Hardtop storage

I recently purchased a cabriolet with hardtop. As spring has sprung and it will soon be summer, I am trying to figure out how to store the hardtop in my two car garage. Since I have limited space, I do not want Porsche's storage system. I would prefer a hoist system. I have found two hoist systems on the internet. 1. IMC 2. E-Z Top I would like to get users opinions on these two systems and any others you know of. Also, electric vs. manual. TIA

I have the E-Z Top system that we used for two plus years with my wifes SL500 (Now Traded). It is the manual system and works very well. Probably only up and down two times in two years. If I thought I would have used it more I would have gone with the electric. Not familiar with the IMC. I would highly rec. the E-Z Top, high quality and top notch company to deal with.

Erik - I'm ~20 miles north of you, enjoying the same california weather <okay, a little wet for May, but still better than most places on earth>. My opinion is not to spend $$ on a hoist, because you won't put the hardtop back on until the day you sell the car. Have some friend help you lift it onto a garage loft and then forget about it. The softtop is plenty well insulated to deal with our coldest / wettest weather <for you non-californians...we get <15 inches of rain per year and the temperature rarely goes below 50 F.> I enjoy putting the top down on those sunny winter days too. With the heat blowing and the windows / windscreen up, you'll be plenty comfortable. You won't be able to easily do that (or at least not spontaneously)if you have the hardtop on. Enjoy the cab to its fullest... that's why you got it! -jerry

Jerry, I couldn't agree with you more about enjoying the car with the top down... even in the winter. My wife and I like to drive up to Mendocino, or down to Carmel, and both places can get foggy and cold(that's why I made sure to get heated seats). But, that is exactly why I need the hoist. It's the only way I can store the hardtop without taking up floor space. I have a two car garage and the attic space above the garage is only accessable through a pull down ladder. I think I'm leaning toward the EZ Top, because it seems sturdy enough for long term storage. If you ever see a guy in a silver cab waving at you <img border="0" alt="[byebye]" title="" src="graemlins/wave.gif" /> be sure to wave back <img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" /> , cause it just might be me. <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

I too thought I would never put the hard top back on, but I was wrong. The second year I owned the car I put the hard top back on in the fall. It was a real treat and the appearance is significantly different, which is a plus. More sound deadening and the rear window defogger actually works. Be careful where you store the hard top, you don't want mice in the head liner...........

I have the electric hoist from Strasse (forget the exact product name now). Works great. My only complaint would be that some of the metal parts were not rubber coated and when you're trying to fit the lift bar under the hardtop to lift it up, you might possibly scratch your paint. I ended up rubber coating everything myself. As for the weather here in sunny [sic] CA, yeah, I enjoy a winter drive with the top down and the heat on. But I also enjoy the dual look of my car, hardtop on/off. I also enjoy the time out in the garage every spring/fall "playing" with my car taking the hardtop off/on. I also enjoy a lot of other things about my car but that's another story all together...