The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Talk about your cars etc here. Keep it sort of sensible and on topic please.
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Hooli
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by Hooli »

I loved my Midget & the roof was almost always down. Used to like the C70s I got to drive at work occasionally to, back in the day.

I did find the roof when up when it was really hot though or I'd die of sunburn.
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by Split_Pin »

I currently have these two and I think they are great. They all have/had scuttle shake but it's part of the charm if you ask me.
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I have also had the brown 93, SLK and the Audi 80.

Even a mundane journey is quite fun with the roof down. If the weather allowed me to drive open-topped a lot of the time, it would get boring.

Unfortunately the SLK and the red 93 are the only examples that remained bone dry inside. All of the others had a wet drivers side footwell, each for a different reason. I did manage to sort the Audi 80 and Saab though and for no cost but I find that kind of head-scratching problem very frustrating.
Last edited by Split_Pin on Fri Jan 26, 2024 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by paulplom »

The audi never leaked all the time I had it. Did you find where it was getting in?
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by Split_Pin »

Not yet, I'm going to take the battery out and check the drain hole first.
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by paulplom »

Must be the inclement Scottish weather. I was caught in a couple of downpours and it stayed bone dry. I would've mentioned it otherwise.
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by xtriple »

I do like convertibles and have had them pretty much constantly since I had to give up the bikes. I do like the wind in the barnet and even in closed cars, I have to have the window open, even if it's raining. The SLK is ideal as it is quite small but mighty potent (3.5 litres in a little car) and it goes well. It also has heated seats and Airscarf so as long as it is not actually raining, then roof down.
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by Jazoli »

We've always had convertibles until last year when for some reason we didn't, both mine and the wife's commute changed to less than 5 miles a day and we hardly ever dropped the roof, will probably buy a late E Class cabrio this year though.
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by Asimo »

I hate the damn things.
Rented a few in California: too hot to want to be outside.
Ridden in the back seat of 4 seater soft tops: a vile experience of wind noise and buffetting.
Owned one of these
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(Not this one, which hasn’t moved for 12 years -why do people hang on to broken shit f.f.s.?)
MR2 wasn’t very good at anything but everything would have been better if it had had a proper roof.

There are several cars I could fancy if they were coupes rather than rag-tops; fwd Elan, SC 430, SLK, Allante,Stag and others Now forgotten.
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by Eddie Honda »

Asimo wrote: Fri Jan 26, 2024 7:31 pm why do people hang on to broken shit f.f.s.?
Oi! Shut it!
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Re: The UK's fascination with convertible cars

Post by Split_Pin »

paulplom wrote: Fri Jan 26, 2024 4:52 pm Must be the inclement Scottish weather. I was caught in a couple of downpours and it stayed bone dry. I would've mentioned it otherwise.
Nah its fine, it's happened with 2 of my other convertibles, just par for the course as far as I'm concerned.

I did fancy a Saab diesel convertible for my wife but I have heard mixed reviews about that Fiat engine and at my price range I'd probably get a shit one :lol:
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