To Cabrio or not to Cabrio

I am looking for comments from 99-02 cabriolet owners. I sure like the idea of the convertable, especially with the additional hardtop, but worry that long term ownership will temper my enthusiasm. How often do you use the hardtop? Do you ever wish you had a conventional coupe? Any other frustrations that might scare me away? Thanks for your thoughts. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

I'm on my second 911 cab and if they'd offered to GIVE me a coupe instead of sell me the cab, I'd have declined the coupe and bought the cab. My climate has never made it necessary for a hard top and therefore don't have one or any experience to share re: "how often do you use the hardtop". There is a very small difference in performance between a coupe and cab largely due to the weight diff and slightly due to rigidity. However, Porsche makes one of (if not the) best cabs when it comes to rigidity. And, I don't know if you care, but resale % should be higher on the cab. Lastly, if you play golf, cabs are a lot easier to get clubs in and out of the back seat in.

Boy, if the folks feel like answering, you're going to get a variety of opinions. I'm an 02 Cab man and wouldn't have it any other way. (I don't race). I have the h'top. I take it off after the roads are cleaned from sand and salt and after the pollen season (I live on Cape Cod) I leave the h'top off all summer and put it back on after the first snow or ice storm where salt and sand magically apper on the roads. That way the soft top is protected during the off-season. During summer soft top is up or down depending on weather. When h'top is on it's like riding in a coupe...a little more road noise when the soft top is up, but not much. I think the 02 Cab is the most versatile Pcar there is. H'top is not difficult to attach and remove after you've done it once. Really takes 2 people, tho. I suppose you could argue that with the Cab there is one more mechanism to fail, but to me it's a minor point. I also follow treatment of h'top faitfully according to manual. Good luck in your choice.

Don, Do you have problems with the hardtop and keeping the soft top in good condition whilst folded all winter. Only reason I ask is I used to have a BMW with a hardtop and it was a nightmare for creasing having been folded all winter.... BTW: Nicest looking silver Cab I have seen so far

very much depends on yr climate - i dont use the hard top at all as we dont often get cold enough weather - during may to oct the roof is always down as have indoor parking and only put the roof up when its a security issue. the back seats hever are an issue the are not as accomodating as the coupe - i occassionaly take 4 adults but only small journeys but most of the time its my 3 year old who is ok. re winter storage know bmw and mercedes locally will remove the soft top from the car for the winter and store it in the unfolded position to avoid the creases etc.. i leave my hardtop in the garage against a wall with cushioning at the points where it touches. my only gripe with the soft top is that there are a large number of moving parts and i can see it being a hell of job if one fails plus road noise is slightly increased - but compaired to all other convertibles i have driven it is the most ridgit

I have a Cab and I love it....and that's coming from someone who hates being in the sun. I also have a hardtop and to me it's like having two cars, especially because I live in a 4 season climate. As far as performance, Porsche did a nice job (not like BMW with the E46 M3 convertible) on the spec sheet, my '99 is only 2 tenths slower than the coupe, 0-60 mph. The rigidity is still solid 3 years and 12K miles later. Cab all the way!

The new cabs have the same drag coefficient as the coupes. The weight and acceleration times are negligable, unless you plan on tracking. I went from a Targa to a Cab and there is a BIG difference. There's nothing like driving w/ the top down on a nice day. Where I live I put the hard top on around the end of October and take it off in late April/early May. It feels just like a coupe w/it on and IMHO a cab w/ the hardtop on looks better then the coupe. Plus it's like you get a new car when you put it on/take it off. I can drive w/the top down comfortably in temps down to 50 F w/the floor heat on and the seat heaters on low. The new soft top mechanism is very slick, down in less than 20 seconds w/no boot. Get the Cab!!!

I wouldn't buy one of these without it being a convertible That and a manual tranny define a sportscar for me In San Antonio, I imagine that you will never use a hardtop. In Houston, it can be 60 degrees in January......top down weather ALL the time <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

I'm in Vancouver where winter is wet. I have my hardtop on from end of Oct. to end of Apr., just to preserve the softtop. I'm trading it for a '02 Targa today. My dislocated shoulder makes handling the hardtop harder & harder every year. Prior to my '01 C4 Cab. I had a SL500 with the same arrangement. But, it's fun when you have the top down in fine weather!! Dave

I've got a '99 996 Cab and I'm in NC. Used the hardtop for about 4 weeks in the first winter (January '99), and in the 3rd winter (January '01). Did not use it at all in the other winters. If I were to reorder the car today, I'd do the hardtop delete. It just takes up space on the garage wall. No loss of enthusiasm here. Hardtop gives it a bit of a different ride and look, but I love riding in the cab. It's the only way to go.

Sounds like you have gotten good feedback. The only downside to a Cab is that the rear seats lean slightly forward at the top. My kids ride in the cab sometimes and have pointed it out. That is not true of the coupe (or my TT). If I could keep only one car, it would be the Cab. I love the hard top for a few months in the winter (the little winter we get in Georgia), and would rather have the top down than the extra 120hp in the TT. Just my .02... Roy

Martyn in a word I do not have a problems such as you describe. The soft top is lined and the top mechanism folds so much better than earlier SC/Carrera/993 Cabs did. Since the soft top is down when the hardtop is placed on and locked into position is does not have any effect on the soft top...and the back end sort of "sits" on top of the open cab with mounting pins that "tie down" the hardtop. The rubber around the base of the hardtop that sits on the car is very thick, so when the top is tied down there are absolutely no rattles at all. It's like driving a coupe. In fact I really like the look of the hardtop..gives it sort of a unique look to it. Hope that answers your questions.

Now that I've switched from a Cab. to a Targa I noticed that the Targa/Coupe's extra windows on the side behind the rear seats eliminate any blind spots, compared to the cab.

Spoiled am I.... I live in a suburb of Seattle, rain, etc, and I have driven a 78 Targa since about 1983. Absolutely excellent compromise. I took delivery of an 01 C4 at the factory last May and am currently looking for a shop to convert it to a T-Top. My opinions on the 996 Cab. With the hardtop on it looks, well, "strange", one doesn't quite know where to place it at first sight. With the soft top up it is just plain ugly. With the soft top down... Well, here again I am at a loss for words, I can visualize the beauty of the SL500 with the top down but with the 996 Cab the best I can say is that my feelings are on the negative side of neutral. Oftentimes I see a Cab. with the spoiler extended or on occassion one with an aftermarket aerokit. An aerodynamic Cab? Laughable!

Gee, Millwest, tell us how your really feel about Cabs! I take it you like Coupes. Don Watson 02 Cab w/htop Rear spoiler Flared rockers Turbo front end You probably wouldn't like the car.

Don, What are all of those Leaves doing in your garage?.......

I live in New York City and have a weekend house in the Hamptons and am on my 2nd cabriolet, an '02. The first was a '99 and I wouldn't drive anything else. I put the hard top on after Thanksgiving and take it off April 1. There's nothing better than being able to put the top down on a nice day. I also think the cab with the hard top on looks more distinctive than the coupe.

Phil, my wife hasn't had a chance to clean the garage since Spring.