Is there anything more romantic in car-dom than the notion of carefree cruising in a convertible? The wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the freedom of the open road before you? It’s pretty gosh-darn delightful, is it not?
Indeed, the notion of driving in a convertible is wonderful. The actual practice? Ehhh, I don’t love it. Now, don’t get me started on chassis rigidity, because you can’t get me started on chassis rigidity. I promise you, if you put me in a convertible, any convertible, chassis flex will not even be among my top 100 gripes.
Chief among the gripes: I find the entire affair to be unpleasant. The niceness that having the top down does add – sun on your face, wind in your hair – is more than made up for by the headache I get from wind noise, and the annoyance of all the head-buffeting turbulence that’s also making me miserable.
It all looks like fun, especially in movies and on TV. For example, consider Ben Gazzara in Road House below, just enjoying the weather in his 1988 Mustang GT drop-top, drifting from lane to lane and forcing any wayward Daltons off the road.
Or how about Jon Bernthal in the opening credits of American Gigolo (the Showtime series), taking in the California sun in that most phallic of convertibles, the Jaguar E-Type? Though second to the Jag, the Mercedes 450 SL Richard Gere drives in the 1980 movie also makes top-down driving look sexy and fun.
But it’s never sexy or fun for me! The not-sexy part, I get. After all, I’m in the car, so there you go. But it should be fun! And above 30mph or so, I don’t think I’ve ever really had fun in a convertible.
Now, to be fair, I haven’t yet ridden in a modern convertible, which I’m sure manages airflow much better and feels less like a car missing a roof and more like a car meant to operate well while roofless. But I’d love to give one a try!
Your turn:
I totally agree with you. Convertibles look amazingly sexy on television and whatever,but in practice it’s a noisy horrible ordeal.
A vacation feels more like a vacation with the top down.
Especially just puttering around town or cruising along a shoreline, heading nowhere in particular and in no particular hurry to get there. You can’t beat the convertible for just chilling and enjoying life for a bit.
(Motorcycles are a different thing and not to be compared. Enjoying life for a bit, sure, but too much adrenaline and paranoia about the other idiots on the road for “chilling”.)
But beyond that, convertibles are worse in every way and I’ve got no use for them, not even on vacation if I’m going highway driving.
theres a gaping void in my life right now. my 2014 wrangler was the best of everything. 4×4, convertible, and it also scratched my stick shift itch. even my 6 year old bemoans the fact we no longer can take the doors of and drop the top of our current vehicles. its even worse now that the weather is crisp and cool here in SC. it makes open air driving even better to me.
Once you have a family the kids don’t want to climb into the loud ‘race car’ every time we go somewhere. Plus, hard to take the whole family in a 2-seater. Looking for a convertible that fits 5 for joyrides with whole family and I’m finding out they are pretty rare.
What you need is a Nissan Crosscab.
I went through that and eventually just gave up and took them out one at a time in the Miata.
I refuse to live without a convertible. I call the top down button my “15 seconds to happiness” button.
Some are much better convertibles than others.
A 90s Pontiac Sunbird at any reasonable speed will whuffle you into at least putting the windows up.
You can go 70 on the highway in a 2003-2008 Toyota Solara on speakerphone with the top down, and the person on the other end probably won’t even know it.
Generally speaking, Mercedes does modern convertibles best, because Mercedes puts a lot of focus on comfort technologies to counter the effects of being top down. Porsche and Lexus are usually good choices, too, but all of them should be tested in person before purchase.
And I agree with all of you on bikes. It’s a totally different experience on two wheels.
I’ve done it twice. On vacation in Hawaii. And, really, not by choice.
I would never have a convertible as a DD.
I love moon roofs that either let light or air in, but I don’t have to worry about someone knifing it or the natural environment trying to kill it.
Sometimes, the sun is so intense, I even slide the inner slider in just not to get baked. It’s really a brilliant solution.
My open top motoring is done on my Harley which I might have put 1K miles on since my oldest was born, who is now 4. The equation changes based on who you have waiting for you at home.
I hate driving convertibles. I’ve had some good ones: MX5, Elise, mk3 MR2. Great cars to drive, but I enjoyed them all more with a roof on.
Can’t really say why. Yes, the sun, rain, wind, noise, but I’m fine with all of that on a motorbike.
I had some fun drives on warm nights with the roof down, but not so fun that I want to do it again.
What doesn’t help is the bullying from convertibalists to use my roof how they want me to. Someone me put a picture of my Elise with it’s hard top on in August on Facebook, and the comments were vicious. People would shout at me in traffic to get my roof down.
I did used to drive my 2CV to the beach and back with the roof rolled all the way back, but that was because my passengers wanted it. It must have been 15 years after I sold that before I got another convertible, and the reasons had nothing to do with the roof.
I live in the desert southwest, the yellow face, it burns. Just can’t see getting a lot of use out of a drop-top.
Ear plugs. Specifically the nice ones designed for musicians to keep them from going deaf on stage. You still hear clearly, but the decibels are knocked down to a comfortable level.
It’s probably not technically legal, but after realizing I couldn’t hear out of my left ear after a long top down drive and not particularly enjoying the experience for the reasons you mention, I’ll take the risk of getting a ticket so I can actually use my removable roof. On a nice day with my ear plugs in, top down driving is delightful now.
inb4 “Earplugs maybe aren’t legal in some states while driving.” “But you’re just moving the sound deadening from the car to your ears, so it’s fine.”
I drive a convertible with earplugs, works great.
I like having one as my project fun car. It’s not great for daily driving (especially since it’s a soft top), but when the weather is nice it’s really fun.
Driving a convertible does make my hatred of giant lifted diesel trucks rolling coal grow ever stronger, since their 12″ diameter exhaust tips are basically at head level when you’re next to one at a red light.
I’ve ridden in and driven convertibles. They can be fun at the beach. But I wouldn’t want to own one and daily drive it.
I can see the appeal of convertibles back in the days before A/C was a common thing.
I live in the pacific northwest and our mild weather makes a convertible my go to any chance I get. Not too hot, not too cold – just right.
4 convertibles and two cars without any provisions for a roof.
I whole heartedly endorse topless driving!
100% accurate. The PNW was made for convertible motoring.
I really enjoy it. I haven’t had an open topped car in a while, but I’ve had a few as dailies over the years and got quite a lot of use and enjoyment out of them. The tops would only come up if it was really hot, raining, or under 60 degrees. Not things that are a problem most of the year where I live. The tops on my 1st miata and M Roadster were worn thru at the fold lines from frequent use, and I just removed the one from my second Miata and threw a hard top on it when the weather got bad. It had a black interior when I got it, but was fadded to a medium grey by the time I sold it. My next project car will probably be an old jeep, my dad’s got one and I really like running without doors…
I refuse to own a vinyl top, because my convertible top is subject to coming down at any temperature as long as the roads are dry.
If people can go topless in the dead of winter on a snowmobile, I can do the same in my Solara.
It all started with my first Triumph Spitfire; I used to bundle up and drive top down in all weather, including during snowstorms and blizzards. With a blanket on my lap, WWI style flying goggles and a good wool scarf, I never had a problem staying warm.
To own? Maybe as a 3rd car for me, with others in the household. As a vacation rental? Depends. A Mustang convertible was nice in Maui, but wouldn’t have been ok in SoCal or FL.
There are of course, downsides to owning a convertible. Every automotive choice you make involves trade-offs, so selecting a car type is navigating your priorities. That said, I have owned various convertibles for 20 years (it is my wife’s daily driver). She loves the open top and we always joke that she “sometimes” puts the top up – and yes, I have driven with the top down, while experiencing a light rain (pro tip, keep moving). I have progressed from purchasing used convertibles to just recently buying a brand new Mustang. There is a huge advantage to purchasing a used convertible as people tend to buy new ones on impulse, park them in the garage, barely drive them and then sell them cheap after a few years with very little mileage. I progressed through two different Sebrings, and a 2016 Mustang before buying the 2024. The 2016 was a pretty great car, but the 2024 is defiantly a step up. Both Mustangs are aerodynamically superior to the Sebrings. You don’t get a lot of wind in the cabin and I can comfortably cruise on the highway at 80 and still hear the radio. With the 2024, the combination of heated and cooled seats and a heated steering wheel, increases the comfortable top down range from the mid 50’s to almost 90 degrees.
I’ve had 2 convertibles, a 1978 MGB and a 1974 Fiat 124. Had a lot of fun with both. A hat helps a lot with wild hair flying around.
I’d be perfectly willing to buy another convertible.
I own a 1984 Mustang GT 20th Anniversary convertible exactly like the one at the top of the article. 5.0. T5. I love convertibles. I’ve been riding in convertible since literally being a newborn till driving my Father’s convertibles until having my own when I turned 25. Convertibles have always been around me. I can’t imagine a life without a convertible in my stable. Driving a convertible is an experience that is different from all other driving experiences. Everyone should experience it. Maybe they won’t like it. Maybe they’ll love it. But IMO, it is no where as bad as described.
I’ve been through a number of drop tops since 1997 or so:
1974 Porsche 914 -> 1990 NA Miata -> break for several years (albeit with lots of wheel time in my parents’ 328CI) -> 1997 Del Sol VTEC.
Since my ‘other car’ is a full size truck, it’s nice to have something smaller and more efficient for those times when I don’t need to do ‘truck stuff’…whether the Del Sol or something a bit more modern/comfortable, that something else will always be a convertible.
I have always loved top down motoring. I wanted a convertible as my first car, but parents said absolutely not. After moving to San Diego as an adult and making decent money, I treated myself to my first convertible. 2001 Mustang GT 5-spd. The top was down almost all the time around town. Most of my commutes were top down. I took a back-roads road trip from San Diego to Albuquerque, top down the entire trip (except for the two hours of rain in the Arizona mountains).
I sold it after several years to get a responsible commuter (BLEH). Less than 2 years later, i was back into another convertible. 2006 Mustang GT 5-spd. Same as the previous one.
I’ve also driven the following: 90s Lebaron, late 90s Sebring, 2008 Sebring, Volvo C70, and a few Jeep wranglers/Gladiators. I love top down motoring.
My husband does not like top down motoring. The sun and his fair skin are not a good match for just driving around town, so it was almost always a solitary experience for me.
I have been without a convertible for 12 years at this point… funny this article has come up because I’ve started looking at them again. Next car might be a convertible.
My parents love them for some reason and always have one. My mom had two S2000s, and after that a long series of Mini convertibles. They have the luxury of living in south Florida, and they have a garage in which to store it.
Driving those cars a few times per year is plenty for me.
Me and my family enjoy them a lot. Before I was born, my mom had a 67 Pontiac GTO convertible, and my grandparents had a 65 Mustang convertible. I bought a 1989 Mustang GT convertible exactly like the one in the Road House video (same color and everything), and still have it. I also have a 1980 Triumph convertible, and my mom had a 1988 Allante’, which were all convertibles of course. And my cousin has the little SLK roadster.
For me top down motoring is about cruising on mild evening in a relaxed fashion and not any kind of performance stuff. I have a Mercedes SL500 that I bought new in 2003 which is ideal. Comfortable, composed, quiet with the top down and I don’t care if the infotainment is utterly antique.
We’ve owned a handful of soft tops over the years, so we obviously like them. We also grew up being used to cars with no A/C. We live in the South.
My 1st was 89 5.0 mustang. Top was down so much I didn’t realize the A/C quit working at some point. Back window could be unzipped, so on really hot days, top up, all windows down. Upgrade the sound system so could hear my music on interstate with top down.
Wife had an 89 Suzuki Sidekick soft top, but no A/C. The front half of top could be folded back and rear window zipped open. Going full topless was a bit more work, but if weather was going to be nice for a bit, would take of off, especially if going trail running in the mountains.
Wife had an 00 BMW E46. This put the Mustang conv to shame as far as wind/noise control/refinement. She had top down whenever weather allowed. We would still have it if I didnt get tired of always fixing stuff on it. She still misses it.
Currently have 92 Miata for the express purpose of top down driving…that, and it’s fun to drive!