Dennis C

Well said. I prefer everything about the cabriolet over the targa, including the looks. That's why I bought one!

These are all wonderful cars.

uury

Hi folks!

I'm a forum newbie, and this is slightly off-topic, so please forgive me. I've recently put a deposit down on a 991.2 Targa GTS (my first 911), and am trying to make a decision on one last detail. The car is going to be PTS in Aqua Blue Metallic with a silver targa bar, which begs the question -- blue top or black top? The interior is bordeaux/black with black deviated leather seat centers. If, by some chance, any of you have purchased one of these color combos, I'd love to know how it worked out.

Thanks!

--ryan

Keadog

No pics, but with your interior combo, I would go with black although I think either would be fine. I haven't seen the blue in person but from the pics it looks pretty dark, so either should offer a significant contrast to Aqua Blue (which I think is a great color).
A Blue top will be less common, but you already have less common covered with Aqua Blue/Black/Bordeaux/deviated seats. Please post pics!

R_Rated

Purely speculative conjecture.

For me Cab > Targa.

Cab - lighter and truly an open air experience. Targas do admittedely look neat and come with AWD - you can get AWD in a Cab but not RWD option in a targa. Some people prefer one over the other.

docmalone

I agree black top as you have a two tone interior picked out. If you did not have a two-tone interior picked out I would say blue. Aqua blue is gorgeous.

Nin Din Din

More sun with the Cab, and that's the whole idea.

R_Rated

This. Most people either want a cab or a coupe.

Targas exist because convertibles were said to be outlawed in the US and the targa bar was a way around this. Even the 997 was just a giant sunroof. I don't get the draw to a targa but some people think a Cab is NARP. All conjecture.

Targa = more weight, more complexity, more $$$ to buy and repair.

To each their own.

Jon70

I prefer the looks of the targa and would definitely be the version I'd buy if the roof panels were manually removable and stowed in the car rather than the heavy mechanization in the current version. I'd go for the cab if given the choice as it stands now.

Al.Fresco

I believe they utilized the cab mechanism for the targa....they are likely very similar. I believe its the large back window and AWD of the targa that adds most of the weight.

sraj

I am planning to replace my M4 convertible with some form of open-top 911. Here is how my decision process is going, based on several test drives:

1) True top down experience : advantage cab

2) Weight : advantage cab

3) Convenience of opening/closing top: advantage cab

4) Visibility with top/roof up: advantage targa

5) Visibility with top/roof down: advantage cab (no targa bar)

6) Wind comfort with top/roof down: advantage cab (some folks on this thread say there is no difference, but that has not been my experience)

7) Appearance: even (again, personal opinion only; neither look as good as the coupe though, imo)

8) Drivetrain: obviously, if you want RWD, big win for the cab.

For me, #1, 3, 5, 6, 8 make this a clear win for the cab. #4 is a big issue for some owners, but not for me, as I have my top down about 90-95% of the time. However, if I lived in a place with harder weather, my calculus might well work out differently.

911sccab

This.

I've owned convertibles since 1994 and the only difference with the Targa is there's no compromise.

Seriously. 50 degrees and an open top is chilly in a convertible, cozy in a Targa. There's not enough A/C to chill any convertible on a 90 degree day, but the Targa is great.

Our car has sport mirrors, there's rumors they help the wind noise. I dunno, I've never found it objectionable. Top open, widows up, 60mph hone calls are easy.

Big indulgence, no regrets!

R_Rated

either is great! I've not driven a new targa but certainly appreciate them as awesome cars.

In the 991 with the rear windscreen, you can have the same protection from the elements as a targa. Windscreen and all 4 windows up is great for interstate driving and hot/cold temps.

i think most people either are or are not cab people. If you're insistent on all the top performance specs like SPASM then the cab is also slightly less stiff. Not enough that a mere mortal can tell on a public road but the cab is a little less stiff than a targa or coupe. That being said, the 991 is the best, most sophisticated and stiffest 911 to date. It is stiffer even than a boxster. But, it'll never be a coupe even with the magnesium hard top. For this reason there are some purists that feel the car isn't a real Porsche.

me, I'm usually enjoying a cigar or pipe when I'm in my car so for this reason alone I wouldn't have it any other way!

Dennis C

I know what you mean, and it always makes me laugh. If you go to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, you can see the first car that Ferry Porsche ever built. It's called "Number One". It's an open top roadster, not a coupe. A visit to the museum is well worth the time for any Porsche enthusiast.

The nice thing about the 911 range is that there are so many choices. If you like coupes, you can buy a coupe. If you like convertibles, you can buy a cabriolet.

Here's a photo of Number One:

Gus_Smedstad

Apparently what I said earlier in the thread is all wrong. I was a poo-head talking out of me nethers. I spent some time test driving some cars today, including a couple of Targas. I didn't like 'em.

They look nice, sure. But that roll bar is a huge B pillar, creating as bad a blind spot on the left as I've ever seen. Headchecks do nothing in that direction. I can no longer argue that the Targa has good rear visibility, because it doesn't. My cabriolet's blind spot is smaller with the roof up, and of course the coupe is better than either.

Yes, there's a big glass window back there, but in practice I couldn't see any more out of it that I could out of coupe's rear window. It's better than the smaller rear window of the cabriolet roof, but not dramatically so.

KenTO

I respectively disagree with you regarding the blind spot in the Targa. With proper side mirror position (as has been described previously) there is no blind spot behind you. You should only be looking laterally to the side after checking the mirrors, not behind. Try it yourself on your next drive by moving your side mirrors out as far out as possible, you should not be able to see any part of your car in the side mirrors. You will notice that you have now eliminated the blind spot.