OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - Death(?) of the Convertible

My daily driver is a Jaguar XK convertible. I will never sell this car and plan to drive it as much as I can until it completely falls apart. Nothing beats it on sunny days.

FWIW I've owned two in my life and loved both of them.  When I was younger I had a palidium silver 1970 GTO with a 455, AC, PS, PB & 4 speed and cruised Woodward most Friday and Saturday nights from 76-81.  I sold it for $1,800 in 1982 because I was mad I couldnt get the water pump to stop leaking.  Last time I looked that particular car with the options my car had sold in the 70K-ish range.  So yes, quite stupid of me to get rid of it.

My second was a powder blue 1984 Mustang with a white top, 301, crushed velvet powder blue interior, air & 5 speed. That car was FUN and I owned it out in San Francisco during most of the 80's.  I drove it back to Michigan in 1989, alone, and that trip was amazing in itself.  Top down, alone, cruising across the country was something I'll never forget.

Ragtops are the most social car there is to be honest.  Pull up to any light with the top down and people in cars next to you will start talking to you about your car.  Happened all the time and was pretty cool.  If they're gone, I'll miss them.

Just traded in my Mustang convertible last year. I loved it all winter here in Florida. But I'm 6'2" and getting older and a Mustang is just too uncomfortable for me now. I need a full size car if the top has to be up.

I think its less to do with 'death of convertibles' and more to do with 'death of cars'

SUV's and Trucks have completely taken over.  I believe Chrysler only offers 1 car now?

RIP cars.

"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

Convertibles everywhere

I have a 2011 Mustang GT Convertible.  I will never sell that car....there are few things better than a spring or fall day driving with the top down.

I worked at a Chrysler dealership straight out of college from 2010-2013 before I got into insurance. Every year we were teased that a Challenger convertible was forthcoming. I’m still waiting. Now that I no longer have a demo car and have to purchase my own cars it’s the one thing I’ve really wanted.

One of the larger Chrysler meetings I attended Sergio and another guy said the biggest problem with convertibles is the shrinking niche market for them doesn’t justify the all of the production costs. I’m 32 and it’s sad to think I may never own one. 

I never had one, but I used to love motorcycles... maybe you should try getting a bike

When I was at Michigan used to buy a cheap bike each summer.  They are cheap on gas and insurance and also cheap to buy.   Perfect option for a poor college kid from a rural area that needs wheels for summer jobs..... oh yea, and they are fun as hell

but then I became a dad of 3 kids and realized it was too risky in terms of what would their life look like without me.  Thinking that someday when I am not as important I am going get another bike. 

I suspect the convertible will make a comeback... probably triggered by a movie with a good scene and the right background music

edit: If it's not obvious, I think the wind in your face is a key attraction of each

Everyone should own a convertible at least once in their life. I've had two Miatas, a 97 and a 99, and I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of the 99, 15 years later.

I've owned a bunch of great cars over the years, but to this day that 99 Miata is my favorite. It was a nearly perfect car. I bought it just before winter when the dealer needed to move it and got a great deal.

Fully loaded. Black with tan leather and a tan top. Bose stereo with speakers in the headrest. Upgraded suspension and a limited slip differential. The shortest throw transmission I've ever used. Perfectly balanced with about 140 hp. Driving it was almost a religious experience. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a turbo and about 40 more hp.

Eventually I'm going to buy another one exactly like it.

Early in my career I worked at a conv supplier. Almost every OEM had a conv model in the 80’s. You really need a two door coupe body style to begin with in order to design a convertible, and these cars are a dying breed.  This is the main reason. Also, niche vehicles are tricky. A folding top alone can run $25M tooling investment plus mfg plant costs. Not to mention unique sheet metal structure, plant complexity. You need to sell a lot of them to make a good business case these days.

I had a Mustang convertible from 23-28.  Loved it.  Was not fun to drive in Michigan winters.  With 3 kids under 5, I need the space (both for them and in my garage) and I can't really justify the cost of a third, "fun" car that I can effectively drive 4 months out of the year when we need at least one SUV and a full-sized sedan, if not a second SUV.  

Maybe when they're older and out of college.

I think the new Land Rover Defender 90 has a retractable fabric top coming next year. 

Also, I agree with you Ben regarding the market. It seems the convertible is just moving the same way as most vehicles, and that’s everyone wants an SUV, or something that looks like an SUV now.

As long as there are divorced, middle-aged men with shriveled penises, there will always be a market for convertible sports cars.