Hardtop; worth the money??
Discussion
Only if youre
1., A soft git who has his roof up!
2. A user who will have it on through the wintery months - in which case for the raininy days
Big worth it!
But - then refer you top 1
They are great - seriously reduce wind noise and make it feel liek a closetted sallon
But it dont half cut down on spontanious reaction - Oh Id like the roof off - bugger cant!!
1., A soft git who has his roof up!
2. A user who will have it on through the wintery months - in which case for the raininy days
Big worth it! But - then refer you top 1
They are great - seriously reduce wind noise and make it feel liek a closetted sallon
But it dont half cut down on spontanious reaction - Oh Id like the roof off - bugger cant!!
I had a hardtop on my last Boxster. I HAVEN'T got one on my current one...and I don't really miss it.
1) The hardtop is NOISIER at speed than the softtop - bizarre but true! The glass does not fit as snugly into it at the rear bottom of the window - and you get wind noise from it which isn't there with the softtop.
2) The softtop now has a heated glass rear window (didn't on my first one) which was the main advantage of the hardtop.
3) Anyone who says a hardtop is better for security is kidding themselves. If a scrote wants in he'll smash a window - which is probably cheaper to fix than him knifing the softtop.
4) Whilst the hardtop is on and the sun is shining the driver feels jolly miffed at missing the opportunity. A surprising number of winter days are sunny and above 5 degrees!
BUT
If you drive the car in the winter-salty-nasty the hardtop is MUCH easier to clean the salt and grime off than the softtop.
Consider whether or not the car will be used daily in winter.
If, as for me, the car is garaged and on horrible winter days there is no real need to use it then you do not need a hardtop and the money would be better spent on other options - heated seats, satnav etc
If you will only occasionally use it through the winter and the number of times the softtop would be exposed to the winter-shitty-nasty is few - you do not need a hardtop.
If you have nowhere to store it - you do not need a hardtop!
If you will drive the thing through the worst winter can throw at you on a daily basis the hardtop makes the car easier to clean and may be an advantage.
IF YOU GET ONE.
Don't spend a mint on Porsche's expensive rack system. Buy a hardtop storage bag from these people:
www.impacta.co.uk
Cheap and effective and gets the thing off the spare room's bed and into the garage where it belongs!
You may also want to consider a hardtop hoist (find it in Porsche Post) which makes it possible to fit and remove the thing by yourself - personally I always roped the wife into the job which, given one is spending the money on the wife anyway , is cheaper...
1) The hardtop is NOISIER at speed than the softtop - bizarre but true! The glass does not fit as snugly into it at the rear bottom of the window - and you get wind noise from it which isn't there with the softtop.
2) The softtop now has a heated glass rear window (didn't on my first one) which was the main advantage of the hardtop.
3) Anyone who says a hardtop is better for security is kidding themselves. If a scrote wants in he'll smash a window - which is probably cheaper to fix than him knifing the softtop.
4) Whilst the hardtop is on and the sun is shining the driver feels jolly miffed at missing the opportunity. A surprising number of winter days are sunny and above 5 degrees!
BUT
If you drive the car in the winter-salty-nasty the hardtop is MUCH easier to clean the salt and grime off than the softtop.
Consider whether or not the car will be used daily in winter.
If, as for me, the car is garaged and on horrible winter days there is no real need to use it then you do not need a hardtop and the money would be better spent on other options - heated seats, satnav etc
If you will only occasionally use it through the winter and the number of times the softtop would be exposed to the winter-shitty-nasty is few - you do not need a hardtop.
If you have nowhere to store it - you do not need a hardtop!
If you will drive the thing through the worst winter can throw at you on a daily basis the hardtop makes the car easier to clean and may be an advantage.
IF YOU GET ONE.
Don't spend a mint on Porsche's expensive rack system. Buy a hardtop storage bag from these people:
www.impacta.co.uk
Cheap and effective and gets the thing off the spare room's bed and into the garage where it belongs!
You may also want to consider a hardtop hoist (find it in Porsche Post) which makes it possible to fit and remove the thing by yourself - personally I always roped the wife into the job which, given one is spending the money on the wife anyway
, is cheaper...Previous Discussion:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=48&h=0&t=15087
Oh...and it looks like the Impacta web-site is down..or being re-developed or something. Worth calling them, maybe, ask if they still do the bag...
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=48&h=0&t=15087
Oh...and it looks like the Impacta web-site is down..or being re-developed or something. Worth calling them, maybe, ask if they still do the bag...
I love my hardtop, its a lot quieter with it on. I really notice it when I take it off for spring.
If you do many miles in winter its worth having, if you are getting a boxster with a glass screen maybe not so much as the de-mister is also a great asset.
I got a stand for £100 from these people
www.onedesignstands.co.uk/
does the job a treat
If you do many miles in winter its worth having, if you are getting a boxster with a glass screen maybe not so much as the de-mister is also a great asset.
I got a stand for £100 from these people
www.onedesignstands.co.uk/
does the job a treat
We used ours all winter. We live in Minnesota, which means winter lasts a long time. It's better for heat retention and is easier to clear of snow than the soft top. We got the storage cart from Porsche as part of the deal (the small one, not the one that also holds a set of tires) and Ann stitched up a quilted cover for it. It's a little fussy taking it on and off. I am not likely to mess with it more than putting it on for winter and taking it off for spring, along with the snow tires.
Mike
Mike
I haven't got a hardtop personally, but I must say I think the boxster actually looks pretty cool with a hardtop - better than with the softop up anyway (but not as good as when its down...).
I was thinking about buying the hardtop, but when I talked to the Porsche sales guy he said that when you buy one, it needs finally trimming to size in order to fit your specific car - like a mini coach trimming exercise - otherwise you may get gaps and rattles. Does anyone know if this was just sales BS or it that for real??
I was thinking about buying the hardtop, but when I talked to the Porsche sales guy he said that when you buy one, it needs finally trimming to size in order to fit your specific car - like a mini coach trimming exercise - otherwise you may get gaps and rattles. Does anyone know if this was just sales BS or it that for real??
A Hardtop resolves the car completely as a Coupe whilst allowing you options year-round. You should be able to get one for £900-£1K and you won't lose money on it. Much quieter overall with it on and you can hear that six singing even clearer than before. Dampens the handling marginally but you'll only notice when you take it off again. No Brainer......get one!
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