Devildog2067

The quote I got today was for a primed, ready-to-paint Zeintop at $2500 delivered to the US (to the port, to-your-door is more apparently).

Even as a broke grad student, that price seems almost too good to pass up. I have nowhere to store it and I live 60% of the time in Europe so it seems really stupid to buy one, but... Anyways, thought I'd share in case anyone else is interested.

Marc Gelefsky

Am I the only one who thinks it's fugly?

Sputter

If i wanted a hardtop i'd buy a Cayman

Dave H.

so are these permanently installed or are they removable?

Devildog2067

Yes

What if you want both? Or better yet, what if you prefer the 986 but want a hardtop?

They are removable.

Carreralicious

They are not really easy to remove/reinstall. Installation requires that you remove the car's clamshell and rear trunklid in order to get the top on. So, you'll have to find a place to store your trunklid and convertible clamshell piece too. To me, that's a deal breaker.

Plus, the top is made of fiberglass, as opposed to the OEM hardtop's aluminum structure. Someone who recently purchased this top mentioned on another Porsche board that it took 2 months to ship the top, that he had to pay several hundred more for a customs broker to get it inspected, warehoused, and pay the import taxes, and that it did not come with the glass installed. I would personally much rather spend the money on an OEM hardtop which is truly easy to remove/reinstall, than a Zeintop.

Edgy01

While I like the lines of that top, it seems like too big a burden to change them over. My hardtop (Carrera) is a 8 minute job on or off.

aron in toronto

Nope.

Charlie C

...and what's the point. Since it's such a pain to put on and off, all it is is a Cayman look-alike.

Why not come up with a top that makes it look like the Batmobile?

Devildog2067

The point is that some of us like the way they look.

When it comes down to it, you have to admit, we all drive ridiculous cars. Say what you like about the practicality of the Boxster having 2 trunks or whatever--there are cars out there for half the price that deliver 90% of the performance and seat 4 adults and all their luggage. We drive Porsches because they make us happy, not out of any practical consideration.

Having this hardtop instead of the (fugly, in my opinion) Porsche hardtop in the winter would make me happy. I don't have the $3k to buy one, but when I do I probably will.

Charlie C

OK, I get your point. I just couldn't think of buying one knowing how much work there is to put it on and off. What if you don't get it back together properly? My wife used to have an '88 SL500 and it had a hardtop that was quite difficult to put on and it did not require removal of the trunk or any other part. So maybe that is influencing my opinion.

Do I think it looks nice, YES! It's the hassle of installing that turns me off.

Dai

I have this top myself and I can tell you that I like this top over the OEM and I only use the Ztop in the winter. I'm not trying to pass my box as a cayman and most cayman owner knows that my car is not a cayman. I put the box badge on this top. This is my main vehicle year round and it is nice top to have when the outside temperature is -35C. The initial installation is a pain in the azz because you have to fiddle with the spacing in order to custom fit it to your car. This spring I took the top off and it took me total of 45 mins. to take the top off and installing the clam and trunk. The clam and trunk are so easy to put on that I was surprised. By Nov. I will be putting this top on for another winter duty so I will find out the exact time for the Ztop installation. This top is not for everyone and I would not recommend this top for people who like to put the top on and off too many times. If you ask me would I rather take a cayman, the answer is yes of course but then I wouldn't be driving the cayman in the winter and then I would have to buy another car which gives me way too many cars. :-)

smshirk

How much does an OEM top cost. Mine came with the car, so I've never priced them. I wouldn't think it would be any more than this one. Does it look that much better? I haven't seen one

Carreralicious

I think new, the OEM hardtop is like $3k, but I've seen them as low as $1000 used.

Here's a thread from another board about someone's experience with a Zeintop, and pics. It basically makes your Boxster look like a Cayman, but you have to remove the rear trunklid and convertible clamshell piece in order to fit the Zeintop... Something you don't have to do with the OEM hardtop.

http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/s...ue#Post1500708

Dai

When I bought my box, I needed a hardtop quickly and there is no one willing to ship their OEM hardtop to me. It would cost me $4K Cdn to order one from Porsche dealer. I went with Zeintop and pretty happy with the top once I finally fit the damn thing. You can't beat with the convenient of an OEM hardtop though. If I could have found one at the time, I would definitely have bought the OEM hardtop.