[Tcab]

So I am coming up on a year of Elise ownership and I have yet to remove the hardtop :facepalm

I don't like how the car looks with it off and I don't like the look of the soft top either, also I have no odd air noises or water leaks, and I feel like if I take it off then put it back on it won't be as good as it is now? (Ie. It may start leaking or not seal as nice as now.)

Am I crazy for not having done this yet or is it not worth the hassle of removal for only one or two drives to experience it topless? :shrug:

 

[Copple]

I think you're missing out by not taking the top off, but I'm a convertible guy. I would agree the car looks nicer with the hard top, but there's something to be said for driving topless!

For us, since the car is only driven on nice days the car lives under a cover during the week. Hard top goes on in the winter and comes off for spring.


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[jefrac]

yes, completely crazy. It does look better with the top on, but still pretty dang good with it off too. The car is transformed into something else with the top off on a nice day. It's awesome. It takes about 8 minutes to remove or put on. With a little practice there is no difference in squeaks, rattles, wind noise, etc.

 

[SCamper]

Hi.

I had mine for five years before I took the top off. Put it back on after a few weeks. Did not like the look or the extra exposure to other drivers. It was easy to remove and put back on. Try it you may like it.

-Alex

 

[derrek1280]

Women look great with the right bra on, too ... but at the end of the day topless is just where it's at

 

[eZg]

noob here...but I saw an Elsie on ebay just the other day that had the top permanently fixed (attached). Seller claimed it improved rigidity.

Now this was a highly modified car.

Just seemed to me that this would effect it's resale-ablity (don't think that is a word)

 

[dcat151]

I run my car with the top on all the time. I like the look and I can roll the windows down for an open air driving experience.

 

[ulao]

I hate the hard top, I had it on for 3 days, I think it makes the roof look flat and boring. I also am not a fan of the soft top but that is how I use it when I can't have it open. I drove a convertible for 10 + years before this ( mr2 spyder ). I may have had the top down 100 times tops. I don't really like convertibles but they didn't have the hard top version when I bought it. Though t-tops or a moon roof... Nothing looks better IMO. The car I had before the spyder was an 88 mr2 t-top, hardly had the windows on that thing anywhere I took it.

Take it off, walk away and come back out in 15 20 minutes, its not the same car with it on. Driving wise, I enjoy the car so much its hard to compare but I will say I feel more like I'm in a exotic car with it off.

To each there own.

I have not put my hard top back on since I took it off, I may in winter...

 

[Doge]

Yes, definitely deserves a :facepalm !

I had the hard and soft top, and probably had no top on the car about 80% of the time. Most of the time I usually only used the hard top on 100+ days or in winter. It's just so awesome with the top off.

 

[Chouch]

In my almost 1 year of ownership, I removed the top twice.

Not an enjoyable experience for me. In fact I have more wind noise with the top off than I have in my helmet on my motorcycle... I find it to be a royal pita.
I would trade my removable top for a non-removable one in a heart beat if I could. That would also solve my leaking issue that started right after the first time I drove with the top off.

Not gonna talk about the sunburn on my arms from last sunday drive with the top off.

 

[Tcab]

In my almost 1 year of ownership, I removed the top twice.

Not an enjoyable experience for me. In fact I have more wind noise with the top off than I have in my helmet on my motorcycle... I find it to be a royal pita.
I would trade my removable top for a non-removable one in a heart beat if I could. That would also solve my leaking issue that started right after the first time I drove with the top off.

Not gonna talk about the sunburn on my arms from last sunday drive with the top off.

Lol the leaking issue after removal is one of the biggest reasons I haven't bothered...

 

[MotoGeek]

Top on:

Top off:

 

[chris2pher]

I keep my hard top on the majority of the time, and only go top-down maybe once or twice a month. I think it's a good change but prefer the "cockpit" feel the car has with the roof on. I notice that I get extra attention with the roof off. I think the car looks great either way. I have the soft top as well and I think I've only used it twice in 2 years of ownership during a rain emergency. The soft top does no justice for the looks/design of the car.

 

[philethier]

hardtop

A topless Elise looks like a really sharp coupe which has had its top chainsawed out.

Stag fills my wife's convertible needs.

 

[driftwood]

So I am coming up on a year of Elise ownership and I have yet to remove the hardtop :facepalm

I don't like how the car looks with it off and I don't like the look of the soft top either, also I have no odd air noises or water leaks, and I feel like if I take it off then put it back on it won't be as good as it is now? (Ie. It may start leaking or not seal as nice as now.)

Am I crazy for not having done this yet or is it not worth the hassle of removal for only one or two drives to experience it topless? :shrug:

I just removed mine for the first time in 3 years this past weekend... it was just mehhh :shrug:

I didn't buy the car for the removable top capabilities & sold my soft top the same day I took delivery of my Elise because I think it looks hideous on our cars... I'm a hardtop kind of owner I guess & will most likely keep it on 99% of the time

I'm just shocked there is someone else that thinks like me when it comes to tops for our cars (were clearly the minorities here rotfl )

 

[ZeRoSL]

I like having the roof off, Hardtop looks way better, but you cant store it anywhere in the car, so soft top it is for me

 

[bri3d]

Try removing it at least once.

I've never had problems with my hardtop leaking after re-install. Check that your seals are in good condition - the adhesive on mine was causing it to move around when I first got the car and a quick dab of silicone fixed it up. If you're really worried, put some weight on the hardtop while you screw it down to make sure it's all seated as tightly as it can be.

I do agree that the car looks a lot better with the hard-top and it helps cut down on some of the heckling/attention around town. I hardly use mine, though, because top-down driving is just too fun to give up!

 

[addertooth]

The driving experience is a bit more visceral with the top off. It is a hedonist thing, and not for everyone.

 

[Tasracer]

I have an Exige and have not had the too on since the day I got it a few weeks ago!


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[sturgeongeneral]

I know people that always leave the hard top on and some that always go topless. I'm a topless guy but to each his own. That's what makes them so versatile!