Is the 993 Targa OK to Purchase ..good or bad
08-13-2016, 07:32 PM
#17
Burning Brakes
A technician at one of our local sPorsche dealerships suggested considering the targa top as a glass roof and never opening it. He had a targa roof completely disassembled at the time - perhaps 10 years ago. Must cost a fortune to repair them - similar to a cabriolet, the cost to rebuild them is prohibitive.
08-15-2016, 08:45 AM
#20
RL Community Team
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Sounds like one should only buy one that works perfectly and if you are not inclined to become personally involved in sorting out issues at some point during your future ownership you should avoid it.
08-15-2016, 12:57 PM
#21
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I always find these threads funny because there are a lot of opinions about the Targa from people who have never owned one or even driven one.
I had one for 9 years, both road driven and tracked, and I had no problems "keeping up" to the coupe boys. The mythical "upper weight bias" is non-existent for the vast majority of the owners. I personally have lifted the top off the car, and it's not as heavy as everyone thinks.
Think of it this way - the side and rear windows are very close to the same weight on the coupe and targa, so that is a wash. So really we are comparing the weight of the glass insert to the weight of the steel roof/motors (since the driver motors for the targa are not in the roof, but on the rear shelf). In fact, remember on each sunroof car you have the sliding roof, roof liner and motor mechanism sitting as high as you can go, and their overall weight is not that much different.
The targa extra weight is from a few factors, like the body is stiffened (it is a cab body after all), the wheels are heavy (and should be replaced if you want performance), and some weight difference due to the roof and mechanism.
I bet if the roof is retracted, the center of gravity on the Targa may be lower than the coupe since you cannot retract that steel top.
.
The downside to me is the complexity of the roof, and the chances of rust. The front seal is not as tight as you think, that there are a few very delicate sheet metal tabs in there. As a check, look at the seal on the door right where it seals against that large rubber seal going across the roof. I have noticed lately some a few Targas have a with slight red staining on that seal, that means water is getting past the seal and corrosion is on its way. Very small sample size though.
Cheers,
Mike
I had one for 9 years, both road driven and tracked, and I had no problems "keeping up" to the coupe boys. The mythical "upper weight bias" is non-existent for the vast majority of the owners. I personally have lifted the top off the car, and it's not as heavy as everyone thinks.
Think of it this way - the side and rear windows are very close to the same weight on the coupe and targa, so that is a wash. So really we are comparing the weight of the glass insert to the weight of the steel roof/motors (since the driver motors for the targa are not in the roof, but on the rear shelf). In fact, remember on each sunroof car you have the sliding roof, roof liner and motor mechanism sitting as high as you can go, and their overall weight is not that much different.
The targa extra weight is from a few factors, like the body is stiffened (it is a cab body after all), the wheels are heavy (and should be replaced if you want performance), and some weight difference due to the roof and mechanism.
I bet if the roof is retracted, the center of gravity on the Targa may be lower than the coupe since you cannot retract that steel top.
. The downside to me is the complexity of the roof, and the chances of rust. The front seal is not as tight as you think, that there are a few very delicate sheet metal tabs in there. As a check, look at the seal on the door right where it seals against that large rubber seal going across the roof. I have noticed lately some a few Targas have a with slight red staining on that seal, that means water is getting past the seal and corrosion is on its way. Very small sample size though.
Cheers,
Mike