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Well, where do they go? You don't see many on the roads in winter, either parked or moving, and you don't see many parked on drives.
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Summer or winter, mine is parked in the garage with the roof down. Any fine day it will be out.
A dry, crisp, bright day in the winter is probably the best time for the car. You will see us in the Peak District or North Wales during weekends. The heater is wonderful, a warm hat and off we go.
Many of you will now say we are nuts, but as WS said in the previous thread about convertibles, there is no law against it........yet. We enjoy it as many others do.
I do know however that many convertibles are garaged over winter and others may as well be tin-tops as the roofs are rarely down. A lady customer of ours will only think about putting the roof down if the temperature is over 20, but will put it up over 25.
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There are plenty on show all year round in my area - in fact, for a start, there are two MGFs less than 75 yards from my home.
As ohsoslow rightly points out, driving a convertible on a pleasant winter's day with the hood down is hugely enjoyable providing you have a decent heater.
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...providing you have a decent heater.....
Heated seats add an extra touch of luxury.
My CC3 will be going to much the same places in winter as it does in summer - it's my year round car.
Suspect the OP meant genuine soft tops.
You don't tend to see so many of those in winter, top down or up.
Incidentally, drove through County Durham and North Yorks in the torrential rain yesterday - the CC3 did not leak a drip.
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My E46 BMW convertible got used all through last winter no probs whatsoever. The hood is triple layered so stayed lovely and warm inside even when there was a layer of snow on it. Heated glass rear screen helps aswell. Plus on the cold but sunny days you cant beat having the roof down, heater on and heated seats on.
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You don't see many on the roads in winter
Turn your demisters on and you might see them better.
Mine and all those around here seem to be all year vehicles. I can think of only one bloke with an MGB that takes his off the road for winter.
Sunny, crisp winters day with the top down is very pleasant.
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Sunny, crisp winters day with the top down is very pleasant.
My first soft-top (205, naturally) had been bought by a chap as a Christmas present for his wife; they also turned the heater on and went out in it on NY Day. Low sun can be a nuisance though.
Soon after we took it over it went to Switzerland for 3 weeks in late summer - roof only up overnight, great. Very few on the continent tho, maybe they don't like getting their heads sunburnt.
Keep in a garage, yes - but with roof up so that it doesn't come out looking crumpled.
Edited by Andrew-T on 18/07/2009 at 16:08
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>>Suspect the OP meant genuine soft tops.>>
That's exactly what I was referring to in my comment.
I've more than once, for instance, been driving around the Yorkshire Dales in a Mercedes coupe on a sunny, crisp winter's day with the excellent heater proving its worth.
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My TF hibernates from October and comes back out in April when the weather picks up. It might get the odd run out on a crisp sunny morning but usually doesnt move very far!
It makes up for it in the summer though - we are off to Lake Garda in it again this year so that should stretch its legs a bit!
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Our MX5 is used year round - I love driving in very cold weather with the roof off, in fact I quite like driving at night with the roof off - so long as it's not torrential rain or snow or hail coming down, it's fine.
That said, we do have a hard top that I sometimes use in the winter if the weather is rubbish for days on end - so the car won't look like a soft top but it is underneath :)
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A very British phenomenon the convertible. In countries where they have a proper summer the choice is invariably a saloon with decent aircon. The owners rather remind me of holidaymakers sitting on a windy English beach - they are adamant that it is an enjoyable experience but personally I'm non convinced :-)
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Son's MX5 has the hard top fitted in October and removed in early spring. So the soft top is on the road but hidden under the hard top.
It's a 2 minute job to fit.
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"The owners rather remind me of holidaymakers sitting on a windy English beach..." etc
This is due to our more temperate weather, the summers in most of continental Europe are too hot to have a soft top car, due to the extreme heat & sun burn, but British weather is ideal for it as from May-Sept it is mild enough to open the roof quite a lot, hence the preference for convertables
It sounds from your post as though you've never tried this, it was a revelation when I got heated seats in the Boxster, it's so toasty in the car... for me, nothing beats driving home from work late on the A3 & through central London at night, doing country lanes, and driving to work in the morning with the roof open. Believe it or not, they do think of the warmth issue when they design these cars!
If you're one of those people who doesn't like loud noise, fun or excitement however, it won't be your bag.
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Nothing beats driving home from work late on the A3 & through central London
Shrewsbury to Merseyside up the A49 in the 306 cabrio with the roof down, starting at 9:30pm on a balmy summer evening ... Noise not a problem.
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Have been in quite few open top cars but not sure I would call the experience fun or exciting - noisy, I definitely give you that.
The joy of owning an open top car is just something that eludes me but I'm glad you enjoy it.
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Mine is on the road just the same as summer, very bracing getting wrapped up on a cold sunny winter day with the heater on full blast. Mind you I was on motorbikes in my youth and rode them in any weather too.
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Around here the numbers do not seem to change seasonally. Some of them seem never to put the hood down, which is a puzzle to me.
For myself, I reckon the soft top was fine as long as there was a proper chassis, but not when it came to detract from torsional stiffness of the car.
To be irrelevant, Toad the Supra having gone to live with a nephew I am down to one car, so I now have an RX-8, not least to have proper rear wheel drive.
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Through Denton to Hyde.
(An old Lancashire joke.)
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Well my lovely little soft top goes to bed in winter,roof up and garaged and started once a week!
Out on any dry day during the summer,sunny or not,roof down and heater on and away you go,I love it!
I must say though that on the very hot days I recommend a hat but never roof up!no no ,no ,thats why we have soft tops. ;o) everyone should have one!
And ladies, buy a pretty colour then the hubby wont want to drive it! ;o)
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Same place Father Christmas goes in the Summer.
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The title of this thread reminded me of that Peter Sarsted (sp?) song 'Where do you go to my lovely?'
Except I doubt soft-tops go to St. Moritz for winter.
SWMBOs CLK is used all year round, which is why it is just as handy to have A/C on a convertible as a tin-top. I save my 2CV for sunny days, and keep it tucked up in the garage over winter, though.
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