LUCKe27

I'm trying really hard to be patient on the search for my first 911, but it's hard when you've got the bug. I've had my first excrutiating PPI experience; so, I feel more intitiated now. I know everyone loves their own 911, coupe's for stability, cabs for the fun of it, etc., but should I shy away from a Targa? This one looks like a nice car to me (unique to have off white interior in a silver car, but it seems to work).

TX911

I think the main performance reasons are that they are heavier and less stiff than a coupe. As far as general use is concerned, the roofs seem to have a tendency to leak if not well cared for. Regarding long-term investment considerations, targas seem to hold their value less well than coupes or cabs. Looking at it a different way, they may be some of the best values out there.

jester911

Many targa owners out there that love them. They have their quirks as do most of these cars. For street use they usually are fine but as TX911 said they sometimes leak and there has been a few lost down the highway because of faulty latches or failure of the driver to latch them. They do seem to be the best of both worlds though combining coupe and cab.

blake

I feel your pain. It took me two years (1991-1993) until I found the SC Targa that I wanted... Targas truly are great cars. The best feature is the ability to feel like you are in a convertible, but without having to deal with both the wind and wind noise. My targa would leak a little bit in a heavy downpour, but other than that was solid. It does flex more than a coupe, but certainly not as much as a Cab. I found it to be the perfect middle of the road between the two.

I hope to buy an 87-89 or 964 targa in the future as I really miss that car. Did I mention how great the visibility is out of the rear wondow? Great car. Buy it and enjoy.

My $0.02,
-B

lfe132

If you are gonna autocross buy a coupe. If you love open air motoring buy a Cab or Targa. For myself, Targa was the only car to buy. My Targa ('84 Carrera) leaked a bit in the rain but believe it or not it was mostly coming from a bad windshield seal. I recently rebuilt my top also replacing my top window seal and the last rain we had not one drop got into the car. Just replace the bad seals and all should be fine. Look at it this way (and somebody correct me if I'm wrong because I never bought one of these cars new..) I don't think Porsche would sell a car, even back in '84, knowing it leaks when it rains. I'm sure when bad seals are replace and things fit properly leaks are non existant, mine is.
As far as resale value, I didn't buy the car to make a profit, I bought it to drive and enjoy. IF a profit comes into play later all the better.
Happy motoring.

Peter Zimmermann

If possible, shoot some more photos our way. The ride height in your pic looks odd, but probably because someone lowered the front slightly, and didn't do the rear...

LaughaC

My targa does not leak and I would only want to be "couped" up on a track. The sunroofs are too small for my needs.

JRRSA

Great looking car. I agree with Peter, the rear does look high. Those look like 15 inch Fuchs too.

I owned an 86 cab and currently have an 87 coupe. Not sure about the targa, however, the rigidity difference from Cab to Coupe is very noticeable. In addition, the doors seem to be a bit more solid with the door frame. Having said that, the cab was nice for cruising on nice days....for me personally, I am sold on the coupe.

blake

+1. Forgot to mention - just check the seals around the targa top (door windows, windshield, roll bar) and make sure they are not worn. They are pricier than one would think to replace, but well worth it. In short, look at ALL rubber on the car. Targas make great cars - best of both worlds!

-B

Amber Gramps

You also need to look closely at the wheel widths.. The front doesn't look normal.

UberXY

My current 911 is a Targa. In and of itself, a Targa wasn't something I was looking for, but the rest of the car was in such amazing shape that I bought it anyway. The Targa top had recently been rebuilt by Andial and it looks great. I only take it off every once in awhile and rarely drive in the rain, so no problems other than some minor squeaks.

Steve
84 Carrera
64 356C race

Greg D.

A few I can come up with:
- You don't like the look of the car with the targa top
- You are going to track the car a lot and need more rigidity
- you are averse to spending some money making the top seal perfectly
- You live in a bad neighborhood and don't want to temp slashers
- you don't like your pedals to be even more off center than a coupe
- you don't mind a slightly lower resale value

But really, nothing wrong with them if that's your thing. If you wanted a coupé and settle for a Targa, I don't know... If you want the wind in your hair, I like them more than cabs !

dshepp806

Leaks,...

The Brewmeister

That's right. Fronts should be "flat" face.

Peter Zimmermann

I'm pretty sure those are 7F/8R x 15" alloys... maybe LUCKe will post that with the tire sizes.