lived where he could leave an iPod in it’s cradle in a rag top with the top down…..Where is this wonderland?….My first car was a ‘66 Spitfire that I really enjoyed but even then (Austin, TX)
bad guys kept cutting my top.I’m a cop in a small AZ mining town and you can’t even leave your windows open around here without miscreants rummaging through your interior for useful goodies.

By: dancote

dancote — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:59:03 +0000

Yes. Just because some manufacturers can’t pull them off doesn’t mean they’re a bad idea.

By: dolo54

dolo54 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:07:05 +0000

I like the idea in theory. In real-life it almost never works. Usually you end up with a heavy, rattly hardtop… But my friend had the ultimate hardtop convertible. It was a late 90s Mercedes 300sl. It had a regular soft-top, but it also came with a detachable, 1-piece hardtop. In the winter he would put the hardtop on and in the summer leave it off. As long as you have a garage to store the hardtop, this is the ideal solution. Plus the car actually looked better with the hardtop on, it didn’t look like a removable top, it just looked like regular hardtop sportscar.

Personally I have a preference to targa and t-tops. It’s kind of a pain to take on and off, but you get the best both worlds otherwise. @ theflyersfan: My t-tops fit in the trunk.

By: theflyersfan

theflyersfan — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:00:12 +0000

Memo to self – many TTAC readers/posters are from Seattle!!! Next time I visit your fine city (and I do miss that city a lot…), I’ll be asking for what roads in the Cascades are best for breaking in the tires and engine of a rental!
In these eyes, the best top-up hard-top convertibles are the Miata, SL, SLK, and C70.
The “Dear Lord, who designed that?” awards go to the G6 (take out back and shoot), 3-series (way too many gaps and awkward angles), the Lexus Palm Springs…er…SC430, and of course, the Sebring.
I guess everything else is in the middle but the whole bubble-butt trunk required by most PHTs really can kill the style.
Targas and t-tops made some sense to me, but the whole storage issue, especially away from home, just seemed to be a pain. I like the attitude of the Elise – they know the car is going to be garaged anyway – just unroll a canvas thing with some rods and there you go – instant top! Actually if an owner could do it without getting too soaked during a surprise storm, they’re good.

By: Landcrusher

Landcrusher — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:22:48 +0000

It’s just a matter of time before they innovate these tops into something that will change your minds.

Most convertibles don’t really look that good with the top up anyway. Also, there aren’t that many people who want to have extra vehicles. The ragtop comes with compromises just as the origami tops do. The origami is easier to live with in places like Houston, where the top may come down every month, but it certainly has to stay up parts of everyday as well.

By: John Horner

John Horner — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:27:33 +0000

I don’t like any sort of convertible. Heck, I don’t like sunroofs. The removable center roof section of the X1/9 is kind of cool though. That style of “targa top” makes far more sense to me that soft tops or origami hard tops.

By: z9

z9 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:24:17 +0000

I enjoy my Eos much more than previous soft-top convertibles I’ve owned. However, I don’t think the technology is for everyone. I’ve had leaks, which is a widespread problem with many hardtop convertibles, in part due to the use of friction seals that require regular lubrication with an extremely expensive synthetic substance called Krytox. The top rattles a bit at low speeds as well. Do sales of hardtop convertibles justify the expense of perfecting this technology? I hope so, but I’m not optimistic.

By: Scottie

Scottie — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:14:05 +0000

I only like Hardtop Convertibles when the hard top is completely removable and there is a Soft top option. FOlding origami roofs aren’t convertibles.

By: Buckshot

Buckshot — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:46:41 +0000

Yes i like them because i have one :)
But some looks odd.
I was going to post a link to Ford Focus CC here but it doesn´t work for some reason???

By: Buckshot

Buckshot — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:43:32 +0000

Yes i do like hardtop cabriolets, because i have one :)
But some of them can look very strange.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ford_Focus_CC_rear_20080121.jpg

By: Dangerous Dave

Dangerous Dave — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:37:22 +0000

I’ve always driven convertibles and have only owned one hardtop convertible, a SLK 350. It was a nice car and a blast to drive, but the top was a pain in the ass. When you wanted to put something bigger than a bread box in the trunk the top had to go up to make room. My current ride, a Jag XK8, has a classic cloth top and the trunk is always the same size, top up or down. The top cover is easy to put on and take off in less than a minute. I’ll take a ragtop over a hardtop convertible any day.

By: davey49

davey49 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:09:18 +0000

I like a soft top better. VW New Beetle is my favorite.

By: velvet fog

velvet fog — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:51:53 +0000

Another seattle convertible owner here. After 3 soft tops decided I wanted a folding hard top mostly for less road noise. I can live with less trunk space but the trunk does have to hold one set of golf clubs. Sorely disappointed in the 335i on this point and decided to get an SL.

Agree that most folding tops look awkward as do most soft versions of cars that were originally coupes.

By: cgd

cgd — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:40:08 +0000

I’m not a convertible fan. I live in the deep south, where there are approximately 3-4 weeks each spring and fall where the weather is good for them. For 6 or 7 months out of the year, it’s humid and hot and you’ll boil in slow traffic, then for 2-3 months it’s too cold.

By: johnny ro

johnny ro — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:08:52 +0000

Thread hijack.

Paid 11k for 99 miata, 15k on clock, this spring. Wish it had power hardtop that admirably folds into soft top bay. Talk about good engineering. Not worth 16k extra for new miata PHT which is equipped with 4 cupholders, two of which dig into thighs. Would have to find non-cup holder door panels

OK back to thread.

Sure, power HT is fun thing, like to borrow each of yours for a week or two. I dont drive fast, I promise.

Back to thread hijack. A Miata coupe is what I really want, 2 liter rwd Miata coupe for about 21k. A Mazda Miata Cayman.

By: Prado

Prado — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:11:33 +0000

I’m still cleaning up the puke after seeing the pictures released yesterday of the IS250 hardtop convertible. So my answer to the question of the day is HELL NO. Even the Miata looks like ass when you compare it to the looks of the removable hard top.

By: seoultrain

seoultrain — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:05:15 +0000

I remember thinking in 4th grade that the 3000GT Spyder was the coolest car in existence, which I still partially stand by. Back in the 90’s, the hardtop convertible Spyder version cost more than twice as much as the fixed roof version because of some weird legislation/tax (I forget which). Then the SLK came along and made the hardtop convertible attainable, which was still cool, but much less so. Then everyone else came along and played it out.

And Jonny, while enthusiasts see the added weight, complexity, and cost as the ultimate sacrifice trifecta, the typical buyer sees an all-weather convertible: fun in summer, warm and usable in winter. Weight and rigidity don’t factor into most people’s equations.

By: argentla

argentla — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:41:39 +0000

No. I don’t like convertibles, for starters. A convertible with a generally awkward-looking folding metal roof that adds 300-500 pounds to the curb weight, thousands of dollars to the sticker, and the prospect of truly horrifying long-term maintenance and repair issues is even less appealing than a conventional ragtop. It’s nice to not have your radio accessible to anyone one with a pocket knife, so I guess they have that much going for them over ragtops.

I’d rather have a coupe.

By: willbodine

willbodine — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:40:27 +0000

Not really. Like all compromises, it is neither chalk nor cheese.
I can think of none that looks as good as the same car with a folding cloth top. Even the first Ford Skyliner was weird looking, compared to the Sunliner.
But if you live in an urban area and have to park on the street (even part of the time) steel is gonna be way preferrable to cloth.