I live in the Seattle area with obviously lots of rain in the winter. I really like the idea of a convertible for when we have good weather but am wondering how well it will hold up in our weather. Are there any protectants that can / should be applied? Has anyone had any issues with the top in the Seattle weather?

 

Well, I've enjoyed it immensely so far. Mind you, I've only had it a couple of months. As soon as I got the car, I thoroughly cleaned the roof and then used 303's roof sealant. The water continues to bead for hours, even in heavy rain. I've certainly seen nothing of any leaks so far. Also, I've discovered that the heated seats/steering wheel plus heater can keep me warm when ambient temperatures go down to about 45 degrees. Below that it's a little too cold for topless motoring. But 50+ is definitely VERY pleasant. I've had a lot of opportunities to go sans roof in the last couple of months tho -- many more than I thought. Can you tell I wholeheartedly endorse convertibles in Seattle?

 

It rains in Seattle? We called it liquid sunshine---now you know why I moved to Asheville.

 

Cheers from another Seattleite! I am venomously jealous of your 5.0L.

You won't get the sun above your head experience very often but it stays a tolerable cool here so I wouldn't recommend against it. But personally I prefer the coupe's looks.

 

I've driven a convertible for the past six years in Seattle and now have my XKR convertible. I had considered getting the coupe this time around since my husband finally got a convertible for himself but when we drove the XFR and then the XKR, there was no question that the convertible was the car for me. I travel frequently and when I rent a car I've found that there are cities where it's actually too hot to have a convertible. Seattle does rain quite a bit in the winter and spring however our summers and early fall is just gorgeous. We really do have fairly mild weather. In my two previous cars my rule was 60 and above and sun shining and the top is down. When the sun in out in Seattle there are few cities that can compare.

I haven't done any treatment to my Jag's soft top and wouldn't recommend doing anything for at least two years. As long as you're parking your Jag in a garage the top should be okay for at least a couple of winters before you'll need to treat it.

Take the plunge!!

Sandy

 

How's the cabin level noise? Can you hold a conversation at highway speeds? I can't decide between coupe and cabrio? I like the looks of the coupe better (and additional storage), but loved driving top down when I owned an S2000.

 

I measured mine yesterday at 64 dba at 60 mph with top up. Planning to measure the 4 others we have but I suspect it may be the quietest of them all...remarkably.

Bruce

 

My Jag is significantly quieter than my Audi RS4 Cabriolet. Go for it - more bang for your buck, more flexibility.

 

We live in Seattle area; my wife has a '00 XK8 conv. and she loves it! I have a '07 XK Coupe and I love it! I would not buy a conv. and she would not buy a Coupe!
Nothing wrong with either; we both wipe them down after driving in the rain and use our Acura MDX in the snow and ice(4wd!)............
So take your pick; bought my first Jag in 1959, a XK140, a Coupe of course.

Adrian