Sp00led Ya

I want to buy an SS, first choice is convertible... I want to spend no more than $15,000 for a newer SS with under 50,000 miles. I'd just like a point of view from someone who owns a convertible, how much nicer is it and why? My buddy has an s2000 and LOVED convertible, I'd like to see why so much... it's hard for me to grasp considering it's maine winter here right now. Thanks

blackbirdls1

iTrader: (5)

eh, its preference really

s1ck s0n

iTrader: (7)

agreed, i dont personally like them a whole lot. riding in them is alright, but i wouldnt want to own one. i prefer my t-tops.

Sgt. Spuds

iTrader: (1)

They are noisy, some leak, stereo doesn't sound as good, as it goes right through the top, they are ugly with the top up, and pretty ugly with the top down. They are heavy, SFC's are needed b/c of chassis flex, and SFC's are more expensive for verts.

Thats my POV.... Hard top would be my first choice.

Sp00led Ya

Alright so pretty much saying I should'nt discriminate when shopping for my SS because it isn't a vert... gotcha

carrillo1967

I couldn't decided either so I bought one of each.....
Now M6 or A4 is a harder choice....

Beaflag VonRathburg

iTrader: (176)

You may like riding in a vert, but owning one is a completely different thing. My mom used to have a Sebring convertible and it was alright the first month or two, but after that we all really started to get sick of it. Go for t-tops, best of both worlds.

Chris95Z

iTrader: (3)

if you can be in a place that has the weather to support it, go for it. I will admit the wife had a lot to do with getting a vert, but after having it and enjoying driving with the top down I realized, it was a great decision. if you plan on driving with the top up a lot of the time then go for t-tops.

Ruhrpott

What is about maintenance and is the roof/hydraulics robust? As I posted in the international forum I will buy a WS6 TA 01-02 in June and ship it then to germany. I'm not sure if a vert is the right car for me- of course it's first choice on sunny days but I drive my car in winter too and maybe a T-Top is more robust as a vert?

Did any of the vert owner drive his vert in winter too?

kyle_l

It is all a preference thing. I owned a 3rd gen convertible for 10 years. I now have a 4th gen WS6. I consider a convertible a necessity. It is great to get off work, put the top down and just cruise home, take road trips with the top down, etc. Any time that it is not raining, and fairly warm (>30 degrees F) the top is down. If you want open air driving, I'd pick a convertible over a t top any day.

I also honestly prefer the looks of a convertible (top up or down) over the coupe. And from my experience, women seem to like it alot as well.

Downfalls?
You won't have as much luggage space with a convertible though. It's just something you would have to get used to. The car is also not as secure against theft or in a bad accident. The fabric top does take some special care. I guess it adds about an hour (including drying time) to my normal detailing. You pick your vice, you pay your price.

Ruhrpott:
I'm in Minnesota. I drove my 3rd gen all the time in the winter, through blizzards and everything. I had no problems at all with it. My 4th gen is a summer only car though. If you use it in the winter, just try to keep the snow/ice off of it. The weight of it on the top will, over time, cause the top fabric to stretch out. Also, if you do pick a WS6, I'd spring for some winter rims (16x8 or so) and tires. I don't think you'll like the loss of traction with the WS6 rims and summer tires. I tried it for grins with about 1 inch of snow and the car just sat and spun.

For maintenance, there are hinges in the top that should be oiled to keep them from squeaking.

Regarding Spud's comments:
They are not that noisy. Most of the road noise does not come from the top, but the normal locations of trunk, doors and floorpan. Once those are sound deadened, it is a pretty quiet ride. You will also have to adjust the windows after sound deadening though, as you will now hear the wind noise that you didn't before. From what I hear, this is true of the coupes as well though. You will notice a bit more noise from the top if you drive it in the rain. I find this relaxing though.

Some t-tops leak too. Any time you have a rubber seal, it will eventually leak.

A good quality stereo can give you very nice SQ. The bass will be noticeably less than a coupe though. And yes, the top doesn't help that, but it's down anyways, right?

They are a bit heavier, 3623 lbs vs 3499 lbs.

SFCs are not necessary (search through the handling forum). These cars were designed to be convertibles from the start. The convertibles also already have more bracing in the floorpan from the factory. Having said that, I did add them to mine. This is because I wanted it more rigid due to my vacation house. It is 2 miles up a gravel mountain road (used to be a logging road ). I only go 5 mph up it, but still wanted the car to be as rigid as possible. For normal use, SFCs are not a requirement with these cars.

Sp00led Ya

So finding an SS convertible is going to be hard? Should I settle for a z28 vert then? I really like the SS hood and spoiler but to go with a z28 then get the SS hood and rear spoiler that would probobly add about $800 bucks to my exterior mod cost wich....

sucks

99SS'Vert

God...... I think I'll just go set my car on fire and rid myself of this shame.

Dustin

iTrader: (13)

I say if you have the weather like we do in Texas then do it! But whats the point in having a vert if you live in a cold place and cant drop the top? The stereo in them doesnt sound bad at all. And who cares if they are a couple hundred pounds heavier, if you arent racing it then that wont matter.

32of32

iTrader: (5)

Yeah, I was thinking about doing the same. I was so stupid to buy this POS.

Beaflag VonRathburg

iTrader: (176)

Holy crap you think anything greater than thirty is warm? Down here I think anything under sixty five is cold, but you live in the frigid tundra known as Minnesota.

todddchi

iTrader: (3)

You might have a little bit of a hard time finding a newer (assume this means '01-02) SS with less than 50k for under 15k.

On the same note, it should be pretty easy to find a plain old Z28 for around 12-13k and put 2-3k in a hood, spoiler, catback, and rims of choice.

I know alot of people frown on this but imho it's getting the car you want for the least money that counts to me.

SS's verts command a pretty high premium because everyone that has one is convinced it's special.

I live in Michigan and just got my first vert last summer. I wouldn't trade it for the world. My last f-bod was a 93 formula hardtop stripper that I drove the hell out of for nearly 10 years and 150k miles.

I think it really depends on what you want the car for. Verts are certainly not for racing amongst other f-bodies, but they are still pretty fast cars, even by today's standards. And if you really want to go into it they can still be made very fast.

But really, having a 300+HP, rear drive, reasonably easy to work on convertible with great top-down manners (wind and noise are very good) that was common enough to make parts easy to find... well, there aren't many choices.

Personally I don't know how the hell you couldn't like a vert in the right weather.

Sp00led Ya

Well I think I would get a regular non vert SS if the price was right, by all means I am not narrow minded to the convertible, I'd rather have an SS than no SS at all, if I had to bump to $16,000 or so for under 50K to have an SS, 2000-01-02 then I would, because I love the spoiler, the hood, the wheels even though they may change, I like z28s but for some reason IMO they look kind of naked and if it werent for the z28 badge, dual pipes out the rear... one could confuse it for a V6... SS is no mistake, I'd rather shell out the extra cash FOR the SS in specific than putting money into a car I just bought to be happy with it. I want an SS, I will be fine with having a non vert SS.

todddchi

iTrader: (3)

It was just a point, that you could end up with essentially the same car by going the "upgrade a Z28" route, with the benefit of having some flexibility in your choices of exhaust, rims, and many more cars to choose from.

If you go for a true SS, watch out for the chrome 10 spokes. They aren't very durable, especially if the car has ever been around salt. Look for flaking/peeling on the inside of the rim and in the corners of the spokes.

Chas1

I've owned both a T-top Camaro and now my WS6 vert. I use the vert top a lot more than I took the T-tops off. Maybe I'm just lazy but I prefer the vert. Mine's not a daily driver but here in Texas you can pretty much use them every month of the year.

fastmatt98

iTrader: (27)

I've owned 4 t-top cars and 3 verts all being f-bodies. I can say I love the verts better. The system doesnt sound bad in a vert and the wind noise is alot better being able to talk to one another in a vert than a t-top car when the tops are out. Far as looks well I like the looks of both but I love the way my SOM SS vert looks with the tops down. Thats just my .02.