Convertable or hardtop?

[pnad]

Here is the scenario:

I have an AWD 97 Talon. Nicely modded (no rice), fast and in great condition.

I have a friend that wants to trade me his 98 Eclipse spyder.

All things being equal, I would basically be trading AWD for a droptop.

I do not drive the Talon in winter, hell I hardly drive it in rain so other than traction leaving the stop light I don't really *need* AWD.

What I am looking for is opinions on convertibles in general. Anyone ever had one and hate it? Maybe they suck? Maybe I just have this unrealistic romanticized dream of top down Sunday cruises through the country side.


thanks

TALON
Spyder

 

[njmodi]

are you a girl? eclipse/talon vert is pretty feminine imo...

 

[pnad]

^^Damnit, that is what the wife said.

But, her opinion doesn't count for much as she hates the Talon also.

 

[radioouman]

I know nothing about the Mitsubishi...
But I have a Sebring convertible and I love it. It isn't the fastest car on the road, and it won't win any handling contests, but it is just a pleasant car to drive. I love putting the top down and unwinding on my way home from work.

That leisurly Sunday drive through the countryside isn't quite as fun as it sounds, but my wife likes it, and I like it and that's all that counts.

By the way, the car rattles like crazy in cold weather, and there is some cowl shake that affects many convertibles. The top leaks in hard rain, and there is not much trunk space. Oh, and don't forget that if you drive like an idiot and flip the car over, you're as good as gone.

 

[pnad]

Thanks for the opinion. No rain or cold issues for me. It would be garaged most of the time, part time 'fun/toy' car.

 

[thedarkwolf]

My miata came with a hardtop and I thought the vert thing would wear off pretty quick and the hardtop would stay on most of the time. It ended up being the opposite though. The top is down ever chance I get. All winter long I've just been waiting for it to get warm enough to take the hardtop back off again which just happened a couple weeks ago. The car is just a hell of a lot more fun with the top down. The downsides are all when the top is up. The plastic rear window is kind of small so you have some big blind spots and it fogs up fairly easy. The miata tops are extremely well made so there isn't any problems with wind noise or water leaks. Don't know about the mitsu. The only downsides I can think of with the top down are sunburns and the heat when you are stopped, can run the a/c with the top down to help in those situations though.

 

[MiataNC]

There are no "feminine" cars. Just insecure drivers.

Get the 'vert. Once you have one, you will never want to be without one.

 

[DougK62]

Tough choice. I like convertibles, but I think the Talons are much better looking than the Eclipses.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: njmodi
are you a girl? eclipse/talon vert is pretty feminine imo...

I know a guy that it is 6'4 and goes about 275 and competes in arm wrestling competitions. He also flys attack helicopters in the Air Force.

He drives an Eclipse convertible when he's stationed at home.

I dare you to call him girly.

 

[njmodi]

I said the car was feminine not the driver

 

[njmodi]

Oh and I used to have a Mustang GT convertible - I loved it...

recently I have been toying with the idea of buying a miata or Z3... so i'm not against convertibles

 

[daveymark]

another vote for a miata. cheap to maintain, classic look, and extremely fun to drive

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: MiataNC
There are no "feminine" cars. Just insecure drivers.

Get the 'vert. Once you have one, you will never want to be without one.

I am sure owning a Miata in Good Ol' Boy NC has you believing that.

Get some Ronal Bear wheels and you be a stunna!

Vert's IMHO are good part time cars. They tend to begin smelling 'outdoorsy' instead of car like if thats your thing. The top needs maintenance and they tend to both weigh more and flex more than hardtops...if you want a cruiser, this is not a big deal.

They also run the risk of asshats cutting them for whatever reason. A lady at a bank I used to work for had to get rid of her porsche cabriolet because someone kept cutting it. Her insurance finally refused anymore top repairs.

 

[daveymark]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: MiataNC
There are no "feminine" cars. Just insecure drivers.

Get the 'vert. Once you have one, you will never want to be without one.

I am sure owning a Miata in Good Ol' Boy NC has you believing that.

Get some Ronal Bear wheels and you be a stunna!

Vert's IMHO are good part time cars. They tend to begin smelling 'outdoorsy' instead of car like if thats your thing. The top needs maintenance and they tend to both weigh more and flex more than hardtops...if you want a cruiser, this is not a big deal.

They also run the risk of asshats cutting them for whatever reason. A lady at a bank I used to work for had to get rid of her porsche cabriolet because someone kept cutting it. Her insurance finally refused anymore top repairs.

NC probably refers to the type of miata he has.

When I have my top up I leave the doors unlocked and the windows rolled down if it's nice out. I'd rather have them steal something inside then rip the top. all that's inside might be some toll change, if that.

Verts can be part time cars, however in cases like the miata you can buy a hard top for when you drive in the winter.

that said I only drive mine on the weekend when it's nice out. anyone reading this is welcome to my toll change.

 

[MiataNC]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: MiataNC
There are no "feminine" cars. Just insecure drivers.

Get the 'vert. Once you have one, you will never want to be without one.

I am sure owning a Miata in Good Ol' Boy NC has you believing that.

Get some Ronal Bear wheels and you be a stunna!

Vert's IMHO are good part time cars. They tend to begin smelling 'outdoorsy' instead of car like if thats your thing. The top needs maintenance and they tend to both weigh more and flex more than hardtops...if you want a cruiser, this is not a big deal.

They also run the risk of asshats cutting them for whatever reason. A lady at a bank I used to work for had to get rid of her porsche cabriolet because someone kept cutting it. Her insurance finally refused anymore top repairs.

NC = 3rd gen Miata

I live just north of Southern California, and I am more of a valley "dude" than anything else. I fail to see how that matters. What I "believe" is my personal opinion. Agree or disagree, but where I live or what I drive does not define me as a person. I had to look up the wheels you mentioned. Never heard of them before. Must be on your short list since you know so much about them

Takes a small mind to judge others by something as silly as the car they drive or the place they live.

A 'vert won't smell any worse than any other car, unless you make a habit of leaving the top down in the rain. In fact they tend to stay fresher, because the top is down on hot days and they air out as you drive.

Weighing more or flexing more depends on the car. A Miata is born a 'vert and is considered one of the best balanced/handling cars out of the box you can get.

Nothing can be done short of leaving the doors unlocked, buying a detachable hard top, or getting a model with a retracting hard top to prevent someone from cutting a soft top to get in. if you live/work in an area where this is a problem, then think twice about a 'vert.

You can drive a 'vert all year around and in all types of weather. They are only "part time" if that is how you choose to use them. I get by with just a Miata and a motorcycle. 30+ mpg for the car and 45+ for the bike.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Convertibles are awesome, biggest downsides:

The tops are wear items about 5-7 years they typically need replaced.

Vandaism-as mentioned, some people have their tops slashed

Security, not a big secret, but many convertible owners leave their doors unlocked so if someone wants to steal the stereo, it's limited to stereo theft, not your top being slashed too.

A car not designed from the ground up as a convertible usually has some stiffening done to the body/chassis so cowl shake is limited.

If your wife/GF has long hair, it gets pretty messed up with the top down at any speed.

Upside:

They rock.

I have a NA Miata, guess I live in North America???

The biggest danger in owning a convertible is you feel cheated driving other cars if you don't replace it with another.

 

[Dirigible]

Some people like them. I don't. You're in the best position to figure out if you'll like it or not.

I don't like being in the direct sun.
I don't like all that wind.
I don't like how noisy the ones I've driven have been.
I don't like the worse visibility.
I don't like the lack of a roof rack.
I don't like decreased trunk space.

A lot of these are less of a problem or not a problem for a weekend car. If I were rich and had lots and lots of garage space, I'd probably have a convertible as my third or fourth car, because even with all the drawbacks they can be fun in small doses.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: Dirigible
Some people like them. I don't. You're in the best position to figure out if you'll like it or not.

I don't like being in the direct sun.
I don't like all that wind.
I don't like how noisy the ones I've driven have been.
I don't like the worse visibility.
I don't like the lack of a roof rack.
I don't like decreased trunk space.

A lot of these are less of a problem or not a problem for a weekend car. If I were rich and had lots and lots of garage space, I'd probably have a convertible as my third or fourth car, because even with all the drawbacks they can be fun in small doses.

Get out of your mom's basement every now and then.
Best review of a Wrangler I've read said, "Cons: Wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth. Pros: Wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth."
You have probably driven crappy/old convertibles. Mine is pretty damn quiet.
Try it with the top down and tell me what the visibility is like.
Different strokes for diff folks but I have never had the need for a roof rack.
Usually part of the trade off, again diff strokes. I have less trunk space but I have enough.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Pros:

-Fun
-Fun
-Fun

Cons:

-Usually they are heavier than their coupe counterparts by as much as a couple to a few hundred pounds and as such they do not perform as well
-More wind noise
-Much more vulnerable to vandalism/break in
-Rollover accident could be bad...really bad
-Always wear sunscreen on any exposed skin or you'll end up badly burned
-Tops can leak as vehicle ages when it rains (mine always did)

 

[bobross419]

I drive a Geo 'Vert and love it. I have top leaks and it is loud, but it is great to just put the top down and relax on the ride home from a hard day at work.

 

[Dirigible]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin

Originally posted by: Dirigible
Some people like them. I don't. You're in the best position to figure out if you'll like it or not.

I don't like being in the direct sun.
I don't like all that wind.
I don't like how noisy the ones I've driven have been.
I don't like the worse visibility.
I don't like the lack of a roof rack.
I don't like decreased trunk space.

A lot of these are less of a problem or not a problem for a weekend car. If I were rich and had lots and lots of garage space, I'd probably have a convertible as my third or fourth car, because even with all the drawbacks they can be fun in small doses.

Get out of your mom's basement every now and then.
Best review of a Wrangler I've read said, "Cons: Wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth. Pros: Wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth."
You have probably driven crappy/old convertibles. Mine is pretty damn quiet.
Try it with the top down and tell me what the visibility is like.
Different strokes for diff folks but I have never had the need for a roof rack.
Usually part of the trade off, again diff strokes. I have less trunk space but I have enough.

My mom's basement is scary! I'm up in the attic.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I don't know if I would consider the hardtop for a miata to add much security. The tops go for anywhere from $500-$1000 and are easy to steal. Just break a window flip a couple latches and boom you got yourself a new roof. You can always get a roll bar if you are worried about flipping it, I have one in my miata, but then you run the risk of braining yourself on it.

Did they swap a turbo motor into the spyder? Looks like an intercooler poking out of the grill and I they didn't come that way stock. That would certainly help make the switch easier. I wouldn't want to go from an AWD turbo to a fwd non-turbo vert.

 

[dpert1]

WTF ARE YOU THINKING?!?!?!?! Make the trade before he realizes his mistake!!!

 

[natto fire]

Although convertibles have lots of extra weight to add chassis rigidity, they still come out to be less rigid than their hard-top counterparts. This would be the only thing I would be worried about. Since you are trading a car with a heavier drivetrain for one with a lighter one, the weight penalty will probably be equaled out. The chassis flex statement still stands. If you want a car to carve corners, do not get a convertible, hands down.

For cruising, soft-tops definitely have their place, but for serious track duty there is no contest, it is hard-roof all the way.

 

[MiataNC]

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
......If you want a car to carve corners, do not get a convertible, hands down.

So you are saying the following cars cannot carve corners...

Mazda Miata
Honda S2000
BMW Z3/Z4
Porsche Boxer/911/etc/etc

Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Automotive history is filled with fast agile convertibles that can carve corners.

Few people have the skills or balls to drive a car 100% on the street, and anyone who does is a complete douche. Any cornering performance lost with a 'vert will be hardly noticed by anyone under normal or even aggressive driving conditions on the street.

On a tight track like Buttonwillow here in California the fastest lap times are consistently made by Miatas and S2000s when unmodified street cars are run.

The differences only matter to people who race spec sheets in their head.