Community Forums

ChileRick · 07-08-2012, 07:20 PM

OK, I did the car dolly thing, now my question is, when I search for my Jeep Wrangler, do I need to consider a hardtop, or is the soft top fine?
My old '87 had both.........just one of many cars I have had I should have kept!

lajuene · 07-09-2012, 04:21 AM

We have the soft top and I was a bit worried but after 9 months we still prefer the soft top. A lot easier to put down and up than I thought it would be and the front part opens very easy and just takes 5 seconds to flip it closed if it rains. We might have got the hard top except we are full time and there is no place to put the large piece of the hard top when we are on the road. We're not always in a campground.

Hikerdogs · 07-09-2012, 05:21 AM

We have both tops for our 04 Wrangler, but the soft top doesn't get used all that much. In my opinion the hard top is much quieter, more secure, and allows the heat and air conditioner to be far more efficient.

With the soft top it's even hard to hear the radio let alone try to have a conversation with the passenger. Going down the highway all you hear is a constant rumbling and flapping of the top. Someone once told me when you have the soft top on "It's not a matter of if you're going to get broken into, it's a matter of when". Remember there are no locks. It's a matter of unzipping a window and everything in the Jeep is accessible.

When we're on the road the soft top never goes along. When at home it's another story. It's great fun driving down the country roads on a sunny day with the top either down or off. The biggest downsides are taking off the hard top and finding a place to store it, and finding a place to store the windows for the soft top It takes 2 people to remove and install the hard top, and it takes up a lot of room in the garage. The windows for the soft top also take up a lot of room. They're supposed to be stored flat. The bag they store in is approx 3' x 4' x 6" high. I built a special shelf high in the basement just to keep them up and out of the way

I'm glad we have both tops. If we had bought only 1 we would have always wondered what it would be like to have the other. On the more practical side it's an expensive option that doesn't get used much.

lajuene · 07-09-2012, 06:25 AM

I too would have both tops if I was not fulltime but I found here in upstate NY that the AC and heater are great in the soft top too. The Jeep's heating and cooling system is very strong. It is noisier on the highway of course but we have no problem talking or listening to the radio. Probably would be a good idea to test drive a soft top on the highway before buying is the noise may be a problem for you. I had an old pickup before and it was just as loud because of all the "Speed Holes" along the rocker panels.

I also heard about the "not if but when" for being broken into.... still waiting.... My wife and I have a bet as to how long before the first time. We don't keep anything unreplaceable in the Jeep. What we do have is kept way in the back out of sight. I locked my keys in once and it is not that easy to get in by unzipping without opening the doors first however a razor knife or a little time would make it easy to get into. It's still hard enough to keep "honest thieves" away.

doc · 07-09-2012, 01:14 PM

Having dealt with the soft top on an old CJ5 years ago and now a 4 door Wrangler with a hard top, I lke the hard top. The soft top was too loud and flopping. Both units have excellent heating and cooling (well the CJ had a good heater but the lack of AC made my statement a bit of a stretch, but it did cool great in the winter).
So I guess whatever makes it work for you. I really do like the roll cage in the Wrangler. We had a friend that rolled his old jeep on a trail and was wearing a seat belt. Just a roll bar and no cage. Rolled over into a tree and crushed him. Please use a lot of caution off-road no matter what you buy.