Rag top car Q

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Brian P said:
This is indeed a thing. The rear window on the cabrio is much smaller than that in the standard car, and if the top is down, the top of it is well above where the bottom of the window normally is. In Fiat's case, the cabrio came standard with the back-up sensors that beep at you if you approach something too closely while backing up. Mine was the last year before mandated back-up cameras - anything new will have a back-up camera as well.

I've gotten used to driving vehicles with bad rear visibility but with modern tech in place (back-up sensors and/or back-up camera). It's not even worth looking backwards out of the rear window ... I use the mirrors and the sensors/camera.
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Neither beepers nor cameras are infallible, you HAVE to look. Someone's life may depend on it.

Lightcycle said:
Do like they do in Quebec:

Harbor-Freight-Portable-Garage-Instructions.jpg
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Never seen one in Quebec. They look like they'd tear up and blow away in a heartbeat.


p.s. I'd only get a ragtop, if I lived in the Southern U.S. or put the car away every fall.
 
Baggsy said:
Neither beepers nor cameras are infallible, you HAVE to look. Someone's life may depend on it.
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Challenge: Get in my full size cargo van, and tell me what good it does to look out the closed back doors when backing up!

In the old days, drivers of such vehicles were totally reliant on their mirrors, and cannot see directly behind. Not possible!

The backup camera works well...
 
I have also seen them in northern parts of Ontario or at the very least in the country/outskirts of towns.

But not in the the Metropolitan GTA
 
Some municipalities have by-laws against such structures in a front driveway. A lot don't but you do need to sit some concrete blocks around the base to keep it down till it freezes solid to the ground. They are literally everywhere in Montreal.
 
crankcall said:
Some municipalities have by-laws against such structures in a front driveway. A lot don't but you do need to sit some concrete blocks around the base to keep it down till it freezes solid to the ground. They are literally everywhere in Montreal.
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I had one at my parents with a cinder block on every leg. One windy day, it went straight up (taking all the blocks with it), cleared the bike and riding mower inside without touching them and landed ~100' away. All the cinder blocks were still attached to the pile of scrap that was the tarp garage. If I ever put up another, it will be properly anchored as you can obviously get >400 lbs of uplift.
 
Brian P said:
Challenge: Get in my full size cargo van, and tell me what good it does to look out the closed back doors when backing up!

In the old days, drivers of such vehicles were totally reliant on their mirrors, and cannot see directly behind. Not possible!

The backup camera works well...
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Plus, it's a Fiat 500.
That backs up into me, I might get a scratch...maybe a bruise lol

JK Brian, remember, I have first dibs when you're ready to sell.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
 
Lightcycle said:
Yeah, they also mainly put them up in the wintertime so they don't have to clear the snow and ice off the car before they drive off to work.
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IIRC QC (or at least Montreal) has time guidelines. Something like December to March they are allowed, then they have to come down.
 
Re the rag top, Years ago I went somewhere with a buddy in his convertible and as we were getting out I went to lock my door. He said not to. His logic was if someone wanted to steal something he'd prefer they open the door without slashing the top. A true pessimist.

P.S. We had a Cavalier and I personally feel that a top will last until the car needs other major work. However light coloured ones are harder to keep looking clean.
 
SunnY S said:
this tech is a godsend, if I was a legislator, it would have to be standard in every single vehicle if it isn't already.
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Which tech? Cameras have been required for a while. Beepers are optional (and imo, still not ready for primetime, way too many sensor issues to be a mandatory safety device).
 
GreyGhost said:
Which tech? Cameras have been required for a while. Beepers are optional (and imo, still not ready for primetime, way too many sensor issues to be a mandatory safety device).
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its very likely cameras are mandatory now, as they should be. but I do recall that in 2015, I had to pay for it as an option. I wlll admit that our 2016 and 2018 models vehicles have the tech, but I dont recall if they were part of an option package I paid for.

Our 2016 and 2018 vehicles have a beeper function that chirps louder as you approach a fixed object. My 2015 lacks this feature and I wish I had it. Don't ask my why I wish I had this.....
 
Back on track...2015 Infinity QX50 40k kms. $20k. Looks interesting but I don’t know much about Infinitys. Not a ragtop but looks like an interesting car. We have a chance to get something interesting, hence the ragtop interest.
 
jc100 said:
Back on track...2015 Infinity QX50 40k kms. $20k. Looks interesting but I don’t know much about Infinitys. Not a ragtop but looks like an interesting car. We have a chance to get something interesting, hence the ragtop interest.
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I really like how the new ones look. 2015 however was not the current generation :/ Is it basically a fancy Murano? I'm not old enough for Infiniti to interest me and too young to remember when Nissan made a good car.
 
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