I can hardly see out of my Speedster with the top up. Also, with the top up in the rain, the water hits the windshield and flows up to the top, where it leaks past the "seal" and drips down onto my lap. The best way to drive the Speedster in the rain was to put the top down and keep moving. Anything above about 40 mpg is gravy - and dry.

^this is the argument most often cited for why a coupe version of the 911 is preferred over a cabrio. I've never owned a 997tt coupe, but I can tell you that the performance of the 997tt cab is nothing short of stupendous. I don't think the additional stiffness of a coupe will make any difference on public roads, you need to be on track for it to matter IMO.

Eh, body flex is a complete and total non-issue for street driving. If you're driving recklessly enough to flex your steel chassis, you should be in jail, as most Pelicans would agree, based on the outrage of Magnus' crash video.

Based on a few anecdotes here, seems like convertible top technology had arrived to modern standards by around 2001.

My biggest concern was a leaking top when I bought my 993 cab. I put it to the test on a vacation through Colorado in a freak, heavy down storm. Not a drop inside. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. As far as wind noise, I don't even notice. My wife and I go on long trips and never even notice. I am anal about rattles and have gone through just about every area on the tops frame eliminating every rattle I can find, so maybe that has a lot to do with it.

The convertible top on my '85 Mustang GT provided a much more raw experience than the top on my wife's '04 Mustang. The '85 didn't have much in the way of sound insulation in the top, the '04 had quite a bit, relatively speaking.

You guys are forgetting the single biggest pain-in-the-caboose negative: stabbings.

We've had a customer victimized twice. A real downer.

I was jonesing for a ragtop about 8-10 years ago because I had never had one and thought I would really enjoy it. I looked at a few older, well-worn, previously loved 3-series BMW cabs online and mulled it over.

It was going to have to be my DD, not just a weekender... and after seeing a program about lightning on cable in which they said that top won't protect you if you get hit by 100 million to 1 billion volts, I decided against it. We have some pretty nasty thunderstorms here in the Southeast.

Maybe one day, though... a raggedy ragtop weekend car still intrigues me.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1471937414.jpg

I love convertibles! I've had a 450sl, e36 328ic, 85 Carrera cab and currently, a 987.1 Boxster. All were great top down cruisers, but I would have to say the 987 is the best of the bunch, followed by the 85 Carrera cab. Both Porsches are fairly quiet with the top down. The Carrera was great because you could drive with the rear window zipped down, and feel the wind ripping through the car.

I was never a convertible guy until I bought a Boxster years ago. Now I have two. It's really hard to beat the top down experience, and the Boxster top is about as compromise free as it gets. My SC cab less so, the top is manual and a bit of a PITA to operate but damn is it nice to drive. With the top up there is some wind noise because the side seals need replaced and the window alignment needs adjustment, I'm confident that it will be at least as good as a Targa when I'm done.

Btw, given $50k to spend on a Porsche, I would buy a Boxster Spyder without a moment's hesitation.

The Z3 tops are pretty good, about the same as the 986 Boxster. When people go on about bad convertibles, they're typically remembering the single-layer vinyl/canvas tops of old, attached to flimsy frames (like my old Fiat Spider).

As for body flex - while it was criminal up until the mid-90s, complaining about anything made since 2000 is just being silly. The Z4 roadster had a chassis rigidity of 18,000Nm - it took that much force to flex it ONE degree (the Z4 Coupe rates a 33kNm, almost as much as a modern RR Phantom). That's less flex than almost any coupe made before 2000, iirc; complaining about chassis flex on a modern roadster is claiming you had a problem with cars in general up until about yesterday.

After having a coupe, targa and cabriolet I love the cabriolet. My 83 is very quiet with the top up there is no more wind noise than my other two. With the top down it is very comfortable. The only thing I did was remove the sun visors since I like to wear a baseball hat with the top down. I got tired of hitting the sun visors with my hat.

It was a beautiful evening last night, my wife and I took the Boxster for dinner and a drive, then came back to swap for the 911. Top down in both, it was fantastic.

The only one time i owned a convertible was a 964. I bought it cheap to flip. 3 days. Other than that, i despise convertibles. And yes all the internet hype is true. They are fun till they aren't.


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Like the Z3 a Boxster is quite stiff. Unlike an old 70s targa 911 you can open and shut the door while it is on a lift hoist, no problem.

I could not DD a traditional rag top...the variables in the Mid Atlantic make DD'ing a convertible a bit of a first world problem.

That said, I will never be without a convertible or a Targa again. I can afford the luxury of occasionally popping the top, so I will. Nothing beats it.

Boxster with a hard top, done!

That's the point of this thread. There is basically zero difference between a modern ragtop and a hardtop. With the top up, you'd have no clue you were in a convertible. At least, that was my experience in the 2016 Mustang.

I don't disagree. The machinations to have the top either up or down is what I was referring to.

Puppy:

If I could fit my big dome inside a Boxter I would own one tomorrow.

Flip a switch?