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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

..or are convertable car drivers slightly ridiculous?

93 replies

ItsAllTurnedToShit · 28/06/2010 12:28

I mean, what is wrong with air conditioning or windows? Ok air con. is not great for fuel economy (so bad for the environment)but windows and sun roof are adequate surely? Don't you get terribly sunburnt and tangled hair? Particuarly, if I see a man driving one, I can't but find the word 'knob' in my mind. It isn't conscious, it just appears.

OP posts:
Original poster
ItsAllTurnedToShit · 28/06/2010 12:29

sunburnt, and tangled hair, obv. not sunburnt hair

OP posts:
oldernowiser · 28/06/2010 12:31

I love my convertible. The sensation of the wind and sun is fabulous and I can leave the house with my hair wet and be all dry by the time I get to work

Mercedes519 · 28/06/2010 12:33

ItsAllTurnedToShit me thinks you are jealous in all this nice weather of us convertible drivers...

That said - anyone want to buy mine. With two seats and shortly to be two children it's not the tangled hair that is forcing the sale

diamondsandtiaras · 28/06/2010 12:33

know what you mean by knob......although I think that's cos the only people I've met who drive a convertible are men who are knobs!! It would be a nightmare with my hair though, and I imagine it must get pretty noisy on the motorway!

Mingg · 28/06/2010 12:34

What are you talking about?? Convertibles are fabulous!

TenaciousMe · 28/06/2010 12:34

YABU, My dp has a convertible as he's into classic cars. I had never seen the need, but i'll admit on a lovely day it's great to go out in it. It really does feel much nicer all open with some natural breeze in your hair.

Also, you dont get tangled hair really as they're designed quite cleverly so the strong wind goes over the top of you.

I agree it's not overly important, but it's fun so :-p

Original poster
ItsAllTurnedToShit · 28/06/2010 12:35

Ah, no you see I am talking about convertAble drivers, you know, the wooden four legged vehicles. Ridiculous.

OP posts:
JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 28/06/2010 12:37

I love mine, too. My MX5 is the most wonderful thing that I have ever, ever bought. I don't care if I look like I'm having some kind of midlife crisis, nor what I look like in a baseball cap - It makes me smile. It brightens my day. Can't beat it, imo.

PlasticCenturion · 28/06/2010 12:38

Admittedly, I'm more a Bedford van kinda person but I can't appreciate them at all. I've got a friend with a Spitfire (thought they were planes personally) and have been in it once with the top down. It was the least pleasurable experience I'd had for a long time. Hair all over the place, hot, noisy, exposed. Like crap sex if you will. Not worth it and there's always a better way.

Rockbird · 28/06/2010 12:48

I know what you mean. They usually have a little grey balding head sticking out of them

Am I jealous? I don't think so. I freely admit that I'm jealous of nice cars but as I hate direct sunlight and burn really easily I'd rather have a roof over my head and aircon so they don't grab me. Besides, nowadays they'll take the roof off anything so convertible no longer means Beamer or Merc, it's just as likely to be Fiat or Ford.

Rollmops · 28/06/2010 12:58

As toy cars, driven about Monaco and similar, they are absolutely fabulous. However, packing the DTs in the boot is getting increasingly difficult..

Vulgar · 28/06/2010 13:13

I don't see what all the fuss is about either. My friend had an old porsche. Beautiful looking car but the buffetting wind made me feel exhausted by the time we got to our destination.

When a Ferrari or such like roars past me, it is always driven by a Peter Stringfellow lookalike.

organiccarrotcake · 28/06/2010 13:14

Keeping the windows open is terrible for fuel consumption, too.

We have a 4 seater Volvo - hardly flash and quite boring - but it's a hard top convertible and luuurvely in this weather. You can enjoy the sunshine while still getting a lovely cool breeze, and there's loads of room for the kids and a big boot, too, when the roof is up.

And my husband is not grey, or a knob, he's a lovely normal bloke who wanted a safe, yet comfortable and fun car for us and the kids, and I drive it more than him.

So, YABU

millimurphy · 28/06/2010 14:38

Love my little MGF - never even thought I even liked cars till I got mine. With the weather like this 'the lid' has been off on more than one occasion. It is a bit of fun, I aint a preeny person about my hair anyway (vis a vis comments on wind buffeting etc) and you get a good all round view. Not sure if that makes me ridiculous, but I know it makes me happy!

brimfull · 28/06/2010 14:43

yanbu
I always think people look tossers in convertibles

millimurphy · 28/06/2010 14:49

nice ggirl - I always think people look uncomfortable and hot in their little soup cans. As for being tossers - think this fits in with a good percentage of the driving community, whether in a convertable or not...

SloanyPony · 28/06/2010 14:54

There's nothing wrong with them. You can get them with air conditioning too for choice, you know! They are fun and nice.

As for grey balding heads coming out of them - a lot of people can't afford to buy a "fun" car until they hit that age - or perhaps their kids have grown up and moved out. Why should they miss out?

"I can leave the house with my hair wet and be all dry by the time I get to work" - yes but dont you arrive looking like an ageing rock star?

OP: YABU though you dont have to like them or get one, its not true that they are ridiculous...

minipie · 28/06/2010 14:56

Convertibles are great if:

  • it's sunny and hot
  • you're driving down a nice empty country road with fabulous views
  • you have no luggage

However, that only happens in ads. In real life, you're either in a traffic jam or on a motorway, and it's raining, and you need the car to carry lots of stuff... In which case a convertible is miserable.

So YANBU. But I wouldn't say they are all knobs... maybe just suckers for the advertising.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 28/06/2010 14:57

We might be tossers, but we are happy tossers

GetOrfMoiLand · 28/06/2010 14:59

I used to have a convertible - it was great. I used to commute 2 hours a day - it used to cheer me up a lot if it was a sunny day and I could get the roof down.

Also drove it on the motorway - it was fine, not much different from any other road tbh.

Used to make my hair messy but I am not that precious. It's lovely to feel the wind in your hair.

People who gripe about convertibles generally have never driven one.

You DO feel a complete twat though if you stall at traffic lights with the roof down. You can feel the waves of derision from other cars.

MiladyDeScorchio · 28/06/2010 15:01

at "ageing rock star"

Mind you, my hair was cut so badly last time that I wake up looking like Rod Stewart most days...

Convertibles - dunno. We have recently seen a lot of people our age (late thirties) who should know better driving along arms aloft as if on a roller-coaster the twats.

GetOrfMoiLand · 28/06/2010 15:02

I fully admit I am a tosser anyway

At one point both me and DP had convertibles - we muct have looked like nobs

We both traded in for SENSIBLE cars early this year and god we miss the convertibles in this weather, thinking of getting another one.

Toughasoldboots · 28/06/2010 15:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FolornHope · 28/06/2010 15:03

yes bald men and menopausal women on the whole
give me aircon anyday

LadyBiscuit · 28/06/2010 15:06

I'm like GOML - used to drive one and I loved it except when I was stuck in traffic and you feel stupidly exposed. I did love particularly driving it on sunny days when it wasn't warm but you could have the heating on.

I would love one again but I remember looking in the rear view mirror and seeing my ex's children crying in the back of the car because they were so cold on one of those sunny winter days so I'm not sure they're that practical for me now.

I have swapped it for an estate car