When did everyone stop liking convertibles?

I am not a big convertible fan, yet I have owned 5. My first car was a 90 Cavalier z24 vert that the top leaked like a sieve, then I had my samurai which had a hardtop bedlinered on, then I owned my 95 M edition miata that had a hard top i took off for all of 1 week because the cowl shake was unbearable,  then I had a ND RF which was ok, i would have had the top down more if it had been faster to open or could have been done faster than 12 mph, and now I have my Gladiator which has a hardtop but I have taken the freedom panels off once so far(weather hasn't been good enough since i got it at the end of October)

Also as someone who is folically challenged i dont want my head sunburnt

My comments in this thread are funny. I bought the rag top Mustang I mentioned then not long after I sold that I bought a Miata.

I'm 45 and apparently not as delicate as some of y'all. I still love convertibles and any time the weather is good (read: over 40 degrees or so and not raining), I drop the top. I've had someone in the next car over ask me "aren't you cold?" and I said, well, this replaced my motorcycle and it's got a heater so it's pretty comfy. She said, fair enough! and laughed.

dculberson said:

I'm 45 and apparently not as delicate as some of y'all. I still love convertibles and any time the weather is good (read: over 40 degrees or so and not raining), I drop the top. I've had someone in the next car over ask me "aren't you cold?" and I said, well, this replaced my motorcycle and it's got a heater so it's pretty comfy. She said, fair enough! and laughed.

Yep. Those used to be my cut off points as well. Heated seats and the heat on blast go a long way to making it nice even when it's chilly out. 

I've been circling back to the idea of a new ND for the next fun car, but no idea. 

I love my convertible. Top down 99.99% of the 20 years I've had it. Some of my friends didn't even know it had a roof. A topless car is a great experience. Both in daily driving and a weekend ride. As soon as I test drove the car I HAD to have it.

Life is about Smiles Per Gallon. Live a little!

maschinenbau said:

To the original question:

I'll echo the point that A/C becoming standard on just about everything (early 1990s?) made convertibles less appealing. The alternative to a convertible used to be a hardtop with windows down, or a very pricey premium vehicle.

I'll add the point of ever-increasing suburban sprawl that has lead to wider, faster, more dangerous interstates and longer commutes. Both are unfriendly to convertible ownership. 

Third: the waning buying power of average wages compared to inflation. You used to be able to go to college on a pizza delivery wage, buy a house in your early 20s, etc. That leaves a lot of leftover dough for fun stuff like impractical convertibles. You don't see that in the latest generations (including millennials like me). Heck, most of us have huge debt before even graduating college. Home ownership is a lofty goal, and forget a brand new convertible. Yes, accounting for inflation, a Miata is technically as cheap as it's ever been, but wages haven't kept up.

I've never paid more than $400 for any of the many convertibles I've owned.    Living up here in the arctic tundra  you simply shove the convertible into the corner for the 7-8-9 months of the year where they aren't practical and roll them out for the occasional nice day.  Since they aren't daily transportation you can spend a lot of time perfecting them.  Then when the opportunity comes really enjoy those moments. 
    Let's see maybe 30-60 perfect days a year.  Multiplied by 60 years  divided by $300. =. $12 a year or a dollar a month.  
    I suppose to be fair I should add the cost of restoration back in 1974  and add the cost of gasoline, oil, etc.  OK. $2-3 a month.  
    What would a older Miata cost today and how long would you need to keep it to feel it's worth owning for those few perfect days?  
        

My kiddo is a bit upset with me since we do not have a convertible anymore.  I never knew she enjoyed it that much.  I guess now I need to find another Miata in my budget.... that's probably not happening for a while.  I probably want an NB or NC this time around.  I've owned many NAs, but never any of the others. 

I think dropping the 55 mph speed limit did influence the drop in popularity.

Back seats of all convertibles I've driven or been in have been a very miserable experience due to all the wind buffeting once you are above city speeds, and in most cases you even needed a wind breaker that renders the back seats useless for comfortable driving when it's just two people - which turns them into more flexible, worse looking roadsters.

While living in London UK I had an MG TF - the post 2k version - and drove top down all the time despite the miserable weather. Heater on, windows up. Warm and comfy inside, a light breeze on the top of my head elevated even the most dreary commute to a relaxing drive. Only times the top went up was with torrential rain, as even during the daily drizzle you still kept dry as long as the car was moving.

Piguin said:

I think dropping the 55 mph speed limit did influence the drop in popularity.

Back seats of all convertibles I've driven or been in have been a very miserable experience due to all the wind buffeting once you are above city speeds, and in most cases you even needed a wind breaker that renders the back seats useless for comfortable driving when it's just two people - which turns them into more flexible, worse looking roadsters.

While living in London UK I had an MG TF - the post 2k version - and drove top down all the time despite the miserable weather. Heater on, windows up. Warm and comfy inside, a light breeze on the top of my head elevated even the most dreary commute to a relaxing drive. Only times the top went up was with torrential rain, as even during the daily drizzle you still kept dry as long as the car was moving.

 

How'd you like your MGF? They're quite cheap in the UK now, and earlier ones are import eligible. Could be a fun, unique , top down commuter?

In reply to fatallightning :

MGF's have hydragas suspension - think OG Mini - and those can get finicky as they get older. I cross shopped both F's and TF's, and most of the F's where either visibly unbalanced height wise, or dropped to the floor, a sure sign that the suspension needed work I wasn't willing to put in. Also not a fan really of how the suspension worked. I had one for a test while working in a car magazine back in Greece, and with the slippery roads it was impossible to set up properly for a photo shoot. Same corner, same input every time, different reactions. Oversteer, understeer, grip... like it had a mind of it's own. TF's came after 2003 with more aggressive styling, along with shocks and springs. Suspension was way harsher, but also finally predictable. Unfortunately, not yet eligible for importing.

Both F's and TF's share the same Rover 1.8L K engine in different states of tune, from 118 to 135 if memory serves, with the VVT versions going up to 160. Some head gasket issues where reported from overheating, with the lines from the radiator to the engine rusting out as they are exposed to the beauty of British weather.

Seating position is low, and for me it was more comfortable than an NB miata, the top 95% as easy to operate, and less buffeting with the top down even without a wind breaker.

Only issue I had was failure of the clutch master, and I rebuild both slave and master with the readily available (in the UK at least) kits. Servicing can be a pig, having to unbolt the rear part of the top, flip it over, take over the shelf carpet and insulation, and undo 30 something bolts to take out the engine cover before you checked anything. Not ideal without an enclosed parking, since it always started raining just when I got everything undone. 

All in all, they are nice little cars, fun to drive on twisty roads, easy to live with, while also having a very usable boot for their size and certainly different. I would get one again, but I'd be weary of parts availability here.

Piguin said:

I think dropping the 55 mph speed limit did influence the drop in popularity.

Back seats of all convertibles I've driven or been in have been a very miserable experience due to all the wind buffeting once you are above city speeds, and in most cases you even needed a wind breaker that renders the back seats useless for comfortable driving when it's just two people - which turns them into more flexible, worse looking roadsters.

While living in London UK I had an MG TF - the post 2k version - and drove top down all the time despite the miserable weather. Heater on, windows up. Warm and comfy inside, a light breeze on the top of my head elevated even the most dreary commute to a relaxing drive. Only times the top went up was with torrential rain, as even during the daily drizzle you still kept dry as long as the car was moving.

 

In the late 1950's dad took us on a vacation from Minneapolis Minnesota to Southern California. In a 1959 Cadillac Convertible.  3 kids in the back seat. Most of the trip the top stayed up although we enjoyed top down driving across the desert even at the 70 mph we traveled at. 
     The reason we choose to forego A/C  and accept buffeting was the roads closely followed the terrain  and the steady up and down had us quickly ready to hurl.  Top down the buffeting distracted us and we were all fine.   

Another vote from a convertible fan. 

In reply to frenchyd :

Haven't really been keeping track of the market but most days ending in y are pretty good. Closing in on over 2 and half years with it so far.

Piguin said:

In reply to fatallightning :

MGF's have hydragas suspension - think OG Mini - and those can get finicky as they get older. I cross shopped both F's and TF's, and most of the F's where either visibly unbalanced height wise, or dropped to the floor, a sure sign that the suspension needed work I wasn't willing to put in. Also not a fan really of how the suspension worked. I had one for a test while working in a car magazine back in Greece, and with the slippery roads it was impossible to set up properly for a photo shoot. Same corner, same input every time, different reactions. Oversteer, understeer, grip... like it had a mind of it's own. TF's came after 2003 with more aggressive styling, along with shocks and springs. Suspension was way harsher, but also finally predictable. Unfortunately, not yet eligible for importing.

Could the TF suspension be put on an F?

In reply to 93EXCivic :

As far as I know, you'd need to swap both subframes, along with control arms etc due to geometry changes. It certainly could be done, especially by people in this forum, but I don't know the exact list of parts that would be needed, and would have to be somehow shipped with the car to keep costs down.

In reply to Piguin :

Gotcha. The idea of a modern MG sports car is appealing but I knew the F had handling issues. I'd had never really looked into the differences though.

cmcgregor said:

In my personal opinion, it's the track usage - most of the stuff I'm looking for I want for its performance potential, which means the hardtop version, when that's an option. There's also a perception of the convertible being the floppier, heavier version of the performance car.

All of this, same reason hardtops for Miatas get stolen so much.  The convertible is the heavier, floppier version.

Don't even know if i posted in this thread. I LOVE convertibles. It's my body that doesn't. Skin cancer sucks. 
 

Still have the 99 Miata I bought brand new, though. Should get back to restoring it. 

I had quite a few Fiat 124s but am kind of over the sports car thing. If I were to go convertible again it would be a nice American floaty car, like a Corvair or Mustang.

I also have a very unhealthy desire to own another Jeep CJ.  Hopefully there is medication available to curb that.

5 years after my first post in this thread and I still don't like them. 

I was super happy to find a TDI Touareg without a sunroof. 

I've never liked them, but somehow I've owned three of them. Anyone want to buy my third one? 

ddavidv said:

I had quite a few Fiat 124s but am kind of over the sports car thing. If I were to go convertible again it would be a nice American floaty car, like a Corvair or Mustang.

I also have a very unhealthy desire to own another Jeep CJ.  Hopefully there is medication available to curb that.

There is something about a big, American convertible. 

Washed the Cougar, dropped the top and enjoyed a sunny and beautiful fall day here in Detroit.