Joe Rose

After many, many years of 911 Targa ownership (dating back to 1969), this morning I did the most stupid, unpardonable thing I think I've ever done.
Yes, I drove off in my '89 911 Targa with the top on but not latched down. As soon as I got up to speed, of course, the top flew off. Because traffic was not far behind, the top got run over several times before I could retrieve it. Although the outside material seems fine and the inside headliner is also OK, there are many broken frame pieces. Whom should I contact for quick and reasonable repair? This car is my daily driver, so I cannot tie it up too long.
Any and all advice here would be most appreciated.

old man neri

Do you have pictures? One option to consider might be to look for a used one at a dismantler or flea-bay.


I did the same thing, don't kick yourself too much, it's an easy thing to forget. I wish it had a buzzer as oppose to the seat belt warning.

HarryD

I feel your pain. I am always thinking one day I will do the same thing.

Your insurance should help you with the financial pain. If it was me, I would contact Dan Pechtel and work with him. You can check out his Web page at: http://www.carsinc-nj.com.

panchosouth

Joe
You might try 20th Street Auto in Pheonix, AZ. They may be able to hook you up w/a used one that will get you thru until you find a solution to your original. Hope this helps.
Frank

panchosouth

Joe!
Man, that be an expensive top- new is 14-15K---I almost crapped myself ..
Here is what I know
Jed at Silver Star Recyclers has a 92 top for 1500.00 800.783.4911 not sure what body style you have but theres that-
Also, spoke with Matt at 20th Street Auto in Phoenix- he may have parts for your top, however I suggest you email him pics of yours with an obvious focus on damage, and he will let you know if you can get same from him matt@20car.com
Also called mr stitch, stoddard, easy and parts heaven- easy sent me to silver star...anyway, my fool around time is burned up, this was educational to say the least...good luck with this
Frank

Peter Zimmermann

Joe: Call Pete @ Pete's Auto Top in Los Angeles. He's an expert with Targa tops; his number is (310) 271-5550.

jakeflyer

I sold a top with new cover on it for $650 a couple of months ago on Ebay. There is one there now for $500 start bid--and no bids. I think if you can watch ebay for some weeks you can get one at a reasonable price. One way to approach it is to contact the seller and ask for a "buy it now price". If it is good, call him and get detailed information about the top and try to find out about the seller. If still good, buy it and pay by paypal which gives some protection against fraud. Ship fedex and insure for a few $ over vlue.

Joe Rose

To all of you kind enough to offer suggestions, let me start this by giving you my sincere thanks. I guess at the time I wrote the original message I gave the impression my top was repairable. Really, it's not. The only cast piece that could be used again is one side of the front, foldable frame. All other frame pieces are broken. On second look, the inside lining was found to be slightly torn, too. I guess talking about repair was pie-in-the-sky on my part. I called a NC dismantler (DC Automotive), but that seemed, at first, to be to no avail. I then called Pete at Pete's Auto Top (suggested by Peter Zimmerman), but they could only say they'd try to call around and locate a used top for me. At Pancosouth's suggestion I called Jed at Star Recyclers and bought the one he mentioned from a '92 for $1500. It will take almost a week to get it, but I didn't see I had too many other options. A short while after I made my deal with Jed, DC Automotive called me back with the good news that they had found a mint top tucked away at their place for $2400. I would have purchased that one in a minute if they had known about it when I first called them. Since I had already made my deal with Star, however, I passed on the DC Automotive top. Today was a frustrating and quite expensive day for me.
I hope never to make that mistake again. Thanks to all who tried to help make it better.

panchosouth

Joe!
Glad to hear we were able to get your mellon covered again!
I think that you probably did well with Star- I've never used them before, so I hope it turns out the way you want-
I could not believe the prices they wanted for a new top...is there some sort of error on their part about the price?? I can't believe that a top could be 14-15,OOO...

Mike Murphy

It appears prices have gone up. The guy who sold me my old car did the top for less than $1000.

HarryD

Joe:

I hope it works out for you.

I am concerned that the '92 top will fit an '89.

Per my PET, the Part number for the '89 top is 911-565-002-46 while the part number for the '92 is 964-565-002-00. Typically, Porsche does not change part numbers unless there is a change to the part and they may or may not be interchangable.

If it was me, I would contact Dan Pechtel and verify compatibility. While I am certain there are other experts out there, Dan has always been a great help to me and would be my go-to guy if I need something for my top.

Again, I do not mean to rain on your parade but we have all been bit with the similar but not the same parts not fitting.

HarryD

That is in line with Dan's current pricing (http://www.carsinc-nj.com/targa.html)

panchosouth

See- that makes sense to me- however, the people I spoke with- two or three different people at different co's started dropping numbers like 8000+ to 14-15K? What are they thinking? One person I spoke to said that the 89 targa top changed the mech. system however I can't see how a top can cost as much as a solid 911SC...what am I missing?

Joe Rose

Harry,

From what I can see online, the PET part number for the '89 911 Targa top has been superceeded. Currently Porsche parts suppliers are listing the new number as 964.565.002.01.707. It's supposed to fit all Targas from '89 to '93. I'll hold me breath until my replacement arrives, but I hope my research holds true.

HarryD

Dan's price is to rebuild your existing top. Add to that any costs to replace the broken metal parts.

If you wanted to buy a new, OEM top, the Pelican Parts Web Site lists two as available:

911-565-002-40-OEM Targa Top Assembly, 911 (1974-85), Brand: Genuine Porsche, $11,455.25

964-565-002-01-707-OEM Targa Top Assembly, 911 (1986-89), Brand: Genuine Porsche, $16,145.00