I've never owned a Convertible Cutlass, nor have I driven or ridden in one in all my 60 odd years. I may be purchasing one in the coming weeks. What should I look for or be aware of? Pro's and Con's of a convertible? I would be driving it with top up or down depending on weather & mood. Are they noisy? Do they leak? Is the rear window hard to see out? Year and model vehicle would be 1971 - 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Thanks

 

Look for stiff and cracked hydraulic lines. Examine the pump system in the trunk, look for leaks. Look at top to make sure it is not dried out and brittle and cracked. Observe operation, should be smooth and not jerky. Look at the joints in the convertible frame for play, rust, damage. These things put the whole power through the switch, so a weak motor or hanging up frame can cause enough current to melt stuff in the wiring if you stay on it and it stays stuck.

Pros: You can put the top down. Driving with the top down eliminates blind spots and a dirty back window. You can hear everything. Unlimited headroom.

Cons: They leak, they're loud, they don't really cool off well under AC in the summer or heat up well under heat in the winter. Stealing your stuff in the car is only a utility knife swipe away. The car is heavier, will handle worse, and you have to deal with the top's systems. A convertible that won't go down is worse than a hardtop. The back seat is narrower. You can bang your head on the bows.

I'm used to a C3 corvette with a plastic rear window that is hard to see out of. An A-body's glass window should be able to be seen out of pretty well.

 

I have a 71 cutlass convertible. Look out for rust in the usual places in addition to around the pinchweld molding. With the top up there are huge blind spots, not normally a problem for me. Only drive it when I can have the top down. The only time I have driven it with the top up is when I have gotten caught out in bad weather. It is louder the an enclosed car but not to bad. That can change in a heartbeat with a loud or droning exhaust. Some parts are more expensive for a convertible. The body does flex more without a roof. You can burn your butt on hot seats if you leave it in the sun. It can also get hot on you in the summer if you are not moving. I enjoy mine a lot. If you have any other questions just ask.

 

Since the OP is in Massachusetts, the number one thing to look for is rust in the boxed frame rails. Unlike hardtops, convertible frame rails are fully boxed to increase stiffness lost when the roof is removed. These box sections retain moisture and salt in the snow belt. I had a 1965 442 convertible when I lived in MA and the frame rusted in the box section behind the front wheels.

 

My wife and I have had five convertibles in our 57 year life together. The first was my Roman Red 60 Impala I had when we were dating and got married. The remainder were all Oldsmobiles. We had two 72 Cutlass convertible, a 54 Super 88 and the 95 Cutlass Supreme she has now. When the weather is right, there is nothing like one. As far as leaks and wind noise, the 95 is by far the best. One of the things I notice in recent years is being aware of your surroundings. It is normal for people at a red light to make a comment on your car. I usually try to avoid eye contact. I find we feel more vulnerable than we did years ago. All the above are valid comments. Convertibles are not for everybody. I would not suggest using the car you mentioned for a driver. My wife and I started our marriage with a red convertible and we have now have one in our golden years.

 

I have owned several as well. A 73 MGB, 68 Delmont 88 455, 69 442 455 4 speed, 66 F-85 with a 455, and a 66 442 with a 400. They all had ups and downs, pun intended, ha.
I say if you haven't owned one, go for it. They are fun for sure. They are noisy, they leak they can drone with duals. All said, one should experience them though, good luck.

 

Take a good luck at the floor pans, as well as all that’s mentioned I have had quite a few convertibles and my c6 vette is a convertible, my 69 cutlass is a convertible I personally love them, with all their faults , I do have one rule lol never ever drive with the top down and the windows up that’s just wrong lol , oh check the parade boot fit. And one thing not mentioned was stereo system will have some limitations but there are work around but no matter what won’t be as god as an enclosed car

 

Amen, nothing worse than top down and windows up.

 

Having owned several convertibles, my take on them is this.
Driving around town at 25 or 30 MPH is FUN.
But when you hit the highway at 65 or 70 MPH, the sun and wind will beat you to death!
Especially if you're the poor hapless soul in the back seat.
When you hit the edge of town, that's when you pull over, put the top and the windows up, and turn on the A/C.
Having a convertible with A/C didn't' make any sense to me until I owned a convertible myself.

 

I've also owned several convertibles, including the aforementioned 65 442. If it isn't raining the top is down (I found with the Allante that if you drive fast enough, you can even have the top down when it is raining). I had that 65 while I was in college in Boston. So long as the temp was above 40 degrees, the top was down (though the heat was on). I did find in later years that if the convertible has A/C, top-down driving on a cold day benefits from running hot air through the dash vents, which need to be directed at your hands on the steering wheel. Heated seats also help.

 

Amen to that. Sitting on a vinyl seat with high heat and humidity is much less fun than it’s reported to be. And it’s much less fun when it’s 115 degrees in the shade.

 

that's like socks with sandals.

 

Having power windows helps a lot in that area.
Kinda pain reaching over to roll down the windows and nearly impossible to get the backs rolled down from the driver's seat.

 

I replaced all of the weatherstripping for the top when I bought mine. It was all dry rotted out. Since doing that, I've never had a problem with leaks. Given, she's only ever out in the rain if I get caught in a storm during a cruise. But even then, no leaks (knock on wood).

 

I've had a bunch of convertibles, starting with a Bug Eye Sprite, three MGS,a couple Land Cruisers, Miata, BMWz3 and of course the 55, They all leak if you try an automatic car wash. They are hot in summer, cold in winter, suck in the snow (except the Land Cruisers) and have wind noise above 45 MPH, top up or down. I'm a slow learner though, I still have three. More fun than a car full of cheer leaders, you have your own car show where ever you go, meet new friends at the grocery store and the parts house, cost you extra time just to get out of the parking lot where ever you go. But I'll always have one or more as long as I can get in and out of them... Tedd

 

You’ve got this all wrong! You’re freakin’ in your 60s! How much longer will you be physically able to drive let alone still on this earth? None of us lives forever!

Buy a convertible and enjoy it while you still can. Don’t worry about noise or leaks or whatever! I’m on my third old convertible, a ‘73 Delta 88 purchased last spring. I don’t give a whit if it leaks or if it’s noisy or if people look at me when I pull up to a stoplight. I drive it because it’s FUN.

I don’t ever drive it if there is even a hint of bad weather, so I don’t worry about leaks. In the collective 19 years that I’ve owned my convertibles, they’ve been rained on only twice. I take it out on Saturdays or Sundays under bright sunny skies, go a for a scenic drive with my wife or grandchildren or both, maybe stop for, yes, an ice cream cone, and still be home in time for dinner.

I don't take it to car shows because I don't want to worry about bad weather cropping up. I have other, closed old Oldsmobiles for that.

Don’t think too hard about this. Just go buy the damn thing and show us some photos of it when it’s yours!!!

 

I've owned a 70 cutlass convertible for 26+ yrs now, really makes me feel alive when you are driving with the top down. Yes, hot/ cold days are a bit rough but you'll find your own temperature band quickly. i find dusk and night time driving is the best. As mentioned above, look at the floor & trunk pans, especially under the rear seat as this where the water collects if there are leaks. An upgraded stereo will be preferred for highway driving. Make sure you pack lots of towels if you encounter leaks or really sunny days on dark seats. Sunglasses strongly suggested for even cloudy days.

 

Pretty much no caveats in terms of use other than this: only drive it when the weather's nice. This has worked well for me for many years.

With regard to considerations in evaluating candidates, I think its all been covered: frame rot, hydraulics, leakage (you might want to direct a garden hose at windows and cowl), floor pans, etc.

Happy motoring!

 

Listen to Jaunty. That is the best advice any of us has given you. As he said, just buy the damn thing before it is gone.

 

These days, we all tend to drive these cars almost exclusively on sunny days. Back in the '80's when I was in college, I used to drive my '69 convertible much more than I do now. I worked 2nd shift during summers and would often take the Olds to work. I'd get off at midnight and drive through the countryside with the top down. I'll say this - there's nothing like driving a convertible out in the country on a really bright moonlit night with nobody else on the road. Best way to experience one in my opinion.

 

Lol and yes you can bring home Christmas trees this must be 1989 or so before I drove her into the garage for some minor work in 1994

minutes

 

I did similar with a book shelf still in the box from the store to the house. No roof made it super easy to transport.

As for "do they leak" why yes, they will, depending upon the conditions. One Sunday night I was driving I-10 back home for work on Monday and ran into a hellacious thunderstorm just outside Houston, had to pull off the road into a parking lot. The wind and rain was coming sideways and my dog and I were huddled over the console trying to stay dry. Water was blowing in from the tops of the windows on both sides.

And trying to drive "highway speeds" with the top up - well, the air flow over the windshield and across the roof acts as a wing and the top tries to lift off, so much that the windshield header lifts in the center and wind starts blowing on my forehead. I have to use one hand to hold the center of the header down when going 75 MPH. I noticed that Corvettes of the same era have three header hold downs (third one is in the center), which really makes sense.

 

I'll suggest the first thing to do assuming the top itself is good but unknown when the last time its mechanicals were serviced, is to replace your convertible lines, pump, cylinders and the front header seal - this way all the new components are more arguably a known quantity with less likelihood of a surprise failure at some inconvenient point.

I did all those on my '72 when I first got it, even as the old stuff was still working, albeit appearing over time only the fluid lines had actually been replaced at some point. All else appearing 40+ years old. Don't let looks deceive - given the hard parts are all concealed within the trunk and side panels, they don't show any cosmetic wear (unless they're leaking). But they don't age like fine wine....

As to any handling issues it would exhibit due to being essentially topless, that's easily corrected via the install of good diameter front/rear sway bars, boxed rear control arms and a set of urethane end links up front. None of these are too expensive and all an easy DIY weekend project. I can lay out what I did for my '72 if you want to PM me on that. You can also change out your power steering box to a fast(er) ratio firm-feel unit, which takes all the slop out of the factory box but doesn't require serious arm muscles to operate (or affect your turning radius). Many companies offer new and remanufacured plug and play Saginaw boxes of that type for fairly reasonable cost. I run a Lee 12.7:1 box on mine and it's awesome.

Life is short - go topless or go home!

 

x3 on Jauntys advice, can’t go back to 1980 and relive those incredibly fun high school /college days in my ‘72 Vcode hardtop, but cruising top down comes very close. Go for it.

 

All that said, they're not for everybody.

 

While we were driving a Cadillac Convertible (65) to a friends house my wife commented that she now understood why I liked these big boat verts. It was a beautiful night at sundown. About 75 degrees and just a perfect night. Verts are so cool. That's why you buy one.

 

They do have a 3rd hold down, which, on my old man's, does not seem like it does much when you clip it down with the two side ones on. Being a hold down for deflection makes a lot of sense.

 

As always much great advice from CO members - out of curiosity wondered what popped up when Googled - nice blue skylark, but should be a cutlass

 

Fake news. I don’t believe you.
​​​​​​​I need to do my own research. 😁

 

I rest my case... Not the first time... Tedd

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You da man!

 

Tedd, you are my hero !!!

 

Ted is right....It's a chick magnet
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Don't buy one if you're Irish!

 

I once received an award at a local show for best make out car, It was that kind of show and as I received my trophy at the announcers stand I took the mike and reminded the crowd that of the 20 some years I've owned the car I believe it was celibate the whole time.... Tedd PS I am Irish ... and a little Scottish.

 

Remember 15 will get you 20 ​​​​​​​

 

Yes to the above questions, sorry.