My mrs wants to buy me a hardtop for my mk1 this christmas . A nice thought and I have surprised myself by putting her off the idea. Yes they are more secure , quieter , etc etc , but the whole point of having a convertible is to be able to convert !
Today sunday 7th december , after a frosty chilly start in south devon , the weather is glorious and we have been out and about topless in the 5 . A really good day for driving .
My point being , if i had a hardtop fitted , it would be rather sad not to be able to take advantage of sunshine in December ! Before you buy a hardtop , look at the changes in our weather and seasons and think do you really want one ?
Please excuse my ignorance as I have never owned a hard top before. Does the whole soft top part come off completely when attaching the hard top? Is this easy to do?
Totally with you myself - loved having the top down this weekend, and had I had hardtop fitted probably wouldn’t have been bothered to take it off. However, lots of owners didn’t buy it as a convertible, but as a small agile sports car, and some prefer the ride with the hard-top on. As I am sure they will say soon.
And no, Lisa - the soft top just folds back as normal and the hard top attaches around it
Hello. I am one of those freaks who gets enough view of the sky when walking/biking so not only do I always drive with a hard top but I binned the soft top too. My other car is also a convertible which is never converted. I bought it because it’s excellent to drive, not because the roof comes off.
That said - the hard top is a one man job to remove (just put a bit of old carpet on the boot lid to stop the hard top scratching the paint and shuffle it off the back of the car) so if you like seeing the sky it’s just a couple of minutes work - you can leave it parked up at night with the nice secure hard top and still get the thrill of windnoise and bird-pooy seats.
And wind noise is a thrill, it’s true! Yes it’s a one man job, but who can be arsed once it’s on? Maybe for a day out but not for short hops. But as we agree, some like it for open top motoring,some like it simply for motoring!
Ah, the smell of the cows, the buffeting, the sun burn, the diesel smoke, the having to keep your stereo really quiet, the taste of flies and my personal favourite of having kids throw coke cans in your car as your trundle past (it was only the one can, at it was empty). Sure there are thrills too, like, well, nothing comes to mind, but I’m sure there are some, or people wouldn’t be so keen on them.
I have driven convertibles, I do own some, I’d just rather have the benefits of a roof.
I’ve not bothered fittng my hadtop for a couple of years.
It rattled a lot and I was unable to cure this.
The car does look great with the factory hard top though. It looks lower and wider. ---------------------------------------------------I wanted the next bit to show on a different line. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS - This new forum - Wish there was a preview available prior to posting in quick reply mode.
I can preview now, why not in Quick Reply ? Or am I doing something wrong.
Can’t edit my profile either & can’t format the page to my liking. I’m struggling to like this new forum layout
It’s great fun isn’t it? Those are the reasons I love having the roof down
Though I don’t feel the need to have the stereo turned down, and I thought we had already decided that the can throwing was just personal to you [;)]
I couldn’t put a hrdtp on mine, though I have warmed to the look for a purely aesthetic reason. Needs to be on a proper JDM car though, wide and low with mahoosivley wide wheels.
You buy a Mk3 CC with the retractible hard top !!!
ALL the advantages of a saloon/coupe AND wind in your hair whenever you want it. Its not a compromise because you have both choices all the time !! Brilliant
I had a short spell, best forgotten, with a TR4 with a surrey top. After lifting out the roof panel it was as if a giant air brake had been deployed-----
