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Thinking about a hard top...

1K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  AZ01TJ 
#1 ·
I'm thinking about going hard top. I really never take the soft top down/off, the few times I do I have a brief top which is a pita. I like the inside of the jeep to be a bit more car-like.

I'm in Phoenix so ac is a must 4-5 months. Eventually I'm moving to St Thomas which can be rainy as f$&k. I plan on keeping half doors cause I like to take uppers off when I wheel so I can poke out the sides easy...and also on nice weather days.

Opinions?

Here's a recent enough side pic
 
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#2 ·
I would figure that the hard top would seal better than the soft top which will keep climate control easier and better for your liking. I just bought one about an hour ago for that reasoning. If you can find a good deal on one I'd go for it.
 
#4 ·
Laggy, if you only drop the top a couple of times a years anyway, then I'd say go for it. I love the extra quietness the hardtop provides for the three to four months in the winter that I use mine. You could always get a neighbor to help set it off, if you choose to go topless for the day.
You could always get you some full doors and keep the half doors for when you go wheelin, because a roll up window is much nicer when going through a drive through. LOL


I bought a hardtop within the first month of owning my Jeep, because I wanted to have that option for the winter. I even painted the inside of mine satin black, never liked it being white. I would probably get some hard upper sliders for the half doors, I just think it looks funny with soft upper halves with the hardtop, but that's just my opinion.
 
#5 ·
My '01 was the first year for the Sailcloth soft top. It also came with tinted rear windows. From what I remember it was quieter than my Mopar hard top. The A/C also seemed to work better with that top. I'm not sure if it was better insulated or the tint helped keep the sun out. Probably a combination of both.

I would usually rotate the 2 tops every summer and winter. Ended up having to downsize my home in 2007. My new dump don't have a garage and I don't have a second daily driver to use. So the hard top has been on ever since.

The other problem with a one piece hard top is putting it on or off. Usually took 4 average people to move it safely. Even when I had my garage it didn't have enough height to install any type of lift system.
 
#7 ·
My factory hardtop is quieter than any sail cloth top that's been on my Jeep.

Doesn't take four people to move the hardtop.

Two people (one on each side) can easy remove a hardtop from a Jeep and place it back on. I have done it by myself a couple of times, because I didn't want to wait for my neighbor to get home, now that wasn't fun. My hardtop sets on the ground under my deck and when it's for me to install it, I usually carry it on my back from the back yard, to the front, clean it up and then it only takes less than a minute for me and my neighbor to set it on the Jeep, ten minutes later I have all the bolts in.
 
#8 ·
I have 800 for mine and it's not faded out like the rest of them you see for sale for 1500. And I haven't got a chance to put it on just yet. I'm going to build a hoist system before I do anything.
 
#11 ·
I went from soft to a two piece hard top with a pop up sun roof. It's not likely I will ever put that noisy soft top back on. The two piece is great, the front section comes right off. It was expensive but I love it. I can open the sun roof and it lets the jeep cool down very quickly. You won't regret going to a hard top.
 
#13 ·
I was in the same boat as you. I bought my jeep with a soft top and full doors. I bought a hardtop. I think I paid $900 for mine. It is from an 05 jeep but works just fine with my 98. I would never go back to the soft top. Everyone is correct 2 people can remove it and put it back on easily. I would say check out Craigslist for deals, they do pop=up but you have to be quick. Good luck
 
#14 ·
Plus you can run the rig through an automatic car wash with a hard top on; can't do that to many times with a soft top. Here in Ohio a good weekly bath for the rig is a must in the Winter when the salt monster lays waste to our roads.
 
#15 ·
I ran the soft top this winter and it was fine, but the hardtop is definitely more comfortable and easier to get the snow out. I'm putting the hardtop back on for this winter. I feel that its more comfortable temperature wise, more quiet and just easier cleaning. Like previously said. Just keep an eye out on CL. If you don't drop the top much, then I think its a good investment.
 
#16 ·
I have nothing to contribute, but f--- your Jeep looks nice.

I'll keep my teeny bopper Focus as my Decepticon for now (I have a Decepticon front license plate on it).
 
#17 ·
First thing I did when I moved to Phoenix was sell my hardtop...it just sat in the garage collecting dust for the 3 years prior. Haven't looked back, however I will miss it next time I have to drive across the country.
 
#18 ·
I think it really comes down for how you use your Jeep. A hardtop is a comfort feature in my book but you sacrifice the convenient ease of going topless with a softtop. If its a daily driver, I feel that a hardtop is a better choice and also an added security feature. Hear too many stories of people buying softtop after softtop because of thieves slashing the windows, despite zippers.
 
#20 ·
That's why I never lock my doors when the soft top is on, if I even have them on and the windows in, and I don't keep anything valuable in it. Already had thieves go through mine earlier this year and couldn't find anything to steal, even though my son left my handheld gps in there.
 
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