997 Turbo purchase cost cab vs coupe

Hi everyone,
As far as I know the 997 Turbo cabriolet was more expensive than the coupe at initial purchase.

Two questions:

1) Should I expect to pay more for a cab than a coupe, assuming similar spec, same dealer, same mileage and age.

2) Over time, will this change ? Someone suggested that if I look, older cabs are cheaper than the coupe equivalents.

With all the variables, it doesn't seem easy to make sense of that suggestion, no cars are the same, no dealer sells at the same price as another.

Any comments

Thanks
Mark

SausageCreature said:

Hi everyone,
As far as I know the 997 Turbo cabriolet was more expensive than the coupe at initial purchase.

Two questions:

1) Should I expect to pay more for a cab than a coupe, assuming similar spec, same dealer, same mileage and age.

2) Over time, will this change ? Someone suggested that if I look, older cabs are cheaper than the coupe equivalents.

With all the variables, it doesn't seem easy to make sense of that suggestion, no cars are the same, no dealer sells at the same price as another.

Any comments

Thanks
Mark

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As a used car, a coupe should always be worth more than a convertible, this becomes more so, the older they get.

I think this applies to most cars except maybe Bentley.

Thanks Bobba, that is what I had heard just this week but felt that it went against the grain of my own experience.

I appreciate a Cayman costs more than a Boxster, but my M3 cab was more than the Coupe 2nd hand, and the 997 turbos out there are all more expensive in Cab form.

I am just wondering if I am going to hit a bigger depreciation curve with a cab than a coupe. Sounds like I will.

Depending on your budget and length of ownership, depreciation may not be a huge consideration. I'd be more concerned with intended use and what you want out of a car. If you bought a coupe and found yourself longing for the cab, end up regretting the coupe. Then there is the cost of finding your ideal cab.

Boba fett said:

SausageCreature said:

Hi everyone,
As far as I know the 997 Turbo cabriolet was more expensive than the coupe at initial purchase.

Two questions:

1) Should I expect to pay more for a cab than a coupe, assuming similar spec, same dealer, same mileage and age.

2) Over time, will this change ? Someone suggested that if I look, older cabs are cheaper than the coupe equivalents.

With all the variables, it doesn't seem easy to make sense of that suggestion, no cars are the same, no dealer sells at the same price as another.

Any comments

Thanks
Mark

Click to expand...

As a used car, a coupe should always be worth more than a convertible, this becomes more so, the older they get.

I think this applies to most cars except maybe Bentley.

Click to expand...

This just isn't the case for 997's. Might be the case for Turbos but normal, lets say C2S', are more expensive for cabrios. Lowest end possible 997 coupes can be had for £18k, cabrios just never get that low. Same goes for high end, they are always a few thousand more expensive, probably because there are far fewer cabrios (pistonheads has 252 coupes, 118 cabrios at the moment). When you get into Turbos then more people will want a hard top much more as it is a much more focused "fast" car. PH has 69 coupes and only 22 cabrios. If you look, all the cheaper cars are coupes.

All in all, it depends on car, spec, colour, mileage etc etc. You will rarely find an exact spec match between a coupe and a cab.

My car is a good example, when I brought it 2.5 years ago, it was £30k, 2007 C2S cab black on black, manual, Sports Chrono, enormous spec with PSE, hard back sports seats, 43,000 miles etc etc. Same spec cars for coupes where about 3k lower and now the car at a dealer is £35k to £37k in general, while a coupe equivalent is if anything now £30k to £32k.

Have a look through Pistonheads, isn't hard to see.

resigner said:

You will rarely find an exact spec match between a coupe and a cab.

Have a look through Pistonheads, isn't hard to see.

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I think on one hand, the first line I quote, suggests you understand the difficulty I was experiencing in finding a reasonable comparison.

So, then the second quote about looking on Pistonheads - well, I have had a look over the last few days and my conclusions matched yours resigner. I also found that the like for like was very hard to find.

I am not really the kind of guy to get out a spreadsheet and document all the factors affecting cost such as who serviced it, what has been done, what options it has and so on. A good exercise to do to really have a look at the market but people price things differently anyway, so even with detailed analysis I don't there is a real conclusion I could draw from this.

FZP - I couldn't say about the length of ownership, the shortest I kept a car was less than 12 hours, the longest has been my 997 at 7 years. I imagine I would keep the turbo a long time. It will be my only car for the first few years at least, not quite a "daily" driver, but most days. Hence I want a Metzger and not a 3.6/3.8 NA.

I think you are right, that depreciation isn't really going to be a great concern over years. It was just a dealer selling a coupe said this to me when he knew I was interested in a particular cabriolet as well. He said "look at all the older 911s for sale and you will see the cabs are cheaper, always". so, with the cabs commanding a premium at the moment I felt a little aggrieved that what i would pay a premium for today (cab) would end up being the cheapest in the long run and wanted to gauge the thoughts from the community on this.

Thanks for all the advice.

easternjets said:

I can't see the point in a Cab!
They're noisier to drive around in, bit like sleeping in a tent as opposed to a motorhome!
They get scuttle shake, they're heavier too due to strengthening.
In the hot summer days you get sun stroke and in the early Spring, late Summer, Autumn and Winter you get frostbite.
The ladies with long hair hate them.
They inevitably leak as they get older and the rubber seals perish and then they smell of wee!
They're a security nightmare, one Stanley knife and your in.
You look a tool when you drive around in them with the top down, more so in town as it's like being in a goldfish bowl.
Anything over the national speed limit and it gets very uncomfortable with the top down.

Buy a coupe with a sun roof or a new Targa, simples!

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I've had convertibles since 1999. Hate Coupes. A sports car shoudn't have a roof, end of story. Nothing like a nice summer day/evening or even today for having the roof down. Wife loves it, also has a convertible.

Suspect you've never owned a cabrio.......... Nothing else will do I'm afraid. Can't say I've noticed scuttle shake, that's a bit out of date these days, especially if you knew this:
"For the first time, development of the cabriolet version of the 997 led the design and engineering effort at Porsche with the coupé following. Porsche applied the logic that if you started with the more difficult cabriolet challenges (for chassis stiffness) the coupé version would simply be more rigid. Despite additional weight, the cabriolet versions attain nearly the same performance figures as their coupé counterparts. Even the rear tail comes up slightly higher on the cabriolets to compensate for differences in drag over the canvas top vs. the smoother coupé shape". In fact, cabrio is 0.2 seconds slower to 60 than a coupe, so no, you aren't going to notice. Seems cabrios is 85kg heavier.

If you want a fast road car, and have a coupe over a cabrio "because its lighter/faster" then why do you have a 911 if that's your concern? Why not an Aerial Atom? Oh is because that isn't what you want? Yeah, that's why I have convertibles. Tunnel Blasting is just awesome (I have PSE, always on!) and it's just so much nicer with the roof down.

I live in a nice area, so the security really isn't an issue. I leave it outside on the road roof down all the time.

OP, get a cabrio, much more fun

If it's a daily driver, get a higher mileage looked after car, don't pay over the odds for a low mileage one, there's no point.

Each to their own, if you enjoy it that's all that matters.

By the way your third para makes no sense.

Still wouldn't have one gift wrapped!

There is always going to be a narrower audience wanting a cabrio come resell time. It can take longer as a result to sell it. Couple that with seasonality - spring/summer obviously being easier to sell than autumn/winter. But recognise that out of the smaller pool of cabrio buyers there will be a % of them who will buy in autumn and winter and for whom there is no seasonality in the purchase - except they will push for a lower price in autumn/winter on the grounds that "you missed the season"

resigner said:

OP, get a cabrio, much more fun

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My point of view exactly Seriously, I cannot take advantage of the additional performance a coupe offers over a cab.

resigner said:

If it's a daily driver, get a higher mileage looked after car, don't pay over the odds for a low mileage one, there's no point.

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Fair point.

cheshire911 said:

There is always going to be a narrower audience wanting a cabrio come resell time. It can take longer as a result to sell it. Couple that with seasonality - spring/summer obviously being easier to sell than autumn/winter. But recognise that out of the smaller pool of cabrio buyers there will be a % of them who will buy in autumn and winter and for whom there is no seasonality in the purchase - except they will push for a lower price in autumn/winter on the grounds that "you missed the season"

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Thanks, good points.

Anyway, let's try and stick to the OP question and not descend into irrelevant opinions about what one does and does not like. I really quite like lobster, but don't much like cabbage roulade but what has that got to do with the OP ?

Please be aware of some behaviour that cabrio and convertible car owners may experience:
1. Ferrari 360 and Boxster owner I know leaving the hood down whilst parked in the summer to return to a car with revolting spit and phlegm over the leather seats.
2. Same guys parked up with hood up and car spat on all over the bodywork - common occurrence they said.
3. People giving them "the bird" as they drive past them from the opposite direction shouting "poser!"
4. People seen in the rear view mirror shaking their hand mouthing the word "w&nker"
5. Arriving at a filling station with the top down, putting in £80 of fuel to shouts of "poser" "buy a Mini mate and save the Earth"

I dont undersatnd why, but driving with the top down seems to bring out the rough side of people who ordinarily will not remark if you drive past in a coupe, but the top-down and they have a go at insults.

Must be down to the particular places. I had a couple of (maybe) chavs walk past as I was pulling out of my road in my first Porsche cab and all I got was "nice car mate" and had that kind of comment quite a lot actually.
Had an M3 cab and a Boxster as well and never had a problem such as being described in this thread. Have lived in the midlands and the home counties with rag tops. Dad has a convertible and never had any such experiences.

I suppose if you park it somewhere with the roof down then maybe it is asking for trouble. But with an electric roof that can be put up in seconds, one has to ask why would you? You wouldnt walk away from any expensive car and leave the doors open. Also the sun is only going to heat the leather to an uncomfortable temperature and do UK damage too.

Think I will stop watching the thread now, not into the negativity that is being put forward about cabs which is not what the post was about. Like resigner, I think that a car like that with the roof off is far more fun.

Cheers for all the input though guys and girls.

cheshire911 said:

I dont undersatnd why, but driving with the top down seems to bring out the rough side of people who ordinarily will not remark if you drive past in a coupe, but the top-down and they have a go at insults.

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Glad its not just me who experienced this. I used to have a Nissan 350z Roadster and was amazed at how many people shouted abuse at me for no reason at all.

I think with convertibles its very much a personal opinion as to if someone likes them or not. I think they are great fun, all year round. I used to pretty much always have my roof down any time of the year. You can just have the heaters on and your driving along in a bubble of hot air.

But, I think visually some cars just dont look right as a convertible, which is why I went for the 997 coupe rather than a cab.