Dinner - Topless
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,610
Likes: 12
Day or night - always topless. What's the point of having a convertible if you don't keep the top down? 
I refuse to go through life paranoid. It's just not who I am. I try to live life to the fullest and enjoy each moment to the fullest. I make a lot of money and spend every nickle of it!
I refuse to go through life paranoid. It's just not who I am. I try to live life to the fullest and enjoy each moment to the fullest. I make a lot of money and spend every nickle of it!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,314
Likes: 4
From: Cape May, NJ; Guntersville, AL; Orange Beach, AL
Yea and stuff happens to cars all the time. My work truck got hit in a parking lot 3 weeks ago (parked away from other cars) and a chip in the windshield last week. Guess I should just leave the Vette in the garage in a bubble..... I'm not letting the threat of something happening to my car take my enjoyment away. Why even have nice things if you are always paranoid about something happening to them. So stupid IMO.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 198
From: Southington CT
A lot of you folks come back and say "its just a Corvette" or its "just a car" and you are correct. My take is that I want to keep my car (Corvette or one of my other cars) in the best condition possible. Yes, I do not drive it in the rain or park in places that I do not trust. Everytime I purchase a new one, I tell my wife, this one I am going to drive. Well, I traded in my 01 C5 (original owner, picked up in 7/00) and it had 27,162 miles on it. Now I have a 11 GS and I told my wife "this one, I am going to drive".
Pro
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 606
Likes: 0
From: Riverlea OH-IO
Day or night - always topless. What's the point of having a convertible if you don't keep the top down?
I refuse to go through life paranoid. It's just not who I am. I try to live life to the fullest and enjoy each moment to the fullest. I make a lot of money and spend every nickle of it!
I refuse to go through life paranoid. It's just not who I am. I try to live life to the fullest and enjoy each moment to the fullest. I make a lot of money and spend every nickle of it!
Easy choice: Top off, paranoid; Top on, not paranoid!
coop
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,433
Likes: 3,622
From: Commerce Texas
Wow I must be enjoying the hell out of my vette!! I go topless when ever I can..
At work I park in the management parking lot, usually find an end spot and leave it topless all day! If I know its not going to rain.. Other than that when I go to the store, walmart, to get beer, gas, or anywhere else I leave it off..
I drive it in the rain also.. The other morning it was cloudy outside with 70% chance of rain.. I started her up, removed her top and drove to work.. 5 blocks before getting to the office it started raining light drops on my windshield so i pulled in to a gas station, put the top on and got back on the road..
I guess I look at it like a car. Yes I love my Vette but the way I see it is, life is to short and its fully insured. I mean you only live once and how many times you hear about people dieying the day after they retired? Or about how someone never drove their car and when they died their kids sold it, traded it in or abused it..
Get out there and drive it. These are 2005-11 models, they are not going to be collectible anytime soon...
Sorry, its just me. Having a special needs 8 year old daughter has taught me a couple things and one is to not take the simple things for granted!
At work I park in the management parking lot, usually find an end spot and leave it topless all day! If I know its not going to rain.. Other than that when I go to the store, walmart, to get beer, gas, or anywhere else I leave it off..
I drive it in the rain also.. The other morning it was cloudy outside with 70% chance of rain.. I started her up, removed her top and drove to work.. 5 blocks before getting to the office it started raining light drops on my windshield so i pulled in to a gas station, put the top on and got back on the road..
I guess I look at it like a car. Yes I love my Vette but the way I see it is, life is to short and its fully insured. I mean you only live once and how many times you hear about people dieying the day after they retired? Or about how someone never drove their car and when they died their kids sold it, traded it in or abused it..
Get out there and drive it. These are 2005-11 models, they are not going to be collectible anytime soon...
Sorry, its just me. Having a special needs 8 year old daughter has taught me a couple things and one is to not take the simple things for granted!
A man after my own heart!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,433
Likes: 3,622
From: Commerce Texas
Day or night - always topless. What's the point of having a convertible if you don't keep the top down?
I refuse to go through life paranoid. It's just not who I am. I try to live life to the fullest and enjoy each moment to the fullest. I make a lot of money and spend every nickle of it!
I refuse to go through life paranoid. It's just not who I am. I try to live life to the fullest and enjoy each moment to the fullest. I make a lot of money and spend every nickle of it!
It's taken a while but you're growing on me.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 1,193
From: La Center WA
Some of you guys are very amusing. To some here, a person who puts the top up or on when the car is unattended is "paranoid". To others, not keeping the top off or down all of the time is the same as not driving the car. How come so few seem able to find middle ground? Count me among those who chooses to take great care of my car vs. throwing caution to the wind. Unlike some here, I don't make a lot of money and I can't afford to replace my Corvette if it gets trashed due to my own carelessness. To those of you who can, good for you.
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Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 462
From: Southern Utah
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 7,250
Likes: 6
From: Glassboro New Jersey
Putting top on is easy enough insurance.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,508
Likes: 2
From: Tampa FL
Depends. I kinda of view it as part of locking the car. If I'm in a place where I need to lock the car, then I put the top up.
Parking garage at work, no, I leave it down. It's a secured garage and only employees park there.
Mall or a restaurant, yes, I put it up. When I valet it, I usually leave the top down.
I live in a big city in Florida. In our city, as in most U.S. cities, we have gotten to the point where we have to lock our houses during the day and lock our cars in the driveway at night.
It's sad.
Parking garage at work, no, I leave it down. It's a secured garage and only employees park there.
Mall or a restaurant, yes, I put it up. When I valet it, I usually leave the top down.
I live in a big city in Florida. In our city, as in most U.S. cities, we have gotten to the point where we have to lock our houses during the day and lock our cars in the driveway at night.
It's sad.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,101
Likes: 719
From: Northeast MA & Mad Beach FL
I put the top on when leaving the car parked for a while.
Didn't mind taking the top off and on, but when it's really Hot out, the top does get Really Hot to handle.
Last year though, bought a Protect-A-Top for my Coupe and didn't put the top on once all summer.
Just put the windows up and Protect-A-Top on.
Keeps the Sun and bird bombs etc out of the interior
No, it doesn't secure the car like having the top on.
But with the windows up and Protect-A-Top on, someone has to go out of their way to do something stupid to the interior.
Didn't mind taking the top off and on, but when it's really Hot out, the top does get Really Hot to handle.
Last year though, bought a Protect-A-Top for my Coupe and didn't put the top on once all summer.
Just put the windows up and Protect-A-Top on.
Keeps the Sun and bird bombs etc out of the interior
No, it doesn't secure the car like having the top on.
But with the windows up and Protect-A-Top on, someone has to go out of their way to do something stupid to the interior.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 100
Likes: 0
From: Cedarburg Wi
Location, Location, Location, depends were I park. I rarely go to the city where crime or vandalism is bad, and if I do it is parked and locked in an area that is somewhat safe and open. Otherwise top down but windows up.
