Are convertibles lame? The Droptop debate

[tyfoon129]

Currently deployed in afghaniland and ive been researching M3's (possible purchase when i get home)and got into a heated debate today about wether or not convertibles are an acceptable form of transportation for males. I strongly argued yes but every other person poled said hell no. Am I insane or do other people like a nice drop top, particularly the e36 M3 kind.




Vw content!

[Tiny4cyl]

I had a Volvo C70 in California a few years ago, really liked it. Would own one if it didn't feel like a land barge to drive as I really thought that year's styling was sharp.

[Tokyosmash]

Loved my S2000, depends on the car I say.

[Tiny4cyl]

Loved my S2000, depends on the car I say.

Yeah I'd drive an S2000 without a reservation in the world, especially knowing it only came in 6MT trim which eliminates most of the poseurs

[wonderboy!]

Love 2 seaters, 4 seaters hell no

[Spell Check Desk]

a girly car like a VW Rabbit convertible or Beetle convertible? Hell no, but who the hell has this idea that men shouldn't drive convertibles? Jay-sus.

[sirswank]

i rent a convertible every time work sends me to a warm locale. livin' la vida expense report!

to hell with everyone else, sometimes you just want to drop the top.

[novws]

I think a man can decide what he wants to drive for himself. Who cares what others think?

And, personally, I think driving an automatic anything is more a lot more girly than driving a convertible. But, that's just my opinion and many others will disagree.

[Spell Check Desk]

This. Is. Too. Girlie. Girl.

Even for me and I am a girl!

[Wanganrunner]

Why would convertibles be gay?

I mean, maybe a Sebring or a Cabrio or something.

Is an XK vert, R8 Spyder, or Maserati Grancabrio gay? SL550?

[Waarp]

Best to get a car that was designed from the start to be a ragtop.

[alohasb7]

Call me gay I don't care, this car is a blast to drive

[Glumrug]

I can see no possible downside to owning a car that woman love.

Its the opinion of other men I don't car about. I don't want them in my car anyway.

[Live-Wire]

Depends on the car, and your personality. If you feel comfortable in an M3 convertible - you damn well could and should rock it! They are great looking cars, and definitely more of a man's convertible.

A Beetle convert? Hmmm.... yah not so much! But I've seen guys in them; older gentlemen driving their obviously long-time sweetheart around for a ride. Personally, I think this would be a very acceptable case of a man owning one. So like I said, depends on the car and your personality.

In the army I'm sure there are a lot of Alpha male types who will go their own course, lead others, and do what they think is best (more like you, who doesn't seem to care about what the other guys in your division you polled said)... and the rest will be meat heads who are just perhaps homo-phobic and act 'manly' at everything to cover up insecurity.

[kindofblue59]

There are loads of convertibles that are acceptably masculine, although a real man drives whatever the hell he wants because he's a man, damn it.


That said, if we want to talk about cars for posers, there's the peerless hardtop e46 M3, in all of its glory at 3450 lb, as compared to its poser brother the convertible, which, at a soggy 3838 lbs, is 388 pounds heavier! With less torsional rigidity! That was the first moment, reading C&D in 2001, when I realized those coupes chopped to convertibles are style traded for substance.


Hell, it's even worse in the porkier E93: 4123 lbs compared to 3650, which is 473 pounds of Affliction t-shirts and Valtrex heavier. Why not just save 20 grand and buy a 328 convertible instead?

I find this especially cruel given that an E92 M3 with the 11 lbs lighter carbon roof gets me hard as a rock:


So it'd call this kind of convertible lame but not necessarily girly or gay.

[The Sage]

always loved the s4/ rs4 cabs

[initiation]

They're lame until you've owned one for a short period of time. After that, everything else will feel too closed in, and you'll start putting the top down at every chance. However, for an E36 M3, I would most likely go with a coupe. Something about four seater convertibles doesn't do it for me.

[thetopdog]

I think my Gallardo Spyder is sufficiently masculine. The Miata on the other hand...

[sforsancho]

I think my Gallardo Spyder is sufficiently masculine. The Miata on the other hand...

Funny.. I love convertibles, but among the sports car 'hard-core' I find the Miata's lack of a factory available hardtop to be an easy out in the discussion of 'why didn't you get a coupe.'

I'd have a hard time justifying something like a 911 Turbo Cabriolet.

[helement2003]

Call me gay I don't care, this car is a blast to drive

NEEDS MOAR LOWAR!

But wow, that is quite low!

OP - Depends on the convertible. Quite a few are lame, quite a few are cool

[XiaoNio]

Best to get a car that was designed from the start to be a ragtop.

Basically this. Cars that were built from the ground up as convertibles appear to me as more desirable. They also tend to not have that whole rigidity/weight problem that converted coupes have. The S2000, Boxster and Miata are great examples. Or in my mind, the best example is the M Roadster vs. M3 cabriolet. Same engine, but at least in my mind, a radically different emotional response.

Or what Clarkson says here.

[TM87]

Real men dont care about other men's opinion and/or approval. Driving something that will get chicks attention?? Hell yea. Its better then those brodozers or other "compensating for lack of manhood" cars

[Cort]

Maybe girly, but bitches loved my bucket.

[snafuracer94]

I was mocked for my Cabrio that I drove for four years. I didn't care at all. While the mockers were pent up inside whatever they drove, after a long day at work I just dropped the top and enjoyed my drive home. It was a 96 Cabrio with a Magnaflow exhaust and Autotech springs. Fun to drive!! Real men drive whatever they want, but I wouldn't drive a Beetle convertible!

[unintended acceleration]

I think you are talking to the wrong people about this. It depends on the car.

An S2000 and a freaking Solara are both convertibles, but you tell me which car is more hardcore.

[Dustin DeSimone]

2 seater roadster = yes

cutting roof off normal car = gay

[SpecialFX]

Here is mine. Girl looking? Probably, but it's fun to see people try to figure out what car is making all the noise, lol. And 230 hp moves it along pretty well.




And shameless plug: It's for sale right now.

[speedjohnson]

I loved my s2000 and so did all the old guys driving around in their corvette convertibles. An M3 drop top is an awesome looking car and to me a vw cabrio is a nice car as well.

[speedjohnson]

Real men dont care about other men's opinion and/or approval. Driving something that will get chicks attention?? Hell yea. Its better then those brodozers or other "compensating for lack of manhood" cars

THIS

[20aeman]

I feel roadsters are definitely cool. 2+2 convertible is highly suspect though (unless it's an M3 or some performance car variant).

Stuff like Chrysler convertibles, Solaras, the Eos...those are incredibly feminine.

[nm+]

Depends on the car.

A 4-door Lincoln Continental convertible? Awesome.

A corvette convertible? Lame. I'm not a fan of taking a really high performance car and making it all noodly. Same for an M3.

S2000, maita, etc? Ok.

Camry Solara? Girly.

[UPs_n_DoWNz]

Hell no! I drive these two beauties every chance o get with no shame to speak of. Just something about it makes driving that much more fun.

(Not actual cars, but pretty much exactly the same)

[brad@fifteen52]

In '97 this car had 378-hp to the wheels (that was a lot back then), a VW Motorsport 6-speed trans, AP Racing 13" 4-piston brakes, Abt/Bilstein coilovers...

Even with all that work some people still thought it was pretty girly, but that just made it that much more fun to drive

[Tiny4cyl]

In '97 we took photos on film then scanned them into our computer

ftfy

[brad@fifteen52]

ftfy

Some stuff should just be assumed.