coupe or cab?

I am thinking that I want out of the 914 world and am looking at jumping straight into a 996! So let the debate begin; rag top or sunroof coupe? I would want to do some DE and track days as well as some Autocrosses. Also, and I apologize in advance, do you think that 199-2003 996 has bottomed out pricewise or still has aways to fall yet? Thanks, Dino

They will still fall a bit more For track, get a coupe. The rag top mechanism is heavy! AFJ

Thanks for the reply. I am still alittle bit on the fence. I dont think this would ever be a club racer or even a contender out side of my own region for Autocross. The top and mech is heavy but I do like driving with the top down...

I'd stick with the coupe for DEs as cabs are not allowed at times.

good point. I think if the have active roll over they are allowed here in the PNW, but that could change at anytime...

I'm pretty sure that cabs are ok at DEs as long as you either have a hard top or a roll bar. I'm planning to get a 2002 cab and find a hardtop for it to extend my driving season (Minnesota) and allow DEs. For me it's not much of a decision. I'll drive with the top down every day from May through September. I'll get to do three weekends a year at the track, if I'm lucky. If your track/daily driving ratio is similar you might lean toward a cab.

I looked at both, drove both. The downside to the cab is weight and I definitely felt it. If you are really an open air guy, get a cab and work around the rules. I was indifferent, so I went with a coupe. It's a shame they aren't the same feel-wise because a nice cab is gorgeous! The cab we were looking at sure looked nicer. And the multi-layer tops were quiet and tight. Btw, nice wheels make a world of difference on a cab. More so that on a coupe imho. 914 to 996? What a jump! You will miss the go kart feel, but love the power (and the brakes, shifting, heat, a/c, etc.)

Not to mention availible parts!! I have been waiting for seals for over a YEAR!

One consideration: if you have a sunroof, there are many more days (cold or light showers) when you might have the sunroof partially open -- but you wouldn't open the Cab. Another: if I could only park the car outside or if I were concerned about my neighborhood -- I'd get a hardtop. Assuming those are not issues, IMHO, it comes down to the kind of driving you like to do. In the PNW, we have such nice, temperate weather and great scenery, a Cab is very nice. (Although heading down I 5 with trucks and noise will convince you to get ear plugs or drive with the top up). I recently had a '67 Fiat Dino that my wife enjoyed very much, top down, on nice evenings. It didn't hurt that the Ferrari engine sang a beautiful song. Yet, this reinforced a Cab. When deciding to buy a 996, I decided that while I would enjoy autocrossing, I wasn't buying the car just for autocrossing. (If I wanted to do that I'd get a Lotus Elise, Caterham or aggressively modified 914.) The impact of the weight difference is dramatically less than my driving. I'm probably the slowest component in the car. Going to a couple of good driving schools would compensate for any weight issue. I found a nice, '03 996 Cab with low mileage and a reasonable price. Have not regretted it. I've been surprised at how quiet the car is with the top down. Have not yet used the diffuser panel -- the wind just doesn't seem that strong. The Fiat Dino would batter us at 70mph and above. The 996 has been quiet up through 90mph. I do expect that the Cab will be more expensive to own. At some point I may have to replace the top or work on the top mechanism. I decided it was worth it. Similarly, when I got a radar detector, I got an Escort SRX "built in" detector. With nothing visible, there's less temptation for someone to cut the top to get inside. But it cost more than a Passport 8500 or V1 that I might have considered with a hardtop. I think that the manual shift Cab's sell well. So, I'm not concerned about selling it later. I personally preferred the C2 to keep the rest of the car as simple as possible....trying (possibly vainly) to keep maintenance costs as low as possible. You probably won't go wrong with any model. Within the 996's (and assuming reasonable mileage), I would just get the newest year I could for the money I had to spend. Good luck. Sometimes the hunt is the best part.

"One consideration: if you have a sunroof, there are many more days (cold or light showers) when you might have the sunroof partially open -- but you wouldn't open the Cab. " Another consideration: There are probably many, many days nice enough to want to completely cut the remaining part of the sunroof off the car. They ain't a convertible. Personally I wouldn't base my purchase on what kind of roof can I open in lousy weather. Then again..... I've owned 6 ragtops since 1987. All Corvettes but all ragtops. When it's crummy out, I hop in the truck.

Every time I go to Willow Springs (a very fast track) I see stock 996 Cabs. They simply have their roofs up. I'm pretty sure the cars have an active roll-over hoop system that most tracks accept.