hjles

The search for my first Porsche continues, I made a semi-serious offer on a 2009 cabrio 4S but I didn't get it...it was just out of my price range and the dealer didn't see the wisdom in giving it to me for cheap.

Anyway, I went to my local dealer to test drive some cars, drove a new Boxster which just confirmed that I really want a 911, also drove a 2010 911 turbo...that car was sweet but out of my price range.

So no big rush, the weather around here (Buffalo, NY) does really get better for a month or two, but I've run across a couple more cars that are in my price range...I guess I can spend up to about 63k on the car, and for marital harmony reasons I can 'hide' additional costs like shipping and an extended warranty if the car isn't CPO. Let me just say that I can afford pretty much anything, I am 'financially secure' so to speak, but the wife isn't exactly on board and I'm trying to keep her happy by setting a limit in the low 60's.

The first car:

http://www.midway-auto-center.com/in...-Targa-4S&id=4

The second car:

http://www.deltaporsche.com/certifie...9704117308.htm

I have actual pictures of the second car from the dealer, it is silver with black leather, very nice, but the mileage is higher for sure.

I guess I'm looking for opinions on the targa vs the cabrio...I have it in my head that I might get more use out of the targa around here, the weather being what it is...either way, the car will be taken off the road when the salt starts flying.

So which is it, targa or cabrio? Help.

destro

If you watch Youtube car videos, you should know who Chris Harris is...
His take on the Targa 4S...
starting at about 8:30min

If you're going to DD it... Targa will probably feel more like a complete car for the 12 months of the year.

TommyV44

Cabrio every day of the week!! Sundays too!

Tom

ATLDiver

The Cabrio is just plain fun.....let's face it, you can't go screaming down every road or do track events every weekend. The Cabrio is something *special* in that you can have so much fun going down the road at, (gasp,) the legal posted limit and still have a smile on your face. Nice day? Drop the top and take your SO for a little ride.

911Steve

I 2nd that

Frugger

I was facing the exact same decision - Targa vs Cab. When I lived full time in LA a Cab made a lot of sense as the weather is pretty even all year round (sunny and warm with no humidity -at least on the westside). When I moved back to the east coast I had forgotten (growing up in Chicago) just how awful the summers are. I'm in Virginia 3 weeks out of the month and the summer absolutely sucks. 80% humidity, 95F outside - I might as well be on the surface of the sun. It's just miserable. So I realized that by getting a Cab and being on the east coast my enjoyment would really be limited to the time between spring/summer and fall/winter. To me a Targa fit the bill better in that ever with a hot humid summer I could keep the glass closed, shade open and get the natural light that the Targa affords and then retract the roof for open air motoring when it wasn't so unbearable outside.

Volnomad

I like cabs too, but I think Frugger makes a good point. The Targa is almost like having a cab and a coupe!

norion00

I was in the same situation and Targa won, mostly because I live in the NW and want to have it as a DD. I think it really comes down to where you live and having the p-car as your primary or secondary. My wife loves it when we had the CLK55 cab as a cruiser but she has no interest of driving the p-car, cab or Targa. It's a sports car afterall and I do get the most of it, with the wife sharing the joy. She also loves the extra light coming through without opening the top.

Cabs definitely out number Targas out there, so I think you might have a better chance finding a 2009 cab S under $60k than a Targa.

Comanche_699

Uncanny.

For the past 2 days I've been hemming & hawing about starting a similar thread, (cab vs. targa) but haven't had time to really gather my thoughts about it.

Tonight I say, "just start typin!" and I open the forum and the top most thread is this one.

I own a 997.1 C2S cab. I love it. My quest for the perfect p car started with my *** in the driver's seat of a Targa 4s, racing along the back roads of west Marin almost 2 years ago. (I was shopping targas because my gf was forever wanting the top up. Too hot. Too cold. Too windy. Too loud. Etc etc etc) - the targa struck the best compromise. You still have all the light in the cabin like a cab, but minus all the noise and wind etc. and also, when you put the top up in a cab, there's no sun roof. No light gets in. The side windows in the back, as well as the rear window are substantially smaller, so visibility is notably decreased.

At the time, I didn't appreciate how rare the Targa was, and when the dealer and I couldn't get together on the price, I let it get away.

Something I've regretted again and again since. Over the past 2 years I've searched and searched and never found a T4S that struck me like that one that got away.

Until 2 days ago.

The exact same Targa recently came back on the market and now the quandary, I've come to love the C2S. I do like the Targa every bit as much as I did a couple years ago, but there are differences for sure- the handling specifically. The T4S is so well planted, it's almost (forgive me) boring unless you're really pushing in the hills, where the C2S, although well planted is a bit more lively, or "free spirited" is a better way to put it.

I've heard many horror stories about repairs on the 997.1 and 993 targa tops- not so much on 997.2, but I've seen them sit in the shop for weeks at a time, which would really bum me out.

I love the top down.

With the windows up and windscreen in place, it's almost like a targa.

Targa wins in the rain. Targa wins in freezing weather day or night. Targa wins in the city when you're going to the opera. Targa wins in the driving snow. Simply for the bright fishbowl of a cockpit. And don't forget the bonus hatchback.

But, I drive at least a couple thousand miles a month in my cab, all pleasure, & 90% top down- and I gotta say, today I did about 200 miles, felt like 130 of them over 4,000 RPMs, with the top down the whole way, and I can't say I would have preferred the targa.



East coast? 100% targa, for sure. No brainer. It rains like hell back there. I would love to be in a thunder and lightning storm in a targa. Wow.

West coast? Well, that's where the cab begins to make more sense. We don't get a lot of rain, and California is where you expect to see convertible Porsches winding along the coast, and carving the canyons.

I'm still on the fence, should I sell my cab and buy the targa? It's a very tough choice. One that keeps me up at night.

Strangely as much as my GF loved that targa, she's really come to love the cab too, so for me it's easy to just keep what I've got, and not add undue revenue to the state coffers, or spend the next few months doing all the "little" things to make a new - used car mine again.

My best advice, I would say for you, is to drive one of each. For an hour at least, and then get the Targa. It's classy, it's all season, it's stable, it's got the hatchback, it hauls ***, and it will feel like a bright and airy convertible even in the worst weather. Win/Win

I will have a Targa 4s one day, I just can't say if that day will be this week.

ESEL

I have a question for those that own or have driven a Targa for a good length of time... does the Targa create turbulence in the cabin?

When I had my '86 Targa, I found that when I was driving at about 50+ MPH there was quite a bit of noise from the air turbulence coming into the car and which did not have an exit path out the back of the car. I know the design of the Targa opening car has changed quite a bit over the years so am wondering if is "quieter" as I like the Targa as well.

Is that still true?

dsapp

My vote: C4S cabriolet with hardtop and winter wheel set. That's what I did here on the east coast.

hjles

@destro: Great video, I hadn't seen that one...my Mercedes dealer has an 09 SL63 AMG on the lot, price within my range...I might have to test drive it....

@dsapp: I hadn't considered a hard top for the cabriolet. Is that something that can be purchased after-market? That would be probably be really cool around here.

destro

Here in Toronto, its open top weather... 5 or 6 months a year... most of the convertibles I see are metal folding... Buffalo would be very similar... so if you get a Cab... hardtop would be a must... but its going to be about $5k according to this thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-turb...-2-tt-cab.html

So question you need to ask yourself... are you going to DD it?
If so is cab worth it for 5 months?

And I do love my sun roof... but really only use it during summer evenings... like Frugger said... unless you like sun burns forget it.

Blu311

I vote for the Targa for many of the reasons mentioned above and being that you live in the northeast.

Once you cross the line into the $60's, you should be able to find some lower mileage examples. (Though not many Targas to choose from at the moment).

Like one of these Cabs (no affiliation):
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=11&Log=0

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=3&Log=0

dsapp

Hard tops are frequently listed for sale at PCA.org and here at Rennlist. They weight about 75 pounds and I admit aren't easy to ship or transport. But if you can find one near your home, they are usually not that expensive second-hand and you can get it painted to match your car. It's not an unrealistic option.