my first 996... for a european road trip.

mnbbrown · 27 Apr 2025

Hi, I've got my mind on set on driving a 996 from London to Greece for a wedding in June.
It's a bit of a bucket list thing - long road trip across Europe in summer, tick of some new countries.

At first I thought I wanted a Cabriolet but I think the road noise will get tiring very quickly on those long western europe highway stretches.. so some questions:

1. What's the road noise like with the hard top instead of the soft top?
2. What about a Targa?
3. If you could pick any Carrera variant which one would you pick for a trip like this?

I suspect the answer is I should just go sit in/drive some - but that's a little challenging in central London where there doesn't seem to be much stock.
Also, if anybody can recommend an insurer and breakdown cover provider (I've seen Locktons and Hagerty mentioned) for a trip like this I'm all ears, any other tips/tricks as well

Cheers!

P.S. I'll update this thread as plans develop

Marty* · 27 Apr 2025

On a trip like that it’s asking for it to be in a cab or the very least a targa

Nightshade · 27 Apr 2025

A few years ago I had a BMW e46 M3 cabriolet and did a couple of European roadtrips in it. The first from London to Switzerland and the French alps and back through Germany. The second was a longer trip from London to Barcelona via the non defunkt Paris-Narbonne car train, then east along the Spanish, French and Italian riverias to Tuscany, and back home via Lake Como. Both epic trips.

Although it wasn't in a Porsche, some takeaways:

I loved the cabrio for these trips, it make those amazing roads so much more immersive. I loved feeling the air temperature change whilst ascending and descending the Alps, the smell of the pine trees and the sun on your face, hearing the sound of the exhaust reverberating in tunnels.
I didn't experience any tiredness from taking a cabrio. I took every excuse to put the roof down, apart from on long motorways at least. I would take a cabrio again in a heartbeat.
On the first trip a friend joined in a coupe 911 without a sunroof and was very frustrated being with a group of cabrios all roof-down enjoying the sunshine.

I now own a coupe 996 with a sunroof, mainly for UK use. 996 owners seem to harp on about having non-sunroof cars but I love having a sunroof. It's not the full cabrio experience but offers 20% of it. I wouldn't feel too hard done by if I took my current car to Europe now.

I can't comment on the Targas but if I were to do a Euro trip in any configuration I would 100% take a cabrio if it were me.

Uncle Monty · 27 Apr 2025

You can get quite sunburnt in a cabrio and at speeds the wind can get annoying. I drove back from East Germany a few years ago in the Boxster , it was 35C and we had to have the roof up it was so hot , no aircon in that car so both windows down it was bearable.

Bluebird911 · 27 Apr 2025

I have done many long distance European trips in my Cab over the last 15 years. Make sure you have a windbreak behind your seats to stop the back draught, wear a sun hat to protect your head and sunscreen for your arms!! I find it no different to travelling in a closed car other than going under bridges which can be a bit noisy!!

Make sure you have your tyres balanced before you go (whether you think it's needed or not) - you'll be traveling at higher speeds in the UK for longer periods.

The RAC website is good for listing all the the things you need to drive in Europe - gets more and more onorous since Brexit!

I have a £350 quote from Footman James which is more than last year, so I'm looking round! That's for agreed value, title retention after write off, legal services and return to home EU breakdown recovery.

mnbbrown · 27 Apr 2025

Ok this has squarly put the Cab back on the table of options (here I was trying to remove options - maybe I've removed the Coupe... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

As a redhead I had naively not even thought about sunburn - so maybe I'm edging towards tracking down a Targa. There's two around London so I'll go sit in one.. lots of Cab's though so I'll find one of those too..

It's also great to hear long euro road trips being totally possible (and thanks for the tyre balancing reminder - that's made a massive improvement in other cars i've done long trips in)

Zingari · 27 Apr 2025

I've decided I'm not a convertible person. Boxster is great car but I find with the roof down (as in all cabs) the sun can mask the dash instruments (even with sunglasses on) which forces you to wear a hat. I get similar with the 3.2 targa but I can live with it for its retor style. I also don't like the increased road noise on motorways with the roof up. Ideally I'd want a sunroof as my only 'open top' option.

(I'm exclduing the '69 MGB I had given that must be a roadster)

Marky911 · 27 Apr 2025

That will be an awesome trip OP.
Some of my happiest memories are made on our Euro trips.
Ignoring the noise issue I’d just say this.
A mate brought his Boxster Spyder on one of our trips a few years ago.
It was almost 40 degrees as we travelled down the Route Napoleon. He managed 40 minutes with the roof off. He was getting cooked.

On the whole though roof down driving does add another element, especially for engine noise and tunnel runs.

Robbidoo · 27 Apr 2025

I might be in a minority here but I think the best 996 for this kind of trip is a turbo cab... maybe even a tip...

radish1 · 28 Apr 2025

Marky911 said:
That will be an awesome trip OP.
Some if my happiest memories were made on our Euro trips.
Ignoring the noise issue I’d just say this.
A mate brought his Boxster Spyder on one of our trips a few years ago.
It was almost 40 degrees as we travelled down the Route Napoleon. He managed 40 minutes with the roof off. He was getting cooked.
On the whole though roof down driving does add another element, especially for engine noise and tunnel runs.

View attachment 117849

Wow what a beautiful location. Where exactly is that?

radish1 · 28 Apr 2025

I think it depends on your driving style.

I have a 996 coupe with a sunroof that I open occasionally. It feels great to have when the sun is out, but I think I’d be happier without the sunroof, only from a performance standpoint (less weight up top, arguably more chassis rigidity).

But if you don’t foresee yourself driving to the limit, and instead driving at a leisurely pace, then I think a cabriolet would be a much better choice in this regard.

I’ve never been in a 996 cabriolet, but have driven many Mazda MX-5s with a soft-top convertible and have really enjoyed those. I love the convenience of stowing a soft-top at a whim, which I think will be important if you’re trekking across Europe.

And if you’re not chasing performance, a cabriolet will provide much more immersion with your environment, as previous posters have mentioned. It feels quite freeing - almost magical - with an unfiltered 360-degree sense of your surroundings. I imagine that’s something that would be very enjoyable on a road trip.

Great, now I feel convinced to look for a cabriolet too.

But yes, I’d also recommend you get a wind deflector to help keep your sanity while moving at speed.

NDA · 28 Apr 2025

I have always had a cabriolet of one sort or another - I also regularly drive to Provence. I have a C4S Cab and this was bought specifically for my summer trips - perfect. The noise levels are fine (it’s never going to be a Bentley) and you can wear a cap or put the roof up if the heat is too intense.

Just saw this video about 911 driving in Greece:

Marky911 · 28 Apr 2025

radish1 said:
Wow what a beautiful location. Where exactly is that?

Hi Radish,
That’s Lac De Castillon just north of Castellane in the French Alps.
You’re spoilt for choice of amazing roads once you hit the Alps after Grenoble until the coast at Nice or Monaco.

We came off the Route Napoleon at Digne and took the N202 towards Entrevaux.

If you turn left just before Entrevaux you turn on to Red Rock Road.

Mr JWW is a bit of a ponce but he made a good video about that road here. (Red Rock bit is from 8 minutes in.)

Here’s a thread from my 2019 trip when we did this one. Incase any of it is any use to anyone.

https://911uk.com/porsche/markys-gt3-euro-trip-france-italy-switzerland.106574/

Marky911 · 28 Apr 2025

NDA said:
I have always had a cabriolet of one sort or another - I also regularly drive to Provence. I have a C4S Cab and this was bought specifically for my summer trips - perfect. The noise levels are fine (it’s never going to be a Bentley) and you can wear a cap or put the roof up if the heat is too intense.

Just saw this video about 911 driving in Greece:

Sam is still the best YouTuber who has stuck to his roots with the roadtripping.
Mr JWWs early content was great but he simply wanted to build a brand.

Sam’s content and quality is spot on.

mingmangmong · 28 Apr 2025

I’d discount the Targa. I owned one and loved it but it’s extremely noisy with the roof open at speed. That said, the hatchback rear screen is pretty handy.

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