So, very true! "Orange" would bother me this is something else. Reminds of the Cinnamon interiors for the e46 M3s but with a tid bit more "color."

 

Thanks, and nice car!

Just to clear up, though... I'm not really worried in what others think about it. I am, however, interested in the experience of you current/past owners as far as choosing it over the Carrera models or if there were any problems or issues that made you wish you had bought the Carrera.

I definitely prefer the Targa for the big panoramic roof and the open feeling it provides. I've had a convertible before, and while it was great to have one, I don't want the 911 Cab... at least not on my first 911. I think the Targa offers a great compromise.

Thanks again!

 

Thanks. That's exactly the type of insight I was hoping to gain!

 

Yeah, that Terracota is a great color.

My perfect car would be a manual transmission white, black or grey 997.2 Targa 4S with a two-tone terracotta full leather interior. Hard to find that though.

 

Terracotta would look great with any of those colors. There's only about 400 997.2 Targa's in the US. I might have the only GT silver black/terracotta car. However, there is a GT Silver on Expresso 2010 Targa 4s in the same city as me, who would have thought?

 

Great car, only have issues with rattling.

 

Great example... I don't think I've seen a lot of red ones.

I was under the impression that the rattle from the roof could be fixed with some routine maintenance. Or are you talking about something different?

Thanks

 

What about the suspension on the Targa cars? I've read that it's a little softer than the standard 911, but I don't know if that means it's a "soft" suspension or just relatively speaking and still a sport suspension in an absolute sense.

I ask because I just bought an xDrive BMW 5 series, which has the non-sport suspension, and I'm killing myself because it drives like a cruise ship.

 

I've used some boat lubricant to fix it. But it does come back after a few months.

 

There are different types of noises that can plague Targa owners. Many are related to the large Panorama window that is bigger than the standard sun roof. These squeaks can be fixed with cleaning, lubricating, and perhaps adding an insulation strip. There are threads on this site that address this issue. The Targa hatch can rattle. This is usually a latch issue. Once my latch was fixed (really just tightened), the rattle went away.

As for the reduced visibility when the Targa window is open, it's true. However, you can still see out the rear of the car with the mirror. However, about half the view is obscured by the window and screen.

 

I'm pretty close to a purchase. As long as the car I've picked out online is still available in a week or two, I should be a Targa owner fairly soon.

The only two things it doesn't have that I want are sports seats and sports exhaust.

I'm weird about the 911... I've been in a moving one only once before. A 997.1 C4S that belonged to my brother-in-law and I refused to drive it myself. Even though I've always wanted a 911 my whole life, I've avoided them like the plague. I made a promise to myself when I was a kid that the only way I would ever drive a 911 (for the first time) is if I bought one. That was my motivation to work hard enough to afford one. So, basically I've been saving myself for 911 marriage.

That said, I'll be pissed if I go on a test drive and decide to buy a different one.

BTW, here's a nice video of a 997.2 Targa 4S.

 

I would strongly recommend you drive as many as you can before you buy one. You need to try different models and options to be sure you know what you like most. I wouldn't worry too much about sport exhaust, as that is something you could always add later if you really want it. Also, I think you'd find yourself pretty happy with the sound without having PSE. It will be harder to find the model with options you want as well as having PSE, as it generally isn't that common. Good luck.

 

Thanks... I definitely see the wisdom in your approach, but I'm going to try and stick with my plan as realistically as possible. Obviously, I'm not going to buy a the first bad example I see just to be stubborn. When car shopping, I stop looking when I find the one that meets my criteria in the right condition at the right price.

If I was unsure about buying a 997.2 Targa 4S, perhaps I'd be more concerned with trying out the different models in the lineup, but I'm not looking for a non-S, a 2WD model, or a turbo for my first 911. Within my parameters, there is little to no variation in performance or options that would necessitate flying around the country trying out cars just to try them. For me, it's going to come down to mechanical condition, body condition, color, and interior condition and aesthetics.

As I said above, the one I'm looking at buying doesn't have the PSE or sport seats and I'm ok with that. The sport seats and PSE are nice-to-haves but not deal breakers. From scouring the Internet, I haven't seen any 997.2 Targa 4S for sale that have the sport seats, so I won't obsess over finding one.

Thanks for the input on the PSE, though. It's definitely not going to get in the way of a purchase. I was starting to get concerned about lack of SPASM, but like the sport seats, it's not typical in a Targa configuration... at least not the ones I'm seeing on sale now. I've come to terms with the fact that if I want the Targa, there are some options I probably won't get.

 

I know the market well (as I have had mine listed for sale, I actually just traded it in and it is being picked up this afternoon, sad day). I say patience unless you are 100% you won't have any regrets. Although there are not a lot of them more do pop up. In the past month and a half the listings went from 17 to 31ish (some 997.1s and 991s too). PSE is nice (not as good as in the 991) and SPASM actually is a fairly common option, since you say yours doesn't have either I am pretty sure I know which car you are looking at. When I was doing my search I found any car without an MSRP of over about 120kish was missing an option I wanted. Definitely post pictures when you get yours!

One of my favorite Targa vids. 8:25 for the Targa segment.

 

Good review except it misses the point of the roof - even if you don't open the roof, opening the sun shade makes the interior sooooo much nicer with the light input and open feel.