vortex, stedda, hand made ss covers, powder coated valve covers, lowered 2"

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Mine has 5K on the ticker. 4900 miles with the top down. It is my daily drive. Nice car. Top operation is good. I have the Vinyl also -- dries faster than the cloth (should not put the top down wet) and from a distance looks just as good. Top nosie is fine for a ragtop. Not as quiet as a caddy but as quite as can be. The roof is well built. I am having a problem with the stripping bunching a tiny bit on the passenger side - but I am sure the dealer will fix it. No leaks - not even in the Touchless car wash or pooring rain.

 

No complaints from me we love the cloth top lots of fun speacialy on the warm summer night.

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The top on my '06 convertible has been perfect so far. The previous owner did not clean the cloth top very often. I have a spot that looks like bird droppings I can't seem to get clean.

 

Thanks, for all the input. As of now, we are looking for a an S197 convertible!

 

why is the cloth top better?

 

As far as I know its all aesthetics, it looks a lot deeper black, it weathers better and looks more like an expensive car up close.

 

Yeah, the cloth top is plush looking. It is darker, has a richer texture, and is reminiscent of something you'd see on a BMW or oher luxury 'vert . The vinyl top looks like, well, vinyl. It's a great upgrade for only 200 bucks (invoice price). As for the quality of the roof, it sounds great with the top up, surprisingly quiet, and no leaks whatsoever. My only beef is with the latch handles. The ones on my 2007 seem like if I force them too hard, they could break clean off. As long as I pull down on the top when I latch it closed, they don't require much force.

 

I have an 06 GT with 26,000 miles on it. I bought it new and it is my everyday driver. My commute to work is about 25 miles one way, so I drive a LOT. I live in the Northeast, so I use it in the rain, sun and snow. I can honestly say that this is a pretty well designed top. I also do not have a garage, but have a great cover for it. I can say that I have no water problems at all.

I also had a 2003 BMW 325 Cic. That car's top had some features on it that I wish Ford would try. The best feature was the sewn in "rain rails" that channeled the water toward the rear window. I don't know how many times I have opened the door and water dripped onto the seats.

Now for the harsh reality of the S197. My GT's top rattles and squeaks more now than it did a year ago. It is the nature of convertibles. As the car ages and the miles rack up, these cars start to "loosen up." I had the dealer look at the top to see if it was out of alignment. Luckily, they said all I needed was a new windshield sealing strip.

In conclusion... GO FOR IT!!! Nothing is cooler than a convertible.

 

Seems as if all the features have been covered adequately. Quiet, dry, attractive, easy up and down. Does its job with style and grace. Except ...

When it is down and you look into the side places where you can see the top's personal parts, does it look kind of unfinished in there? I got mine second-hand, so I don't know if the original factory guys/gals left some glue and stuff smeared around in there, or if it was some ham-handed local yokel with a get-it-out-of-my-shop fetish.

I got the cover to put over the top-down top, and it looks real nice. Several unsolicited comments about how it looks luxurious, neat. Pain in the butt to put on and take off, and bulky to store in the car or garage. But worth it. Usually.

I wish for a simple tonneau cover like in all my foreign convertibles (except the TR7) where you could snap a couple of snaps and it's opened or closed, and if you want, you can zip down the middle and cover everything except the driver. Unfortunately that's just not practical with the steep windshield rake (like the TR7) of a modern Mustang.

Mr Ford did a good job on his Mustang convertibles. Good for him, good for us. Thank you, Sir.