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.

[primostoy]

The main problem I am having is "keeping my wife and her sister" from wanting to drive my Smart convertible all the time, all I can say is if you like alot of attentioin, then get the Smart, I have a Harley Davidson Sportster and this little Smart is just as much if not more fun to drive....

[rushfan]

My only regrets with convertible vs. hardtop (we've owned both) is that in automatic car washes, the rear window leaks slightly in our cabrio. Also, I worry about getting road salt on the fabric top. I usually hand wash our cars very often for about 7-8 months out of the year- I hate driving dirty cars- but winter here means no hand washes for 4 or 5 months. So, our cab is mostly parked so far this winter (part of reason is also because I haven't had time to locate some pure wheels for it, to keep salt off brabus wheels).
As for the good stuff...There is a world of difference driving. Our coupe was good fun, but cab is GREAT fun. Summer weather here isn't so hot that you need A/C when top is down; rather, heater is on in early spring / late fall.
Summary: overall, happy we made switch to cabrio.
Brian

[Kraig]

This is my second cabrio. The first was a crossfire. The fourtwo in my opinion has less wind noise than the cross did and I really like that the top can go up or down at any speeds. I have not had the top down that much on my Brabus since it is now December and I bought it the last day of November. I do have fun showing the versatility off to friends and family