Roadster or coupe?

bvl · 10-17-2011, 05:53 AM

A properly cared for top should not need replacing that frequently. Its a cloth and not vinyl top (which tends to wear faster especially due to UV and other exposure).

That said, I do agree with the poster that a roadster that sits outside all the time is going to wear faster. Bit hard to quantify of course, but it will happen.

I am a roadster fan (having driven a roadster for the past 12 years, now year 1 into our ZR). The Z's top is complicated, and when it does require replacing (I would estimate 8-10 years of normal wear and good care) it won't be inexpensive. My previous car is 20+ years old, and only on its second top. It spent a mixture of its life in/out of garage depending where it lived.

Follow the Roadster forum and a few top issues have occurred as well. Teething pains I would hope as the engineers dial in a few wear buffers in the design. Ours suffers wear spots in two places and we should be getting a warranty replacement later this year which is good on one hand but not so great on the other: I don't really like the idea of replacing a complicated top so early in its life.

- b

WICKED_GRIN · 10-17-2011, 08:01 AM

I owned a ’09 red 370Z for a year and decided to trade up to 370Z Roadster and it was the best move I ever made! I test drove a S2000 a while back and really thought it needed at least 50 more horsepower!!

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10-17-2011, 05:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
bvl Enthusiast Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: PA Posts: 362 Drives: MB Roadster (sold) Rep Power: 16	A properly cared for top should not need replacing that frequently. Its a cloth and not vinyl top (which tends to wear faster especially due to UV and other exposure). That said, I do agree with the poster that a roadster that sits outside all the time is going to wear faster. Bit hard to quantify of course, but it will happen. I am a roadster fan (having driven a roadster for the past 12 years, now year 1 into our ZR). The Z's top is complicated, and when it does require replacing (I would estimate 8-10 years of normal wear and good care) it won't be inexpensive. My previous car is 20+ years old, and only on its second top. It spent a mixture of its life in/out of garage depending where it lived. Follow the Roadster forum and a few top issues have occurred as well. Teething pains I would hope as the engineers dial in a few wear buffers in the design. Ours suffers wear spots in two places and we should be getting a warranty replacement later this year which is good on one hand but not so great on the other: I don't really like the idea of replacing a complicated top so early in its life. - b