wes66vette

So, I am retiring from the military after 34 years and have decided that I am giving myself a gift...I had a budget of about $95K and was dead set on a 991 CAB S. Then I started looking...Drive a 2017 base CAB and it was fun, drove a GTS...dear God...even more fun...drove a 997 Turbo...too much car and not optioned how I want it...then it happened. I took my wife to the local Porsche dealership to compare the cars, look at the lines, and decide on colors.

My budget wouldn't allow me to order what I want, but I do have some specifics:

• It will be my daily driver (in DC, 7 miles one way)
• PDK
• Ventilated Seats
• Sports Chrono

I found a few CABs that met my requirements...but I also wanted white instrument dials (this was not a deal breaker though) and those were few and far between.

In the showroom, my wife gravitates towards the New Targa GTS...way out of my budget...but she says that she really prefers the lines of the Targa over those of the CAB...

Mind you, I was set...going to get my 2015ish 911 S CAB and be done with it...then I looked on the Porsche website...there is a 2017 Targa 4 with every option I would put on it...minus 20 wheels (but I will need a winter set anyway, so no biggie). It is not local, so I would have to fly to buy, but it is CPO'd, with 912 miles...$25K outside what I was going to spend, but doable...

So...for drivability, am I going to miss not having an NA S? Or is the Targa 4 going to give me everything I need? I know this is purely subjective, but I do appreciate the experiences on this list. I have owned many sports cars, but this is my first Porsche...the bonus is that the wife LOVES the look of the Targa.

Thanks for any comments or thoughts.

kyrocks

The NA engine will sound better no doubt, but the 991.2 Porsches sound pretty good too.
The Targa won't give you the open air experience that the cab will. You also can't close the roof quickly and while moving on the Targa.
Since you will drive the car in the winter, I would recommend AWD (which I'm not personally a fan of on Porsches). The Targa is AWD. Heavier and more planted in adverse conditions and your wife prefers it. If I was you and lived where you live, I'd go for the Targa if you can afford it.

wes66vette

Okay...so, I just got off the phone with the dealer...they mentioned "they could be VERY aggressive with the pricing"...

Here is the build...

Base - 911 Targa 4
1V - Targa Roof In Black
250 - Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK)
432 - 19" Carrera Wheels
489 - Heated Multifunction Steering Wheel
602 - LED Headlights Incl. Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS+)
9VL - BOSE® Surround Sound System
AZ - Leather Interior In Black
N1 - Sapphire Blue Metallic
P06 - Power Sport Seats (14-way) With Memory Package
P3E - Premium Package Plus I.c.w. Power Sport Seats (14-way)
QR5 - Sport Chrono Package
XFJ - Instrument Dials In White
XSC - Porsche Crest On Headrests

What is a fair price? They are asking $119,901...It is also easy to find on the internet...

Keadog

They build very few Targa 4s v Targa 4Ss. Car looks well optioned if you want PDK. And dials in white? Unicorn since you want that. That car may be 1/1.
What was MSRP?

AlBinVA

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9651...aled-deal.html

In my opinion, you should be able to get a minimum 15% reduction from MSRP. MSRP was $129,875 for that car. If I had to have that car, $108-$110 would be my max.

Best of luck, sapphire blue is a nice color.

subshooter

Targa 4s (not 4S) are very rare. I would go for it based on the pricing that you mentioned.

bwiele

Sounds like a winner to me. I don't have a view on the price. I have a 2017 T4 GTS and I think the styling of the Targa is the best looking 911. Your wife has good taste. Good luck and thanks for your service!

wes66vette

Thanks for the comments/advice...will be chatting with the representative today, I will keep everyone posted on the outcome...this happened a little faster than I thought it would.

GTorTT

Good luck. Sounds like car checks the right boxes (particularly the wife one).

LexVan

Thank you for your service! Good luck on your future car purchase.

R_Rated

White dials are easy to fix after the fact and cheap.

Are you going to miss the NA engine? If you like the sound and high revving NA goodness then yes! This is a polarizing debate. Real Car guys love the 991.1. People that like magazine specs love the 991.2.

Will you miss the S? On a 2017, likely not if you're even asking.

R_Rated

And Thank you for your service!

<<<< Airborne/Assault Ranger + Pathfinder here.

Gus_Smedstad

If you can find them locally, do a test drive of the 991.2 Targa 4 back to back with an 991.1S. Alternately, try test driving any 991.2 base back to back with an older S, though you should try for a C4 model since AWD does have some important effects.

I think for most drivers, the Targa 4 is going to feel faster, despite the lower horsepower rating. Because the torque is present at much lower RPM, and unless you're pushing the car, you're going to be spending most of your time at 2000-3000 RPM. In fact the 3.8L NA engine doesn't surpass the 3.0L turbocharged engine until 5000 RPM.

I struggle a bit with cabriolet vs. targa. Last year I looked at a sapphire blue Targa 4S. It didn't feel like a convertible with the roof off. It felt like a coupe with the sunroof open. I ended up purchasing a 2014 C4S cab.

One unexpected benefit of a cab: it's easier to move stuff into the rear seats. Recently I picked up a replacement over-the-range microwave at Lowes, and the box proved to be much bigger than I thought it would be. It was too big for the passenger seat! I only managed to get it into the car because I could lower the roof. With the passenger seat folded down and pushed forward, it fit in the rear, but only because I could lower it in.

Like your wife, I don't really like the looks of the cab. With the top up, the discontinuity of the top breaks the lines. With it down, it lacks the elegant slope of a coupe's rear roof. My wife has a 2015 Cayman S, and I'm aware of how much better I like the lines of her car than mine every time I see the two side by side in the garage.

I've found that the main thing I like about owning a cab isn't the wind or the openness, it's the all-around visibility. In a cab with the roof down, there's no such thing as a blind spot because you don't have B or C pillars. I find myself wondering if that big glass rear roof of the Targa would have almost the same effect.

Rear visibility in a cab is poor with the roof up, unfortunately.

I think you really need to look at and sit in a cab and a targa, again back to back. Figure out how you really feel about the looks, and what you really want from the top-down experience.

fuddman

IMO, you should stick with a convertible.

You started by saying you wanted to give yourself a gift. However, based on your wife's preference, you went from what you really wanted, a cab, to a half cab, a Targa. It appears you're subordinating your real desire to give yourself a gift in order to accommodate what your wife prefers. Incidentally, the difference between a cab and a Targa is more significant than the difference between an S and a non S

I'm not suggesting you make a habit of ignoring your wife's opinion; but, in this particular circumstance, I don't think you'd be out of bounds, or selfish, by making all the decisions about this car yourself. The exception, perhaps, being, the color.

Gus_Smedstad

Getting a car your wife likes - if your wife likes sports cars at all, which a lot don't - can be more important than you think.

Leaving aside the usual arguments about marital bliss, it has turned out to be bother me a surprising amount that my wife doesn't like to drive my car. It lessens the car a bit in my eyes that she doesn't quite like it.

Now, this kind of thing doesn't apply to everyone, how they feel about their wives, and how they feel about their cars, but it does to me. If I'd known then what I know now, I probably would have bought a different car.

The funny thing is, a red 911 convertible has long been her dream car. However, it turns out that the PDK is a dealbreaker for her. She'd much rather drive her manual Cayman S.

Also, it's worth noting that when I went looking last year, I originally intended to get a coupe, not a cab. The convertible thing is much more her preference than mine. Even so, I've come to appreciate the cab for some of the reasons I outlined in my prior post, namely the outstanding all-around visibility, and the way it lets you get things into the car you otherwise couldn't.

EDIT: And I might as well bring up the usual marital bliss arguments anyway. When I first went shopping for a Porsche, she was deeply opposed to spending $100k on a car, even though we had the money. When she test drove a Cayman and I agreed we could buy one of those as well, that resistance evaporated. Similarly, when I decided to sell the Panamera because I was unhappy with the car, I got a lot of resistance - until I started talking about buying a 911. That converted the resistance to outright enthusiasm.

Getting definite spousal support for an large, unprecedented purchase can be worth a lot.