That got ya attention ah. Cloth Top or Vinyl Top ! cloth is twice the price as vinyl The internet sites say, (with propper care) will last the same time. They both have a 5 year warrenty. I have never seen a vinyl top on a convertible so find it hard to compere. It's for a 89 celica so dont need to spend the earth on it. Has anyone seen a vinyl convertible top ! ( yes thankyou I know my spelling is shite)
bigracket,
Apr 13, 3:19pm
From a motor/marine trimmer perspective forget vinyl. You get what you pay for, vinyl will never look as good, it will sweat more in the sun, and I doubt it would last that well. Google robbins tops, or call reid and twiname in auckland or Christchurch. They MAY have something fora Celica ! May !
bitsy_boffin,
Apr 13, 3:20pm
Most MX5s have vinyl hoods.
cuda.340,
Apr 13, 3:21pm
vinyl looks cheap, if you want it to look great forget the vinyl.
quickstitch,
Apr 13, 3:37pm
another motor trimmer here,,i f the vinyl is a quality vinyl topping it will be fine, but a canvas type top looks more modern.
bigracket,
Apr 13, 3:40pm
No that's not vinyl, that's a proper soft top cloth. That is what should be used. Its much thicker than vinyl.
bigracket,
Apr 13, 3:41pm
Lol Hey quickie.
bigracket,
Apr 13, 3:43pm
I was reading the post as Vinyl being more like PVC. Maybe just wrong interpretation. Good luck
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 13, 4:06pm
Having had a few soft tops and owning one currently I agree. A quality vinyl will last very well as in a good 20 years if properly cared for. Considering what it is, and your expectations, I wouldn't hesitate to use another good quality vinyl top. I personally will be purchasing one for my Alfa shortly.
BTW, check out Ebay. Not sure on the quality but you can get cheap soft tops for lots of older cars for around $500 NZ including shipping. At least that was about the price when I last checked a few months ago. Even if they are a bit cheap if they last the warranty period you can't go too far wrong.b
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 13, 4:08pm
No nothing like PVC at all.
pandai,
Apr 13, 5:11pm
I think it depends on how the car is used.
Vinyl tops are very durable - indeed used on MX5s.I suspect the MRS as well.And the S2000.On those cars, when they need replacing, often they're rotten on the inside before the outside starts going.They're probably easy to keep clean.
We have a car in the garage with a cloth soft top, IIRC it's some sort of nylon based fabric.It seems alright, but you have to be careful, sand/dirt/mud can be hard or impossible to get out of the weave.
toycon,
Apr 13, 9:13pm
Thanks to all, gives me more to think about
bitsy_boffin,
Oct 26, 11:48pm
It's still vinyl.Cabriolet vinyl specifically on MX5s.
Cabriolet vinyl is indeed a fair bit tougher than your typical upholstery vinyl though, not to mention UV resistance etc.
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