Discussion
BeastieBoy73 said:
As others have pointed out, who cares... Your money, your car, do as you please.
I (42 year old male) get stick regularly for driving an ageing '99 MX5. Only this weekend a good mate of mine called me "a poser in a hairdressers car". Admittedly, he has no interest in cars but I'm confident that if he drove one, he'd understand. He's paying £250 per month to drive an Audi A3 diesel. The MX5 cost me £195 for MOT and Service this weekend having needing nothing doing all this last year.
The MX5 is actually my wifes car. She does a lot of miles in it and its not great on fuel. I once suggested we sell it and lease her a VW Up. I showed her a picture of an Up! and she cried.
I'm going on a cycling trip to the French alps later this year and need to leave my family estate car behind for child/dog duties. This means I've got to remove the passenger seat in the MX5 to fit my bike in and then drive, hopefully with the roof down, to the south of France.
Can't wait.
I'm 55 this year and we regularly drive to the south of France in the Smart Roadster (her indoors won't go in any of the other cars including her own 14 plate Cooper S). All the way down and back roof down everywhere we can. Makes a nice relaxing trip if you avoid the toll roads and keep the speed sensible (around 55-70 works well). I (42 year old male) get stick regularly for driving an ageing '99 MX5. Only this weekend a good mate of mine called me "a poser in a hairdressers car". Admittedly, he has no interest in cars but I'm confident that if he drove one, he'd understand. He's paying £250 per month to drive an Audi A3 diesel. The MX5 cost me £195 for MOT and Service this weekend having needing nothing doing all this last year.
The MX5 is actually my wifes car. She does a lot of miles in it and its not great on fuel. I once suggested we sell it and lease her a VW Up. I showed her a picture of an Up! and she cried.
I'm going on a cycling trip to the French alps later this year and need to leave my family estate car behind for child/dog duties. This means I've got to remove the passenger seat in the MX5 to fit my bike in and then drive, hopefully with the roof down, to the south of France.
Can't wait.
Did Chamonix year before last and it was great driving the mountains with the roof off listening to the exhaust bouncing off the hillside and flicking through the bends.
You'll have a blast in the MX5.
Cars with a roof?? People who crave them do so to keep their soft ickle fingies warm, their quoiffed hair (or combover) in place, and their poor asthmatic lungs from seizing up. Clearly the sort of people who never washed as kids because they were scared of a drop of water, and who constantly complain about getting some nasty itchy dust in their sensitive eyes. And don't even mention the horrible smelly whiffs that make them feel all funny.
Don't worry, mummy will tuck you in and make it all better.
HTH
Don't worry, mummy will tuck you in and make it all better.
HTH
73mark said:
Impasse said:
Not an age, no. A gender. A girl driving a convertible is perfectly acceptable and often looks like a good fit between woman and machine. A bloke driving a convertible looks like a knob. Any convertible, at any price point.
^this^ all day long. I'm firmly in the camp of always having the roof down unless it is raining heavily. (drizzle I can cope with, just keep the speed over 40)
I also take comfort in the fact that no 30 year old male would possibly pose in a ten year old, rusty, girls car, so people will be assuming I just like the roof down.
I also take comfort in the fact that no 30 year old male would possibly pose in a ten year old, rusty, girls car, so people will be assuming I just like the roof down.
Not an age but you either enjoy the experience or you hate it.
I felt the urge (well before it was time for a Mid life crisis) and so i bought a Z4M roadster. I was torn between it and the coupe right up until the point i handed over the money. In the end I went for the roadster as i wanted the roof down experience.
I hated having the roof down. With the side windows down it was too noisy, uncomfortably so on motorway journeys. In town you just get bombarded with all kinds of sounds and smells which normal motoring protects you against. With the side window up it's too hot when it's sunny as for some reason there is a law where travelling in a convertible intensifies the sun x100.
I really regretted not getting the coupe.
I felt the urge (well before it was time for a Mid life crisis) and so i bought a Z4M roadster. I was torn between it and the coupe right up until the point i handed over the money. In the end I went for the roadster as i wanted the roof down experience.
I hated having the roof down. With the side windows down it was too noisy, uncomfortably so on motorway journeys. In town you just get bombarded with all kinds of sounds and smells which normal motoring protects you against. With the side window up it's too hot when it's sunny as for some reason there is a law where travelling in a convertible intensifies the sun x100.
I really regretted not getting the coupe.
We had the choice of driving our estate to Rome, or the MX5. Obviously we made the sensible decision, and took the MX5.
Still, when I think of that holiday, the journey was memorable, where as it would have been less so behind glass.. although I'm not sure I would want to do it again.
One bonus was the hotel's elevator when straight down to the garage below, and I parked the car right beside it, so you could nip down to the locked garage and check on the car anytime
Still, when I think of that holiday, the journey was memorable, where as it would have been less so behind glass.. although I'm not sure I would want to do it again.
One bonus was the hotel's elevator when straight down to the garage below, and I parked the car right beside it, so you could nip down to the locked garage and check on the car anytime
Edited by Kallisto316 on Monday 29th June 16:06
Nothing wrong with a convertible that was designed to be that way, its the turds you see like crappy Volvos Saabs, Astras, Binis and worst of all the white Audi's where people have specced Red rag-tops.
Great plan, add crap loads of extra material to your normal shopping box to make it safe after you cut its roof off and end up with a truly awful turd of a heap for driving. Now i know a lot of people dont care about handling so that doesnt really matter but still.
Another pet hate for convertibles: Diesels, why in gods name would you want to have to hear that dirty diesel rattle with such clarity. If you want a convertible shopping car at least get a petrol.
Great plan, add crap loads of extra material to your normal shopping box to make it safe after you cut its roof off and end up with a truly awful turd of a heap for driving. Now i know a lot of people dont care about handling so that doesnt really matter but still.
Another pet hate for convertibles: Diesels, why in gods name would you want to have to hear that dirty diesel rattle with such clarity. If you want a convertible shopping car at least get a petrol.
My Brother suffers from this paranoia you speak of age 52.
His wife has an SLK and he's turned up when having to drive it on some lovely days and the roof is on. I've commented why haven't you got the roof off and he says he feels a bit of a noob driving it with the roof off.
But he has a TR6 and loves it to pieces and unless raining the roof is off.
Roofs on in the picture because it's just about to go in my garage. But defiantly we have a scenario here that it's image of car that puts him off. He's also driven mine roof off and loved it,I've just got back from a little blast with roof off and what a smiley face I had
I also love the colder days with roof off and surprisingly have a very good heater which is a lovely combination.
His wife has an SLK and he's turned up when having to drive it on some lovely days and the roof is on. I've commented why haven't you got the roof off and he says he feels a bit of a noob driving it with the roof off.
But he has a TR6 and loves it to pieces and unless raining the roof is off.
Roofs on in the picture because it's just about to go in my garage. But defiantly we have a scenario here that it's image of car that puts him off. He's also driven mine roof off and loved it,I've just got back from a little blast with roof off and what a smiley face I had
I also love the colder days with roof off and surprisingly have a very good heater which is a lovely combination. Me and the missus took my dads Mk1 SLK to France last year for 2 weeks and are off to Cornwall in it in July, the only time ill have the roof up is the journey going down! Weather permitting/missis moaning her hair is going all over!
Can anyone recommend any headgear for my missus to stop her hair going all over? We have tried the gimp mask but it made her head sweat
Convertibles are great things and enhance the driving experience.
It is a shame that unfortunately they seem to provoke the inner jealousy that much of the British public possess. After all, convertibles are FLASH! I can understand people being self conscious in them and I think if one is constantly having to put with the grief associated, it can get fatiguing.
Saying that, I had my E30 cabriolet for 5 years. Drove it anywhere and everywhere with the roof down and never once was the subject of abuse (and never vandalised). I suppose most people thought that with such an old car I was too poor to be 'flash'.
For a spring/summer Euro road trip, a convertible is essential imo.
It is a shame that unfortunately they seem to provoke the inner jealousy that much of the British public possess. After all, convertibles are FLASH! I can understand people being self conscious in them and I think if one is constantly having to put with the grief associated, it can get fatiguing.
Saying that, I had my E30 cabriolet for 5 years. Drove it anywhere and everywhere with the roof down and never once was the subject of abuse (and never vandalised). I suppose most people thought that with such an old car I was too poor to be 'flash'.
For a spring/summer Euro road trip, a convertible is essential imo.
Great picture.
Not the depths of winter but acting as a model on a photoshoot last week
Mine is only driven with the roof on if it is pissing down.
TBH even on the motorway it is more pleasant with the roof off, for some reason the exhaust seems to resonate a lot with the roof on so it is just too loud.
Impasse said:
Not an age, no. A gender. A girl driving a convertible is perfectly acceptable and often looks like a good fit between woman and machine. A bloke driving a convertible looks like a knob. Any convertible, at any price point.
If the weather's good then you don't hold an umbrella as you walk?Having the top down on a sunny day is surely more natural than having a metal roof covering you from.... errr nothing.
k off sheep. Driving to work today, top down. Some idiot in a Van went passed, chucked a load of water all over the car as I went by them. Screen covered could not see a thing at 50mph (Road was a single lane NSL)
I don't get it, why would you do that!
Luckily the windscreen wipers actually almost work on my TVR.
I don't get it, why would you do that!
Luckily the windscreen wipers actually almost work on my TVR.
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