They are impractical, cramped, consume more fuel, cost more to insure, unsocial*, do not offer any thrill in normal day to day driving.
Yet they cost more than equivalent saloon/hatchback etc.
Why??
* = you can't offer lift to your mates [assuming your spouse occupies the sole passenger seat :)]
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OK I'll bite !
:-)
Impractical - if you can afford a good one you can afford an estate for when you need practical
Cramped - Fat people to be fair, shouldn't buy them. It still won't make them attractive.
Consume more fuel - Suppose they do, trying hard to care.
Cost more to insure - See above
Unsocial - Depends who you are being sociable with and anyway, some things are not for sharing.
Do not offer any thrill etc. - Ever driven a Westfield at full chat at twilight on a B road Movi ?..... :-)
They cost more - Well, you wouldn't want every Tom, Dick and Harriet to have one would you ?
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its called style my dear
you either have it
or you aint
;-)
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You don't drive one, do you! Believe me, on a hot day like today the Z3 was a great place to be. No - it probably doesn't make logical sense - but then not everything in life does.
SWMBO has a Mini Cooper convertible, for just the same reasons - whatever those are.
"....do not offer any thrill..." They do, you know.
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Roof down on the CC3 every morning on the way to work and each evening on the way home this week.
Practical - it gets me to and from work same as a hatchback - but a lot more fun.
And about 45mpg keeping up with the traffic.
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I thinks it's funny how they're a UK thing - apparently we buy more than any other European country.
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...I thinks it's funny how they're a UK thing...
We have an ideal - temperate - climate for open motoring.
Southern Europe is too hot.
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>> I thinks it's funny how they're a UK thing
I think its funny how the demographic isn't what I'd expect. The two CC3 owners i know in person are both male, one my age (definitely not style conscious) and one about 42ish. The other one i see regularly on the M8 is an old bald guy.
I guess when i think about it though, maybe its my idea of what the demographic should be is wrong when i think of who drives MX5's
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Had an MX5 last year -loved it. But I got fed up of the mid life crisis jokes, after about 100 times one tires of them! But you know- I've come to the conclusion that every single thing you do once you get past 40 - somebody wants to call it that!
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>do not offer any thrill in normal day to day driving<
You can believe that if you like. Depends what you regard as a thrill, I suppose.
Today I had to call on a friend a few miles away and, as the sun was shining, there was no question about which car was the one for the job.
Although the ambient temperature round here in summer is about 30C or sometimes quite a bit higher, driving with the top down still beats air con in the coupe. A cap is a good idea if you need to protect a midlife crisis-style bald patch though.
And, as ever, we took the long way home - I've never really had another car that has made me want to do that every single time - and the smile didn't leave my face for a second.
I'll put the fuel in it without complaining. With any luck I'll die before the money runs out - and I'll still be smiling...
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>> With any luck I'll die before the money runs out - and I'll still be smiling...
Now that is a very pleasing attitude. Wise words Mike. Like your style !
:-)
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Still miss my A4 Cabriolet now :-(
Quite practical to - only had 2 kids at that point but would accomdate their seats in the back, and room for the pushchair in the boot (or my golf clubs). The fab heating plus heated leather made it a nice drive on a crisp morning.
The arival of Mikeyb Number 3 rendered it surplus - I couldnt really justify running a 3 litre V6 just for me to run to and from work in
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A counterpoint...
I've had 2 convertibles but much prefer air conditioned climate control and a tin roof, I rarely open the window and avoid having a sun-roof if possible, I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to get another convertible.
Maybe on a sunny, crisp winter morning they're OK but the buffeting and overheating (of the driver / passenger) when stationary in the summer sunshine are too unpleasant for me, not to mention the risk of sunburn.
*start grumpy-old-man*
And as for the company-car tax driven trend to put diesel engines in convertibles - that's a pet hate of mine....
*end grumpy-old-man*
Each to their own.
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Mon 12 Jul 10 at 08:06
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...but the buffeting and overheating (of the driver / passenger) when stationary in the summer sunshine are too unpleasant for me, not to mention the risk of sunburn...
With the windbreak up on the CC3 there is no buffeting at legal road speeds.
The aircon works with the roof down, and I use a sun hat/cap.
However,
As I posted above, it can be too hot for a convertible, in which case the roof stays up.
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IIRC Ifithelps you have a diesel convertible ?
Each to their own is my moto, they're just not my cup of tea, at least you don't have a VW PD engine in yours..... (playing pet hate bingo here).
I'm in Hong Kong at the moment and diesel passenger cars are not ordinarily permitted to be licensed at all, there's an awful lot of Ferraris, Porsches and Aston Martins on an island where you can probably get to 50mph in 2 places and the furthest you can drive is about 20 miles. Very few convertibles though due to the high humidity and constant need for aircon.
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...IIRC Ifithelps you have a diesel convertible...
Yes 2.0TDCi - reckoned to be the best of the engines available for the CC3, because the 2.0 petrol lacks the grunt to drag along what is quite a heavy car.
It never occurred to me a diesel might be otherwise unsuitable for a convertible.
But you don't buy a Ford if your priority is a symphonic engine note.
I'm no purist in that respect - can't afford to be. :)
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The XJS has a wind deflector, so no buffeting.
I saw the other day that the new Peugeot 3 zero something with a folding roof and a really weird deeply raked windscreen actually has hot air outlets in the headrests to keep your neck warm in winter. We have a system like that too - it's called a scarf.
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>>has hot air outlets in the headrests to keep your neck warm in winter.
>> We have a system like that too - it's called a scarf.
>>
A £350 extra on the MB SLK ( and possibly other MB models) is an air scarf.
A duct in the seat permits hot air up to the headrest area.
It is a key selling point for S/H models.
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>> I saw the other day that the new Peugeot 3 zero something with a folding
>> roof and a really weird deeply raked windscreen actually has hot air outlets in the
>> headrests to keep your neck warm in winter.
I bet you still get neck-ache ?
A contrivance to overcome the inherent draw-backs of convertibles, with a fixed roof you don't need this, or weighty underbody strengthening, or pop-up rollover protection etc etc..... No, I have to be honest, I don't like convertibles so certainly wouldn't pay a penny extra for one, now if the discussion was over estates versus saloons (how uncool is that) ?
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>> .....now if the discussion was over estates versus saloons (how uncool is that) ?
>>
Correct! Estates are seriously uncool, but some of us are forced to drive them because we often need to carry loads of stuff.
Hopefully I will be able to justify a nice saloon when I retire (if any of ever get the chance!)
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>> >> .....now if the discussion was over estates versus saloons (how uncool is that) ?
>> >>
>> Correct! Estates are seriously uncool, >>
That's funny, I took it to read that saloons were seriously uncool. If you drive an estate there's every possibility you have a 'lifestyle' (yuk!).
I would dream of owning a saloon when an estate or MPV does so much more for my money and is so much more useful to boot (pun intended). But I would also own a 2-seat sports car and or convertible, for the extra fun they give.
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Most saloons are like a pair of BHS slacks. It is more or less impossible to look cool in them.
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>>....an estate or MPV does so much more for my money and is so much more useful to boot
I completely agree with you that these sorts of vehicles are more useful than, say, a saloon or a coupe.
But despite the fact that they are so talented and capable, they just look horrible to me. There is not a single estate car that I have time for, aesthetically. They just look like disguised hearses IMHO.
I'm neither right nor wrong of course - this is merely personal taste. Sad really. My life would be so much simpler if I could bring myself to like what is good for me! :-)
Last edited by: Londoner on Mon 12 Jul 10 at 19:04
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...they just look horrible to me...
To me, there are a couple of estates that look as good, if not better than the equivalent hatch or saloon.
The Mondeo falls into this category, as do Merc C-class estates.
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Coupes can look cool, in a slightly seedy wife-swapperish way. Convertibles can too, provided they are RWD of course. Estates can be uber cool to those who understand. Hatchbacks are anonymous but by and large inoffensive. Saloons just aren't cool, unless you are an accountant or a librarian and think Mr Men socks are a radical fashion statement when worn with a chainstore suit.........
:-)
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>> It never occurred to me a diesel might be otherwise unsuitable for a convertible
It never occurred to this guy either: bit.ly/cqwuXY
Imagine the racket that'll make!
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>> do not offer any thrill in normal day to day driving<
That was exactly what made the MX-5 such a delight. It did just that. No faster than a half decent hot hatch, probably less cornering grip, but made even a late night trip to the garage for a pint of milk an event, not to mention an excuse to take the long way round. Balanced, involving and communicative like no tin top front driver could even hope to be, even when just tootling about.
Even driven top down to the shops on a sunny day, it made me grin. I miss it.
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DP you summed it up perfectly there! You've started me thinking again of an old Eunos for those nice Sunday mornings!
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Price of convertibles - Runfer D'Hills
