Leather or vinyl

[LE759]

I'm doing some interior restorations on my 81 spider and I was curious what the mass opinion was on leather vs vinyl. I need to do the consoles and eventually the door panels and the seats. I wanted to know if I should invest in leather or not. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thank you!

[So Cal Mark]

I wouldn't be too concerned what others want, what do YOU like? and what can your budget afford? There are different grades of leather and vinyl. Whichever you choose, I'd stay away from the cheapest material if you want it to last

[LE759]

From an investment stand point, there is no point? It really boils down to how much are you willing to spend.

[mipstien]

im gunna say vinyl only because these are convertibles and leather has a tendency to get water logged and yucky faster. from my experience anyways

[RoadRacer]

I would definitely go with leather if our budget can afford it...... If you want a classy sports car, Leather is more luxurious.
I would not worry about getting the leather wet unless you had no top at all... The seats leather and the rest vinyl! !

[LE759]

Thanks for your input.

[Jimb]

I've posted this pic before of my Volumex interior but if you missed it then it may be interesting for you now. I had the seat redone in leather (original was leather) to exact same pattern as original. However, I also had the headrests and armrest done in leather as well. It just made sense cause it looks so much better. But as was noted in an earlier post, get to know your leathers...there are many types and grades.
Cheers,
Jim

[swifty2k]

I've posted this pic before of my Volumex interior but if you missed it then it may be interesting for you now. I had the seat redone in leather (original was leather) to exact same pattern as original. However, I also had the headrests and armrest done in leather as well. It just made sense cause it looks so much better. But as was noted in an earlier post, get to know your leathers...there are many types and grades.
Cheers,
Jim

Jim, that looks fantastic.

I've always been partial to leather... To me, an Italian roadster with a nice supple leather interior...
Just rolls off the tongue so nicely!

[wengr]

the leather seats is my favorite difference with my 83, vs earlier cars. let's face it, the fiat was a cheapish car, with only an average level of material quality, and leather seats can go a long way toward improvng the feel of the car. Provided you like them of course. and I would second the above idea to stick with seats and leave everything else high grade vinyl. As far as investment goes, I doubt it will mean much.

[Zmatt]

IMO vinyl is better in old cars as it tends to hold up better, leather just gets saggy and dirty. Old leather seats never look good. However if you are getting it redone, go for leather, why not? Any cons new leather would have new vinyl would also have for the most part.

[NCArachnid]

Jimb, I love your interior. Very neat and tidy. Did you have your seats covered at a shop or did you install covers from one of the supply houses? Where did you get your carpet? Is that the stock style of carpet or something different?

[Jimb]

Jimb, I love your interior. Very neat and tidy. Did you have your seats covered at a shop or did you install covers from one of the supply houses? Where did you get your carpet? Is that the stock style of carpet or something different?

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the note.
I had the seats/ headrests and arm rests professionally done in high-quality leather. I was very adamant about the quality of the work so I checked in daily to have a look. To match the carpet I took a sample from under the console that wasn't faded and began a search. I went through dozens of samples at several shops before I found what I believe to be an exact match. Then the same upholstery shop custom made the carpet.
I'm really happy with the results.
Cheers,
Jim