I'm looking at a 97 targa with about 23K miles. I've done a search in the archives, so I know the issues with targas but I do have some questions specific to this car.

The original owner had the targa top adjusted twice already at a Porsche dealer due to noise/rattles. He says during the second time, they bored out some of the holes so they could use bigger bolts. Is this a normal recommended procedure performed to targas to gain extra sturdiness? According to the owner, he is starting to notice the top getting a little loose again. Does anyone know how much one of these adjustments cost? The owner says the two earlier adjustments were done under warranty so he doesn't know how much it would have cost.

Thanks for any feedback you guys can give

 

Hi Samster,

I bought a '96 Targa with 26K miles on it. I haven't heard about using larger bolts to reduce rattle and squeaks. But I will share some of my experience with you.

There are two major places where I noticed squeaks (wouldn't call them rattles, because the sound is most likely due to friction between parts, and not due to vibration). One is driver side window, between the edge of window and the top of the car. If I lower my window a bit, then the noise is gone.

The other place is between the two pieces of the glass, the small front one and the big glass plate. Since these two parts are both hard, it is very easy to have squeaks when there are any bending to the body.

I have heard that adding a strut bar will reduce bending somewhat, but I couldn't be sure until I add mine (in about a month or so).

It's a toss-up between putting up with some noise, and getting the open air (and the more spacious feeling in the cabin).

Good luck.

 

I never rode in a Targa, much less owned one, but a couple of acquaintances each have had trouble with rattles. One of them had his done, properly he says, at My BMW (My Porsche) in Seaside/Monterey.

If the owner says it was adjusted twice already and it still rattles, and it has holes bored, I would pass.

My sunroof still rattles in the last 2 inches of the fully open position, even though the dealer spent many hours under warranty. If they can't fix a sunroof, what chance do they have with a Targa roof?

 

I just purchased a 96 Targa with 60,000 miles and the PPI mechanic noted that its the quietest Targa he has driven, especially with the mileage. I don't notice any squeaks or rattles for the short time I have driven it.

However, Porsche did replace the left side rail piece that runs from the top of the windshield to the rear deck under warranty...something about a small rust problem due to a factory defect. I have the bills, its been fixed properly. When that happened (last spring with the PO) Porsche flew their rep from Chicago to Toronto to take a look. Have not heard about this before or since.

I would question if they had to drill some holes larger...that would imply something does not align properly. I would think real serously about that.

For that roof and wide open space I would tolerate a few squeaks (knock on wood!). Even the coupes squeak!

 

I have a 96 Targa, which I specifically test drove to check the noises. At that time the car was almost completely quiet. Only now, I realize that with very humid weather (it was very foggy when I did the test drive) the car is very quiet, as all the contact points are moist. When it is very dry, some squeaks are audible. I second the observations from "Redtarga", and have applied a little lubricant along the edges of the windows, where they contact the rubber, as I also noticed that opening the windows a little eliminated the noise. The effect of this was stunning: no squeaks with windows closed