Hard top on or off ?

[Por911t4]

How do you generally run your car in connection to hard top / soft top ? ….

Hard top all the time OR soft top for summer driving with hard top for winter storage ?

Thinking of getting my hard top seals renewed but in all honestly I'll probably not use it much as I prefer the soft top.

[specracer]

OFF, top down. Ill probably never put the hard top on again. This winter for storage, will put the soft top up to not leave it folded up all winter. Open air motoring is a major enjoyment of this car.

[gimp]

Top down

[thelews]

my hardtop is never on the car, but I only drive it in summer.  If I lived in a climate where I would drive it for a period of time without putting the top down I'd put the hardtop on.

[rjmarco]

Ditto.  Top down.  Makes the car a pleasure to drive. 

[mrfatboy]

In San Diego, no hard top,  soft top always  down 24/7/365 ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ 👍😁

[dpreston Virginia]

I don't plan to put the hard top on again unless I sell the car... Not likely.
Like echoed below: winter time soft top up to not leave it folded up.
Top down adds to the pleasure time 100%!!

[Cees Klumper]

Haven't had the hard-top on for maybe 10 years. When I am with the car (like now, July and August - rest of the year it is in France and I am in Los Angeles) it sits in the barn top-down and that's how I drive it everywhere.

[teahead]

Car SHOULD BE driven year round once in awhile.  If it's cold, yet sunny, good time for hardtop driving.

[TJMart]

I drive with top down in summer and soft top up in winter. Not worth the cost to restore hard top.

[gullwing71]

I guess it depends on what climate the car is normally driven in.
If many folks prefer the hardtop off, then does this also mean that a car without a matching hardtop to body number is not a big deal?
The pagoda I am looking at has all matching numbers including hardtop.  Just trying to figure if a matching hardtop deserves an extra premium even if hardly used.  Thanks.  Btw, I would prefer top-down driving as much as possible.

[scoot]

Always kept the hardtop on.  Looks nicer. 

[Benz Dr.]

And then there's me. I never drive with the soft top down. I don't like the hot sun or cold wind blowing down my neck.

After a couple of bouts of skin cancer I don't see any positives about it.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

I keep my hardtop on most of the year except for a few summer months. I find the car with the hardtop shows the true qualities and timeless lines of the Pagoda.

In my case, however, I have the SL 63 AMG as my DD and the push of the leaver makes the hardtop disappear or reappear as need be. Since I have this feature open to me I keep my Pagoda (The Blue Tornado) fully dressed

Dieter

[TJMart]

Matching numbers and an original hard top will always be considered when valuing the car for re-sale purposes.

[Benz Dr.]

Matching numbers and an original hard top will always be considered when valuing the car for re-sale purposes.

I'll bite. How much more at auction can one expect for a '' matching numbers '' car?

[Iconic]

So at least you admit it is worth more ...
You are starting to bend, good Dr. 

[Benz Dr.]

So at least you admit it is worth more ...
You are starting to bend, good Dr. 

Oh, no I'm not.  Try a little harder.........

[Iconic]

OK, your not bending, phew (I'm relieved) ..... I appreciate you steadfast convictions !!!
See you soon. 

[Norm]

First to the question hard top on or off?  It's your car, I would think you would know how you prefer to drive the car and that is what you should do.  Somebody earlier suggested that you not leave the top folded in the down position for long term storage.  I would agree with that.  Also, if you have air conditioning I find that my AC is more effective with the hard top on then with the soft top up.

On the second matching number issue....  There can be no definitive answer as to added value in all cases. if a potential buyer cares about that particular issue then sure there is value but I would think most buyers are interested in the condition of the car 1st.  There are all types of owners out there that enjoy their cars.  Are all the production paint spots correct?  Does the car look exactly as it did when it rolled out of the factory?  If that is your goal in owning one, go for it and enjoy the journey getting there (or paying the price for one that matches your goals.)  If you get enjoyment from owning and driving one of these cars, even if the "experts" might have a field day pointing out minor inconsistencies vs. "original", smile and let them have their fun.  After all, at the end of the day it is your car to enjoy, not somebody else's.

I knew a Corvette expert who spent countless hours on a nut and bolt restoration of a 66 Corvette.  After wining a national concours competition he rolled the car back into it's trailer and he stored it for several years when he later gave it to his daughter as a present for her sixteenth birthday.  He smiled when he told me that story and said that the satisfaction of winning the competition could not hold a candle to the smile on his daughter's face.

Remember, you decide what makes you happy.  Not what someone else thinks.

Norm

[neelyrc]

My car is only available for driving from about December 1 to May 1.  Fortunately, in Alabama, we typically have a fair amount of top down driving weather during this period, particularly in the spring.  When I left Alabama in May I left the car parked with the hard top in place.  If we are having unusually warm weather this coming  December, I may pull the top right away.  Typically it will come off in February.  My lower limit for driving sans top is about  66 to 68°F (19 to 20°C).  Global warming may increase my top down driving time!

[Peter]

Driving the car in the winter is also a joy.
Even in the UK there are nice days in the winter. The hardtop is then ideal.
When you want do long distance trip the hardtop more comfortable as it is much less noisy then the softtop.
There are portable hardtop stands, to leave the hardtop at the hotel and drive locally cabriolet.
This is my “modus operandi”.

[su8pack1]

Every 4 or 5 years I'll put it on for the season just for a different look.

[KevinC]

Oh, no I'm not.  Try a little harder.........

I believe we should note that when reviewing Hagerty's valuation tool, they speak mainly to "condition" and not at all about "matching numbers". When I sold my non-matching number 230SL on BaT last fall, the sale price ended up exactly at their #2  quality valuation which is what I was hoping for. "Matching numbers" means more on a SS396 Chevelle or Camaro than it does on our cars. IMHO. 

[teahead]

Matching numbers came about when trying to prove chevys were real SS cars since nothing in the VIN or trim tag can prove what engine it was born with.

Many new car owners look for that and pay a premium for it regardless of whether it matters on that particular car.

So, yes it helps, but not as much as say, a 67 big block vette