Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z
Robert,
As always our exchanges are at the very least interesting, and typically productive, so here I go, again. Ragtops are a built-in expendable that given the length of ownership add to the bottom line in a deferred billing way. The new BMW Z4 roadster foresaw all the issues you mentioned and BMW smartly opted for a grand tourer with creature comforts at the expensive of handling and feedback (see reviews on the new Z4). The 2009 Infiniti G convertible did not translate well into a roadster—not even remotely as well as the new 370Z convertible. The G roadster reminds me too much of the Lexus SC (and forbid that its designer go into a dissertation on how he started with a glove, and squish the bloody thing about to achieve this amorphous design like the SC's designer did—rubbish).
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Are you saying that Nissan should have made the new Z roadster a retractable hard top even if they had to sacrifice handling and performance of the Z? If so, then I'm very glad they didn't go that direction. It is true, of course, that soft tops deteriorate (as will anything) over time but my boss has an '04 roadster and the top looks as good now as the day he got it...while it may need replacing some day, I doubt it will be anytime soon.
Overall, I very much prefer the weight gain and cost be kept to a minimum and the handling/agility of the coupe be retained as much as possible in the roadster. There is also the issue, even could a retractable hard top be made to "fit" in the current platform, it would likely mean even more or the already limited luggage space would be lost.
I admit, I may have a different opinion on the matter if I had a roadster that had to be parked outside all the time but as I don't have that problem I have no issues with a soft top.