Any Regrets??? (Re: selecting the cabrio)

[smartHHO]

Originally Posted by PHCMegan

I am getting ready to purchase a cabrio. Do any Smart owners regret their purchase?

Nope, love putting the top down when it is HOT out. And the outside noise is not as bad as some say it is in Cabrios. I enjoy my car.

[John_H]

Originally Posted by smartHHO

And the outside noise is not as bad as some say it is in Cabrios.

And "some" people who say this don't own cabrios!

[cablvr]

I do not recall all the options, but I would not do the radio 10 (it might be std in the cabrio) or the leather seats. Neither, IIRC, were expensive.

[NCC1701]

This is the only convertible I've ever owned, so I can compare it almost solely to hard top cars. The ONLY times I've noticed excessive noise (higher than hard tops) is when precipitation is hitting the roof, and when the roof is retracted. Naturally, you would get wind noise with the roof open, just as you would get wind noise in a hard top with the windows open. Precipitation hitting the closed top is no worse than it is in many hard tops I've owned, even less than some hard tops. But, there is considerable additional noise when the roof is only opened up a bit ... not fully opened.

I dunno, maybe my hard tops were noisy hard tops?

My primary concern with the cabrio is that I'm really not very clear on the proper care and cleaning of the fabric. And, as much as I open/close it, I am a little concerned about the durability of the mechanism.

[Periclaws]

how to

Convertible Top Care - Autopia.org

[elvissa]

I utterly adore my cabrio! And since I have heated seats, I find myself rolling the top back when the temperature is as low as 55 if it's a sunny day. Come summer, I'll kill my fuel economy by blasting the A/C and cruising around with the top down.

The only thing better than the feeling of the wind in my hair may be the grins from people who see me buzzing around in my Ruby.

Then again, I'm a convertible girl. Always have been. My sister *hates* convertibles and the cabrio would make her miserable. But if you like convertibles and can pony up the extra cash, it's well worth doing.

[tovilin]

I live in Chicago and own a Cabrio and we love it. We had never owned a convertible before and were also nervous at first but it has not been a problem at all. We can't wait for the summer to arrive so we can go everywhere with the top down. Today its in the 40's and we're opening up the roof to enjoy the sun.

One thing I do recommend is the heated seats. They really help when its a little colder to keep you warm since the soft top is not a great insulator.