my father loves convertibles. every time i've been in one, i've hated it. the wind and all just annoys me. i've never understood my father's love for convertibles.

I like them. In fact my dream car would be a silver '89 speedster.

There's a certain romantic attachment to convertibles. A cool autumn morning, top down, snicking through the gears on a back road. The exhaust reverberating off of the trees as you snake through the valley. Your ladyfriend, hair tied up in a scarf, sunglasses on, along for the ride to the brunch place you know. That kind of thing that you just don't get with the AC on.

My dad wants one... I don't see why... The weather in OK sucks. Its always too hot, too cold, too windy, too rainy.... Weather here comes in extremes and it leaves very few days a convertible can be used. I can count on one hand how many times I've had the top out of the 944 in the last 2yrs...

I could see it in a more mild climate.

but, mostly, beyond the romantic crap (which is just mental nonsense), convertibles suck.

...for you.

But you're not me and a bunch of other people who can drive literally hundreds of miles in the sun and wind and LOVE it. ;):D

I have a 996 Coupe and love it, but I also have a black 911 convertible and have been enjoying the heck out of it these past few days. It's not "romance", it's real. I love it. It's like being on a motorcycle.

(Wait...YOU have a Ducati motorcycle. You, of all people here, should love being out in the elements.)

i do love being in the elements. and it is not like being on a motorcycle. at all.

a convertible is just not for me. i don't get the love affair. the noise, the wind, my hair blowing all over, etc. etc. etc.

Your reality is different than mine. What a shock.

:)

KaptKaos....nice description but nobody snicks through the gears with a 915. Interesting reading all the comments. I don't think my title was that far off. :)

That's, in no way shape or form , a convertible.
The word itself says it all, Convert-ible, a car that converts.

con·vert (kn-vûrt)
v. con·vert·ed, con·vert·ing, con·verts
v.tr.
1. To change (something) into another form, substance, state, or product; transform: convert water into ice.
2. To change (something) from one use, function, or purpose to another; adapt to a new or different purpose: convert a forest into farmland.


So if you have car, that has a roof so it can convert from open top, to closed top... Then you have a convertible....
The pictures you posted.... are of a car that does not have a roof, nor can it convert to one with a roof.
If it rains, you get wet : not a convertible

for me i think the lines of the coupe are nicer but i do enjoy the targa, maybe i'm jaded due to owning a 914 when i was in college. i think convertibles are nice too but the plastic back window is a pain, atleast on the e36.

I love convertibles.

They are dirty, but that would apply to a coupe with the windows down. If I do much driving with the windows down or the top down, when I clean the inside of the windows the rag comes back black. Of course, it may be due to all of the diesels and crappy smoking old cars/trucks running around Houston.

I always wanted a boat and when I bought my Targa 8 years ago, it gave me (and still does) the same feeling that a boat did, without the hassles. I love driving with the top off and the only time I put the top on is when we're caught in a heavy rain! Having the top off also makes me feel less confined...

Convertibles are awesome. I love my SLK and I love my Targa. I can't stand being in a capsule/cage driving anymore except in noisy urban-type environments, when it's preferable to shut out the cacophony of everything around. For this reason I like the SLK a bit more for versitility since it's simpler to put the roof up and shut out the din of the outside world with the push of a button - it doesn't take stopping the car, opening the trunk, finagling a bunch of levers and latches, etc. but the Targa is just as good (if not better) if I know I'm not going through an urban setting with a lot of noise and stuff I don't want to be exposed to.

Either one on a nice day in a rural/sparsely-populated area is pure bliss though.

Don't ever park a convertible (or a Targa) with the top open. People are a-holes. I've seen people spit into open convertibles, throw trash in them, etc. Jealousy. People are just dicks.

Try it with a 901! LOL

I think you answered your own question.

As a track car, I wouldn't invest in a 'vert. However, for a daily driver or a weekend cruiser convertables are great, IMHO.

Last year, we bought a VW Eos for my wife as her daily driver. Sometimes, I am able to steal the keys from her and drive a bit too.

Would I drive her Eos on the track? No way -- I've got my 944 with a slightly modified suspension (400 lb springs, delrin bushings, camber plates...etc). to play with! However, for a weekend jaunt up the country side, I'd much rather be tooling around top-down in her car!!!

I don't use a hammer to drive in a screw -- it's all about using the right tool for the right job.

-Z-man.

Side note: Mrs. Z-man's EOS is a hard-top convertable -- which makes it a 4 season car -- some of the rag-top 'verts really don't keep the weather out as well - making them less desireable in the wintertime.

Well, it was a coupe when Porsche cut the roof off..... :D