Middle age men and convertibles?

[dtype38]

I'm not convince about how "manly" these convertible Jeep things are....

.

[nicanary]

I remember that TV programme with the girls passing comment on the manliness of car-types - indeed the winner was a jeep.

If you want to take friends with you to a country pub on a sunny evening, how about a Phillipino "Jeepney"? Just the job.

[bella]

Originally Posted by barnettracing

To add to the thread topic, I reckon an S2000 is okay for a man. Any car that revs comfortably to 9000rpm definitely isn't for hairdressers (to use the oft-quoted stereotype).

dredging this post up, i saw one of these the other day on the a14 being piloted by a gentleman of advanced years. it went like a rat up a drainpipe, very impressive! and it didn't look at all awkward. also saw one driven by an older lady as well, and she didn't look daft either.

i think this one is actually the other way around - it's too smart for the hairdressers! what sort of price do they go for second hand? could be a smart buy...

(ps i don't think jeeps are at all manly. quite the opposite. if you're serious about off-roading you either have a landy or a land cruiser thing )

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by bella

(ps i don't think jeeps are at all manly. quite the opposite. if you're serious about off-roading you either have a landy or a land cruiser thing )

Stand on the naughty step bella, you can't say landy or land cruiser in the same sentence as Jeep. How is this not manly? TW, this is a real Jeep unlike the ghey thing above.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by garcon

So you can't be too old for a hot hatch, but you can be too young for a Merc SL?

Depends if you are looking for that "classic" look, as the hot hatches we were talking about were nearly new or new cars decades separate from this mercedes.

[DAVID PATERSON]

Originally Posted by bella

i don't think jeeps are at all manly. quite the opposite. if you're serious about off-roading you either have a landy or a land cruiser thing

I've heard that in Amercia, the Jeep soft top has a reputation as being a car for err, shall we say gentlemen who prefer the company of other gentlemen........

In Australia we have a saying. "If you want to go into the outback, buy a Land Rover, if you want to get home again, buy a Landcruiser."

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by DAVID PATERSON

I've heard that in Amercia, the Jeep soft top has a reputation as being a car for err, shall we say gentlemen who prefer the company of other gentlemen........

In Australia we have a saying. "If you want to go into the outback, buy a Land Rover, if you want to get home again, buy a Landcruiser."

Uh no, I don't know where you got that one from, but that is definitely not the case. If you espoused that point of view at an off roading or Jeep club event, you'd probably be asking for a serious fight. I've known quite a few men that own soft top jeeps and none of them are gay.

Gay men in this country seem to like the smug Toyota Pompous Hybrid or Volkswagens and maybe the odd Nissan or Subaru.

[bella]

Originally Posted by DAVID PATERSON

I've heard that in Amercia, the Jeep soft top has a reputation as being a car for err, shall we say gentlemen who prefer the company of other gentlemen........

In Australia we have a saying. "If you want to go into the outback, buy a Land Rover, if you want to get home again, buy a Landcruiser."

i'm fairly certain it was the car cher learnt to drive with in the "clueless" film. for me and many of my generation since then it's game over on the macho-ometer

that is the downside about landys. you spend more time under it than you do in it. however, one of the coolest ones i ever saw was a convertible owned by some friends in france. they hacked the roof off for summer and put a massive rollhoop thing on it, then put the lid back on in winter. perfect

[garcon]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Gay men in this country seem to like the smug Toyota Pompous Hybrid or Volkswagens and maybe the odd Nissan or Subaru.

How very dare you!

[SAMD]

What about my 1968 Mercedes Convertible? It will run rings around all the off roaders mentioned, it has coil springs and telescopics at each corner. Not very fast and not very economical even with its original 4 cyl 2.4 Diesel. (26k kms from new) It is also a left hooker. I think it is cool. Although my wife doesn't.

[SAMD]

Also, never mind stares and mutterings, when I drove it down my Village main street one winter morning with the roof removed, a local wag shouted - look its Sadam Hussain.

I kid you not. lol

[bella]

i'm not *totally* sure the evil dictator look is one that would attract people to a car

but a 1968 mercedes convertible is cool by default.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by bella

i'm fairly certain it was the car cher learnt to drive with in the "clueless" film. for me and many of my generation since then it's game over on the macho-ometer

that is the downside about landys. you spend more time under it than you do in it. however, one of the coolest ones i ever saw was a convertible owned by some friends in france. they hacked the roof off for summer and put a massive rollhoop thing on it, then put the lid back on in winter. perfect

Maybe in Le France, the Jeep might be seen that way but in the rugged terrain I have lived in several parts of the USA over the years, Jeeping and serious off roading is a big deal and major hobby of the locals and it's very much a manly thing to do. I see few women driving soft top jeeps.

I have thought about getting an old Range Rover and fitting it out for off road duty, but these cars have a poor reputation in this country for exploding into bits, however capable they are. I'd still be open to one though.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by garcon

How very dare you!

Yeah I was talking to this guy from Subaru marketing and he said gay men absolutely adore and love the current model STI, so the next generation STI is getting split from the Impreza lineage and becoming it's own, more masculine car. Who knew? Apparently manufacturers market specifically to gay men but it's a limited market, so that is probably the reasoning for getting the STI back to having more of a mainstream appeal. I guess that explains why so many people are holding on to their 2007 and earlier STI's.

[bella]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Maybe in Le France, the Jeep might be seen that way but in the rugged terrain I have lived in several parts of the USA over the years, Jeeping and serious off roading is a big deal and major hobby of the locals and it's very much a manly thing to do. I see few women driving soft top jeeps.

fwiw i'm british. and a land rover here really means a defender. range rovers aren't really as serious as defenders. the 4x4 community in france is relatively small, to the extent that landy drivers wave at each other on the road. 4x4s are still mostly used by farmers.

/off topic

[dtype38]

I don't mind a bit of off topic

So just to clarify:

Proper small Landy / Improper small Landy / Proper big Landy /
Improper big Landy

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Uh no, I don't know where you got that one from, but that is definitely not the case. If you espoused that point of view at an off roading or Jeep club event, you'd probably be asking for a serious fight. I've known quite a few men that own soft top jeeps and none of them are gay.

Gay men in this country seem to like the smug Toyota Pompous Hybrid or Volkswagens and maybe the odd Nissan or Subaru.

Um, I gotta disagree with you there... You can't swing a dead cat in midtown ATL without hitting a gay guy in a Wrangler. Theirs are stock though, so a lift and rims/tires and you're good to go. And yes, I'm profiling and I know that's wrong.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by dtype38

I don't mind a bit of off topic

So just to clarify:

Proper small Landy / Improper small Landy / Proper big Landy /
Improper big Landy

Here's a tough one... proper or improper?

[dtype38]

That one's made for wags (wives and girlfriends of footballers) to drop the kids off at school in. The "off-road" concept applies to parking on kerbs/pavements/driveways!

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Um, I gotta disagree with you there... You can't swing a dead cat in midtown ATL without hitting a gay guy in a Wrangler. Theirs are stock though, so a lift and rims/tires and you're good to go. And yes, I'm profiling and I know that's wrong.

That's not the scene out at Moab! Crikey.

These are cool, but they always want $30k to $45K for them, which is unreasonable for such a truck.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-...item256e5ea065

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Red-1...item19ce8d29ba

I'd consider something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1994-...item2a1b8754d3

Install a roll bar and a steel rack in the back to hold your winch, pull pal, hi lift jack, shackles, tree savers, pulleys, snatch straps and shovel. And then on the outside spray it from windows down with Rhino lining(same stuff used in pickup truck beds). Add a gun rack, 2 bolted down ammo cans and a tie down place for a cooler and you are all set.

[DAVID PATERSON]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

...in the rugged terrain I have lived in several parts of the USA over the years, Jeeping and serious off roading is a big deal and major hobby of the locals and it's very much a manly thing to do.

I have thought about getting an old Range Rover and fitting it out for off road duty, but these cars have a poor reputation in this country for exploding into bits, however capable they are.

Serious offroading is very popular in Australia and the majority use Toyota or Nissan vehicles.

Range Rovers have the same reputation here.

[mountainstar]

Here are some other options, some of which with "targa" tops:

The underappreciated Dodge Viper:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1994-...item2c63b37931

Ferrari 308:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1983-...item4ab5b95834

Porsche 993 cabrio:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-...item519e84ff8f

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by DAVID PATERSON

Serious offroading is very popular in Australia and the majority use Toyota or Nissan vehicles.

Range Rovers have the same reputation here.

Unfortunately the Nissan Patrol was never sold here until this year(Infiniti QX56), however I have worked for clients that use them overseas. I've used the Nissan Xterras and was happy enough with them for off road work.

I'm not the biggest fan of Toyotas anymore and most of the Land Cruisers are blinged up with luxury junk. The 4 Runners I've used I've not overly been happy with in off road situations, the Nissans, Chevys and Jeeps doing better.

[garcon]

There is one factor that sets the Toyota apart from the rest. You can drive them all into the outback. But you can only rely on being able to drive the Toyota back out again. Even if that's twenty years later.

As for bling, there's too much chrome on the latest Land Cruiser for my liking, but it's nothing compared to all the Escalades and Hummers out there.

[Peter Mallett]

Speaking as a 4x4 owner and user in pipeline projects around the world (arctic circle and desert), the Landcruiser is heavy, wallowy and too soft for most uses but it is good for combined road/offroad use. The Nissan provides the best compromise in size, accommodation and comfort. The Grand Cherokee is, in my opinion, the best all rounder for towing, comfort and generally being a great work horse, recognising it is more a millenium falcon than a battlestar gallactica.

For pure offroad, the Jeep Wrangler does exactly what it says on the tin. You can't travel fast but it will go everywhere, up and down dunes, over rocky passes etc. But it isn't a good compromise car. I sometimes take it to our site offices (120kms each way) and frankly as long as you treat it as necessity rather than transport, it's ok. It's also a bit small inside so if you want to carry anything like a large suitcase you have to put the back seats down.

That siad we have plenty of sunshine here so it is good for open top motoring.