coupe vs cab

i am looking to by a 996 next weekend.there are a few choices:c4s cab c2 coupes and c4 cab do the coupes hold value over the cabs.i have owned several european cars over the years but never a porsche thanks brett

More prefer coupes which translates to holding "value" better vs cabs. Personally, I bought what I really wanted ( i.e. a cab, tiptronic) with ZERO concern for resale value later

If you plan on serious tracking then a coupe is better, you can also have car seats easilly in a coupe. Otherwise cab is much better and adds something a coupe doesn't have. The overcomplicated cab system might break on you and cost some money, but that's the way of porsche ownership.

I never intended on buying a Cab. My C4S cab kinda fell into my lap and I do love her. Some year the top will tear or break and it will be expensive. For the most part my top is down and I put it up once a month for a few days just to get the creases out. Thankfully in SE Texas I have a lot of top down weather. Personally, I think the 996 turbo and C4S with the widebody looks very nice. With that said, it's not my checkbook and there is a reason Porsche has so many different combinations. When the day comes we will all welcome you to the P car community. I have had various Mercs and BMWs but the 996 is the biggest blast to drive. As to resale I think the prices are already where they are going to be buy what makes you happy and drive it until the wheels fall off.

The C4S cab is an especially good looking car. Love it.

Recent CAB purchaser here,, Mine came with the matching factory hard top. I like the dual mission, mine isn't a track car,, wife drives it to work a couple times a week and its our "Sunday Go to Meeting" car.. LOL It may just be me,, but it seems like the cab hardtop has more headroom. Cheers

Buy what you like and don't worry about resale value or what others think. A coupe will give you more track options as some tracks require them. I don't track my car and I love my cab. I can tell you that with the top down, 40 mph feels like 70 mph, so it might save you a few speeding tickets.

FWIW ,, most of the Porsche and Alpha clubs allow convertibles as long as they have the pop-up bars, Short course autocross is usually ok with them as well,, not so much for Track Solo. I'm ok with that,, I do NOT want to wreck a non-caged car over a hundred.. "Bad ThIng"(TM)

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When I drive through my neighborhood in my Hyundai I see 40mph in the 996 I see 29mph. Then I hit the expressway and it is 80 vs 107. She was born to walk the little roads and run like he11 on the big roads. It is amazing what a 1/4" travel in pedal pressure causes.

I went with c4s coupe because I wanted a year round car for NJ/NY area. My opinion is to buy what you like, drive the crap out of it, and dont worry about resale value. After driving a 996 you wont be thinking about selling it, just how to drive over 120 without getting a ticket, lol. Good luck

Very few cars I like in cab form but the 911 is one of them. Coupes tend to hold their value better. Buy what you want, just make sure it gets a PPI.

C4S coupe here and love it. Drive the different styles. See/feel the differences. Buy the one that calls your name.

I always thought I was a coupe guy, until I drove a cabriolet. I loved my 996 coupe, but once I drove a 997 cabriolet, I was sold. I can't imagine only owning a 911 coupe now. There's something special about a cabriolet, and the heightened sensory experience that it offers. The tops on modern Porsche cabriolets, including the 996, are so good that there's little compromise for a car that's primarily driven on the street.

I was looking for a ‘99 C2 coupe - love the clean lines of the early narrow body 996 cars. I was never really into convertibles. Found a nice ‘99 cab and bought it - it has a hardtop and I figured that I would leave the hardtop on most of the time. Was I ever wrong - discovered that I really enjoy driving with the top down - these are great convertibles and have very little wind below about 60 mph. Drawbacks - they probably don’t hold their value as well as a coupe. The soft top can squeak and rattle, but Gummi Pflege is your friend to quiet it down. Also the hardtop takes up space in your garage, and can also squeak and rattle. Same deal - Gummi Pflege will help the hardtop too. Rear seat is smaller than the coupe, but my wife has ridden back there for a short drive and survived. Benefits - fun to drive with the top down. With the hardtop installed the car is very quiet, and may actually have more headroom. The hardtop is finished very nicely and even has coat hooks. With the soft top up, the car really looks good - way better than the awkward look of the air cooled convertibles. My wife enjoys driving it with the top down and probably would not like to drive a coupe as much. Would I do a cabrio again? Yes, absolutely. But I would also consider a coupe in the future too. Good luck with your decision! Daryll

This is a blonde/brunette/redhead discussion. Choose what makes your heart go pitter patter. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Never liked the cab. I think it ruins the lines of the car. That said, I love my PRHT Miata, and would never want to be without a convertible.

I like the cab option, which is what I have. I recently purchased a hardtop to go with it, so it really does feel like a coupe. Up north they drive with the hardtop on during the winter, down here in Texas, we use it in the hot summer, go figure. I agree with others, generally a coupe could be a track car, whereas a cab is more like a cruiser. I�m not sure where I stand on Turbo Cabs or newer GTS Cabs, that�s another discussion. Porsche is so timeless. When my 996 has the top down, it looks brand new. People are shocked when I tell them it�s a 2000. Mine is also a pleasure car, so not a daily commuter. If I drove daily, I think I�d rather have a coupe. Happy motoring.

The Cab certainly can be more fun in some cases. But around here there seems to be 3 kinds of driving: freeways, roads/boulevards with traffic and lights, and open roads. I decided I would not want to drive with the top down on freeways or while sitting at endless traffic lights with lots of other cards around. Mine is daily driver so a Coupe it is. Depends on how you plan to use the car, weekend car for the open roads a Cab might be more fulfilling.

I mentioned it previously but if you want car seats the cab makes that really hard. No problem in the coupe. Could be a deal breaker..

Had to own a convertible once in our lives and 996 cab was a great choice. Husband's DD with 44-mile round-trip in mild weather but heavy traffic Southern California. Wife's weekend fun car to take daughter to ballet. Noise levels and ride are very acceptable, and driving gives a feeling of elation top up or down. Carries two adults and one child, and enough storage in frunk and back seat for groceries and other packages. Hardtop is gorgeous although our creaks and rattles (understand that can be addressed).

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what color is that?

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Orient Red (burgundy that changes from direct sun to shade). Was looking for Zanzibar Red (orange) cab with Tip, but might never have been able to find one.

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love it!

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Brett, it doesn't take long to look at auction data to recognize that coupes with manual transmission sell for more money than the cabriolets. But if you're buying a 996 for it's resell value, then you're buying it for the wrong reason, IMHO.

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I've had both, and overall, I feel the opposite - the proportions seem better in the 996 cab, especially with the top down. From the side view in particular, the car seems lower and the long front overhang is de-emphasized. Specifically from the rear quarter and rear view, though, I'd say it's a tie. The cab and coupe both look dead sexy to me from those angles.

I bought a coupe two months ago and its great, but I regret not getting a vert after all. So i have been eyeing a replacement (almost got a turbo vert, but we are 3k off on trade)

Cab, but Im biased...

New to the forum, been lurking some. Got my 996.2 2002 cab arctic silver full leather black about a week ago. I feel like I�m driving a classic 356 even though it seems as tho it�s 2 years old, these cars age well with reasonable care through the years it would seem! I cant stop driving it. I think I�m gonna buy a cheap coupe for the track.

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post some pictures when you can, welcome to the club

It goes like this, buy a cab, you’ll eventually want a coupe buy a coupe, you’ll eventually want a cab for me, (eventually) I’ll own both...

I have a different slant on it,, Been in to road racing for about 20 years,, I'd flat never buy a P-car for the track,, too much buck for the bang.. For about what the base car costs, I can buy a real space frame car, that's faster, and costs way less to run.. and if I mash it up its a couple hundred bucks worth of fiberglass panels and poof,, back on the track. If you like extreme handling there are many openwheel cars that cost less as well and nothing feels as fast..

thanks everyone,i am looking at either a carrer4 cab or a c4s cab c4 is cheaper brett

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I was just thinking this the other day. The reality is they are both sharp looking. I would say the only really downside would be if you wanted to do serious track stuff the coupe is better. From a performance stand point I believe they are pretty damn close to the same stats which is impressive.

well i bit the bullet and bought a 2000 c4 tip, cab today,116000klm,paid 18 canadian.it has a couple of little scrapes nothing difficult to fix. near new continental tires.one rim has rash the other 3 are good.has a hard top and comes with some service records. rms was done not sure of ims.going to crawl under tommorow and have a look.maybe its early enough to be a double roller. its not a show car but i'm kinda glad anyway.its my first porsche did not buy as an investment,bought it to drive and boy do i love driving it. shivers down my spine euphoric kinda feeling. thanks to all for there opinions brett

In-tox-icating as a road car..

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Nice, Any pictures?

Own a C2 cab for 9 years now with a 1x week I95 commute and 2 snowbird Virginia to Florida and return. Cab is very noisy at speed, I wear noise cancelling headphones on my long distance drives. A hardtop makes a noticeable difference but can be a storage issue. In Virginia May-Oct and in Florida, except hot summer days, the cab wins hands down. A Targa may be in my future.

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Congrats, post some pics.

cant seem to attach pics as per instructions will try later brett

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had four pics only one seemed to want to attach basic silver c4 cab

looks nice man

IMHO, the rear side windows are quintessential "911" and critical to the lines of the model. For this reason, I prefer the coupe. That said, the cab is still an attractive car.

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Thanks i found lnengineering decal under engine cover the other day Makes me feel the car will be more reliable does anyone know what the number on the ims retrofit tag means thanks brett

There is a lookup function on the LN web page.. If your lucky,, youll get a confirmation on who/when etc it was done.. Unless the shop didn't follow the rules..

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Thank you! Glad to be here! I�ll post one or two that I shot Bought the other half, a 2014 Mini Cooper S Highgate Edition the same day. Never bought two cars in one day! That was cool. First 911�I already want another one to complement this one. Drives great stock, amazing dynamics, but I now see after a month or so of ownership, why people want to upgrade their 911s! the day I got it... i think this is the best angle, I don�t mind the headlights...