Vert Owners ITT: Do You Leave The Top Down in Public?

[AndrewBird]

Yeah, for those who don't realize, if you lock your door and someone really wants in, they will just knife your top and open the door form the inside. Then you are paying for a new top because someone wanted to steal your $200 stereo or whatever. Better to just let them have it.

[slammin.e28]

When I had my 'vert, I'd leave mine down, windows up all the time. Lock stuff in the trunk or glovebox. /Done.

It would be so easy for someone to break into your glove box, all they'd have to do is rip off the plastic handle then press on the hinge.

Lock your shit in the trunk!

Drill to the trunk button and presto, you're in! Had to do this to my current car because the trunk got locked and for some reason the ignition/door key didn't match the trunk lock. Took all of two seconds and POP! Open.

[shaferbm]

When I had my '90 miata, I'd leave it down all the time. Sometimes all day. I would lock things in the glovebox or trunk, stash jackets etc under the seat. Out of sight is out of mind....If they can't see that there are valuables they won't steal them. Now my coupe usually has windows down all the time.

I do live deep in the burbs of Ohio though.

[Vivek]

It would be so easy for someone to break into your glove box, all they'd have to do is rip off the plastic handle then press on the hinge.

Lock your shit in the trunk!

Yeah, but hopefully no one will mess with it. My glove box latch was broken for a while and I just left it open (there's really nothing that important in it). I'm not paranoid, and the most expensive thing in there is a pair of sunglasses. If someone wanted my stuff, they'd cut through my top or break a window. I just don't keep anything too expensive in my car, so if some ass wants to take it all, as long as they only damage my glove box latch then it's better than what it could have been.

[series88]

Depending on where I am but for the most part I do. They see the top down and nothing in the car, they walk away. They can't walk away with much with what's in the glove box. Roll of duct tape, a few zip ties and a few other "oh snap, something broke" remedies.

[spike68]

I usually leave mine down if its not for long and if I know there is really nothing for someone to steal. I'll usually put my backpack in the trunk and lock the car. I took my car to Import Alliance in Atlanta this weekend and had the top up the whole time. Some Honda people be cray cray.

[Cabriolet]

for this reason we have 4 cars. vert is for cruisin and i only take it places i know are safe. M3 is for showing off but can lock it and leave it. the jetta is for leaving anywhere without carrying. and the 325i is for leaving at my dad's to hog his garage.

but i always leave my pants down

[Vtec?lol]

I leave the top down and doors locked. Can't open from the inside on verts so the perp has to hop in or out to get what he needed.

I'd rather my top to not be knifed. My interior is old and worn so I'm not worried about the sun either.

[iansane]

Top down, windows down. All day, every day.

[decay]

since i bought my hardtop, number of times it has come off the car = 0

[jeffnhiscars]

I never put my top up for security reasons. Sometimes I put the windows up and lock it since I figure anyone who would crawl over my trunk in public to steal nothing in particular would also cut the top for sport. Same difference IMHO

Seriously I think a Cabrio is the most secure car out there since even meth heads know that we dont leave our Nikon sitting on the seat so they go break someone else's windows :-)

[flyboyx]

mostly, i just drive around with the hard top on. when i do drive the mtech with the lid off, i pretty much have the top down because on that car it needs to be replaced. the 88 has a new top and i am proud to show it off. hasn't been driven in a couple years because it is in the middle of major surgury/ modification.

[ZoomZoomBoom]

I try to avoid driving the cabrio for anything but pleasure and leave the top down. Everything else gets the shitbox AE91 Corolla or the wife's SUV.

[gofredo50]

Yeah, for those who don't realize, if you lock your door and someone really wants in, they will just knife your top and open the door form the inside. Then you are paying for a new top because someone wanted to steal your $200 stereo or whatever. Better to just let them have it.

This. Top down parking is baller. Auto top converted to manual.

[ZekeTheSneak]

My buddys dad always said, "you never lock a vert because replacing the top is always more expensive then what they steal". I deadbolt everything in the trunk. Safest place and can be impossible to get into.