hi guys as mentioned earlier, will soon be a porsche owner again (previously had a 2003 Boxster S). I am noticing that nearly all of the posters on here drive coupes....is that because for optimal handling and driving (mine will be a daily driver), coupes are just the all around better car? I must admit, I salivate when I see a convert on the road, but am not sure what the downside is to the 'vert. I mainly drive side roads to work, and luckily, do very little highway driving. Would appreciate any insight.

 

Personal taste; I think the coupe is prettier and more classic. Also IMO is more (physically) secure, aerodynamic and stiffer/lighter. But, on a sunny day taking it easy on a coast road in a cab. is cool......

 

You probably will not regret either way you go but I went the cab route cause at night its just incredible to ride around with the top down. The sun roof hole was just not enough for me.

 

Hello all, first post for me here. Anyway, I vote for coupe. With my pale Irish skin, I won't even let my wife open the moon roof on our 335i!

 

I traded my 987 Boxter for a 997 cab. My thoughts alternated between a 997s coupe or a 997 cab as they are priced similarly. I was ready to take delivery of the S coupe and the additional torque the 3.8 engine provides. At the moment of decision I realized I would miss the true open air driving experience the cabriolet provides and took delivery of my 997 cab. Nearly 2 years of ownership and 21,000 on the odometer, I do not regret my decision.

 

I'm a cab guy, and post here regularly. I don't really care to get into the 'what looks prettier' scene. For me, it's all about the performance and enjoyment of the car, and I rarely see the back half of the car anyway.



But get what suits you (and your weather) best. For me, the temp was 70 yesterday and I had the top down. Next week it's over for a while, but we get really decent weather 9 months of the year, and I enjoy some top down drives regularly. Not a slam on coupe either, love both. Get what works for you, and test both before deciding.

 

We have a shorter season, April to October, and at either end you have to be a bit of a diehard to put the top down, but it would be a shame to miss a moment of the nice weather.

 

I have a cab and really enjoy it. Although I enjoy drive at track days the most and some tracks will not allow a cab. So my next Porsceh will be a coupe. However I have no issues driving the car on the track. It performs very well!

 

I have a Cab and have only one "issue". 360 visibility with the top up is not as good as the Coupe. You have to watch for that 3/4 blind spot much more carefully, and reverse parking into tight spaces means you look through a smaller rear window.

You will notice the difference in rigidity, but quite frankly unless you're a track junkie the trade off is more than worth it.

The "pluses" really are endless, even living in the Midwest. Sunny days with the temp around 40f can still be a delight with the windblocker up and butt warmers on. When I do this I feel like "Toad" from "Tales of the Riverbank" (Brits will know this book from childhood) and laugh all the way to wherever I'm heading.

You might argue security is an issue with the roof being slashed, but for any Porsche if the vandal wants to get it they can still break the window. Just make sure you park it in a well lit and well trafficked area.

And before someone else offers it, if you've not placed your order yet, you might take a look at the Targa which for some here is the perfect compromise between rigidity and security, and the open air feeling you can enjoy all year round.

 

As a cabriolet owner I had my share of 911 coupes for many many years. It was time for a change and I enjoy different things now with the cab that I could never enjoy with the coupe. Sure, visibility is reduced now because they have lower the sitting positions and have a bit of a hump back there and you lose that smaller c-pillar from the coupe, but there are so many positives. Of course, where you are is important. If you're in a bad climate you might not want to try it. I also have the hardtop so whenever I want in about 8 minutes I have a coupe--and the rear window in the hardtops are larger than the rear windows in the coupes!

 

car, is the loss of rigidity that noticeable under aggressive street driving conditions? or, for everyday driving, even if hard, does the cab still perform admirably?

 

I considered coupe, cab and Targa. Ultimately I chose the coupe because:

1. I feel it is by far the best looking of the three.
2. The Targa is a nice compromise, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy an $8000 moonroof.
3. Living in CT and this being a year-round car, the pluses of the coupe outweighed the minuses of the cab for me.

If I lived in a different part of the country, I would have gone with the cab though, no doubt about it. Plus in a cab, you don't need to slow down as much for the girls to jump in.

N.B - If you plan on doing DE events, I think there are some restrictions on the use of cabs. I'm not 100% sure, but if it matters to you, I'd check.

 

It's not noticeable. Go drive both at a dealership. That's why they're there. Porsche intentionally made the ride 40% less stiff in the cabs vice the coupes. They figured that coupe guys wanted it really hard.

 

If I didn't have year-round top down weather I would have opted for the coupe.

 

I have had two Cabs and one coupe. I currently own a 996 Cab. The only reason I bought it was, it was a cab. My next will be a turbo Cab. I love the cab and they handle great, it is a Porsche! My previous cab was also my track car and it perfermed great! I am going to Super charge this one over the winter b/c I need a little more juice. I like them both but prefer the option of having the top down.

Mike