Craigslist Convertibles (2024)

FAQs

What year were convertibles outlawed? ›

Other automakers followed suit, and for the following six years, convertibles disappeared from dealerships. It wasn't until 1982 when Chrysler introduced its new drop-top LeBaron that convertibles returned to the automotive scene. (Congress never actually passed legislation outlawing them.)

Additional maintenance: Convertible tops have more moving parts, which means they may be more prone to wear and tear and will likely require more maintenance than fixed roofs. This may be especially true with soft-top convertibles, as fabric or vinyl have a higher potential to sustain damage than hardtop roofs.

If the roof retracts, it typically folds into the space behind the passenger compartment. The two main types of convertibles are hardtop and soft top. Soft tops have a fabric roof. Typically, they deploy more quickly than a hardtop and take up less space when retracted.

Ragtops have been in freefall ever since, clocking in at less than half of a percent of new car sales in 2022. And those still on the market are mostly niche cars like the Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster or various luxury models with price tags in the six-figure range.

A report on Detroit's car manufacturing industry announces the end of an era as the last American convertible, a Cadillac Eldorado, rolls off the assembly line on April 22, 1976.

So why has the convertible fallen out of fashion? The simple answer is that people stopped buying them. Some prevailing theories for the decreased demand include economic hardships since the 2008 financial crisis and changes in car trends among the wealthy.

Cons of a Hard-Top Convertible

This extra mass can reduce overall fuel mileage and performance. In addition to being heavier and more complicated, a retractable hard top's mechanical details are also more expensive to repair, in general, if something fails during the course of ownership.

The Landau began as a carriage design with a folding fabric top consisting of two sections supported by external elliptical springs. This landau roof design was adopted in early automobiles as a convertible top. The term, however, came to mean a simulated convertible.

Despite its enduring popularity, the BMW hardtop convertible has faced challenges in recent years. Changing consumer preferences, stricter emissions regulations, and the rise of alternative powertrain technologies have all contributed to the decision to discontinue this iconic model.

Do convertibles hold value better? ›

While the resale value will vary from model to model, you should bear in mind that convertibles generally depreciate faster than their hardtop counterparts. However, some models, such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata, have a resale value of 4.3 percent above the average for convertibles, which is 64.5 percent.

No matter the type of model, you might face difficulty in putting its roof down. In fact, the convertible doors might lose their efficiency after a few years. Thus, car companies refrain from manufacturing four-door convertibles because of safety issues.

Safety concerns and a weak economy put a kibosh on convertible dreams in the '70s.

The market share of convertibles fell to two or three percent of total sales and the U.S. automakers discontinued the body style from their lineups. American Motors stopped making convertibles after the 1968 model year, Chrysler after 1971, Ford after 1973, and most divisions of General Motors after 1975.

The big change however, was that the convertible option was no longer available. Even though the 1976 Corvette buyers only had two choices for engines, horsepower ratings began climbing again on slightly higher compression.

Every C1 Corvette was a convertible—a coupe wasn't added until a decade later, in 1963—and every generation of the Corvette since then has offered a convertible variant.