Skip to main content

I’ve had a couple of convertibles. And I’ve always been one of the owners who rarely locks my convertible. The truth is that a convertible has door locks, like any other car. But a soft top convertible is vulnerable to any thief with a pocket knife. And replacing my top will cost more than anything I keep inside. But there is a rare scenario when I always lock it.

If I ever have to park on the street and be out of sight of my car for a long time, I might put the roof up in case of rain. But I always leave the doors unlocked. The only exception is when I’m in a paid lot, outside a hotel, or in another scenario where I knew a security guard would be present.

Many convertible owners agree that choosing whether to lock their doors is a dilemma. When a Reddit user asked the /r/cars forum, “Soft tops: To lock, or leave unlocked?” user dwidel had a succinct response, “I have had a new top sliced open for a $20 pair of speakers. I never lock it now.”

Red Ford Mustang convertible parked on a city street.
Red Mustang convertible | DarthArt via iStockPhoto

If you lock your convertible, a determined thief might knife their way in just to see if you have any valuables. So you might find yourself replacing the entire roof, to the tune of $1,000 or more, just so someone could pocket your cellphone charging cable and the spare change in your ashtray.

That said, some convertible owners have the opposite tactic. One said, “Lock the car. If they really want to break into your ride, smashing the window is not all that much harder than cutting into your roof.” And they have an interesting point, I suppose thieves break into cars for valuables all the time. Whether or not those cars are convertibles.

This brings me to the second part of my locking tactic. If I know my car will be under enough surveillance–such as on a busy main street–that no thief would have time to knife into the roof, I lock it. My logic is that the greater danger in this situation is that someone tries my door, slips inside, and bystanders assume they’re the owner. This gives them time to not only go through my stuff, but they may even be able to hotwire the car.

Whatever your strategy, soft top convertibles will never be as secure as a new hardtop car with a good alarm system. Which reminds me of the final, insightful comment on the aforementioned Reddit post: “I own a soft top Jeep and soft top miata. I leave both unlocked and keep full coverage insurance on both cars.”

Best in Tips, Tricks & Trends
Avatar photo
Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.