I was talking to my dealer and he was showing me an S2000 that he had ordered with the hard top. I asked him what would happen if a buyer wanted the car but not the hard top. He told me that the top had the same VIN # as the car and that they HAD to be sold together.

How easy is it for one person to change the top?

Does the soft top fold up when stored?

Does the hard top take up a lot of space when it is stored?

Thanks for any information.

 

I took my hardtop off for the first time ever yesterday. I was completely amazed at how easy it was. It really is as easy as 1...2...3....
1. Unlatch the two hooks where your softop normally connects and turn the two levers behind the seats one turn(180')
2. Unhook the defroster cable.
3. Lift!

The hardtop is very light...but because of its size, you may need two people. Im sure if you are well over 6' tall and have a huge reach, you could probably do it by yourself, but it makes it very very easy with 2 people. As far as storage goes, its not too big, but im sure you could imagine about how big it is.
I love mine! And I would do it again, 100 times. I have gotten so many complements on my car since I got it.
-Brandon

 

Sounds to me like the dealer got the car in with a hardtop and wants to make sure the car gets sold with it so they are not left holding onto a $3,000 option they might not sell.

 

The matching VIN for the hardtops have been discontinued. If, by chance you do have one with the VIN, it's only a sticker and can be peeled off. No big deal. He's just trying to get you to go for the whole package - more profit.
Re: removing the top by yourself. There was a post not long ago. The owner was a big fella and he tried to remove it by himself. He did manage to do it but not before he gouged a part of his trunk with one of the latching pins. So the moral of the story is .......... DON'T DO IT! It's ungodly combersome to handle by yourself.
If you make yourself a hoist, as I and many others here have done, it becomes a one person job and once the top is hung and hoisted up to the garage ceiling, you have no space issues. Do a search for "hoist, winch, hardtop".

 

i had the same situation with mine and i told him i had another one lined up to buy, cause he told me that the hardtop had to be sold with it and he finally said ok but i wound up getting the hardtop too for 1,300 try to make him bring the price down. cause he knows that if he doesnt sell it to you he wont sell it with any other car. that what i did. i told him that i knew he wouldnt be able to sell it if i didnt buy it.

 

I can get my buddy to help me take the hard top off. How hard is it to put the soft top ON?

Can one person do it?

Thanks for any info.

 

The soft top is NOT removed. It is put "down" and the hardtop goes over top of it. There are safety switches that prevent you from accidently raising the soft while the hardtop is on.