Thinking of buying a 91 firebird convertible. can you guys tell me what the pro and cons are of the convertible? How does the top work and how long does it take to pull up and down?

Thanks

 

Cons of the vert - harder to find parts, and have to have the top redone every so often.

Pro's - it's a VERT!

 

pro: rare car, lots of fun with the top down.

con: rare car, not so fun with top down in the rain.

the tops are manual. it takes me a few minutes to fold away and to put it back up. its worth it to have a vert though...

 

Def a pro being that they are more rare then hardtops and ttop cars.
and they are a blast to drive with the top down on a nice summer day

 

In my eyes, there are no cons unless you are building a true race car.

If you have a good working a/c and heat, there's really no difference between a coupe and convertible as far as comfort is concerned. The fun factor is much higher in a convertible though

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/conv...-top-down.html

I can usually do it in less than a minute (up or down). Even faster on this day . . .


If you wanna vert, there are few cons. That's because you'll be willing to live with the greater frame flex, road noise, the odd rattle and squeek, sunburns on the back of your neck, etc.
In exchange you'll have the rush of wind blowing around you when you're driving to fast, people constantly stopping you to talk about your ride, heads turning as you go by, the cool breezes on a warm summer night, driving at night in the country with a million stars over your head, great visibility 360deg around you, hearing and smelling the stream bubbling by as drive through the mountains, etc, etc.
Is it worth it . . . oh yeah!

 

You guys are making me want a vert

 

Sights and sounds magnify by 10 with the top down. Only pros for me, always wanted a Vert and it didn't let me down. + I think they look better as never been a big fan of the huge rear glass.

 

Also working on the interior of the car is easier since you can get more light in the car the lights on your garage ceiling.

 

I think the only con is maintaining your tops appearance/ condition over the years. I just got a vert and it's a total rush driving with the top down!!! Hard to really explain.

My hardtop was cool but there wasn't a fun factor when I drove it. With a vert now its the opposite!!!

 

if I can't mine running properly you can pull it out of the river!

Pros- AWESOME

Cons- specific parts are hard to find/expensive.

 

I'd love to have a vert! But they usually run higher in price, and I just don't have it - so I settled for a T-top car. Better than a hardtop, not quite a vert. Maybe one day ...

 

cost of replacing top... less secure, vandilized with knife = alot of money out of pocket.
Other than that... nothing is sexier.

 

There is nothing better than smelling the honeysuckle on a cool evening as I carve up a twisty road.

 

The real question is: Will this be a daily driver? If yes, stay away from the convertible.

Cons:

Expensive
Noisy
Delicate
Flimsy
Heavy
Ugly
No drip rail

Now, if you were thinking fun weekend car, convertible is the only way to go. I would highly recommend it.

Pros:

Fun as hell (don't forget the sunscreen)

And by the way, I've had T top cars, and they are not the same as a convertible. Not even close.

 

These cars are awesome convertibles. I can put the top up or down in probably 15 seconds and that's starting from the drivers seat and having to crawl over the door bar of my rollbar..

I have gone 140 mph in the 1/4 mile with the top down. It's fun. At the Pinks All Out race in Kalamazoo, MI, I looked up and waved at the overhead camera while doing my burnout. Haha

 

http://www.lemonfree.com/1G2FS33E5ML241512.html-1

thats the car im looking at. there is something wierd there around the bottom of the top in the back. anyone see that before or know if thats a problem or not. I know that motor is a dog and its got 180k miles but i dont care about that cause i would drive it for the summer take it off teh road in the fall and drop a 5.7tpi in it.

what you guys think?

 

the top looks like it might need to be replaced soon. You could see the ripples in the back window and the back part starting to curl up. My top was doing the same thing. A closer look would probably show you that the seams on the top are starting to get dry rotted and pulling apart.

 

roughly what does a top cost to replace? found out too that the paint was faded when the dealer got it so they had it painted. im sure the cheapest crappiest paint job possible, so i got to imagine in a year it will need to be painted again.

 

whats going on with your vert terrorsquad77? maybe i can help,

but pros; great on gas depending, the rare factor, the sound of the engine with the top down,

cons; theres alwways a gap between the windows and the top at the back of the door by the striker, cant take it through the auto wash, tops are 500$,

and there are no 350 TPIs that came factory, but i swapped mine for a 350 TPI

i have a tpi system forsale too, check link in my sig

 

autoroc do you have a video of that? i want to see it lol, ive been searching for it on youtube but cant find it, what year did you do it in? give me any info that will help me find it

 

a new top installed will probably run somewhere around $600-800....maybe more depending on where you take it and if you know someone that can do it. I just had a friend who owns an upholstery shop put a new top on my car and recover my 4th gen seats total for everything was around $2300.
As for the paint.....it might just need a good wet sand and buff to bring it back to life.

 

Con: louder (inside) than the hardtop
Pro: LOTS OF FUN!
Vert Firebied is rare ( I have one )
Easy to vacuum the inside
Easy to work on the interior
Top "hides" under a hard cover not like the crapstang
With the top down its way more easy to have "fun" with your wife/girlfriend

 

Get out. Now.

 

lol, ugly. that's a new one.

 

yeah tell me about it

 

Easy, now. I guess my "ugly" comment needs some explanation.

First of all, IROC convertible with the top down is the most beautiful body shape of any car ever, and I've made previous posts that said exactly that.

But sorry, a soft top convertible looks like a Chuck wagon when the top is up. Shiny paint and glass is more aesthetically pleasing than canvas.

Not a 3rd gen, but my 4th gen in attached pic has the same problem. But it looks great when the top is down.

 

Like most have said, rare these days. Like driving something different. Great looks with the top down.my 92 Trans Am is my weekend car and im working on my other 92 TA project. Thinking of doing this one better than stock. Great crowd to belong to. No cons for me just pros. Good luck.

 

whatever im sexy top on or topless lol and btw mine is a daily driver love every second of it too

 

Most convertible cars look like poo with the top up. Top down some look stunning.

 

I actually think it looks even better with the top up!

 

Styling really comes down to personal taste. That's why you have a choice of 300 different new car models. Chocolate or Vanilla?

I still think the best vantage point to view a convertible is from behind the wheel.

 

Con... Need a roll bar to go 11.50's
weather stripping is expensive (875)
new top (480)

Pro's.

Driving around on the first 75d day of the year while everyone else is jealous... = priceless

 

Yah, some of the parts may be a bit hard to find, it's not quite as rigid as a coupe (still love the coupes, though), and a replacement top can be pricey. But all of these issues tend to become things that one doesn't think about much on a Summer afternoon, top down, stereo blasting, carving up a nice winding road, digging the ride. One other thing - you won't see yourself coming and going everywhere you go in one of these - they aren't as common as a lot of other convertibles out there, these days . . .

 

x2 on that sir

 

Pros...Love the looks of the top up or down!!

 

And I enjoy the car either way. With the top up or down..





Hopefully the new top will be here for it this week!

 

That's one nice ride.

 

Kat's Copper Devil!

 

Nice car, Kat - LOVE the color . . .

 

I agree, Nice vert, Love the color too...

 

That is a nice, clean looking vert!

 

You had better be a woman.