I need a new top for my 1997 Wrangler. I can spend a couple hundred or several hundred. I don't know if it matters.

I could put on the cheap top and replace it in a couple years for what the expensive top costs. If I still have the Jeep.

Anybody have experience with Jeep tops? Or opinions on Jeep tops?

It is a dark green jeep with a tan top.

The effort to install the top is negligible.

On my Miata the top was always too small. It was necessary to curse vigorously every time I closed it. I tried out a slightly newer Miata once with the fancy cloth top....closed like it should no muss no fuss. I'd recommend not skimping over $100 if research shows that they are better to use. If they are and you sell the car you will probably be able to recover some of the premium.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Yes, good material is essential. I like the way this company presents themselves and will probably follow their recommendations.

Cloth Topping | Haartz Corporation


What I am wondering about is two years from now. I can get a cheap one now and a cheap one two years from now. Or hope the expensive one lasts more than a couple years.

The cheap approach may work out well money wise, but you'll be stuck with the inferior product the whole time. (presuming the Hartz is actually better).

The hartz is a known name.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

When I had a 1989 Suzuki Samurai, I went with a cheaper top. It lasted as long as the more expensive one that it replaced, but I had to set it out in the sun to warm up prior to installing it, and some corners were a bit of a bear to get to snap.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Haartz is certainly a well-respected name, and associated with premium OEM convertible tops for decades. My approach to making significant purchases is to buy quality, and hopefully enjoy the benefits of a more premium, longer-lasting product.

How long do you intend the keep the Jeep?

eww to soft tops. My dad had a wrangler with a bikini top. It would hold water after a rain and the soft windows got moldy. It was freaking freezing in the winter too.

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

I am not convinced that I get a better top for more money.

I want good materials and zippers. Good fit and warranty. Prefer one made in the US.

Any of them is going to be noisy and leak. It will be a wrestling match to install.

I will buy a top like I described for a good price without paying for the brand. Maybe with some luck the money I save will go toward a good deal on a used hardtop before I trade the thing for a fishing boat or something.

As always, thanks for the ideas.

had good experience with BestTop soft top: good fit & long-lasting, easy to install & deploy.

had factory hardtop for winter, was nice to have rear defrost & wiper. was also a lot quieter on the highway

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1991 300D