OverBudget

Hi guys,

I pondered this last year, but we didn't move down to Arizona permanently - we just spent the summer there last year when the kids were out of school. Now, my wife and I have decided to transition from Oregon to Carefree, AZ this summer before school starts for kids. Last year when I inquired about shipping my custom 63 roadster down about 1/2 the people said "go for it" and the other 1/2 said don't because of the heat.

Now, we are making the permanent move down there and I have a completely modernized 68 Mustang (with air conditioning, power everything, fuel injection, etc.) that I was going to ship down there, but it's not finished and won't be until winter of 2008. So, do I ship my 63 roadster down there with no top or air conditioning and deal with it during the summer (knowing it will be ideal for most other months of the year), OR should I just find something cheap and air conditioned for 3 months until the temperatures cool off in Sept/Oct?

Thoughts from the guys in the valley?

CaveCreekChump

I moved to Tucson (to finish school) in 1972 with two Corvette roadsters and no AC. Later, I traded the '63 for a '65 Impala with AC, which was literally a breath of fresh air. However, that did not keep me from driving the '65 Corvette everywhere possible. It's just too cool not to!

Keep a couple of things in mind: Carefree is going to average about 5 degrees cooler than Phoenix on most days, and the brutally hot daytime temps actually occur in mid- to late afternoon. Mornings are glorious and evenings are tolerable.

AZDoug

And don't wear shorts if you are going to slide onto some vinyl seats that have been in the sun afor a few minutes!

Doug

KyleDallas

You said it..

No Air in AZ in the Summer??...

While you would probably look cool in your car... when you got
out to go to the resturaunt the back of your shirt would be
drenched in sweat..

Since gas prices went up alot of my friends and I have gotten little
beater 4 bangers for toot around duty... parts and groceries..
Metro's, Aspire's, ZX3's, Corolla's,Mirage, or little pickup etc... always good to have a back up car while your working on your prized older one's... get a used one with good a/c... pretty easy to find one with under 80k miles for chump change..

You could spend what you are considering paying for shipping
plus a few more bones and have one..

Sean Dunshee

I am assuming it won't be your daily driver while down here correct? I couldn't tell from the post.

If it will just be a pleasure car by all means bring the 63, my 65 coupe doen't have A/C but I still drive it in the summer....on weekends and short trips. I certainly wouldn't use it to drive all around town. There are TONS of car shows here, every weekend there is a show in Scottsdale at the Pavillions (101 and Indian Bend) and there is also a big show on the west side every Saturday night at a Safeway on 83rd Ave and Lake Pleasant. Plus there are few Corvette Clubs down here that do plenty of stuff in the summer. In November there is an all Corvette show at Power Chevrolet (91st ave and Bell Rd). It doesn't sound like the 63 is an NCRS car anyway so you can always add Vintage Air if you decide to stay.

LouieM

As someone who can't tolerate hot summers, I vote for getting a putt-putt for daily air conditioned commuting.

zare191

From someone else who has a custom C2 with no air (although it is a coupe), it only gets driven VERY early in the morning during the summer. Any other time, its just too HOT. You will definitely need something else with air.

Sundevil64

Being born and raised there with monthly return visits, I have one crucial piece of advice. If it's summer during the daytime and it's chrome BE CAREFUL it's HOT! I've actually gotten 2nd degree burns from not being cautious when touching metal that has been sitting in the sun. We don't typically have to worry about that with modern cars. I put a sock over my shifter!

You don't need the a/c or a top unless you are driving in the daytime and sitting in traffic mid day. Put on sun block too!

vtwinkurt

Remember that Flagstaff or the white mountains are only two hours from phoenix and it is always 20-30 degrees cooler there at 7000 feet. I just hit some great powder on my snowboard last week in Flagstaff. Nothing finer than a weekend in the mountains. Any city will drive you crazy if you dont get out and live. I just spent 4 days at the beach house in mexico last weekend, only 4 hours door to door, bikini's on the beach........ It was 79 today and I had to move the vette to get my bike out so I could pick my daughter up at school. Its perfect! OOOHHH wait a minute... Its a 122F in the summer, crappy in the winter and nothing to do. I recommend California, yea California is where you want to go! :}

RADMAN

I live in Las Vegas. Have driven my 67 here for years. I have factory air, but I never run it because if I need to have the top up, I don't drive the Vette. In the Summer, I enjoy it at night. In the Winter, I drive it during 60+ degree days. (Like today was). In the Spring and Fall I drive it all the time. Owning a Vette convertible in the desert is fantastic. The only reason to put the top up on a C2 roadster is to lock it when you are in a restaurant and it is out of your sight. If you have to have the car locked up and out of view daily, get a 2nd vehicle. Never hurts to own a pick up truck since you can't haul home the new 50" LCD in the Vette anyway.

sub006

Driving to the beach in the summertime with no soft or hardtop, be sure to have some large white towels draped over the seats. Cool, perspiration-absorbing and no tanning oil to clean form the vinyl!

OverBudget

Thanks Guys.

Yeah, it actually will be the daily driver, although I don't drive that much. I work out or play golf in the early morning, and then work from home. My wife has a Acura SUV that we use for family stuff.

So, I'm still not sure if I should try it. It has not top (can't because of the custom decklid and roll bar hoops), but I have a fuel pump cutoff and battery disconnect hidden, as well as the ignition is hidden. I even considered installing vintage air, and just running it full blast at me even though that would be inefficient...

So, I could pay to ship it down, deal with the issues of heat until the Mustang is ready, and then I would have it down there when the weather is nice, OR I could save the shipping cost, buy an air conditioned run-around and drive that for 8 months until the Mustang is done and ready to ship... Still debating...

Rons65

From one transplanted Oregonian to another (used to live right over the hill from you in Happy Valley - moved to AZ in 1985 and have not looked back except for a few weeks in July/Aug!) - not a good choice with no top and no a/c for a daily driver! I have a 66 L79 convertible w/factory a/c.....I drive it some in the summer (mostly in winter) and with the a/c on it cools ok on the freeway, but when you get in traffic and YES you will have traffic in the Phx area it puts alot of load on the motor with these old units......if you have converted or have the newer style a/c units should be ok. But no a/c.....not!

I know many of you may dispute this, but riding with the top down in 115 degree sun with or without a/c is ok for about 5 min - then, it is pure hell!

Look me up when you get down and we can relive the old days in Oregon over a beer or 3.

Ron

martinr77@***.net

Sean Dunshee

I wouldn't even consider using it for a car you have to rely on like a daily driver. It will be a great car for mornings and evenings but if you have to go somewhere in the middle of the afternoon for anything longer than 10 minutes you will probably die. It gets pretty darn hot here in the middle of the summer but for the other months the car would be great! Last summer I drove my 65 coupe around one day when it was like 110 and it was miserable, I can't even imagine a convertble with no top during the hot part of the day.

Frankie the Fink

Nobody even mentioned the interior damage - here in Orlando a convertibles carpet can fade out in 1 or 2 seasons of summer driving with the top down.

kwkenuf

I'll give a different opinion here. I have and continue to drive non-A/C cars in the desert during the peak of summer. I grew up in Scottsdale and have spent the last 20 years or so in Las Vegas so I've got a lot of 110+ degree experience in non-A/C daily drivers. After a while you really do acclimate and it is no big deal. For a short while I drove a 68 convertible in Las Vegas and during the summer I would just put the top up to prevent getting sunburned while driving. Both my current daily driver (65 pickup) and my last (68 Camaro) I've set up with A/C but never finished the job on either one of them. Rereading your post you mention that you have no top due to the roll bar... That will be a problem.....you WILL get a bit toasty in the afternoon and when you get caught in traffic you will suffer. And you must devise a covering strategy for your steering wheel, seats and shifter.....

But it's a dry heat....... (insert graphic of a skeleton reclining against a saguaro cactus here)

Frankie the Fink

I caught one of these on sale (turns out they are manufactured about 10 miles from me):

I use it a lot in the Florida heat when I run in somewhere for a meal or car part - I never put my convertible top up. Keeps things cool when you get ready to take off again. You can detach it in a few seconds and throw it in the passenger foot well until you need it next time.

Red64RoadsterMike

I visit Phoenix often as my daughter and son-in-law live there, I can't imagine driving there without AC! Even in May the temp was over 100. Maybe I'm just getting too old.

Doug F.

Lack of A/C is not the problem. I drive 4 old cars all year without A/C. No top is a BIG problem. The sun is very intense here. You will NOT be able to tolerate the mid-day sun in the summer without a top.

kbuhagiar

But the A/C does help...