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I’m thinking of getting rid of my 99 m3 convertible to get into a 996 turbo. The m3 is going to be tough to let go as it has 28k miles on it and is about as clean as a 20 yr old car can be!
My daily is a 2013 Stage 2 s4 so I have a hardtop already but has anyone driven both and can compare the differences from the coupe to the cab?
Will I lose that much performance and stiffness by going to the cab?
Do the tops become problematic over time? High repair costs?
I;m a Coupe guy, Never fancy the open top. The coupe is lighter, tighter, quieter. Given a choice I would even vote out the sunroof altogether.
Agree on all counts. I wish my car had the factory 'sunroof delete' option. I'm simply not a ragtop man.
OP, it's your choice of course, there are plenty of very happy 996 Turbo Cab guys here and on Six Speed. It's about personal preference (beyond the factual lighter, tighter, quieter).
I;m a Coupe guy, Never fancy the open top. The coupe is lighter, tighter, quieter. Given a choice I would even vote out the sunroof altogether.
I completely agree...
But that said, other than the front latch switch sometimes going bad on the earliest cars, I think the cabrio tops are pretty robust without lots of expensive failure points, and the Turbo cabs are decently stiff. If you prefer an open top, go for it. You can likely get more car for your money (especially if you get a cabriolet tiptronic!) as well as six-speed coupes seem to have the highest demand.
I'm a cab lover. For me, it's all about options. Top goes up & down even if you're moving (up to 30MPH) so you have the option. Have a long winter? The 996 hardtop is cheap and plentiful and gives you yet another option. Esthetically, the 996 is the first 911 that doesn't have a top that turns ugly when down.
996tt cab is a reallyyy nice summer/good weather car, not as rigid as coupe but still way better than an e36-completely acceptable IMHO... coupe will naturally be cheaper to maintain
keep the roof down and enjoy
Before driving a convertible, I had the opinion that convertibles were sacrilegious for a performance car.. My brother got an e93 m3 with the hardtop convertible and I laughed at him at first. Then when I went for a drive in it, my opinion fully changed. I think this is as close to riding a motorcycle that you can get!
That being said, i drove a bunch of hard tops and then the convertible e36 and it’s a definite tradeoff in stiffness and very noticeable. It’s a huge difference but it is a fair trade for the wind flowing and fresh air. On an e36 that to me is okay but when stepping up to
the big dogs like a 911tt... I’m hoping the difference isn’t as noticeable.
I have a 996 turbo cab. it also has the factory removable hard top, best of both worlds. Oholins coil over kit plus my kline exhaust and headers make it amazing. when the top is down and the sun is out its an unforgettable ride. smile all the way home. if the weather is a bit chilly, 2 bolts and a latch gets the hard top on! I'm completely in love with it!
I have done several performance up grades to my 05 996tt. The factory has already braced almost anything you can think of. These cars where designed to be convertibles not a after thought modification. that being said NOTHING can beat dropping the top on summer evening and blast down some back roads.
01-16-2019, 12:57 AM
cab or coupe? Pros cons?
