Haven't removed my HT for over 6 years. If I need air I take a motorcycle out instead.

 

Primary reason we bought it was because it's a convertible. Wouldn't have looked twice at it if it was only a hardtop. Then again... only a nice weather weekend driver here.

 

I like the idea of having a HT for looks and for security, but nothing beats top down on a warm summer night.

 

I must chime in with those who like the top down option. I have a hardtop, yet rarely put it on. We have the "reverse seasons in Ohoenix. Hardtop on would be during hot summer months. Top down driving for Fall, Winter and Spring. Our summer nights can be too hot to want to cruise top down.

 

I've driven two door convertibles for all but 2 years since I was 18. 13 years in all. A 92 miata, 93 miata, and 03 S2000 were my only car DD's. Then I took a break for a couple years before getting my current 02 S last year. My current S is my only car, technically, but now I've got a company car that I can drive as much as I want, so I don't have to drive the S exclusively.

In each of them, they're not as well insulated, they're loud inside, they leak, eventually you've gotta replace the roof, it always feels like people are staring, which is awkward and uncomfortable, and I hardly ever put the top down. Would I prefer a coupe? Heck no! I love it being a convertible! Even if I don't put it down often, I love having the option. I love the look of a true 2 door, 2 seat, convertible roadster with 2 pipes sticking out the back. I love how light they are when tossing them through corners everywhere. And on the rare occasion that the weather is just right and there's no one around to stare, carving up corners with the top down is fantastic.

I probably wouldn't have gotten a coupe.

 

I love to drive top down whenever I can however living in a big city, I rarely leave the car parked with the top down. This causes me to raise and lower the top 10 times just running a few errands which I don't like. The side profile even with just the OEM top is pretty sweet though to get the coupe "look".

 

I'm not a fan of convertibles, and probably never would have considered it if I didn't get first hand experience driving my dad's S2000. The car is so good that it makes up for the fact that it is a convertible. Yes, it absolutely would have been better as a coupe, less weight, more interior room, stiffer chassis, less wind noise, and better lines. With that said I do still enjoy putting the top down on nice summer days.

To the guy who said that coupes are for posers and driving in straight lines, I couldn't disagree more. Coupes are always more performance oriented than convertibles due to the sacrifices you have to make in order to have a folding top.

 

Why not just have both?

To be honest, when I bought the S2000 (15 years ago) the fact it was a convertible wasn't its main selling point. I was frankly indifferent to that. But I quickly fell in love with top down driving. If I were to sell both cars tomorrow, they'd be replaced with a 981 Boxster GTS. And I live in a warm humid tropical climate.

 

This.
When I bought mine in 2000, I asked the salesman if there was a coupe version. He told me that one was coming out next year. As it turned out, what he meant was the hardtop was being released in 2001. I bought mine not for it being a convertible - it was an engineering triumph: 120hp/liter and a redline of 9000rpm was unheard of. It also had great looks and was very rare back then.

 

I like convertibles. With that said, if a coupe had been offered I would have preferred it slightly for the following reasons:

1. Improved rigidity
2. Lower weight
3. Fewer squeaks/rattles
4. The S2000 top is known for wearing holes in it, which was a pain in an otherwise rock-solid reliable car
5. Not as easy to break in
6. Easier to meet trackday regulations. I had to get a racing seat on the floor of the car just to get my helmeted head below the roll hoops, and some orgs don't allow convertibles without a roll bar, or even any convertibles at all (BMWCCA, at least a couple of years ago). Although I liked the race seat, it would have been better to not have to deal with this at all.
7. Improved trunk/interior/storage space?

So yeah, I would have sacrificed that open-air experience (which I DO love) for the above advantages.