New to me 992 Targa 4S! - Page 3 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Last week I took delivery of a 2.5 year old Targa 4S from Porsche Silverstone. I'd been looking for a while at both used Cabriolets and Targa's. I'd spent ages reading online and watching youtube videos about the Targa. I reallylike the looks but everyone mentioned the buffeting at speed. I had to drive one to make up my own mind. Porsche Silverstone showed me both a cab and a targa - both lovely cars - and a test drive in the targa did the trick! Having the windows down by about 1" pretty much stopped any buffeting and it was actually a really relaxed place to be with the roof down. The test drive and deal were done on saturday, and I collected on tuesday! In that time the car was fully prepared and it looked like a brand new car. They even managed to get my number plate on it in that time. The car is lightly specced with Sports Chrono, Adapative Cruise Control, Bose, and a few other bits and pieces. Pretty much my perfect spec. In terms of colour I would never had picked the Guards Red / Satin Wheels / Tinted Glass combo but in person it looks absolutely stunning. It's also one owner from new with a little over 4,000 miles on it and almost 30 months warranty remaining! If anyone is on the fence about buying a Targa then get yourself a test drive in one. Bloody brilliant things!

looks great - I love guards red and the color works with black rims (one of the few imo). Targa is the best looking 911 imo. I think the tinted glass works well on the Targa because you have the big pillar. I just find the tints do not look good if you have a tinted and clear glass next to each other as then the contrast is too pronounced. just in time for summer, enjoy!

Love that, and would so want one. Never mind the Porsche Police saying it is too heavy, wobbly, whatever... Ace combo

Love a targa. Congratulations.

I’ve had mine (gts 4 targa) for a year - amazing beast! Congratulations - it’s a head turner!!

PushedDover said: Love that, and would so want one. Never mind the Porsche Police saying it is too heavy, wobbly, whatever... Ace combo Exactly - I was nearly put off by comments like that. Until you actually drive one you just don't know. For context, I had a 992 Carrera S until last year and to be honest the Targa 4S drives better in my opinion!

It looks great... I've not seen one with the tinted rear glass before - it really suits it. Enjoy!

Fabulous car, When i bought one of the last of the MY23 Cayman GT4’s it was that or a 911 Targa S/GTS used. Went for the GT4 purely as it was ceasing production but will definitely get a targa to go with it soon. Enjoy it.

Snap!! There is a little spoiler above the windscreen that once deployed reduces the buffeting to virtually none. Enjooy your car.

Malcolm E Boo said: Snap!! There is a little spoiler above the windscreen that once deployed reduces the buffeting to virtually none. Enjooy your car. Haha brilliant!! Looks lovely with that interior and wheels!!

That’s a stunning looking car. Interesting to hear that buffeting isn’t anywhere near as bad as one reads. Love it in Guards

Keen to hear more on 992 Targa ownership. What sort of speeds are ok with the roof down? Motorway speeds ok? Anything spec wise that you wouldn't be without on a 992?

Nice car Cerveza ! I have an almost identical car in Shark Blue, same year/spec. Just wanted to make sure everyone picked up on the critical advice from Malcolm around how to avoid the much talked about buffeting. You can barely see it in his picture but if you look close enough you can see the diffuser deployed, it can be a bit of a pest to get working the first time (see rennlist for advice). That is what kills the buffeting at pretty much every speed and you won't need to worry about adjusting the windows. I think most of the buffeting reports are from people who didn't know how to deploy it. There is plenty of wind noise though, very similar in that regard to the 992 Cab which I've driven extensively. To be fair it's no worse than the E93 M3 Cab I owned before, it's just the nature of open top driving. In the right conditions the noise adds an extra level of engagement as you get to hear the engine better, for long motorway drives it might get grating (but you can always put up the roof).

Mr Squarekins said: Anything spec wise that you wouldn't be without on a 992? For me it was the PSE (porsche sports exhaust), these aren't loud cars in general and after driving a base cab around for a week without it its something I knew I would really want. That being said there are plenty of probably better aftermarket options, I still have a lot of warranty left though so didn't want to risk anything there. The performance of the base isn't far behind the S, widely reported they understate the performance of the base model to keep some distance from the S but it real terms they aren't dramatically different in feel (to me at least). My experience might be skewed by the extra window lard attached to the Targa S vs the Base Cab.

[Image-only or quote-only post; no author-written text.] https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/569950/202505057106388?resize=720

Augustash, that needs a NSFW tag

Augustash said: That's bloody lovely!!

g35x said: Nice car Cerveza ! I have an almost identical car in Shark Blue, same year/spec. Thanks! Gotta see a picture!

g35x said: Nice car Cerveza ! I have an almost identical car in Shark Blue, same year/spec. Just wanted to make sure everyone picked up on the critical advice from Malcolm around how to avoid the much talked about buffeting. You can barely see it in his picture but if you look close enough you can see the diffuser deployed, it can be a bit of a pest to get working the first time (see rennlist for advice). That is what kills the buffeting at pretty much every speed and you won't need to worry about adjusting the windows. I think most of the buffeting reports are from people who didn't know how to deploy it. There is plenty of wind noise though, very similar in that regard to the 992 Cab which I've driven extensively. To be fair it's no worse than the E93 M3 Cab I owned before, it's just the nature of open top driving. In the right conditions the noise adds an extra level of engagement as you get to hear the engine better, for long motorway drives it might get grating (but you can always put up the roof). You can see it better in this picture. It needs pushing down on the passenger side for it to pop up.

Mr Squarekins said: Keen to hear more on 992 Targa ownership. What sort of speeds are ok with the roof down? Motorway speeds ok? Anything spec wise that you wouldn't be without on a 992? Any speed. Althogh extensive motorway might get a little much but to me it doesn't matter as I would drive any of my Boxster on the motorways for ever with the roof down (Dry weather permitting) The wind is different in a Targa compared to a convertible as the air tends to go over you rather than around and through you although I notice some air swirling around my shins and ankles at motorway speeds. Spec wise. I would just go with what ever takes your fancy, there is plenty of choice out there.

Malcolm E Boo said: You can see it better in this picture. It needs pushing down on the passenger side for it to pop up. Thanks Malcolm, nice red chrono dial.

cervezaman said: Thanks! Gotta see a picture! Very similar spec to yours, sports chrono w/ PSE, bose (which is fine), 18 way seats, rear axle steering. Edited by g35x on Monday 5th May 21:19

g35x said: Very similar spec to yours, sports chrono w/ PSE, bose (which is fine), 18 way seats, rear axle steering. Edited by g35x on Monday 5th May 21:19 That’s a stunning colour!

Malcolm E Boo said: Mr Squarekins said: Keen to hear more on 992 Targa ownership. What sort of speeds are ok with the roof down? Motorway speeds ok? Anything spec wise that you wouldn't be without on a 992? Any speed. Althogh extensive motorway might get a little much but to me it doesn't matter as I would drive any of my Boxster on the motorways for ever with the roof down (Dry weather permitting) The wind is different in a Targa compared to a convertible as the air tends to go over you rather than around and through you although I notice some air swirling around my shins and ankles at motorway speeds. Spec wise. I would just go with what ever takes your fancy, there is plenty of choice out there. I had my Targa4 GTS for 2 years - brilliant car. Wish I had kept it as IMO its the best choice....now if they brought out a Turbo S Targa, would defo be the number 1. Forget the GT3 hype, cant beat a Targa!! The bull you hear about the roof and buffeting is because the deflector hasn't been deployed correctly. When my roof closed it used to lock down the deflector. You had to give a good smack on the LHS to release it, then there were no issues. We toured France with the roof down at motorway speeds, all was fine, Regarding spec, the following are what I would say are needed. I went overboard with mine and had a stupid amount of extras but listed below would be my minimum, 1. rear wheel steer 2. PDLS plus 3. 18 ways 4. sports exhaust 5. 360 cameras 6. Homelink 7. front axle lift 8. Bose 9. adaptive cruise 10. lane change assist

Brilliant thread all! We let go a 992 S and now pine for another 911, head over heart at the time. Big birthday next year and I am favouring a 992.2 GTS Targa over a 4 GTS. In love with Guards as its the best colour for a targa, also very pleased to see the wee wind deflector and the news on that - as buffeting is always mentioned, Weeknd of 22/23rd May we have a 992.2 C4GTS to try and see. thx very much

Simon-Blue said: Brilliant thread all! We let go a 992 S and now pine for another 911, head over heart at the time. Big birthday next year and I am favouring a 992.2 GTS Targa over a 4 GTS. In love with Guards as its the best colour for a targa, also very pleased to see the wee wind deflector and the news on that - as buffeting is always mentioned, Weeknd of 22/23rd May we have a 992.2 C4GTS to try and see. thx very much So exciting!! That will end with an order!! Edited by cervezaman on Tuesday 6th May 22:16

Congratulations. I think Targas are quite rare and unique in their own right. My father has always wanted one and I am inclined to add one to the stable one day.

Paul_D said: Congratulations. I think Targas are quite rare and unique in their own right. My father has always wanted one and I am inclined to add one to the stable one day. Thanks!

Congratulations. Perfect colour.

Amazing cars the targas are - real head turners!!

Mine is saying hello!

Ukdriver said: Mine is saying hello! Love that!! I’ve had mine about 3 weeks now and have done 600 miles in it - plus I was without it for nearly a week while I had the car fully PPF’d. Also had the Porsche Dashcam fitted today which I’m really pleased with. Absolutely loving it and have had the roof down nearly all of the time!

cervezaman said: Love that!! I’ve had mine about 3 weeks now and have done 600 miles in it - plus I was without it for nearly a week while I had the car fully PPF’d. Also had the Porsche Dashcam fitted today which I’m really pleased with. Absolutely loving it and have had the roof down nearly all of the time! Really happy for you! Enjoy it my man. You deserve it!

OK, have a 992.2 C2GTS, boy is it fast. Bigger sound, more angry and different feel to the 992.1 C2S (which I expected). The spec is heavy - full GTS interior, matrix lights, glass black pack. But....... as I expected it's not a massive change from before but still brilliant......sooo...... TARGA GTS IT IS. Just need to get a deal worked out, will prob place order in the late summer / Autumn for next year delivery. Keep the Targa stories coming (and photos).

Ukdriver said: Really happy for you! Enjoy it my man. You deserve it! Thanks!

I have to say, the OP’s Targa in red looks ace! I wish I’d gone for one myself now. I’m a week into 992.1 GTS2 ownership and, honestly, I’m sort of regretting it. On the right road it’s absolutely awesome, but the rest of the time it’s bordering on awful. It looks fantastic and handles brilliantly - I’ll give it that. But the ride is dreadful, the tyre roar and road noise is on a par with my old Chimaera, the Bose stereo is unusable because the door panel vibrates (a common problem apparently), it only sounds good above 7000rpm and it’s totally devoid of any character. It’s my first Porsche and I’m not quite getting the love, maybe the Targa would’ve had that ‘something’? I’m really hoping it grows on me.

Thats not good on the door panel - that needs sorted. So far (1 day) the .2 is deffo enhanced and seems just 'better', small touches and feels and sounds better. How do they do it?

I think sport PASM is the problem. I’m on a 992.1 S with just PASM and it’s just about forgiving enough. Most GTS have the sport PASM. My next car be a 992 targa 4s , 992 turbo (convertible non S). The turbo non s is apparently more supple in terms of ride than the Carreras , or so I hear anyway!

Also, every time I think about changing from a 911 to something more supercar exotic, I just think about how I would end up using it less. I don’t want my staff talking about my Ferrari, I don’t want to do the school run in one. The targa is a sweet spot in many ways of all premium but not quite supercar motoring. When I get some balls I’ll buy a red one. However for me I’m finding it difficult to get the momentum to get out from my black c2s for now. A .2 targa gts with the 800v hybrid for just over £100k could change that, but that’s a little time away. Edited by rainmaker2 on Saturday 24th May 06:37

rainmaker2 said: Also, every time I think about changing from a 911 to something more supercar exotic, I just think about how I would end up using it less. I don’t want my staff talking about my Ferrari, I don’t want to do the school run in one. The targa is a sweet spot in many ways of all premium but not quite supercar motoring. When I get some balls I’ll buy a red one. However for me I’m finding it difficult to get the momentum to get out from my black c2s for now. A .2 targa gts with the 800v hybrid for just over £100k could change that, but that’s a little time away. Edited by rainmaker2 on Saturday 24th May 06:37 I think you might be right about the Sport PASM. I saw a few GTS with it de-specced, so without the -10mm ride height and I wondered why on earth you’d do that - now I know! That wouldn’t solve the road noise, though. I’ve come out of an Aston DB11 and the ride on that was outstanding, to the point I wondered why people were complaining about the state of UK roads. But the handling and engagement was lacking, despite it feeling very special, so I decided to change. My wife loved it. She hates the Porsche, but she only sees it from a passenger point of view. I do wonder if something like a Ferrari Roma would blend the two better? But the rear seats are tiny and not usable like the 911. I’ve not tried a McLaren but I’m led to believe they ride better, but then you’ve only got two seats and reliability issues. It does feel like Lotus missed a gap in the market by not making the Emira four seats. I suspect the crappy winter weather will make me really resent the GTS when I can’t enjoy a decent stereo, can’t enjoy the performance and handling, can’t enjoy any ‘theatre’ at low speed and I’m stuck bouncing around in a noisy, gloomy cabin. It’ll still look ace, though! Anyway, sorry, I’ve gone off topic here.

Crumpet said: I’ve come out of an Aston DB11 and the ride on that was outstanding, to the point I wondered why people were complaining about the state of UK roads. But the handling and engagement was lacking, despite it feeling very special, so I decided to change. My wife loved it. She hates the Porsche, but she only sees it from a passenger point of view. Are a DB11 and 911 GTS comparable? One is a comfy cruiser and the other more sports car? It's a shame Mrs C hates the Porsche, that doesn't make owning one very easy.

NDA said: Are a DB11 and 911 GTS comparable? One is a comfy cruiser and the other more sports car? It's a shame Mrs C hates the Porsche, that doesn't make owning one very easy. Yes and no. People do seem to shortlist both and go between them. But you’re correct, the Aston is a super comfy everyday cruiser that can do a bit of the sports stuff (not brilliantly) when you get where you’re going, the Porsche is a sports car that can just about do the cruising and everyday stuff (not brilliantly) but it epic when you get to good roads (I went with a manual for that reason). I guess, as always, it’s where your priorities lie. But all I’ve found over a fair few cars is that there really is no such thing as a do-it-all car and the test drive route Porsche used must have been well chosen to be on quiet, well surfaced tarmac. It’s far from a do-it-all car in my eyes. I’m just a bit sad really, as I desperately wanted this to be ‘the one’. I like it, sort of, but my wife has said there’ll be no trips to Europe or ‘down south’ in it, so that’s probably going to be the end of that. The kids like it, though. I think going back to two cars is going to be the solution; an Aston and something a bit more driver focussed on the side.

Crumpet said: Yes and no. People do seem to shortlist both and go between them. But you’re correct, the Aston is a super comfy everyday cruiser that can do a bit of the sports stuff (not brilliantly) when you get where you’re going, the Porsche is a sports car that can just about do the cruising and everyday stuff (not brilliantly) but it epic when you get to good roads (I went with a manual for that reason). I guess, as always, it’s where your priorities lie. But all I’ve found over a fair few cars is that there really is no such thing as a do-it-all car and the test drive route Porsche used must have been well chosen to be on quiet, well surfaced tarmac. It’s far from a do-it-all car in my eyes. I’m just a bit sad really, as I desperately wanted this to be ‘the one’. I like it, sort of, but my wife has said there’ll be no trips to Europe or ‘down south’ in it, so that’s probably going to be the end of that. The kids like it, though. I think going back to two cars is going to be the solution; an Aston and something a bit more driver focussed on the side. Roads in europe are so much better surfaced than the UK that you get much less tyre noise. Not all is lost yet!