Discussion
I had a Gen 1 997 Targa and loved it, the roof did rattle a lot but its a rally nice car.
There are very few around and they seem to be asking quite strong money. I know someone with a very tidy Gen 1 that will be for sale soon with a brand new engine fitted by Porsche not long ago and a 2 year warranty.
There are very few around and they seem to be asking quite strong money. I know someone with a very tidy Gen 1 that will be for sale soon with a brand new engine fitted by Porsche not long ago and a 2 year warranty.
I have a 997.2 Targa 4S with PDK. I see you're in Berkshire - I'm near Guildford and if you're ever down this way, I'd be happy to take you for a drive. The roof does rattle on bumpy roads, but you do get used to it. If you can find a 4S it will have the PASM as standard which helps the ride on the UK's potholed roads. If you find a 4, it might have PASM as an option. I think it's worth having in the UK.
One of its party-pieces is the opening rear hatch which is very useful if you need to carry 'stuff' from time to time. And of course the glass roof makes for an airy feel to the drive.
It has plenty of power for the road of course, but if you like to do track days you will notice the roof's weight penalty (like having a young adult aboard) if you pit yourself against C2Ss.
One of its party-pieces is the opening rear hatch which is very useful if you need to carry 'stuff' from time to time. And of course the glass roof makes for an airy feel to the drive.
It has plenty of power for the road of course, but if you like to do track days you will notice the roof's weight penalty (like having a young adult aboard) if you pit yourself against C2Ss.
I lived with a 997.2 Targa 4 (aqua blue) for 2 years. I enjoyed the car thoroughly, driving in freezing conditions with the roof open and heated seats on was really memorable!
But there were a couple of important points to bear in mind...
I would only have one with a Porsche warranty, my roof leaked persistently and in the end the targa mechanism needed replacing at vast cost (to the warranty thankfully). The OPC seemed continually confused by the roof as it is so rare.
As a rule, you must get the drains cleaned out, perhaps twice a year. This is a real design fault as the drains will flood the interior of the car if they are clogged.
The roof may creak a bit over uneven surfaces but mine didn't rattle, that would have really annoyed me! The roof buttons fid rattle though, the switches were loose and the OPC refused to replace them under warranty.
Unfortunately the leaking roof meant that the car was not a keeper for me.
But there were a couple of important points to bear in mind...
I would only have one with a Porsche warranty, my roof leaked persistently and in the end the targa mechanism needed replacing at vast cost (to the warranty thankfully). The OPC seemed continually confused by the roof as it is so rare.
As a rule, you must get the drains cleaned out, perhaps twice a year. This is a real design fault as the drains will flood the interior of the car if they are clogged.
The roof may creak a bit over uneven surfaces but mine didn't rattle, that would have really annoyed me! The roof buttons fid rattle though, the switches were loose and the OPC refused to replace them under warranty.
Unfortunately the leaking roof meant that the car was not a keeper for me.
I had a 996 targa. I think the roof mechanism on the 997 was the same - certainly from the same supplier.
I had problems with mine, partly due to the mechanism and partly due to vandalism. The two were not co-dependent but the upshot was I was faced with a new roof panel and a new mechanism. This would have been north of £10k.
I was told that the design was never fully resolved between Porsche and the supplier, the two companies falling out. It may be the case that most people have no problem with the mechanism however, if I were in the market for a Targa I would only purchase from a Porsche dealer to get the 2 year warranty.
The other advice I was given when the problem emerged on mine was that for peace of mind, the only dealer to use for work on the roof is Porsche Reading. I have no way of validating this advice, merely passing it along the line.
On a positive note, I think the hatch design adds so much practicality to the 911 it is a real shame to have lost it on the new targa. I was able to fit my racing bike into the back of the car - a real bonus as it was my only car at the time.
Couple of other snippets on the targa:
- with the roof open, the rear view mirror becomes pretty useless (the roof panel slides inside the line of the back window. This may be an issue for some;
- the rear hatch locking mechanism requires a bit of respect and care - it involves a fairly complicated revolving cam lock mechanism which requires the hatch to be closed carefully. No big deal but worth being consistent when closing to avoid potential for the cam to clash. Not sure how, but I managed to get it wrong once and this required a visit to JZM to put right;
- important to keep the drain holes clear and the rubbers around the roof silicon lubed.
Peter
I had problems with mine, partly due to the mechanism and partly due to vandalism. The two were not co-dependent but the upshot was I was faced with a new roof panel and a new mechanism. This would have been north of £10k.
I was told that the design was never fully resolved between Porsche and the supplier, the two companies falling out. It may be the case that most people have no problem with the mechanism however, if I were in the market for a Targa I would only purchase from a Porsche dealer to get the 2 year warranty.
The other advice I was given when the problem emerged on mine was that for peace of mind, the only dealer to use for work on the roof is Porsche Reading. I have no way of validating this advice, merely passing it along the line.
On a positive note, I think the hatch design adds so much practicality to the 911 it is a real shame to have lost it on the new targa. I was able to fit my racing bike into the back of the car - a real bonus as it was my only car at the time.
Couple of other snippets on the targa:
- with the roof open, the rear view mirror becomes pretty useless (the roof panel slides inside the line of the back window. This may be an issue for some;
- the rear hatch locking mechanism requires a bit of respect and care - it involves a fairly complicated revolving cam lock mechanism which requires the hatch to be closed carefully. No big deal but worth being consistent when closing to avoid potential for the cam to clash. Not sure how, but I managed to get it wrong once and this required a visit to JZM to put right;
- important to keep the drain holes clear and the rubbers around the roof silicon lubed.
Peter
Blimey, I've quietly been looking at these of late. Don't think I'll bother. Leaking, rattling, squeaking, cleaning draining holes twice a year???
I thought they cured all of the above after installing it on the 993, 20 years ago.
Seems like they didn't. No warranty and 10K to put right if it fails big time?
Run for the hills.
I thought they cured all of the above after installing it on the 993, 20 years ago.
Seems like they didn't. No warranty and 10K to put right if it fails big time?
Run for the hills.
Wozy
My case was extreme - the mechanism is around £5k to replace. Some delightful person added to my problems by hitting the glass panel with a heavy sharp object and cracked it. Porsche UK had not experienced this happening before. I don't know what the stats are on mech failure - may be low %.
Peter
My case was extreme - the mechanism is around £5k to replace. Some delightful person added to my problems by hitting the glass panel with a heavy sharp object and cracked it. Porsche UK had not experienced this happening before. I don't know what the stats are on mech failure - may be low %.
Peter
northpolar said:
I had a 996 targa. I think the roof mechanism on the 997 was the same - certainly from the same supplier.
My experience is with a 997.2 but Peter has reminded me about a couple of points.northpolar said:
- with the roof open, the rear view mirror becomes pretty useless (the roof panel slides inside the line of the back window. This may be an issue for some;
Agreed - you need to keep the glass roof and hatch clean in order to see through when the roof is retracted.northpolar said:
- the rear hatch locking mechanism requires a bit of respect and care - it involves a fairly complicated revolving cam lock mechanism which requires the hatch to be closed carefully.
Agreed again. When you close the hatch, you lower it to about an inch before closed and let the mechanism do the rest. I had to intervene when I took it to a hand car wash and saw one of the guys repeatedly trying to slam it shut! Now I show them how it works before I hand over the keys.northpolar said:
- important to keep the drain holes clear and the rubbers around the roof silicon lubed.
Peter
I'm sure Peter is correct although I've not personally done mine. It may be an OPC service item but I doubt it.Peter
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