I have noticed a very disturbing trend:













And I don't like it. A convertible is something that makes a lot of wind noise with the top up or down, squeaks and rattles no matter what, and will have holes in its roof sometimes in the future.

When I went shopping for Egguinn I was looking for a RAG TOP! These things without a canvas roof are aberrations, a perverse attempt to corrupt the young minds and rob them of their innocence and all that is good.

Or so says my bottle of Ultimat Vodka.

 

Maybe you should try driving one of them!




They're much more suitable in New England winters!

 

I would have to agree with you on this one. Technology is taking us to more refined convertibles, there's no messing with that fact. But the roots of the ragtop are in the squeaky imperfections and the rattles, etc. Those cars are heavy too.

 

Now that we know how you feel about ragtops, please sign back in tomorrow morning and provide your review of Ultimat Vodka.

 

NEVER! I want a Rag Top that takes a real big heart to love. Otherwise it's just a coupe with a few hundred extra pounds.

 

No need for that. It is GREAT! A product of Poland:



The bottle is hand blown glass.

In my expert opinion it is a perfect blend of old school taste of "Stoli" with the refined complexities of brands like Grey Goose and Belvedere. While more expensive because of the container, the flavor is unique and pleasing to a discerning palette.

P.S. Stop trying to hijack the thread.

 

I agree with you (albeit I generally prefer whiskey despite my Polish heritage).
Personally, I like the look of the rag top -either up or down. It's different and is part of the convertible experience.

The hard top technology is cool. But IMHO a hard top convertible is merely trying to masquerade as a coupe.

Oh and one other thing: I love the look of the exposed rollbars on my MINI.

 

I think all ragtops should be 2 seaters..... but that is just me

 

Well....essentially, mine is.


It just has some extra storage behind the 2 front seats.

 

Then this family guy wouldn't have one impatient. I thank my lucky stars every day that my Mini is exactly what it is.

 

I like the hard tops. But it took a long time to catch on.

 

wow, I've never seen that before...

 

I personally rather like the VW Eos. It is a very nice looking car, and the trunk is surprisingly usable even with the top down. I agree with Ian. The retactable hardtop would be much more suited to the New England winter, but it didn't stop me from getting a Cabrio.

 

I personaly wish there was a hard top option for the MINI. Now before the flame throwers come out. Remember that BMWCCA and other track schools will not allow soft top cars on the track. So a hard top option would solve that problem.

Cheers,
Jack

 

Agreed. Although I have to say that the Mini 'vert does have a certain kitsch. Maybe because most 4 seat convertibles have a proper trunk and Mini doesn't.

Feel free to correct me on that, but I thought the rule was that they would not allow a convertible without a proper roll over protection. I thought I saw somewhere that Mini was allowed because of the built in roll bar.

 

A-freakin-MEN brother.

Interestingly, I was headed down the Volvo hard top convertible path. Then premature aging of my Sebring convertible forced me to start shopping 6 months earlier than planned - and before the Volvo would be available. THANK GOD. Cause after brief looks at Mercedes, BMW and Audio ragtops, I literally stumbled upon the MINI - a car that I never even considered. And look at me now...

And, with all due respect, the MINI "ragtop" is so far removed from an old school "ragtop" that it might as well be a hardtop... It is SOOOO much quieter, better insulated, better engineered, more automatic, etc. etc. etc.

But it still creaks, and will eventually leak air and water... no doubt.

 

here's a few pics I took during the Chicago Auto Show of the Eos. it does look pretty cool!

 

I saw an Eos in a parking lot with the top down shortly after they came out. I then stopped by the local VW dealership and checked one out a little closer. No one ever came outside while I was climbing all over the car so I never started it, or got to put the top down, but I gave it a good once over. I found that the rearward visibility was much better than ours. The fit and finish was very good, more like a Passat than a Jetta.

 

From the BMWCCA FAQ:
What about convertibles?
We are no longer accepting convertibles -

 

This has been killing me as well. I REALLY want to track mine but nobody allows without putting in a roll cage.

 

Unfortunately the trunk is completely worthless because of all the gadgetry that goes along with the hard top. Even with the top up its worthless.