Last night somebody cut my convertible top over the passenger side seat, I think in an attempt to steal the car. They made 2 cuts and then punched through. It looks like they couldn't reach the door handle, so they ran off. Thankfully, no other damage was done to the vehicle. Needless to say, I'm a little disappointed. Right now I'm looking at a range of options from fixing the top with tape, to replacing the top, to flat out selling the car (I live in a neighborhood that might not be conducive to soft top convertibles).

On everybody's experience, how much does a soft top cost to replace? I have quotes between $1800 and $2700. My deductible is $500, so all of these are reasonable to me. I also have seen the top online for $694 (recommendations on this one?). How much can I expect to get my insurance company to shell out?

What are 2002 models going for in the Seattle region (39,000 miles, good condition, new soft top ;-) )?

Thanks,

Ben

 

that sucks.

 

That's messed up man. Sorry to hear.

 

Maybe use it as a reason to get a hardtop?

 

I replaced my top for $600 total, that included labor and the top. Got a new one on ebay.... looks and works perfect.

 

shitty deal, i feel your pain though, exact same thing happened to me last fall..i got my insurance company to shell out $2600 for an OEM hardtop

 

that worked out pretty well...so is your soft top still damaged and you just don't use it?

To the OP, I feel your pain - selling the car in some ways is giving in. A hard top is a good option if you like them. Selling the car is an option but if you lose money on the deal, I say stick to your guns, get a flood light, and keep a crowbar near the door for any 2nd tries.

travolta said it best in PF: What's more chickenshit than ****ing with a man's automobile?

 

True that^
Sorry to hear about that. I invested in a hardtop after hearing horror stories about this kind of thing Im very happy with it. Something to consider maybe

 

Thanks for all the reply's guys. I'm working with the insurance company right now to find an acceptable solution. I don't have time to purchase a new car and I don't want to deal with the tax/title/etc loss, so I guess I am going to stick with this guy. My plan is to patch up the roof and put the money aside until I either get a garage (250/month +) or decide it's safe.

I'd like to get a hardtop, but I just don't have room to store one and the removal process would be somewhat difficult. If I were to go this route, I would be more inclined to trade it in for a midsize luxury sedan. I enjoy the convertible aspect, and without that easy operation of the roof, I don't think I'd really enjoy the car at all.

I park the car on the street, so the location changes every day. I'm thinking about putting a better 2way alarm system in for now, but none of these ideas are real solutions. With an alarm, I'm only going to know once somebody has vandalized the car. A hard top is like putting a very expensive piece of metal out there. Although it'll prevent somebody from cutting through, it doesn't stop the vandalism. I hate to say it, but the less flashy the car looks, the less attention it's going to draw; which means patching up the roof so it's water tight and letting it ride.

Thanks for all the responses so far,

Ben