Preferring open top motoring in the winter. Madness?

[Ed Straker]

Genuine question:
Does nobody else feel, well... a bit of a cock with the roof down?
Anyone under 30 years old need not answer - you guys are "allowed"

[Helical]

Ed Straker said:

Genuine question:
Does nobody else feel, well... a bit of a cock with the roof down?
Anyone under 30 years old need not answer - you guys are "allowed"

I know what you're saying. I drive an S2000, and despite never coveting a soft top, I do genuinely relish top down motoring, night and day. That said, I still feel like a conspicuous douche, three years into ownership.

And never more so than when realising the top should've gone down earlier, and squirmingly lowering it in traffic. I'm usually in the footwell by the time the roof is down

[MarshPhantom]

Patrick Bateman said:

That sounds more like how an average punter on the street would view it, not realising it's not all about temperature ( for most), it's about sights, sounds, smells and just the overall special feeling you get with the roof down.

Edited by Patrick Bateman on Wednesday 30th November 23:02

Isn't the problem with some convertibles is it's not that nice having the roof up?

The O/H's MR2 is just a nicer place to be with the hardtop on.

[Herbs]

Ed Straker said:

Genuine question:
Does nobody else feel, well... a bit of a cock with the roof down?
Anyone under 30 years old need not answer - you guys are "allowed"

No - once you are past 30, you stop caring what people think

[tankplanker]

As long as its sunny and I only need two seats I'll take either the MX-5 with the roof down or the Indy. I did a 100 mile round trip this week including 40 miles on the motorway in the MX-5 with the roof down.

You do look a bit of a wally in the MX-5 with a wooly hat, scarf and driving gloves (I would love a heating steering wheel) on but you soon get over that as you are nice and warm and enjoying the sensation of open top motoring. Life is too short to worry about what other people think.

For the Indy I have the helmet, snood, thermal underwear, etc. so I'm rarely cold.

[keith2.2]

So eager was I one frosty morning to unfurl the hood of my S2000 that I didn't consider the need for the screen to warm up - a shattering sound and a roll of gaffer tape my only short term option.

I also had an incident one glorious winters day in Hertford - not a cloud in the sky, snow all around and there I sat wrapped up warm enjoying life and keeping myself to myself when I a van went past in the traffic "F***ING W**KER!!".

I don't know why this image was so detrimental to the guys life that he felt the need to express an opinion - I really don't understand some people.

The roof on the TVR was more of a pain to deal with, but the noise so glorious it would have been criminal not to put the effort in.

For some reason I'm less bothered about dropping the roof in the TT. I can only think it's because the noise doesn't have the personality of either of the other two.

[swisstoni]

Ed Straker said:

Genuine question:
Does nobody else feel, well... a bit of a cock with the roof down?
Anyone under 30 years old need not answer - you guys are "allowed"

As you are a fellow SL owner I feel I can discuss this with you. The answer is yes I do.
But the reason is probably because I don't do it enough for it to feel normal. It's a bit like walking down the street with a new jacket or something. You think everyone notices - obviously they don't give a st.

As for the larger discussion - I'm afraid I am firmly on the side of keeping the roof up in winter.

[culpz]

If you only enjoyed open top motoring in the UK in the summer time while it's "hot" and and the sun comes out then you'd probably only drive the bloody thing twice a year!

I don't think it's madness at all, regardless of the above. It's the equivalent of someone who would drive and use something like an Elise or a VX220 as a daily.

[NDT]

keith2.2 said:

I also had an incident one glorious winters day in Hertford - not a cloud in the sky, snow all around and there I sat wrapped up warm enjoying life and keeping myself to myself when I a van went past in the traffic "F***ING W**KER!!".

I don't know why this image was so detrimental to the guys life that he felt the need to express an opinion - I really don't understand some people.

Probably because he was just a jealous loser?

[skyrover]

j90gta said:

Man of gas said:

I do despair with the general population and what they are prepared to quote as if it's fact. Bell's palsy is damage to the 7th cranial nerve, known as the facial nerve and results in impaired function of the muscles of facial expression that it supplies. It can't effect any other area of the body such as the arm.
A stroke is characterised by damge to the brain, usually by haemorrhage or ischaemia (impaired blood supply) and can affect the face and the body, usually on the side opposite the damage.
Obviously, driving with your window down will not cause this! But don't take my word for it as I have only practiced medicine for 22 years??

Thank you for your explanation. I'm just passing on what I was told by my GP (his diagnosis and its possible cause were supported by his colleagues). It is very difficult to differentiate between facial paralysis as a result of Bell's Palsy or following a stroke.

Likewise, simply repeating what the GP claimed.

[keith2.2]

NDT said:

Probably because he was just a jealous loser?

which is exactly what I told myself!

I bit my tongue rather than "and a good day to YOU sir!" :-)

[kuro]

Eunos vspec went out yesterday for its last roof down run before sorning it. Mk1s now both in the garage but the Mk3 is taxed all year so come days like yesterday i'll be out again. You do get odd looks but most people don't realise how good the heaters are in a convertible

[ChilliWhizz]

Must confess I don't go fully topless in the winter......

[TrivsTom]

Christmas Day 2014 went out in my mx5 with my brother, wearing a Santa hat. The few families out and about loved it! Then skids happened

[Alex_225]

swisstoni said:

As you are a fellow SL owner I feel I can discuss this with you. The answer is yes I do.
But the reason is probably because I don't do it enough for it to feel normal. It's a bit like walking down the street with a new jacket or something. You think everyone notices - obviously they don't give a st.

As for the larger discussion - I'm afraid I am firmly on the side of keeping the roof up in winter.

I'm 34 and my other half owns an SL. She only puts the roof down if I'm in the car or else she feels too conspicuous when in reality no one gives a sh!t about the average convertible. They're everywhere. In fact my neighbours have a Megane CC, 325 convertible and their daughter a 307 CC so no one really cares.

As said, it's if you do it day in day out it would feel normal.

Personally if I see someone with the roof down and they're not driving like a muppet then all is well. I did see a guy in the summer, roof down on his MX5, Dire Straits blasting out and he was early 50s. It was cringeworthy. Not because of the car, not because of his age or his 80s taste in music but put all those factors together and he looked a bit of a t*t.

[Pan Pan Pan]

It may already have been stated, but to quote Billy Connolly, there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.
I have driven open top in the 7, in freezing fog condition with the fog swirling `between' me and the windscreen, which was interesting to say the least. but the worst bit for me is getting back into an open car to drive home, after coming out of a warm house/pub/party etc.

[H20DJY]

I struggle with top down motoring, I just look wrong! I never used to get why people would do it in the cold, I like being warm. But I have come around a bit, mainly because I want a offroad but road legal cage on wheels for offroading and snow fun, and thats sort of the same I guess.

I used this for a couple of days in the summer and looked like a beetroot, so maybe winter is best!

[akirk]

Ed Straker said:

Genuine question:
Does nobody else feel, well... a bit of a cock with the roof down?
Anyone under 30 years old need not answer - you guys are "allowed"

why?

- the car doesn't change because of who drives it
- the person doesn't change because of the car being driven

this forum and the internet is full of people feeling superior by putting down BMW / Audi / open top / etc. drivers - load of tosh - the car doesn't make the person, nor does the person make the car

so who cares what others think - if they don't like it that is their issue they are not being asked to drive a soft-top
anyone who feels at all self-conscious has undoubtedly got self-confidence issues

[sticks090460]

Unless it's pissing down, or just raining and we're in stop-start traffic and hence you're going to get soaked, we always drive with the roof down in the wife's Mini. It's just a question of wearing the right gear. Even at this time of year, I can't stand the heated seats on their highest setting for more than a minute or so, and if you direct hot air form the vents onto your hands on the steering wheel, you don't even need gloves. At my age I'm well past caring what anyone else thinks about it - couldn't give a toss.

[Black S2K]

Helical said:

Ed Straker said:

Genuine question:
Does nobody else feel, well... a bit of a cock with the roof down?
Anyone under 30 years old need not answer - you guys are "allowed"

I know what you're saying. I drive an S2000, and despite never coveting a soft top, I do genuinely relish top down motoring, night and day. That said, I still feel like a conspicuous douche, three years into ownership.

And never more so than when realising the top should've gone down earlier, and squirmingly lowering it in traffic. I'm usually in the footwell by the time the roof is down

Wrong!

I saw an A4 Cabriolet with the roof down yesterday (slightly jealous as I was in my tin-top) and it's probably the only time an A4 Cabriolet's looked cool.