ivangene

ewe, plastic turns yellow and cracks when old.....though if you are handy you can sew it back together

zroadhouse

I've been looking at 2002+ cars for that reason plus the 3.4 -> 3.6 displacement change. Based on everyone's feedback, I'm definitely leaning towards a coupe.

I'm in Colorado now for a ski vacation -- I'll hopefully get my first test drive in next week when I get back to Austin.

JDSStudios

Besides all the cab cons everybody mentioned (extra weight, handling, etc), I have one more for you:

I like to detail the car, shining, waxed and super clean, and go for an evening drive.
When I return, I slide one finger on the hood or fender, and it is already full of black dust.

It is a mix of break dust from all the other cars in the road, and regular outside dust.
Cab is just tooo dirty- go coupe.
John

Nicolaasdb

if it is for looks...CAB ALL THE WAY!!! even closed the CAB looks much better (sorry coupies) the cab looks lower and meaner. Coupes are boring for older guys who don't want attention and are afraid their bold spot shows!!!

gota911

Nicolaas makes a good point. However, just don't get a Cab with a Tip transmission!


Nicolaas, you know that I am just yanking your chain. I hope you have a great New Year!

ervtx

+1
I am in the top DE run group here, and regularly pass 997 S Coupes, (among others ).
And passing them again on the drive home with the top down is icing on the cake



- Weight.... True; I did a track day once with the cab hardtop on. Once.
- Stiffness... Yes, but not as noticeable as some people believe. I can 3-wheel around some turns, and that requires a very stiff suspension!


I was with ya 'till you said "way"

JimB

Here's how this works. You buy a coupe because it's practical. Then some so called friend talks you into going to a novice track day. Before long your daily driver has a rock hard suspension and is too low to get into the parking lot at work. Your wife threatens divorce when she has to climb over the door bars in her skirt when you take her to dinner. The obvious answer is to buy a cab and turn the coupe into a full time track car. Now life is perfect except you need a truck to pull the trailer to haul your coupe to the 20 track days you’re doing every summer. So now you have a cab, a coupe converted to a track car, a trailer and a truck. Time to look for a new house with a bigger garage. Life is good although you end up buying a smaller house because the coupe converted to a track car isn’t cutting it so you’ve upgraded to a cup car. Now life is perfect on nice days when you have your cab, on track days when you have your cup car and on really crappy days when you have you truck. Unfortunately that’s only about 150 days a year so you go out and buy a 650ci to make the whole year perfect. Of course your wife left you somewhere around the time you were shopping for the truck but what the hell. Chicks love middle aged racecar drivers in cabs. So life is perfect. Ask me how I know..

ervtx

The part you got wrong is that I replaced the coupe with the cab, and turned that into the track car. And it wasn't a 650ci, it was a 740iL, and I only kept it a few years. Other than that, you're spot on.

Oh wait! You were talking about yourself, weren't you?
OK, now you're really scaring me .

SH || NC

Awesome. I can totally see that happening to a lot of us [except for the divorce part]

gota911

Jim,

Funny avatar! I guess you didn't wait to be asked to change it out like they did with 38D because it was "naked" or was "over exposed?"

JimB

Tim,
I actually added the bar to hide the fact I sometimes drive a 997 when everyone was making fun of the "I found a great way to keep my Starbucks from spilling" thread on the 997 forum. If you haven't seen it you should check it out. It's a classic.

But, now that you mention it, it is a more family friendly cup car pic!
Jim

gota911

Yeah, I saw the "coffee spilling" thread. It is very funny. Now I understand the reason for the "black out" tape!

On one of the the Perf. & Racing Forums I read about 38D having to change his avatar, which is why I asked. He had the best avatar on RL, IMO.

JimB

Have you seen Colin's avatar on their new discussion board? Imagine the old one after some serious augmentation!

JW911

There are obviously a lot more coupe owners responding, and naturally they are suggesting a coupe. Don't let that sway you!

I live in New England. Cold winters and hot summers. I put the top down every moment it is possible. When the weather is too cold, it drives like a coupe. Yes there are a few squeaks. But not many, and a small consolation for the amazing feeling of sky overhead when the weather is nice. In the warmer months, I put the top down always unless it is just too hot and humid. Which for you may be several months per year. (which happens to be exactly the same issue I have in the winters up here). But for 8 months per year it is the best experience in the world to drive with open air all around you. And one of my favorite experiences is driving in the evening or night top down. Stars overhead, warm (not hot) air blowing. There's nothing else like it. You could do that in Austin from April through November.

I've been hooked ever since driving my 914 from MA to CA in the summer of 1986.

Get the Cabriolet!

zroadhouse

My wife apologized to me this morning for scolding me yesterday when I spent eight hours on the laptop looking at Porsches and reading the forums. I then told her that I was looking at a couple of coupes (of rennlist members) and her body language immediately communicated disappointment. This was confirmed when a few minutes later with a sigh she says, "Well, even if you don't end up buying a Porsche at least you had fun looking for one."

Mmm. You guys think this is an indicator from the almighty (woman) that I should get a cab instead? All this thinking about it will probably amount to naught once I actually get behind the wheel...