Khalilj

I'm seriously thinking about taking advantage of the special December sale price on the transparent top for my 2012 torch red GS. I'll have owned it for a year in Jan and have tweaked it to just about right status. But the notion of the transparent top has intrigued me, though the price put me off. This sale has sparked renewed interest.
I'm interested in any experiences with the top from those who've added it as an option (or ditched it). Any opinions on the build and fit will be appreciated. And photos are of course most welcomed.
The sale goes till Tuesday so I'll likely worry over this for a few days before either pushing the buy button or moving on the the next thing I might need to make things perfect.
Thanks and happy new year.

Tom Martin

I love 'em! Every now and then I see girls with transparent tops!!

Gman in NC

Only top I've had for nine years. Wouldn't do it any other way.

Tom Martin

My Vette has the ultimate transparent top. It's a convertible!!

bagwell

yep, always wanted transparent top.....finally swapped with someone....it was neat at first.....then I noticed its a lot warmer in the hot summer months...and its noticeably more noisy.....I switched back and never want one again.

Monty2007

I have both tops and use them during different times of the year. In hot sunny weather (summer) the inside of the car can get real hot with the transparent top, so I use the solid, body colored top. In the fall and winter I use the transparent top.

Chris.

FlyerVette

Have both tops and prefer the looks of and the view out of the transparent top. As others have mentioned it is warmer in summer which you may consider being from Georgia. But is does give you the options to switch back and forth based on the time of the year....

sdk

I bought my 2008 used with the transparent top. It did not come with the solid top. Yes, it gets a bit toasty in the summer when the temperature goes over 90. We didn't have any 100+ degrees last summer so I can't comment on the extreme heat factor. I love it otherwise.

ExRedRacer

Exactly.

I enjoy being able to glance up and see stuff. Plus I like the way it looks with my Victory Red coupe.

Snake.Oiler

Only have the tran top. Love it. Does the car heat up sitting in the sun during the summer - you betcha it does. But who cares - air it out, turn on the A/C and all is fine.

mickey5

Made a mistake when I bought the '13 coupe after several Verts. Found a late model transparent top and it changed the whole feel of the car. Its not a Vert but its now good enough that I'm happy with it. Its really nice in the northern winters when the sky comes in. For us old timers it also has the added bonus that its considerably lighter allowing me to remove and put it on by myself. The colored roof is just too heavy and I need wifey to help change it.

If you go the used top route its imperative you look up the threads on this forum to understand the pitfalls of early models with cracking, crazing and creaks and pops. The front latches were redesigned early on from rollers to 'U' shaped pads which eliminated most of the noise.

Good luck with your decision.

4SUMERZ

I love the transparent top. It's going on 7 years old, and now getting the dreaded spider webbing/crazing disease. I'll be replacing it with a new transparent top, but this time, I'll clean it with the proper cleaner- Plexus or Zaino. I believe it's the windex or Invisible Glass that did the damage.

dvilin

I can think of some better things for the Vette to spend the money on. The transparent top is something that is okay lookwise but for the money really adds very little in my opinion.

HD_Rider

I had one with my 2009 C6 a couple of years ago.

PROS

• Light-weight, easy to handle
• Provides a nice "view-out" from inside the car
• Looks good should you choose to tint the windows and paint the 'B' pillar (halo) black

CONS

• Turns your interior into a hot greenhouse during the summer
• Allows more road noise inside the car when in motion
• Plastic may spider (crack) as it ages

Blk 08 C6

have both but the car came with transparent top when I bought it used.I just leave the transparent on all year round to a cool 95-96 temp.

1968swbbigblock

I have driven all three (vert, clear and solid roofs) & I find the transparent top to be a great substitute for the vert.
The extra light and feel of additional head room are big plus' for me.
Pull the pin and try it - if you hate you should be able to sell it for 700 or so - so its really a three hundred dollar experiment.

Chuck Little

I had a C5 with it, and my new C6 didn't have it. I missed it. I went out and bought a new one, and sold my solid colored one. If I want to remove it, I can, but I enjoy it year around. I consider it an investment in making me happy.
There is more road noise, and I'm sure the heat could be a factor.
My car is parked in the sun most days at the golf course, and I use the Window Valet to cool the car down from the clubhouse.
You can get most of your money back if you end up not liking it, if you keep it nice. :-)

cor28vettes

Very nice in the fall & spring

vforrest

The heat may be a factor but since you have a solid just swap it out if it matters. There is also suction cup liner that you can put in if needed.

No one has mention what it does to the cockpit feel which really was the first thing I noticed when test driving the Vette's I was looking at. The first few were solid tops and the roof felt like it was so close and then I got in a transparent one and the cockpit seems so much more open/spacious but obviously the dimensions didn't change but the feel sure did!

Gearhead Jim

Our first transparent top was a 1998 Camaro, ordered with the transparent T-Tops only because they gave a little more head room. I had no interest in the visibility nor in the idea of removing them, I almost glued them in place.

That all changed after driving the car for a month, the increased brightness and general visibility were wonderful. And after taking them off for the first time, I knew we'd never go back to a 'vert (we had a '67 roadster) nor ever buy only a painted top, nor ever buy a sports car without some kind of removable top.

Our current 2009 is our third modern Corvette, all have been ordered with the transparent top only.

As others have mentioned, there are disadvantages to the transparent top. But it still gets our vote by a very large margin.

"The sky is always blue when driving the Corvette."