Convertibles...

I must counter my praise of convertibles and the Z4 with the fact mine has currently got a split hydraulic hose so the roof doesn't open..

BMW want £850 a side for the hoses and then labour on top. I've found a specialist who has the hoses custom made and fits them for £1,400 which includes 11 hours labour.

It is something else to go wrong!
 
Loved driving the Golf GTI with the top down. Briefly. While it worked, and wasn't raining.

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Bought it for £900. Sold it for £700 and was glad to be rid of it. It's either in a scrap heap or worth a fortune now.
 
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badgeruk said:
11 years now of owning a convertible and wouldn't not have one now. I worked it out that in the 16k miles I have put on the boxster 2-300 miles have been with the roof up, the z4s were simular and they were both used as dailys. Just got to go fast enough that you don't get wet :p
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The MX5 was better in that respect. You could do it with one arm in about 5 seconds at the lights if you got caught in the rain and had to drop below the 30/40mph threshold for rain going over your head in the slipstream.

It's always a gamble in the Z4 whether it will finish in time before people start beeping their horns 1 second after the lights go green.
 
I’m on my fifth convertible, two generations of Minis, BMW Z4M, BMW E93 and now my BMW F23. All have been reliable apart from needing a new roof motor in the Z4M.

From reading this thread, it seems like they do get under your skin and I’d find it difficult to go back to a fixed roof, it makes all journeys more interesting.
 
wesimmo said:
The MX5 was better in that respect. You could do it with one arm in about 5 seconds at the lights if you got caught in the rain and had to drop below the 30/40mph threshold for rain going over your head in the slipstream.

It's always a gamble in the Z4 whether it will finish in time before people start beeping their horns 1 second after the lights go green.
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Yeah the Z4s were a pain for that, having to come to a stop before you could start putting the roof up or down. One of the better things with the Boxster is being able to do it while moving up to 30mph, so much less chance of being beeped at. Though having a manual the disadvantage is being stuck in whatever gear you are in while pressing the roof button down. Wish you could double-press it or something so it would do it without being held down. Not a problem with an auto of course.
 
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CaptainRAVE said:
I use mine many days when it isn’t full sun. You can’t beat a convertible. Modern cars are far far less drafty than they used to be too. Plus I love the sound of the engine.

My TTRS is my first soft top and I actually prefer that to the hard top convertibles that I’ve owned.
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any pics?

I've started looking at them again now the prices have started to drop. Noticed my old one up for sale on autotrader, but I reckon this time I'd go for a convertible.
 
I’ve never owned a car with a roof. Having the roof down makes every drive an event and is perfect for those grumpy morning commutes - the mood is instantly elevated with the roof down. Even better on the way home! Even in howling gales and snowstorms I’ve not felt exposed or got wet. In fact, my MGTF’s hardtop was worse for leaking than the soft top!

They’re not practical for every day load lugging and child taxiing (but good for Christmas tree shopping!), but who cares! That’s what the diesel Korean bin is for!
 
badgeruk said:
11 years now of owning a convertible and wouldn't not have one now. I worked it out that in the 16k miles I have put on the boxster 2-300 miles have been with the roof up, the z4s were simular and they were both used as dailys. Just got to go fast enough that you don't get wet :p
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I was caught out in a hailstorm one summer in the Caterham. 80 mph was about as fast as I dared to go on the motorway. I shoved my face into the windscreen and avoided getting wet :D
 
mjt said:
I was caught out in a hailstorm one summer in the Caterham. 80 mph was about as fast as I dared to go on the motorway. I shoved my face into the windscreen and avoided getting wet :D
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I do like the feature of modern convertibles that allow you to put the top up while driving. I’ve never needed it with this car, but it’s good to know you can. Got caught in a sudden downpour in my last car and had to dive into a spot to park up and put up the top.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
I do like the feature of modern convertibles that allow you to put the top up while driving. I’ve never needed it with this car, but it’s good to know you can. Got caught in a sudden downpour in my last car and had to dive into a spot to park up and put up the top.
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Yeah, none of that with the Caterham :p I only ever took the roof with me if I was going on a trip hours away from home.
 
My MX5 is a summer only car and now we've got the little one, a once in a blue moon car.

Honestly, blazing summer days I find a bit of a chore in it. I remember nearly giving my wife sun stroke driving to the coast once. We both felt like we'd had too much sun in the hour or so we'd been driving. One of my BIGGEST mistakes before buying it was a mentality of 'there is no point having AC in a drop top'. Absolutely wrong!

Summer evenings are awesome though, as are spring and autumn days. My one gets SORN over winter but that's mainly due to paranoia of salt on the roads. Also, road tax is by far my biggest running cost so it helps to get a wedge of that back when I do the annual "I should really get rid of this thing" sums.

Reality is that I'll keep it until I need the garage space as I've had it for 11 years and its not really costing me much to keep hold of it.
 
The hood in my MGTF was great as you could operate it on the move by reaching behind you and flipping it over with one arm. S2000 needed the handbrake on (although can mod that apparently). 911 can do it, but you look like a Wally with the roof going up and hitting the limiter in first gear when moving away from the lights (manual box). Guess that’s what the auto box is for.
 
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