Chadeux wrote:iceracer wrote: Convertibles are great for cruising and in a time when speeds rarely exceeded 50 mph. With the interstates and cars that cruised easily above 70 mph, a closed car was more comfortable.And this is why I think the convertible I want is a giant mid 70s Caprice.
my wife and I both have convertibles. She has a Miata NC (which I drive all winter) and I have a Mustang GT. But we live in tropical Cleveland Ohio.
all the rattling and road noise are worth it the second that the top goes down on a nice day. (60-ish with sun)
Why less popular?
AC and Sunburn (cancer).
In my completely fair minded, unbiased and obviously correct opinion the only people who don't like convertibles are morons. Simple 
I predict I will stop preferring convertibles over hard tops +/- 0.0000001 seconds of my final demise. I think the Frisbee twins would be far better cars if they were convertibles and you would probably see 90% of the complaints about their lack of power vanish too once you had the added 50 mega Fonzies of cool applied to their convertible version.
Some cars do look better as hard tops than convertibles such as the Z3 M coupe Vs Roadster. Also every single version of the 911 looks crap as a drop top, but luckily Porsche maker a better looking, make that better in every way car known as the Boxster (all ages and generations included here)
For pure track work I grant that a hard top is lighter and stiffer all things being equal (which they aren't for cars like the Miata) But I also now realize that if I ever get a pure track car, anything production based is pointless and I'd buy a cheaper to maintain and run (for any given track speed) purpose built race car.
I live in Michigan and have been known to drive Mustangs and Miata's in the the (6+") snow in single digit temperatures with the top down and heat on full.
This is the end of the best thought out and sane-est post that will appear in this thread.
Around the same time as the ladies stopped wearing big floppy hats.
slowride wrote: Around the same time as the ladies stopped wearing big floppy hats.
Joke's on you, they're popular again!
Woody wrote:Keith Tanner wrote:Can you fit a roll bar in there? I'm 6'1"...Woody wrote: If only Mazda would make a small, rear wheel drive two seat coupe...I can sell you one. It's the RF with the power roof delete option. If you want to reenable the power roof, simply install the supplied fuse. If the extra weight bothers you, I also have a ragtop available with the same weight and balance, although the 93 lbs of ballast in the trunk may adversely affect trunk space. It all depends on the kind of car. Performance car - the convertibles are rarely the version of choice, especially when they suffered in the conversion. Luxury cars, I suspect the ragtops are still the more valuable option. Old Cadillacs, for example. I don't pay enough attention to know what luxury ragtops are on the market now
Forget the roll bar, 6'1" is an uncomfortable ride in a nd anyway. My buddy has an rf, I dont fit in it at all, my knees literally touch the dash at 6'2". It's a shame cause I love the styling, and they seem cool.
I like cars that are intended to be open cars but I have never enjoyed a decapitated coupe.
You're doing it wrong...
Twisty road, top down, screaming exhaust 
It's a shame how many people keep the tops up in West LA. My favorite use of a day off would be bombing through the canyons just north of Malibu. The picture above is from a dirt lot off of Encinal Canyon Rd, linked below.
I've had three Samurais and did the door-hinge mod, removed the tailgate, top and modified the windshield to fold flat (SJ-410 parts).
Best automotive memories and I can't wait to get back to it. Working on an old motorcycle which is the ultimate in open air travel.
I drove home yesterday with the Miata. 80 degrees, bright sunshine, gentle breeze...oh and Atlanta traffic. Makes the commute so much nicer and more fun. Can't tell you how many convertibles I saw with the top still up. Driver was either a primped and polished trophy wife, or a "I wanna look important" middle age guy talking on the cell phone. One of them was in an NC like mine and he gave me a wave...I just looked back at him like 
If those weren't the perfect conditions for top down cruising, then when is, and why did you even get a 'vert in the first place??
sesto elemento wrote: Forget the roll bar, 6'1" is an uncomfortable ride in a nd anyway. My buddy has an rf, I dont fit in it at all, my knees literally touch the dash at 6'2". It's a shame cause I love the styling, and they seem cool.
While a personal fit to a car changes form person to person I have to agree with this. I fit in an NA great with no foamectomy but I just don't fit the ND at all which is just too small for me.
Klayfish wrote: If those weren't the perfect conditions for top down cruising, then when is, and why did you even get a 'vert in the first place??
Perfect conditions for a convertible do not include traffic and interstates For me, they include a deep night sky and mountain roads.
People buy cars for different reasons. Dropping the top in traffic may not be a life goal for everyone.
I drove my Corvair convertible in to work today, for the first time in 2017. On the way I passed a guy in an E30 convertible- with his top up. Mine was down. It was about 50 degrees out at the time- the sun was just coming up. He frowned at me.
I wager I was enjoying my drive more.
You guys are all missing the most obvious reason- it's hard to look at a smartphone screen with all of that sun glare, and that's the only thing most drivers care to look at 
Some things just seem like they're universal. I assumed enjoying a convertible vehicle was.
I was wrong.
ebonyandivory wrote: Some things just seem like they're universal. I assumed enjoying a convertible vehicle was. I was wrong.
I'm sure there's people out there who hate sex, too.
In reply to volvoclearinghouse:
Sex in a convertible!
I've owned exactly one convertible: a Mercedes (R107) 560SL
I found that "top-down motoring" isn't all that pleasant at 70 mph on the NJ Turnpike. It was even worse when sitting in traffic on the George Washington Bridge or Cross Bronx Expressway with buses and dump trucks belching diesel soot in your face for 45 min at a time.
Every once in a while you'd have a cool/dry/clear summer evening, a winding road opening up ahead of you, and no traffic in sight. It did feel special in those occasions. But those stars aligned maybe 2-3 times in the 4-5 years I owned the car. And a nice coupe (e.g., E30 M3, 2002tii, Alfa GTV) would be just as fun in such conditions.
Then there's the hassle of putting the car on track. Even in an HPDE setting, more and more organizations are requiring convertibles to run roll-bars, hand restraints, and all that stuff. Again, it makes a small coupe that much more attractive for a weekend/fun/track toy.
In reply to Klayfish:
When I had a MINI convertible with my ex- the top would be down just about any time we drove the car. I'm pretty sure when she drives her ND, the top is down at least half the time.
Of course, I've had a Spitfire for nearly 3 years now and the only time the factory hardtop has come off was when I removed the soft-top for more interior room. I plan to rectify this situation when the car gets back into the garage.
ebonyandivory wrote: In reply to volvoclearinghouse: Sex in a convertible!
Easiest way to do it, though depending on the location and people involved, there may be some ehem privacy concerns.
Keith Tanner wrote:Klayfish wrote: If those weren't the perfect conditions for top down cruising, then when is, and why did you even get a 'vert in the first place??Perfect conditions for a convertible do not include traffic and interstates
Yeah, true. Given a choice, I'm totally with you. Night sky, mountain roads. If it's above 85 or so, being stopped in traffic with the top down can get pretty hot. But what surprised me most was that even in the spots after traffic cleared and it's wide open cruising, top up, windows up. Different strokes for different folks, but I was happy with the top down.
I'd drive with no top or doors or roof (80% of the time) from Spring to Fall. I've wiped snow off my plastic racing seats and ducked behind the windshield to feel the heater.
Loved every minute of it.
Coming back from the Mohawk Trail, it was snowing so we stopped at Walmart to buy jackets and boots and winter hats and gloves.
That sucked in a "this is awesome" kinda way.
volvoclearinghouse wrote:ebonyandivory wrote: In reply to volvoclearinghouse: Sex in a convertible!Easiest way to do it, though depending on the location and people involved, there may be some *ehem* privacy concerns.
Also depends on the car. My wife and I are in outstanding physical condition, but we're not young anymore. NCs are small cars...I ain't that limber, that could spell an ER trip for me. 
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