convertible: good or bad?

[3.4socalbird]

What are everybody's opinions on a convertible LS1. Is the cabin loud when moving at higher speeds? How are all the seals on it? (Can water get through easily?) Is visibility out the back horrible? How easy is it to maintain a convertible? Is it heavier than a hard top or t-top? Is it still a hatchback or does it have it's own little unreachable(from the back seats i mean) trunk? Sorry so many questions but i found a good deal on one and i want to follow up on it if a convertible doesn't prove to be hassle. Thanx
Logan

[wolf]

bad rear visblity, and much heaver than a coupe'
they have a lil trunk

[BillyCobin]

I love my convertible V6, although drop tops arn't for everyone.

* With the top up, you still get a lot of road noise at high speeds.

* With my '96, the seals keep the rain out. If I spray it with the hose, it leaks.

* Visibility is bad when the top is up. Just today I had my car in a shop getting some exhaust work done. Another guy who was getting some work done on his truck came over and started talking about my Camaro. He said he had just traded in his 99 Trans Am convertible, partly because of the poor visibility. It isn't too bad, just make sure to check all your mirrors twice. When the top is down, visibility can't get any better.

* Maintenance isn't too much more. When you cruise with the top down the inside gets dirty pretty quick. The top just washes clean. I believe you do get more sqeeks and rattles with a convertible, so I guess you can put that under maintenance.

* It is heavier, oh well.

* Normally the trunk is seperated from the rest of the vehicle. You can lay the back seat down, and remove the devider between the trunk and cabin if you need to haul something like skis. The trunk space does suck.

You only asked about the negative, and I don't want to make convertibles come out sounding all bad. There is NOTHING like getting off work on a hot sunny day, and dropping the top with the touch of a button. Turn up the stereo and hit the highway. Or going for a cruise in the middle of the night out in the country along a winding road with the top down and all the stars shining above.

[99firebirdconv.]

i dont have a lot of noise with my vert at high speeds, of course it will have some noise though, there is still a sizable trunk that is reachable from the back seats, i have two twelves in my trunk but not much room for anything else. As for water, only a little bit of water has dripped in by the side windows and thats it which is pretty good for a conv. Visibility out the back isnt the greatest but thats why you have side view mirrors. :D

[MrCoffee]

this sounds like convertables in general, not just fbody verts. So I guess the question you need to ask yourself is, would you rather have a drop top or stick with the car you have now?

verts are good in the summer, but ttops are still pretty good option. I like my ttops, and I know my car handels better than a vert [img]smile.gif[/img] I still get the wind and the air.

And to keep this in the appearence section, verts just look bad@$$!

[Camarorulz]

IMO a t-topped car looks better, but convertibles do still look bada**.

[rt1]

I heard you can put the kids in the carseat alot easier...

Rob

[95fbirdkid]

i don't have any complaints about my car

[geisencam]

I am talking about a mustang but My friend has one and it's not bad at all. But when I drove it it's a little hard to see out with the top up but it's not to bad. It's really cool with the top down!!!

[AcidDrag0n]

I love my convertable. I get complements all the time. Its hard to see out the bad, but you get used to using the mirrors more. i give it two thumbs up [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[TheV6Bird]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by BillyCobin:
With my '96, the seals keep the rain out. If I spray it with the hose, it leaks.<hr></blockquote>With my brothers 97 V6 vert, it keeps rain and the water from a hose out. Has 77K, I think.

I love his convertable. I would trade my T-top car for his vert, unless I was a road racer or a very, VERY die hard drag racer. Buy it
[img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[V6Maniac]

I would buy a vert over a t-toped car if they were both the same price. The only concern I have with a convertible is if you flip it theonly thing between your head and the ground is that thin vinyl top. Of course then again it would be really frigin hard to flip a camaro or firebird since they're allready really low to the ground and have a really wide stance. Is the car your looking at a Camaro or Firebird? I love the way a convertible Camaro looks but when it comes to the Firebirds I think it ruins the lines of the car. I love the way a Trans-Am looks with t-tops but when it's a convertible it just doesnt look right. It just looks like theres too much going on in the front and it just doesnt flow well to the back. The last thing you want to take into consideration other than the increased insurance costs is that you have to buy a lot of convertible specific parts. Most of the aftermarket handling things (subframe connectors etc) I've seen say "Not available for convertible models".

If you can find an LS1 Camaro Convertible for a reasonable price with the kind of options you want and you can offord the insurance, by all means, go for it. But if you have the choice between say a 6spd Trans-Am with t-tops or an A4 Z28 Convertible go with the TA!

[The Sandman]

My opinion is that convertible F-Bodes don't look right. Something about them just seems off, doesn't flow right with the lines of either car. Take it for what you will...

[Rob@USC]

I have to agree witht The Sandman on this one. I personally think F-body's look better as sports coupes, rather than convertables. I'll admit that convertables are more fun, but apperancewise, t-tops look better.

Rob

[Kidinthehall2001]

I love mine [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]