What's your opinion about retractable hardtop convertibles? (2012, windshield, sports car)
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Looking at getting one.....Chrysler 200 from maybe 2012-ish. I do like the idea of the added noise reduction and security of a hardtop convertible.
Regardless of brand or model, what's your opinions of them? I foresee a potential major repair bill at some point with all of that Transformer-like mechanical movement in putting the roof up or down. Not to mention the seams between the plates of the roof. Nothing to worry about or is it?
Thoughts?
I think they are awesome. Unless the break. Chrysler is still a bit more likely to have cheap parts that break, although all of them use cheap parts that break, FCA just seems to be a bit worse - probably a carry over form the bad old days. Still I would buy a retractable hard top vert over almost anything else. If I liked the car. I am not a fan generally of the 200, nor the Pontiac G6, so there are not a lot of options for me. A 1990s Mistsubishi Twin Turbo spyder would be awesome though. This one woudl do nicely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bySyVNIRULE
I like the concept and the look of several of them. When I was looking for a sports car a couple of years ago I considered a Mercedes retractable with a broken mechanism. MUCH cheaper than the equivalent fixed hardtop or a working top. It would have been expensive to fix, but I would have just left it up!
My Retractable Hardtop Convertible is about to turn 13 years old . . . I LOVE IT and would not consider trading it for anything.
As for problems . . . maintenance is the key. Definitely, there are mechanical parts that suffer from age if not properly maintained but probably no more than the standard fabric convertible top and components that can be very expensive to either repair or replace.
They are significantly less safe in the most deadly type of crash, rollover
Less safe than a soft top? Don't they all now have pop up roll bars and beefed up windshield frames?
I know rollover safety was a big problem in the 1970s but I thought they had resolved that with beefed up windshield frames and pop up roll bars or stationary roll bars. I know that some convertibles with a roll cage are actually safer than a regular unibody car.
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They are awesome. I bought a Lexus SC430 new in 2002. Cycle the hard top all the time. Have had zero issues in all these years. There is no fabric to tear, leak or sun fade.
I also have a 2002 Bentley Azure convertible, which has a lined cloth top. Although the top works great, and the car is super quiet when the top is up, the fabric top does need to professionally cleaned every 2-3 years as it starts to look dirty (and you notice it on a car like that). I tend to leave it down all the time and only park it in the garage.
They are awesome. I bought a Lexus SC430 new in 2002. Cycle the hard top all the time. Have had zero issues in all these years. There is no fabric to tear, leak or sun fade.
I also have a 2002 Bentley Azure convertible, which has a lined cloth top. Although the top works great, and the car is super quite when the top is up, the fabric top does need to professionally cleaned every 2-3 years as it starts to look dirty (and you notice it on a car like that). I tend to leave it down all the time and only park it in the garage.
That and cats luuuuuv sleeping in the squishy parts of the soft top. Used to have orange cat hair all over mine from my outdoor cat. I'd go to work in the other car and he'd climb onto his "bed" on the driveway.
Most of the convertibles I prefer tend to have soft tops, not because I prefer soft tops, but because the cars I prefer don't come with hard tops. Thinking about it, it would seem there are many more points of failure and potential leaking, but that's part of the convertible life, I guess. They also tend to take up more trunk space than the folding soft tops, so there is that to consider.
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