help me make up my mind - fastback or convertible

[Road Dog]

To underscore RacerX, I drove to Houston in March. The wife and dog went with, along with three bags a few firearms, a Fender stratocaster and my Specialized Mountain bike. The dog had the whole back seat to himself, the three bags, the strat and the firearms went in the trunk.

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[robertwsimpson]

I remember being able to carry firearms. Ahhh good times.

 

[robertwsimpson]

Man, the poll says overwhelmingly coupes win out. If I lived anywhere else, it wouldn't even be a thought to get a convertible.

 

[Colleton]

Fastback. GT. Performance Pack.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Man, the poll says overwhelmingly coupes win out. If I lived anywhere else, it wouldn't even be a thought to get a convertible.

That's not surprising, just look at the cars on the road, even around here (coastal Florida), that's convertible heavy, they're still a small minority.

If you want cheaper, a little lighter, a little stiffer, a little quicker, a coupe is a great choice, as was pointed out, if your focus is mostly focused on performance - but if you're a convertible person, there is _no_ substitute (even things like targa roofs don't give you the complete experience), and you're not giving up much in terms of performance.

re: Cheaper

In the GT, the convertible is only available in the Premium Package, so with a couple you can go kind of no frills, and get a GT coupe, base/non-Premium, but with the PP, and it's a heck of a deal in terms of performance vs. cost, and some people don't want to pay for options they don't want. With the convertible you're paying for the convertible + premium, so that's a pretty big difference between a base GT and a fully optioned convertible.

 

[Old 5 Oh]

I have owned both convertible and steel roof Mustangs. I have two steel roofs now, including a 15 fastback. Convertibles are great, when they are great. That means when it's sunny and 75-80 degrees, or a little warmer on a soft summer night. Convertibles are not great in the winter, when it's too cold to enjoy the top down, and they are awful in the heat. You haven't been hot until you have sat in traffic, in 100-degree heat, in the sun, in a convertible with black leather. Just say no.

In all those negative weather conditions, you really have to put the top up, and that results in a car that's not as good as the fastback, and not nearly as pretty. Hertz rents a ton of convertibles, for people who think they will be a blast at the beach. We rented one in Hawaii, had the top down for maybe 15 minutes out of a week. It was too hot, too windy, too sandy, too rainy, too something almost all of the time.

As I say, I have owned two. It seemed like a good idea when I bought the first one, then I forgot the lessons learned and bought another one a couple of years after I'd sold the first one. Kept that one two years. I really tried. If I had a third car, maybe it would be a vert. Maybe.

 

[MattW]

The fastback vs. convertible curb weights are interesting:

Manual		3533	3572
V6 Automatic	3531	3586
EcoBoost® Man	3542	3706
EcoBoost® Auto	3535	3712
GT Manual	3705	3891
GT Automatic	3733	3904

(from http://www.ford.com, 2017 models)

If you are into handling I'm guessing the convertible, even with the extra brace mentioned, is softer. Anyone know the difference between torsional stiffness between the two?

 

[Road Dog]

I love to hear the laments of its too hot or its too cold for a convertible. It helps me realize how really fortunate I am to have been able to ride all over the US and part of Europe on a motorcycle. I learned not to complain about not having the comfort of a steel climate controlled cage.

Face facts, convertibles are for tough outdoors type people. If you almost die waiting for the AC to get up to speed in your car on a Summer day, Convertibles are not for you. If you are terrified that at any second you could flip your car on its top every time you drive it, Convertibles are not for you. If you are constantly on the lookout for symptoms of frostbite when the temperature drops below 50degrees, Convertibles are not for you.

But! If you enjoy the open road, the sun, the moon, the wind and smiling cuties at the Bus Stop asking for a ride then.... aw heck, you know the rest.

 

[Road Dog]

If you are into handling I'm guessing the convertible, even with the extra brace mentioned, is softer. Anyone know the difference between torsional stiffness between the two?

You guessed wrong, the suspension is the same between same option levels.
As for the torsional stiffness: I have lifted mine up several times for mods. Jack up the front or back end, or a corner (top up or down) and you can still open and close the doors as if it was sitting flat on the road. No difference in the door gap. Some folks have mentioned they notice the windshield frame moves a bit when driving on rough roads, I saw it, but after installing my BMR CB006 front brace that slight movement hasn't come back. I think the weight difference between coupes and convertible models is structural reinforcement and it seems to be effective. That is a tribute to the engineering team, because the S550 wasn't designed to be a vert from the ground up, or was it?

 

[MattW]

The interesting part is that the difference for the manual V6 is 39 lbs., for the EB is 164 lbs and for the GT is 186 lbs. So what is it about the V6 that does not require more metal?

And "softer" wasn't about the suspension, but about the structure.

 

[Road Dog]

Extra sound deadening is left off the V6, and a few features.

 

[Braski]

Black, gt, pp. Done!

 

[Chameleon]

I remember being able to carry firearms. Ahhh good times.

 

[BlackGT]

I have no regrets about getting my convertible. I like the lines of the car when the top is up or down. The coupe looks great also and does resemble the looks of the Austin Martin but that is not what I wanted. I love the argument of how a convertible sucks in the summer and winter with the hot and cold. If the weather conditions are so extreme that the top needs to be up, I am still in the same boat as a coupe owner. However, in the coolness of early morning drives to work or evening drives with the wife, I have to option to put top down and experience a totally different satisfaction of driving my car. I also have plenty of head room and trunk capacity. One of the biggest surprises to me was the low cabin noise with the top up at highway speeds. They have really done a lot to improve this.

This is what makes me smile every time I drive it.

 

[seth21w]

Robert I had mine up on a lift this afternoon getting the fit of one of the mufflers adjusted. Check the pic. The exhaust is a Kooks 3" H-pipe catback. You can see the bracing in the middle of the car. Alton had the brace cut and lowered. That as you say is a non issue now.

Is that a tow hitch on a mustang :frusty:

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