wetstuff

Cole: I also made the switch from Boxster to 997. I was happy to finally get a coupe. I felt like I was in a cave in the Box. I now have light all around me. There's a hint of a back seat. I can see out the back window. I can open the sunroof - but don't much.

I guess living in an area; when it is warm - it is almost alway humid, a convert doesn't appeal much. The other people I see with tops down don't look like they're having much fun. Maybe if I lived in SoCal. ...I also went from S to S.

mgo28

coupe owner here and for me it was pure looks...i thought the coupe had a more classic look and cleaner lines than the cab...plus i didn't like the way the cab looked with the top up....

THPorsche

Cab but I live in N. California...
depends on where you live I guess.

tmc

I've been around on this one.
I like Cabs and Coupes equally, but there are times when nothing replaces having a cab.
My compromise was a Targa and a 993 Cab. Best of all worlds and I've get to sample both the air cooled and water cooled worlds.

cole328

I guess the obvious question is how much better of a handling car is the carrera over the boxster? Iloved the boxster, but as you say, always felt crammed in that thing also, did you drive a base carrera as well as the S? What was the main reason you got the S over the base? Also, any options you recommend (Ior recommend staying away from for that matter?) I mainly want a stick with the PSE....I honestly think I would also prefer the 18's,....I have 19"s now on my 2005 M3, and not only are they expensive, I think the car drives better on the stock 18's thanks in advance for the advice Cole

Schpee007

Reviving and old thread with the follow up question. One of the things I don't like about the coupe, at least my 997.2, is the muted exhausted note. Does a cab provide a markedly better opportunity to enjoy the sweet sounds of the flat six, or do wind and tire noise overwhelm once you're above minimal speed?

SpeedyD

You will absolutely, positively be able to enjoy the exhaust note better in the cab overall.

I drive a coupe (and happily) btw, but at lower speeds the cab will give you more feeling of speed, in part because of the added exhaust note sound coming into the cabin.

At higher speeds, say on a freeway, you start to lose that benefit, however... At least that was my experience when testing some cabs.

robh75

+1

As a cab owner, this is spot on.

On some freeways, you may even want the top. Especially since you hear the other cars right around you, and this is particularly amplified when there is a divider. The windscreen also helps immensely on the freeway. In fact, a combination of windscreen up and side windows up makes it a lot better - almost turns it into a Targa.

Having said that, the freeway is probably the least enjoyable place to drive my 997, and I avoid them whenever possible.

The sound is great. even with the top up it is less insulated than a coupe so you hear it more. In fact, I have actually not felt the need to mod my exhaust, whereas I likely would have with a coupe.

beden1

The cab with PSE sounds great with the top down, whether driving around town or at freeway speeds. I particularly love the sweet tonal sound when driving under an overpass in third gear. IMO, I have the best of both worlds with a MT 997.2 GTS Cab. I have the power, handling, sweet exhaust sound...and, I do not feel it being any less taught as compared to a 997.2S coupe that I was driving for comparison sake when deciding to buy my car. I much prefer to drive the car with the top down as opposed to it being up. It's just much more fun with open air driving.

My previous car was a C6 Z06. I really liked the car but missed top down driving too much. After trying to decide on the best bang-for-the-buck convertible sports car, I was drawn to a Porsche.

My only negative is the material convertible top. It takes more effort to maintain as compared to my '11 BMW 335is hard top convertible. The front and rear rubber seals need lubrication about 2 times per year to avoid squeaks, and the material top needs hand cleaning, sealing, and vacuuming periodically. The wind deflector that comes with the 997.2 cab is also pretty much worthless if you're over 6' tall, as my seat has to be positioned too far back for the piece to fit.

Dennis C

I moved from a 996 C4S coupe to a 997 TT cabriolet, and I have to say that I love the change. The exhaust note is much more pronounced with the top down, as mentioned above. I find the cabriolet to be very manageable as a daily driver. With the top up, it's actually quieter than my 996 coupe was on the highway. Wind noise on the highway isn't bad unless you're going over 70 mph, and even then it's tolerable.

Pete, you're welcome to come up to Evergreen and drive my turbo if you'd like to try it out. The exhaust note on the turbo isn't as nice as it is on an normally aspirated car, but it will give you some idea.

Saaboteur

My previous sportscar was an 01 Honda S2000, supercharged. I drove it top down as often as possible, just because what was the point of having the convertible if not to drive top down. I owned that car for almost eight years. However, when I decided to sell it (which occurred contemporaneously with being bitten by the Porsche bug), I had had enough of top down motoring.

In Alberta, we are apparently 100% above the national average for pick up truck ownership - see this article, stat buried in the middle of it (it mostly discusses BC luxury car ownership): http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle23631985/

That meant the S2000 was almost always the smallest and lowest car around. Added to that, pick up truck ownership is, how do I say it politely, of a certain demographic of our society that is vastly different than that of sportscar ownership. I got lots of stupid comments from passers by in other vehicles, or other people just acting and driving stupid around the S2000. Of course, that's probably similar to driving around in a 911 in general too.

But at any rate, those idiots around me, combined with lots and lots of wind noise, contributed to my desire for a coupe the 'next time round'. I never looked at cabriolet 911s, only coupes. I like the lines better at any rate, true two seat convertibles look better than four seaters in my view. Now I'm much happier in my tin top, and I can still pop the sunroof when desired.

Probably 911 cabrios manage wind noise better than the S2k, that car was pretty raw. I even had custom made ear plugs to help cut down on noise, but I just got tire of it. Into the 911 coupe and haven't looked back.

porschedog

As much as I enjoy riding the Harley, I have zero interest in a convertible. Go figure.
Maybe it's because I can dress like a pirate to ride the bike.

ogun228

The question was about handling and driving experience. In that vein, unless you competitively track the car, you will be hard put to tell the difference. Someone said that Porsche "purposely made the cab 40% less stiff than the coupe". I wonder where this info comes from.

If no tracking, the difference is merely about open air driving.

SamDaMan

I'm amazed that my GTS cab (sticker $135k) has such a crappy wind deflector. As Beden1 says, it doesn't work for us tall guys, and even if it does, it's flimsy, rattles, and the mesh reduces rear visibility. I had a clear deflector in my SLK that was 10x better.

I try to drive top-down as much as I can (> 45 degrees and sunny), and need the pope-mobile look - windows up, deflector up, seat heater on - to make it work.

Come on Porsche, the car costs more than my annual salary only a few years ago, you can make a deflector to match!

ATLDiver

To me, the cab is glorious on a warm day/night really nothing like the feeling of the air rushing over you. As for looks, I personally think the cabs in wide body look best (top down) but that's personal preference.

Test drive both and go from there.