Cerberus

Hi guys,

I have been tinkering with the thought of selling my M5 and purchasing a 996 turbo. I have had previously thought about a C4S, but did not find the performance differential between the M5 and 996 sufficient to make the move. This is the reason I started looking at twin turbos.

However, I have another option which is to keep my M5 and purchase a used 996 cabriolet for my sports car desires. I really like the idea of being able to lower the top and have a little open air fun on my commute.

My primary concern is if the cabrio loses a lot of rigidity and handling prowess compared to its coupe counterpart? Or are they similar with the nod going to the coupe? I am willing to give up a little in handling to gain the ability to put the top down.

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Rob in WA

Cab is virtually as stiff, has the same drag coefficient and weighs 174 lbs more then the coupe.
Unless your tracking the difference is negligible. On paper the 996's performance in comparison with the M5 may not look sufficient, but the brakes and handling are light years beyond it. Unless you really need that back seat...

carrerajack

Ditto the previous post-
My experience in the coupe is only on test drives, but for around-the-town driving there is virtually no difference. This is certainly backed up by the specs.

One thing to note, the 02 model year does have stiffness improvements for both coupes and cabs. All my experience has been on 02 cars. I can't comment on 99-01 coupe v. cab.

RWO

I had an 00 Cab and now have an 02. The 02's are 25% stiffer, you can notice the difference but not a huge one. I don't think you will notice the difference unless you track the car.

Good luck.
Roy