In 2002 Nissan Introduced The 350z To The World. It Would Be Another 2 Years Before The Convertible Would Be Introduced In 2004 (And It's Kinda Ugly With The Top Up). So What Is Up With This 2003 Drop Top 350z With What Looks To My Eyes To Be Cutting A Rather Handsome Figure With ITS Top Up?

I spotted this lil' gem on craigslist while just putzing around on the cars for sale section a couple of days ago.  Didn't think much of it...until earlier today when I noticed a 350z Convertible on the road, and something just didn't look right.

Realizing That I Haven't Even Shown The Eclipse Spyder With The Top Retracted, I Thought It Might Be High Time To Shoot A Couple Quick Pics And Show Her Topless! Not The Best Staged Photos, But You Get The Idea.

The reflection of our maple tree in the front yard looks amazing on the hood of The Sneaker (the Spyder's nick name - 'cuz it's comfortable like a well worn sneaker, and with the top down it kinda looks like a shoe...right?!), but that paint job ain't that great.  It's a ten footer...looks fine from ten feet away.

So Rain. October Was An Unusually Dry Month, But We Finally Got A Lil Drizzle And I Found That The Top On The Spyder Ain't So Much Waterproof.

Not really a surprise since the top is seriously faded.  A new top would be fantastic...but that ain't happening...at least not right away.

After Pulling Out The Offending Convertible Top Motor (Making Lots Of Bad Noises) And Inspecting It, I Found That The Shear Pin Was Intact...So A Replacement Was The Next Logical Step. Found A Pair On Craigslist For $50. Will That Solve The Problem?

So, I did a little research on line and found that many of the electric convertible top motors listed on eBay for the 2g Eclipse also had them as a replacement for a couple other vehicles.  I was hoping this would be the case since there are quite a few pull it yourself salvage yards around St. Louis and I could probably find what I needed cheap.

October Has Proven To Be An Exceptional Month For Driving With The Top Down. It's Also Been Great Weather For Pulling The Car Apart To Figure Out Where That Screetching Is Coming From! Let's Find And Inspect Those Electric Motors That Raise And Lower The Convertible Top.

It didn't take a genius to figure where the noise was coming from and it doesn't take an ASE certified mechanic to figure out how to get to it...just some simple tools and about 15 minutes.  Click through to watch a video of how I got the drivers side convertible top electric motor out of my 1999 Eclipse Spyder and gave it a good once over inspection.

Things To Do. Fix That God Awful Screetch. The Top Makes A Blood Curtling Noise About 75% Of The Time. Quite Embarrasing!

When I purchased the car, there were a couple of issues that I found and was able to capitalize upon in the negotiation process.  One of these was this fearsome noise that the top made when I put it up (after the seller had put it down for us just before our test drive).  It was hard for the seller to argue against a modest price adjustment.  Click through to see a video and hear what I'm talking about.

Here We Go! October 2015, I've Purchased My First Convertible As Well As My First Turbocharged Car. Let The Fun Begin!

The short story is; I've been wanting a quick convertible for years.  I've finally got one.  Click through for the longer version.