Targa vs Hardtop - which is preferred?

[tommy911E]

I'm sure this has been discussed here before, but I couldn't find any recent discussion via the search, so here it goes...

Which 911 is generally preferred, the Hardtop or Targa? I own a Targa, but always wondered what the difference is between them in terms of comfort, headroom, driving position, handling (tighter feel in the coupe?), and the general value and desirablility of each.

Obviously one of the pluses of the Targa is open-air driving, but I noticed most purists seem to own the hardtop and it does have a cleaner appearence overall. I have been told that the driving position is different in each, but how?

[Eli K]

I believe coupes are rated a bit higher.

[ZAMIRZ]

I'll take a stab at all your questions...

preferrence: really a subjective thing, personally I like both. A Targa with the top off looks really awesome, much cooler (no pun intended) than a coupe on a hot summer day. With that said, the Targa does butcher the 911s bulbuous shape quite a bit.

comfort: the same, I think the Targa is slightly noisier and squeaks here and there. But in terms of seating and ride they are nearly indistinguishable.

headroom: Not sure about front, but I know Targas have a little bit more room in the rear seats.

driving position: same, better rear visiblity with that big glass rear window. I believe the footwells in the Targa are a bit tighter because of extra metal reinforcements.

handling: the coupe is definately the better handler, but I don't think anyone short of a pro could draw a clear line where the Targa is "slower" than the coupe.

general value/desirability: according to Bruce Anderson, the Targas are valued slightly less than a coupe which would lead one to believe they are less desirable, but in the end it's all subjective anyway. I know someone who loves Targas, has never bothered with a 911 coupe and probably never will.

[Jack Olsen]

In my opinion, the coupe shows off the 911 design better.

The flipside is that there's no substitute for the experience of open air driving.

So one might be more fun to use, while the other looks more quintessentially "911" -- and has additional minor benefits with regard to chassis stiffness, weight, leaks, noise and such.

[CarreraS2]

It seems to me the market in general favors Coupes over Targas.

But it also seems the market favors Cabs over both Coupes and Targas.

So go figure!

[masraum]

Generally targas are the cheapest of the bunch. Targa's have slightly more headroom, slightly less foot room, and much better visibility. I loved my targa even though I didn't get that much opportunity to go topless, but when I did have the opportunity it was really nice. Targa's introduce more maintenance issues with all of the extra sealing and the top to contend with, but generally It's a do it once and forget about it kind of thing for another 10-15 years.

When I get another I think I'm going to get a coupe, but you never can tell.

[speeder]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
It seems to me the market in general favors Coupes over Targas.

But it also seems the market favors Cabs over both Coupes and Targas.

So go figure!

I agree w/ your first statement, but from unscientific perusal of ebay and other sites, it would seem that cabriolets are extremely plentiful compared to coupes and less in demand. A really nice car in the right colors will always get attention regardless of style, but coupes that are "right" are always a hot item.

As for the coupe vs. targa question, it's a personal thing. Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, so to speak, and it is an un-winnable argument.

[hkspwrsche]

I just went from a coupe to a targa and you can definitely feel the targa is less stiff. The foot well took a day to get used to because of the extra reinforcement taking up room. All in all it's no less fun to drive but I can definitely see where a coupe would have some advantages on a track. My targa isnt lowered yet and that will help some with the feel since the coupe was sitting about 2 1/2 inches lower! I've seen at least 2 targas on the board that appear to have been turned into better than average track cars. I ended up with a targa because it reminded me of the first Porsche I was ever in! A few of my friends tried to talk me out of a targa because they thought it looked older because porsche discountinued that targa top style a few years ago and they liked the coupe lines but, hey.. they can buy their own then! I like it!

[CarreraS2]

Originally posted by speeder
I agree w/ your first statement, but from unscientific perusal of ebay and other sites, it would seem that cabriolets are extremely plentiful compared to coupes and less in demand.

That may be true, but doesn't it seem that Cabs command more money than Coupes - year, mileage, color, location and condition being equal?

[Eli K]

Harold, how's the windnoise? my '87 is unbarable above 60-70 mph. wonder what i can do to cure that... BTW congrats on the sale, I'm guessing you finally found a worthy buyer

[masraum]

For wind noise the top is the most important part of the equations with the seals being next. A top that's gotten a full treatment and is well covered will cut noise and problems by 75%, and then getting good seals into the thing will fix the rest. They aren't that loud when they are in good shape, but when they are in bad shape you might as well have a banshee as a passenger.

targas do flex more, some more than others.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by Siberian
Harold, how's the windnoise? my '87 is unbarable above 60-70 mph.

Try 140 mph with the top off and both windows rolled down.

Just like the big falls.

[Grady Clay]

I agree with most of above.

I’m a racer. I bought a new 911 coupe (non-sunroof) from the Factory in ’68. Many others afterwards and a wonderful 35+ years of Porsche.

Today, I would buy a street 997 GT-3 as a semi-daily and PCA/POC DE car. Of course most who know me understand I might have something slightly more substantial to tinker with.

To answer your question; Porsche only races 911 coupes unless there is a marketing issue.

Best,
Grady

[hkspwrsche]

Inspect the seals and some adjustment of the top should fix it. I havent had a problem with wind noise that I noticed..But I stopped and took the top off right after I got it and drove it home like that and went to work on the car as soon as I got it. I did make some adjustments to the top. but never really tested it before for noise. When it's tight it should be just fine.

[anthony]

I bought a coupe because I love the lines of the car. I even got a rare no-sunroof car even though I probably would have liked to have a sunroof. Targas just don't look right to me and I'm not a cabriolet type of guy.

From watching practically every 911 for sale ad in my area over the last two years I'd say that nice coupes are harder to come by. Much more frequently I see nice Targas for sale. I don't know about Cabriolets because I've usually ignored those ads.

Even on my 914 I only take the top off about 20-25% of the time. It's either too cold, the drive is too short to want to deal with the top at all, or it's too hot and I don't want the sun beating down on me. Other than that there's nothing nicer than a drive in a targa on a nice summer evening with the top off and the heat blasting on your feet.

[K. Roman]

Which 911 came first, the coupe or the targa.
Or at the same time?

Maybe the original shape of the 911 is both?

[cantdrv55]

The footwell in a targa is tight so the pedals are bunched together towards the center of the car. The doors may not be completely flush against the body when closed due to jacking, flexing etc over time but the seal is good. There's wind noise, sometimes unbearable noise if the top is in poor shape and fit is bad. Most, if not all, targa top seals leak. Having pointed out these negatives, I still say there's nothing like driving a topless 911. No need for a windblocker too, like in a cab, because the rear half does a good job of preventing the messy hair look. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still buy a 911 targa.

[mmm]

Coupe is a much stiffer body than Targa or Cab, so less body flex, "better" handling, and a slightly more "secure" feel. You'd never notice the difference in handling unless really pushing it, but this is why all serious track/race 911s are Coupes, and even then many serious track/race 911s include measures to stiffen their bodies even further.

[cyprusx]

I guess I will chime in here...

While I do believe that the coupe looks better than the targa when the top is on the targa, the targa looks better than the coupe and cab when the top is off....

The factor for me was not coupe vs. targa when I bought mine... I sought out a targa. Why, because all my other vehicles (tahoe, altima, spyder) have roofs. When I want a cab cruise, I take my 3000GT Spyder which is the best of both worlds since it is a hard top retractable convertible.

If this is your only car, I would go coupe. If not, go targa or cab or go home.... lol

[Bill Verburg]

Targa for street use on nice days, coupe for track use on nice days, Audi the rest of the time