Mercedes-Benz: Should I travel with or without my hardtop?

Hardtop, definately the hardtop!
Dale
'88 560SL

Don wrote: 

Don <com> wrote in message news:<com>... 

I'd use the hardtop. The chances of running into 80+ degree weather in
that part of the country in November seems slim.

Ron
http://germanstar.net

I live in the Southeast and have driven with the top down well into
December (might have to turn heater on). In my opinion, if you had even 1
or 2 hours of perfect top-down Fall driving, it would be worth leaving the
hardtop home!!

Scott D

"Don" <com> wrote in message
news:com... 

btw.........Here is a nice link that tells you weather forcast along any
section of US Interstate highway:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/driving/interstate/regional?reg=us&par=usatoday&site=www.usatoday.com &promo=0

Scott D

"Don" <com> wrote in message
news:com... 

Thanks for all the replies. I guess now my question is what is the
downside of taking such a trip with only the soft top? I haven't owned
this car long but the soft top seems extremely quiet and I'm assuming
they don't leak on a regular basis. Other than the fact that the
matching hardtop looks better on the car than a black softtop (the car
is red) is there a downside I should be aware of?

Thanks again,
Don



On Sat, 4 Oct 2003 06:33:20 -0400, "Scott D"
<net> wrote:
 

"Scott D" <net> hat in Betrag
news:Blxfb.39347$bellsouth.net dies gedichtet:
 

It may be a good idea to buy a foldable hardtop stand which fits into the
trunk. So you can use the hardtop for long range trips and store it away
once you have arrived and want to cruise around topless for some days. When
using the soft top a very low temperatures (below freeze), you should avoid
folding or unfolding the top as the plastic rear window may break when
bended at low temperatures.

Frank

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please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact

Time Flies Like An Arrow - Fruit Flies Like A Banana

That's a great tip, taking a folding stand along so you can use the soft top
for local driving.

As for me, if there were the *slightest* possibility of having open-top
motoring on any trip, I'd leave the hardtop behind. The softtop is nicely
insulated, it retracts easily on impulse; and with heated seats and properly
adjusted blower vents heating the passengers, it'd be fun, lots of fun, to
have the top down if you get the urge. It's also easier to pack Fifi and
her dog carrier (and toys and food and water and blanket and stuff) into the
jumpset if the top can be opened before leaving, not to mention giving Fifi
a chance to feel the wind in her hair should she get sprung out of her cage
along the way.

I've taken my SL high into the Canadian Rockies, with three feet of snow on
the edge of the road; I enjoy putting the top down in in cold, crisp
weather. It's a genuinely wonderful experience to have the full view of the
terrain, with a sense of the winter weather and crisp air on your face, all
while your body keeps safe and warm in the deep SL cabin. You probably
already know that there is a windscreen available to make it nearly windless
in open-car driving; it's that black mesh frame that snaps behind the seats
to minimize any unseemly damage to Fifi's owner's hairdo. Makes it very
nice to have one.

If I had any extra room in my SL for a folding hardtop rack, that'd be a
perfect solution (well a new SL Vario hardtop would be a more perfect
solution). But we're the family you see traveling with three steamer
trunks, two Pullman bags, three overnight bags, two cosmetic cases, several
large hatboxes and a couple of carry-ons tied to the fenders and roof.

Happy trip.

"Frank Kemper" <de> wrote in message
news:133.1.4... 
When 
avoid 

I don't know about the SL, but on my CLK I am pretty sure my rear window is
glass.

DAS
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"Frank Kemper" <de> wrote in message
news:133.1.4... 
When 
avoid