I have 3 coupes and 1 convertible, makes me greedy I am sure but I prefer the coupe to drive and the convertible to cruise.... for obvious reasons

 

Coupe or Convertible? Hmmm, Let me think........




Yup, I think I know the answer!

 

You would think I'd have the sense to stay out of a topic so obviously subjective in nature, but.....

While I would agree that the coupe roofline does somewhat mitigate the JLo hips the convertible seems to have, I have never quite understood the concept of a Sports Car with a top that won't go down. Think of TDs, MGAs, TR3s, Alpines, 120s, Miatas, and on and on; how many do you ever see with a fixed roof? Maybe it's because we in the frozen north value warm weather so highly that we just can't WAIT to get the top down. It isn't a noise thing in the case of XK8s; mine is by far the quietest drophead I have ever driven- some passengers have not realized that it was not a fixed top until I pointed it out. Maybe it's a perception/expectation thing. A GT car with a fixed top I can understand, but GT implies a somewhat different mission. If an S2000 Honda is understood as a sort of a benchmark for the modern definition of a true sports car (oooh, I can just HEAR the clucking started) then an XK8 is surely closer to a GT expression, though not so much as a Conti GT, for example. I guess my 8's mission statement is Sports Car, and I leave the long distance 'I don't care about the weather' runs to my X-Type. (An under-rated little gadabout if there ever was one!)

OK, bring it on.

 

Oh Jaguar made a coupe!! Ha Well the coupe is a beautiful car, but a convertible. Driving with a beautiful blonde ( i mean the wife) sitting next to you and enjoying nature at its best. What could be better. Plus it easier to get in and out of! Jim

 

Ok, aside from preferences...which include what you look for in a car.

The biggest difference is in the structure! The convertibles are famous for having loose structures, the coupes will be drum tight well into the 100K+. If you don't mind the occasional jiggles through the steering wheel and structure, go for the convertible(it's nice). The coupes will give you a 007 feel(nice also)

Very few manufactures know how to make a "solid" convertible(SL 500, 911 Cabrio...). The XK8 is not one of them...

 

just a note
the xk8 is not a sports car !!!!!

 

Well, I guess that settles it then, hdsg! Thanks for clearing that up for everyone. ;-)

 

Unlike most cars, where the vehicle is designed around the coupe and then "adjusted" to the convertible, the XK8 is a better looking car as a convertible (not that the coupe isn't gorgeous) probably because, unlike most other cars, Jaguar sells twice as many convertibles than coupes. Both cars are stunning and a coupe is probably a more reasonable car to have in the northern climes or where sound abatement is a major concern. But in the sunny regions of the world, you can't beat the convertible!

 

Jochem00
I have sent you a PM
oyster

 

I have a 97 xk8 coupe in Sapphire blue. To me IMHO it is the sexiest looking car I have ever had. I have had verts but in Michigan where the weather sometimes changes every 20 mins lol it seems, and tops down in the winter aren't fun either. So having the chance to get this one for next to nothing from Florida with 16000 miles on it, I of course jumped right in and drove away. And I knew the owner and have driven the car since they got it new so was a no-brainer to me . So on days when its nice and not raining or sweltering hot I am usually on a Harley or driving around with the windows down and that works for me.