Arch12

I am looking into a low mileage (under 35K), 2 owner cabriolet with all maintenance up to date and with complete records. It is a great car all away around but I have been told to stay away from a cabriolet by 2 mechanics:

1. too much flex in the body even if you cross brace it
2. problems with the convertable top operations, leaks and loud.

Can someone comment on this as truth or fiction. Thanks
Rick

plumbum

I don't recall seeing any posts on the subject but perhaps also try the 944/951/968 forum for more opinions, those forums seem to get more traffic.

PaulD_944S2

Cabs are different from the coupes structurally, but Porsche had the bottom of the floor pan reinforced very well. Take a look, you will see some significant sheet metal. Unless you are planning to autocross or track the car, it's a moot point.

Like any cabriolet, soft tops are problematic. Read through the forums here and you will find a lot of discussion on the tops. One of the first things many owners do is disconnect the electrical motor transmission linkage that drives the top up and down. The top uses two motors and separate transmissions, and if they get out of time, then expensive parts may break. Once the linkage is disconnected, the top is very easy to manually raise and lower. The window seals are good, so drive it with the top up and see how it does. A quick spray of water over the top and sides my reveal any fluid leaks.

Go back (or go somewhere else) and demand they inspect the entire car and not just offer "opinions" on what they may have heard from others. Somehow, a lot of this "opinion" gets distorted and passed around making things seem much worse than it will ever be.

You have a good start: "with a complete history and up to date maintenance" you can't get any better.

A happy two cab owner, one of them a former occasional track car.

It is important that you enjoy and drive the car!

jeffro951

One owner,records and low mileage? i would jump on it if the price is right. love the color, I have 2 cabs myself one is the color you are looking at. all good advice offered here so far. I would ad to keep up on the timing chain tensioner but you are so low miles you shouldn't have to worry about that yet.

PaulD_944S2

Here's a good place to learn cabs:

https://rennlist.com/forums/944-and-...cabriolet.html

thomasmryan

Cabs are great drivers but if you are going to track, go with a coupe.

Coming from a 914, the 968 has about 80% less cowl shake but rain droplets on the windshield still have that hypnotic affect.

The Brey-Krause under brace stiffens the front but it does up the frequency of chassis harmonics.

Koni dampeners on the rear where pretty brutal on sewer lids but the original equipment Sachs do fine at 8 tenths. I swapped back from Koni to Sachs and lowered to CS/ROW specs and love watching wrx/sti headlights fade away in the rear view.

Tops don't leak if everything is adjusted properly. If you are in the south and will drop the top frequently, go manual. If you lower infrequently, just leave everything hooked up.. The trade off is the infamous delaminating hatch.

djantlive

I love my 1990 s2. The top is flawless and still powered, never an issue. The only thing about the cab is that there is no roll over protection and those seals on the top can be pricey. Noise isn't a big concern and the water leak is minimal.

I picked up mine with 85k mi for $6000 4-5 yrs ago. Love every single mile driven since then.