General I have a question about replacing my convertible top

[chillg8r]

The prices on tops seem to vary wildly on the internet. IPD and other Fiat specific sites seem to be very expensive, especially for cloth tops. OTOH, sites that make tops for many vehicles seem to be far less expensive. Does anyone here have experiance buying a top from any of the following sellers or similar generic top manufacturers?

http://www.convertibletopguys.com/Fiat-Convertible-Top.shtml

http://www.topsonline.com/

http://www.duettomotors.com/tops/fiat_convertible_tops.htm

IOW, are all tops basically the same these days or are the tops made by these generic vendors significantly inferior to the ones offered by IPD.

THANKS.

 

[freeskier219]

depending on where you life, where you keep the cars and what your goung to be doing with the car, a vinal top would probably be a better investment. Cloth tops may look alot better but their life span is quite short and you can get a vinal top from international auto for under 300$ i believe.

 

[chillg8r]

Really? I actually heard the opposite was true. I have only had vinyl tops prior to now and thought goimg to cloth was an upgrade in longevity. Hmmm. I also think it looks richer. The difference in price for the cloth top is $579 vrom IPD and ~$300 from internet competitors, not chump change.

My circumstances: I live in the southern USA and will probably garage the car for at least the next couple years. I NEVER drive the car with the top up as it is not my everyday driver. I can keep the top up when it is in the garage though.

 

[freeskier219]

i live in newengland and have 2 different cars with cloth tops on them and cloth tends to look alot better but not last as long. If your car is going to be kept in a garage ina warm area, cloth should be fine.

 

[Vinsanity]

I live in PA, and have a cloth top on my Spider. The top is about 10-12 years old and is still in very good condition. The car is kept in the garage, and has only been caught in the rain between about 5-10 times in the 9 years I've had the car. I've had cars with vinyl tops as well, but they had been in the elements so I can't make a valid comparison on durability, but I like the cloth's look a lot more than vinyl. International Auto has cloth tops for between 579 and $635 and as mentioned above vinyl for about $289. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I do know everything I have bought from International has been top quality parts.