997 C4S cabriolet, thoughts, owners stories?

[coltonbob]

Hi All,

Just after your thoughts please. I'm hoping to scratch the 911 itch that I've had since been about 5 years old! Currently I have a MK7 Golf R DSG, and the Mrs has a Mk2.5 MX-5. The Mrs adores her little Mazda, but it's starting to go rusty and we have a baby on the way, so I think it's off. To appease it's passing anything we replace it with needs unlimited headroom, so a cabriolet, or at the least a coupe with a sunroof.

Our current thinking is to give the Golf to my Mrs for daily duties / child transport, and I'll get a toy that we can both use and enjoy on a weekend etc.

I have a budget of around £35K to purchase something outright, I don't think I want to get into a pcp agreement etc at the moment. From a quick look of the classifieds it seems that a 997.1 C4S cab would be in budget. On paper it looks like a good compromise to keep us both happy.

I think the only options I really want are the sports exhaust and a manual gearbox. Am I missing anything?

What's the consensus on the C4S cab, worth the extra over a C2S for year-round ability? Does the soft top really spoil the drive? I have no major preference on the roof, but the Mrs would really like to keep a soft top.

Thanks.

[S1MMA]

I had a 997.2 C4S Cab PDK for just over a week when my car was in for a service/warranty work.

It's quite a "feel good" car. Roof down, nice weather, it's very cool.

The dynamics of the car and PDK were good for a road car, but felt quite sanitized. You don't get in it wanting to drive the nuts off it, whilst it's composed when pressing on, it's character was much more suitable for up to 8/10 driving.

Made a pleasant enough noise. The wife loved it - and cursed when the GT3 came back. Tells you all you need to know!

I would stretch to a 997.2 with the more reliable engine. Can't be too much more than 40k now are they?

[Koln-RS]

Personally prefer the Coupes.

I've driven a few Cabs, from 964 to 997, and quite enjoyed them, but always thought the Coupes felt and looked better. IMO the Cabs tend to look nicer with the roof up, which kind of defeats the object.

[coltonbob]

Thanks for taking the time to write those replies, some really good food for thought there.

I like the targa's, a friends dad had a 993 one when I was in my teens and I always loved it, as you say, not many for sale, none to look at local to me by the looks of it.

997.2 engine reliability is interesting, I didn't fully appreciate the differences, will look into that further.

I have to agree with the above on the looks of the cabriolet too, the rear end looks very bulky with the roof down I think, but I'm not too fussed how the car looks. I think being able to drop the roof and go for a nice drive through the Yorkshire dales on a Sunday morning would make up for it.

I've found a nice 997.1 C4S cab near me at a dealer so think I'll go for a test drive of that, and a coupe, and go from there...

[anonymous-user]

My wife has a 2008 997.1 C4s cabriolet. 42,000 trouble free miles other than usuals (corroded tandem oil pump, rusted exhaust studs, holed air con condensers etc).
Lovely car that looks fab in wide body spec.
Keeper for us (7 years so far) and we are lucky enough to have had plenty of Porsches that have never lasted so long.

[Spice_Weasel]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

Something to remember too on the Baby aspect, and occasional use whilst a rear facing seat, the Passenger airbags can not be deactivated on the 997.1, only the .2 I believe. (stronger money obviously) so it is a rear seat only job. and I am not sure if you'll get a rear facing seat in the smaller Cab seats in the back, and not without zero front legroom, nor a fight.

just my 2p.

My '07 997.1 has the passenger airbag deactivated. The previous owner had it fitted by an OPC. I have the invoice in the car's history file if you need part numbers.

[c4sman]

Had a c4s 7.1 cab with a sports exhaust and loved it. Airbag can be deactivated but it is an option so you need to check when you open the passenger door whether the key switch is there and the warning light I think is on the centre console. Cars have a nice feel, make a nice noise and goes well enough. My bores didn't score or IMS implode but no doubt you will be warned off a 7.1 based on these risks. If you can stretch to a .2 the Nav is miles better and no engine worries but they do lack a bit of sound compared to the 7.1 imho.

[Besty79]

I have a 997.1 C2S convertible with a sports exhaust and manual gearbox. Bought in November with a FSH and 1 years warranty from a reputable Porsche Specialist. Its the first Porsche I have owed and I love it. I dont think you will notice too much difference between the models (coupe/convertible/Targa unless you are a Pro Racing driver. Maybe a few extra squeeks here and there but nothing too bad.

On a practical note, I have a three year old son and he fits in the back seat with a £25.00 Mothercare childseat. Absolutely no need for the expensive seats from Porsche or other manufacturers. I also purchased a back seat protector from halfords to protect the leather. Job done.

I had it professionally detailed with C-Quarts polish and it just gleams and makes me smile evertime I drive it and look at it.

Hopefully I will keep it for 2-3 years, lose minimal money on it when I sell it and move on to something else.