Couple of cabrio questions

Hey everyone, I've been a motorcyclist for the last 10 years but I had a pretty bad accident last year after a car pulled out in front of me. Since then, I haven't really felt comfortable on the bike. I've always wanted a Porsche and I'm leaning towards a cabriolet to help replace some of that feeling that comes from riding a motorcycle. I'm shopping around right now for a 2002 or 2003 996. I live in Vancouver and drive in the snowy mountains quite a bit so I'll definitely get the hardtop and keep it on for December through February. I have a couple of questions about the cabriolet though. Realistically, what is the temperature range you can comfortably drive with the top down? With the heater and seat heaters on, the windows up and the wind deflector installed, how cold can you go? And the opposite, in the summer, if I'm stuck in traffic on a 100F day, is the car still comfortable with the top down provided the AC is on full tilt?

I think the question is subjective to your tolerance for heat and cold.... I have owned a convertible in Seattle and ran with the top down when it was 20 degrees and when it was 100 with NO A/C i am a whimp for the heat, but the cold is not an issue...after all summer long I was pretty aclimated though... So to answer your Q.... do you run in the heat of the day, and do you go skinny dipping in the dead of winter.... good luck on your search, I helped out a fellow BC member pick up a car here in Seattle late last year, he has been very happy with it! - dont be afraid to expand your search

Since my mom forbids me from ever owning a motorcycle, I've been a devotee of the convertible for a while now and have done alot of thought on this very topic. Temperature wise, as long as the sun is shining, I think anything in the 50s will work for me. Once it gets in the high 90s, it's little too hot. Now, hot summer nights in the 90s, frickin' awesome! Now, this range may be extended by using a wind deflector and having the windows up. I wouldn't know because riding in a convertible with the side windows up is f'ing ridiculous and I'm too cheap to buy a wind deflector. Also, the hardtop is a nice add on, makes the car look entirely different. That said, putting it on and off is kindof a pain, and storing it is a pain.

I've dirven in the 40s in my cab and about 107 in summer topless. Neither is comfortable for me. I however will blast up the canyons in the spring where the city temps are in the 60s and at over 8500' it can be in the high 30s. Not a problem and the top down makes for awsome views of the peaks. It's all a matter of your tolerance to heat and cold. I too love the Cab, and have owned and ridden motorcycles for decades.

If you can handle a motorcycle in these extreme temps, I am sure you can handle a CAB, besides you already know you want a convertible so just get it. Are the answers to these questions going to persuade your decision towards a non CAB for some reason? If not, just get the CAB and the hardtop, I think it's a great combo and makes the car look awesome and lets you always have the choice of the top being down. Even if you only take the hard top off a few months of the year, you'll still be good. The weather were I live is horrible, Los Angeles California, so I will only have my hard top off for about 10 months of the year.

I rode a Honda CBX for years, later a couple of BMWs. The cab is more relaxing to drive (you don't have to keep thinking that cage drivers are out to get you), you feel more out in the open (you don't have to have your Spaceman Spiff outfit on all the time) and you can use it safely (and pleasantly) in a lot wider range of conditions. You'd probably like it. Biggest disappointment is that you don't lean into turns. But driving one at speed doesn't suck. Conversely, you can get more enjoyment out of a cab at slower speeds than you can a coupe. Good luck in your search.

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Doesn't suck at all! A buck and a half topless, what a hoot!

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That's exactly my reasoning for leaning towards the cab at this point. For some reason, I think driving a coupe around at slow speeds would seem like a waste, I'd always want to be getting on it and ripping around. With the cab, at slow speeds, you can just relax and take in the surroundings that you're a part of.

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It can work against you too...You see with the cabrio you get to hear the exhaust in all its glory. So that may cause you to drive a bit more spirited than you originally intended to.

I live out in Victoria and dropped the top at about 10�C - probably should have waited till it got a couple of degrees warmer! I've had it down at about 15�C and it wasn't too bad! As for the hardtop, given the temperatures out here in the winter, I think one doesn't really need it. If the temperatures were consistently way below freezing, you might want to consider the hardtop, but I don't think it's required in southern BC.

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Oh man +1!! I prefer to be comfortable so I'll put the top up or down when it's necessary and not worry about it!

a cab ( and hardtop) are well worth the investment (s). +1 on enjoying the exhaust note during a spirited drive.. any temp above 90 F during the day, you're better off with the top up unless your headed to /from the beach with a hot female in tow...having said that...the wind deflector is another good investment; better yet if you can buy a cab with both the hardtop and deflector included in the deal... good luck....

Modern Porsche Cabriolets are incredible! Coupled with the hardtop you have an all-season vehicle. There's nothing quite like having the top down and being able to smell the surrounding--things that are missed by the coupe drivers in their cocoons. (But you know that already as a biker). I have had the windscreen in place and the windows up when the snow is on the ground around me. Seat heaters and the cockpit heater work well. I think I've been down to 30�F with it like that.

Have a 03 C4 cab with a hardtop. Truth is hardtop stays in storage even in the winter. Not worth the trouble, and mine leaks a bit. Better fit with soft top. Although hardtop lets you take the car on the track for DE. I keep it for that --

03 C4 cab here too. I routinely drive mine to work with the top down as long as the temp is above 45F. Windows up and a wind deflector is like the biggest damned sunroof you've ever seen. I actually prefer a crisp morning to a hot afternoon. PS-I think the hardtop is a waste of money unless it comes with the car. I've never missed it.