convertible or t top
02-03-2011, 07:49 PM
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convertible or t top Hi I am new my name is Rich I have a 98 Trans Am non ws6 auto with t tops. I am saving for a 2002 ws6 6 speed and I am considering a convertible. I am going to mod it a little maybe heads a cam new rear end gears, headers true duals and maybe a chip. I would like a nice street performance car any ideas? Thanks
02-04-2011, 12:52 AM
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There is no chip to change, only custom or handheld tuning. And if you are considering heads and cam, you will definitely want a custom tune.
If your question is which roof style to buy, well that's entirely a personal decision. T-top car will be a bit lighter.
If your question is which roof style to buy, well that's entirely a personal decision. T-top car will be a bit lighter.
02-04-2011, 05:33 AM
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where do you live rich, i got a vert out here on long island, ny. and once summer rolls around i love driving with the top down. no need to get out of the car to let in the breeze. plus the ladies always want to go for a spin in a vert 
02-04-2011, 05:43 AM
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If you're not sure if you want a convertible, the answer is no. There are a lot of compromises in a convertible you have to live with.
On the other hand, cruising down a country road at sunset with the top down is a heavenly motoring experience.
On the other hand, cruising down a country road at sunset with the top down is a heavenly motoring experience.
Last edited by eseibel67; 02-04-2011 at 01:23 PM.
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02-04-2011, 12:51 PM
#10
I've had one of each. I really enjoyed having my 97 Camaro convertible while I had it. I'd pull up to a stop light and say "man, it's nice outside....let's put the roof down." A few seconds and the top was down and I was ready to go before the green light. The only thing I didn't like about having a convertible was the top. The back glass basically fell out after a while, the stitching had dry rotted off. It leaked like crazy, I was always tracking down where the new ones had sprung up. My top got a few cuts in it and it was always a pain trying to keep them patched. All-in-all, I wasn't too sad to see it go.
My next Camaro was a 93 Z28 hardtop. At first I loved not having the convertible for daily driving, but soon after I started to miss not having some sort of removable roof or sunroof. The hardtop just got old after a while. I had that car for 4 years and I envied every T-Top car I saw. I contemplated the swap to T-Tops, but never had the guts to do it.
Soon after selling the 93, I got into a 97 Trans Am with T-Tops. This was by far my favorite up to that point. I tinted the T-Tops 5% and I never needed T-Top shades, I enjoyed the clear tops. When the tops were off it was a great "open air" feeling, but not quite what a convertible feels like. Still though, the complete package of having the T-Tops and rigid roof made up for everything (in my mind at least).
My latest car is a 99 Z28 and it started life as a hard top. I converted it to a T-Top car and I'm in love all over again! Would I ever own a convertible again? Yea, sure. Convertibles are fun to drive, but I would never drive one as a daily driver anymore. I wouldn't even own one if I didn't have a garage or carport to put it in. I'd basically just keep it as a sunny day car. Is a convertible right for you? Matters on what you want to do with it. If it's a spare car that will be a fun toy, I think you'll probably enjoy it. If it's a daily driver that you have to use for everything then I think you'll eventually get pretty tired of it. That's just my .02, take it for what it's worth. If you find one you like and want it, then get it and be happy!
My next Camaro was a 93 Z28 hardtop. At first I loved not having the convertible for daily driving, but soon after I started to miss not having some sort of removable roof or sunroof. The hardtop just got old after a while. I had that car for 4 years and I envied every T-Top car I saw. I contemplated the swap to T-Tops, but never had the guts to do it.
Soon after selling the 93, I got into a 97 Trans Am with T-Tops. This was by far my favorite up to that point. I tinted the T-Tops 5% and I never needed T-Top shades, I enjoyed the clear tops. When the tops were off it was a great "open air" feeling, but not quite what a convertible feels like. Still though, the complete package of having the T-Tops and rigid roof made up for everything (in my mind at least).
My latest car is a 99 Z28 and it started life as a hard top. I converted it to a T-Top car and I'm in love all over again! Would I ever own a convertible again? Yea, sure. Convertibles are fun to drive, but I would never drive one as a daily driver anymore. I wouldn't even own one if I didn't have a garage or carport to put it in. I'd basically just keep it as a sunny day car. Is a convertible right for you? Matters on what you want to do with it. If it's a spare car that will be a fun toy, I think you'll probably enjoy it. If it's a daily driver that you have to use for everything then I think you'll eventually get pretty tired of it. That's just my .02, take it for what it's worth. If you find one you like and want it, then get it and be happy!
02-04-2011, 01:55 PM
#11
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My first Camaro, which I still own is a hardtop. I love it. I don't have to worry about leaks, it's not as common as T-tops and it just feels more solid if you can understand what I mean. It seems like every F-body is a T-top and to be honest, I don't personally like the way they look with the T-tops removed.
My second Camaro is a convertable. I honestly wasn't looking for a Camaro when I was shopping for another vehicle. I was originally looking for a Tahoe or Silverado to have a newer daily driver that would be way more reliable then my 1986 K10. I found the car on craigslist and automatically fell in love. Went and looked at it and it was in amazing shape. The thing that really grabbed my attention was that it was priced around the same, if not a little less, then other T-top Camaro's in my area, and the only mod it had was !CAGS. Every other Camaro I saw had mod after mod and you could tell they were rode HARD. Plus, i liked the fact you don't see a lot of convertable SS's. I kept telling myself I would buy it to replace my LT1 but after I had them both, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it.
All in all, I rarely drive the convertable, just when I'm taking the lady out, car shows, if I want to slam some gears, etc. One thing I do love is I'm usually the only person with a 6-speed 'vert SS at a car show. I'm not trying to say it's rare, but it's not your typical Bright Rally Red, automatic, cloth interor Camaro. I keep the LT1 so I can drive it hard and not feel guilty, plus I just love the sound of it. If the convertable wasn't a 6-speed, i would have never even taken a test drive. It's personally up to you. I wouldn't say "not" to buy a convertable, but it's hard to keep them nice when it's a full time DD.
I know I kind of rambled there but I hope this helps. Don't be afraid to drive a convertable, you might just find out it suites your needs
My second Camaro is a convertable. I honestly wasn't looking for a Camaro when I was shopping for another vehicle. I was originally looking for a Tahoe or Silverado to have a newer daily driver that would be way more reliable then my 1986 K10. I found the car on craigslist and automatically fell in love. Went and looked at it and it was in amazing shape. The thing that really grabbed my attention was that it was priced around the same, if not a little less, then other T-top Camaro's in my area, and the only mod it had was !CAGS. Every other Camaro I saw had mod after mod and you could tell they were rode HARD. Plus, i liked the fact you don't see a lot of convertable SS's. I kept telling myself I would buy it to replace my LT1 but after I had them both, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it.
All in all, I rarely drive the convertable, just when I'm taking the lady out, car shows, if I want to slam some gears, etc. One thing I do love is I'm usually the only person with a 6-speed 'vert SS at a car show. I'm not trying to say it's rare, but it's not your typical Bright Rally Red, automatic, cloth interor Camaro. I keep the LT1 so I can drive it hard and not feel guilty, plus I just love the sound of it. If the convertable wasn't a 6-speed, i would have never even taken a test drive. It's personally up to you. I wouldn't say "not" to buy a convertable, but it's hard to keep them nice when it's a full time DD.
I know I kind of rambled there but I hope this helps. Don't be afraid to drive a convertable, you might just find out it suites your needs
02-04-2011, 03:57 PM
#13
IMO, buying an F-body without T-tops is blasphemy... it's a signature feature of our cars, just watch Smokey and the Bandit. You can get a power convertible top on just about any car, but very few cars have ever been offered with T-tops. Why not stay true to F-body heritage and get the T-tops?
02-04-2011, 07:54 PM
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Gotta go with T-tops. Had them on my 1991 RS and have them on my TA now, as others have mentioned they are just the perfect compromise to having fresh air and none of the downsides of the verts.
