Vert Buying guide

[BlueIX]

Well i'm considering getting a vert in the future and realized I know very little about them. I bought an IX about 5 years ago and went in blind. Ended up with a car who's transfer case is broken/not working properly (Viscous Coupling goes so the transfer case acts as an open dif). 5 years later and I know exactly what to look for in an IX regarding its drivetrain. I know I've seen an IX buyers guide/thread and was hoping one existed for verts.

Please feel free to overload me with information or point me in the right direction. Id really appreciate it.

[monoblanco]

Tops are expensive to buy and to install. We are talking about $600 for a top with tension straps after taxes and shipping. If you plan to have someone install the top for you expect to pay at least $500.

[Pantless Spency]

^^^ with those numbers you might as well get a hardtop :)

[glucklich21]

Then you might as well buy a 2 door if you throw a hard top on your vert and it isn't winter.

[skirkpat]

The only problem with the advice above is that a hardtop is not a Convertible...Convertibles have a top you can either remove or fold down :roll:

Tops are expensive I guess ? But so are seat covers...so instead of buying a car with seats, get onethat has some paint buckets to sit on

Alright, I have only had mine for a little while, but already noticed a few quirks

1) the front fenders are different, specific to a convertible, unless you do what i did and splice the lower fender on a coupe fender...Do it under the trim piece and nobody will know.

2) the convertible realease handle will break..the dealer will tell you to order a passenger side door handle...whether this works or not i will know in a few days?

3) they leak, look at the trunk and rear floorboards...they always are rusty, take out the carpet, hit it with a wire wheel an POR 15 the crap out of the rusty areas.

4) they are a blast to drive, and expect alot more attention than a hardtop or the ix, people love these old ragtops for some reason.

5) post up pics when you geat one, Cheers

[slammin.e28]

I'll be getting mine tomorrow afternoon. Going from a sedan to a droptop. Fuck yeah!

[PROLAZCO]

Alright i just saved a convertible parts car and im rebuilding it. the only thing i recommend looking for is one with a top that has little to no damage and almost no rust on the top folding frame. other than that SKIRKPAT had some great tips. everything else is a piece of cake to fix/maintain.

[BlueIX]

Im glad I started this thread. I knew the top would be a pain but didn't think it was going to be that extreme. Found instructions on swapping it out, its quite a few steps.

Thanks everyone, I look forward to reading through more posts.

[monoblanco]

I would not walk away from a vert because the top is in bad shape. Finding one with a good top is very very difficult. All tops do go bad eventually and need to be replaced. Just be aware of that. I would focus more on making sure the rest of the car is in good condition.

[87-325ic]

i replaced my top myself for 350. not hard. easier than a timing belt for sure.
look out for too much rust. the tops leak, no matter what. find something that hasnt sat in rain for 15 years. all e30 door handles break, just suck it up. yes the top release is a passenger handle. besides the chassis and a few body parts, most everything else is the same. especially drivetrain wise, so look for solid components here.

[LuckyHenriksen]

The interiors are different, mainly the rear seat. Also the doors and fenders are different, and the trunk has the ugly brake light on it. You can always find someone parting out a vert (like me :D) and buy their complete top/frame assembly for $300. There are only 6 bolts you need to undo to swap the frames out.

They are a blast to drive, get lots of looks and waves from the ladies ;)

[slammin.e28]

...get lots of looks and waves from the ladies ;)

As I found out today. ;)

Much better than a sedan...