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thought I'd write a little memoir of my experience living with the targa GTS for about a month. First off let's state the obvious: it's very hard to stick to the brake-in protocol. However I've been mostly careful and avoided very high rpm, full throttle and heavy braking. The car feels great, lots of power in every gear and in every scenario. I actually enjoy the mini turbo lag, reminds me of my old WRX lol, plus when you drive harder it you barely notice it, this engine is amazing. I don't regret getting a PDK at all, the opposite is actually true, I think a manual for me would have been a mistake even though when I first got into my head I wanted a 911 it HAD to be a manual at all cost. the PDK is AMAZING in automatic mode, either in normal D or in Sports, it can be relaxing or engaging even without changing gears myself, and if I change the gear myself it's super sharp and gives me amazing control over the car. You can really have your cake and eat it too in this case.
I love the look of the car and even though I swore off black cars a while ago, the jet black paint is epic and looks so deep in the sunlight it's almost dark blue. I think the targa is the coolest looking of the 911's but I'm biased, I love convertibles and vintage 60's stuff so this fits the bill perfectly.
I was afraid the GTS suspension would be too harsh but even on MTL roads it's very acceptable and it's only on the worst pavement that my brain starts to twirl in my skull. The car handles beautifully feels to tight and nervous but yet composed. I had test driven a 2wd GTS coupe before and yes the coupe feels a bit sharper, but for a convertible I feel no chassis flex and it's a dream. Since this is a summer, nice sunny day car only, I believe I have made the right choice for me.
The 18 way seats are the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in. I'm still tweaking my position as there are so many settings, but I feel I'm very close to finding the perfect setting for my butt.
The sports exhaust is perfect and personally I don't need any more volume, The cabin get a lot of wind noise at highway speeds and I might have to wear my custom earplugs on longer (many hours) highway drives with the top down as my years in the music business have tired my ears a bit and they can get sensitive quite quickly. I also recommend them to anyone who does long journeys or enjoys rock concerts, they take out only 9db of volume but over all frequencies so you hear everything clear, it just makes things more comfortable and protects your hearing from damage. You must see an audiologist to order a pair but they will last you many years.
The Burmeister sound system for those interested is great, I haven't heard the other ones to compare but I have nothing negative to say about that. lots of bass and clear mids to highs, sounds great even with normal radio.
Now the weird stuff: when I wash the car the truck keeps popping open obviously. however when I try to open intentionally it's a hit or miss, maybe I'm not doing it right, I dunno. Also the deviated stitching on the dash seems to have little strands of hair sticking out which drives my OCD crazy. The only thing I did since I got the car was clean the upper dash with a wet microfibre cloth so I don't know how that happened, and if it's that fragile I'm getting a bit worried of how it's going to look in 3 years, any recommendations would be appreciated for that. there are also a few mini rattles on bad roads, mostly around the targa hoop area but honestly nothing too bothersome, it's only occasionally. let's hope it stays this tight for years to come. The car didn't wanna start this morning as it told me the key wasn't in the car... worked the second time: weird.
So to sum it up: I looooooove this car, best car I've ever owned and I will be keeping it for quite some time and I'm eager to take it on a few weekend getaways to explore fun roads later this summer.
Great looking car - the Exclusive Edition. Drive it in good health.
Which custom ear plugs do you use? My ears are shot also playing with loud drummers and big Marshall amps long time ago.
Great looking car - the Exclusive Edition. Drive it in good health.
Which custom ear plugs do you use? My ears are shot also playing with loud drummers and big Marshall amps long time ago.
Here you go, you can also buy different filters for them. personally I use -9db most of the time but I also have -25db for band rehearsal and loud tools etc... you need to have a mold made at an audiologist most of them I believe use this company. Should be about 250 bucks with 2 sets of filters.
Car looks great! I have the mild creaking noises in the targa bar area as well. Its not that big of a deal to me, but obviously would be better if was non existent. Enjoy it!
I was on the fence between getting a manual and a PDK...ended up with PDK and very glad I did. While I was waiting for my car a friend lent me his manual TT for a week and daily driving it became very....tedious!
07-08-2019, 12:11 PM
Targa GTS 1 month 1000km review
