There are two ways to take the roof off a modern Porsche 911, and they are more different than the brochures suggest. The Cabriolet folds a fabric roof away behind the rear seats. The Targa lifts a panel from above your head and stows it beneath a sweeping rear window, while a brushed bar stays exactly where it has been since 1965. We have had the chance to compare two 911 Targa 4 GTS cars side by side, one from each of the last two generations, and what follows draws on both. It covers what separates the Targa from the Cabriolet, what separates the 991.2 from the 992, and what to check before you buy either. What is a Porsche 911 Targa? A Targa is a 911 with a removable roof panel and a fixed roll bar: an open car that keeps the silhouette of a coupe. Porsche introduced it at the 1965 Frankfurt show, at a moment when American safety regulators looked likely to outlaw the full convertible. The fixed hoop was Porsche’s answer, delivering open-air driving with rollover protection built into the structure. The name came from the Targa Florio, the Sicilian road race Porsche had already won several times. The idea has changed shape since. From the 993 through the 997, a Targa meant a large sliding glass roof and no bar at all. The 991 generation brought the bar back for the 2014 model year, this time with a fully automated roof: the rear window lifts and tilts away, the roof panel folds beneath it, and everything returns to place at the press of a button. The 992 refined the same design. In both generations the Targa is all-wheel drive only, which is why every modern example carries a 4 in its name. Targa vs. Cabriolet: what is the difference? The Cabriolet is the more open car. The Targa is the more complete one. With the roof down, a Cabriolet is open above and behind you, with the full sky overhead and the engine note arriving unfiltered. A Targa opens only above the front seats. You get light, air and sound, but far less buffeting, and the cabin stays calmer at highway speed. Some buyers find that a compromise; others find it is exactly the version of open-top driving they will actually use every day. Operation is the most practical difference. A Cabriolet roof opens in a matter of seconds and, on the current car, can be operated on the move at low speed. The Targa mechanism takes longer, requires the car to be stationary, and needs clear space behind the car while the rear window swings up and back. If you like to drop the roof at a traffic light, buy the Cabriolet. If you open it once at the start of a drive and leave it, the distinction disappears. Then there is the shape. Roof up, a modern Cabriolet looks closer to a coupe than any open 911 before it, but the Targa’s profile, with its bar and wraparound rear glass, is its own design, and for many people the most handsome 911 of all. It is also the rarer body style. Porsche builds far fewer Targas than Cabriolets, and the Targa is limited to all-wheel drive, whereas the Cabriolet is offered with either rear- or all-wheel drive. Florida adds one consideration the brochures do not. A Targa with its panel removed lets air into the cabin without exposing the whole interior to midday sun, which in this climate is not a small thing. A Cabriolet rewards evenings and winter mornings; a Targa is more forgiving at noon in July. What does GTS mean on a 911? GTS is the specification an enthusiast would have ordered anyway, bundled together at a price that makes the individual options look expensive. It sits between the Carrera S and the GT and Turbo cars. The GTS brings more power than the S, Sport Chrono and a sport exhaust as standard, lowered adaptive suspension, center-lock wheels, and an interior trimmed heavily in Alcantara or Race-Tex. On the 991.2 the GTS engine produces 450 horsepower; on the 992 it produces 473. Both use Porsche’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six. For a used buyer, the appeal is that most of what you would want on a 911 is already there, and the GTS badge tends to be easier to resell than a Carrera with a long and idiosyncratic options list. Should you buy a 991.2 or a 992? The 991.2 is the more compact, more analogue-feeling car. The 992 is the more refined and more modern one. Neither is the wrong answer. The 991.2 covers the 2017 to 2019 model years and was the first generation in which every Carrera was turbocharged. Its cabin is traditional in the best sense, with a large central tachometer flanked by conventional gauges and physical switchgear that falls easily to hand. It has also absorbed more depreciation, which makes it the stronger value of the two. The 992 arrived for 2020, with the Targa following for 2021 and the GTS joining the line shortly after. Every 992 uses the wide body, the cabin is more digital, the infotainment is a generation newer, and the car feels more planted and more insulated at speed. Some drivers miss a little of the 991’s intimacy; most simply notice that it is better at everything. The practical question is less which generation is better than how you intend to use the car. A buyer who wants a 911 to drive regularly, without worrying about every mile, will find the 991.2 hard to argue with. A buyer who wants the newest car available, in as close to delivery-mileage condition as possible, will lean toward the 992. Two Targa 4 GTS cars, side by side 2018 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Ours came to us in Graphite Blue Metallic over black, with the GTS Alcantara package, 18-way Adaptive Sport Seats Plus, Power Steering Plus, Lane Change Assist, and the Sport Chrono clock and instrument dials finished in Guards Red. It rode on the 20-inch center-lock Turbo S wheels and showed roughly 40,700 miles, with a clean Carfax. That mileage is a feature rather than a footnote. As we explain in our convertible buying guide, a car that has been driven and serviced regularly is often a better buy than one that has sat, because seals, switches and roof mechanisms all suffer from disuse. It was a 911 that had been used as intended. 2022 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS The 2022 came to us in GT Silver Metallic over black, from a single owner, with fewer than 2,000 miles and a clean Carfax. Its specification included the Premium Package, sport exhaust with silver tailpipes, ventilated front seats, matte carbon interior trim, and the Targa bar itself finished in silver, the classic choice. It sat on 20- and 21-inch Turbo S wheels in satin black. It was, in effect, a new car on which someone else had already absorbed the first owner’s depreciation. What should you check on a used 911 Targa? The Targa roof is the most elaborate mechanism Porsche fits to a 911. It is reliable when maintained and worth inspecting carefully regardless. Run the roof through its full cycle several times with the car stationary and level. It should move smoothly and at a consistent pace, without hesitation, and the panel should seat evenly with no visible gaps. Slow or uneven operation can point to a weak battery, a sensor, or an alignment problem, and the cause should be identified before purchase rather than after. Then look for water. Targa roofs drain through channels and tubes built into the roof frame, and when those block or the seals shrink with age, water finds its way onto door trims and seats. Check the edges of the headliner, the tops of the door cards, and the seat bolsters for staining, and ask whether the seals have ever been replaced. Seals are an age-related item, and in strong sun they age faster. Finally, drive it at highway speed with the roof closed and listen. Some wind noise is normal; whistling or rattling from the roof edges usually means a seal or adjustment issue. Beyond the roof, the checks are the same as for any modern 911: a complete service history, the age of the tires regardless of tread, brake condition relative to mileage, and on a recent car, how much of the original factory warranty remains, which depends on the date it was first placed in service. Frequently asked questions Is a Porsche 911 Targa a convertible? In the sense that the roof comes off, yes. Structurally it is a distinct body style, with a fixed roll bar and a glass rear window that set it apart from the fabric-roofed Cabriolet. Is the Targa or the Cabriolet the better buy? It depends on how you want the car to feel open. The Cabriolet gives you more sky and more sound. The Targa gives you a calmer cabin, the more distinctive shape, and the rarer car. Can you open a 911 Targa roof while driving? No. The car must be stationary, with clear space behind it while the rear window moves. The Cabriolet roof on current models can be operated at low speed. Do Targa roofs leak? A healthy Targa should not. Leaks almost always trace back to blocked drains or aged seals, both of which are straightforward to inspect before purchase. Are all modern 911 Targas all-wheel drive? Yes. Every 991 and 992 Targa is all-wheel drive, which is why they are badged Targa 4, Targa 4S or Targa 4 GTS. With thanks to Dan Magee, Sales Consultant at Rosner Motorsports. Browse our current Porsche inventory, or read our broader guide, Best Used Luxury Convertibles: What to Know Before You Buy. If you are looking for a particular 911 we do not have on the floor, call us. We can usually find it.
What Actually Breaks on a Convertible? Roof Mechanisms, Hydraulics and Real Costs
Every convertible buying guide tells you to inspect the roof. Almost none tell you what you are looking for, what fails, or what it costs when it does. That gap is where buyers lose money. This guide goes system by system through the parts of an open car that a coupe simply does not have, using convertibles that have come through our showroom as examples. The cost ranges are typical figures for independent specialist work at the time of writing; dealer pricing usually runs higher, and every car deserves its own quote. Why do convertibles have more to go wrong? Because a convertible carries three systems a coupe does not: the roof mechanism, the sealing and drainage around it, and the sensors and modules that coordinate the two. None of these is inherently fragile. Manufacturers engineer them to last for many years. But each adds parts that move, seal or switch, and each ages according to time and climate as much as mileage. A folding hardtop adds a further layer, because a heavier roof needs more substantial hydraulics to move it. Mercedes-Benz SL: the Vario roof The SL’s folding hardtop is the most useful roof in any convertible, and it is also the most complex. It is also the convertible we sell more of than almost any other, across two generations: the R230 of 2003 to 2012 and the R231 that followed it. The roof is driven by a hydraulic pump in the trunk feeding a series of cylinders, with microswitches and position sensors confirming each stage before the next begins. When something goes wrong, it almost always falls into one of four categories. The hydraulic fluid level drops over time and the roof slows or stops. A cylinder begins to leak, often leaving fluid on the headliner, parcel shelf or trunk lining. A microswitch or sensor fails and the sequence halts partway. Less often, the pump itself fails. The first is the most common and the least alarming. “Sometimes the hydraulic reservoirs simply need to be refilled because they’ve lost pressure over time,” says Dan Magee, a sales consultant at Rosner Motorsports. A top-up and bleed is typically a few hundred dollars. A single leaking cylinder usually runs from several hundred to around fifteen hundred dollars installed, depending on which one and how much trim has to come out. Multiple cylinders or a pump can climb to several thousand. One detail catches out buyers on test drives: the SL roof will not operate unless the trunk partition is correctly in place. A roof that refuses to move is not always a roof that is broken. Active Body Control: the system that lives on the same cars ABC is not part of the roof, but it is the single most important thing to understand before buying an SL 63. Active Body Control is Mercedes’ hydraulic suspension, using high-pressure fluid at each corner to hold the car flat through corners and keep the ride composed. It is standard on the SL 63 in both generations, and optional on the R231 SL 400, so the build sheet is worth checking. When healthy, it is remarkable. When neglected, it is expensive. The system ages through its struts, its high-pressure lines, its pump, and the valve blocks and accumulators that manage pressure. The warning signs are a car sitting noticeably low at one corner after standing overnight, an ABC message on the dash, or fluid seepage around the wheels. A fluid flush and bleed is a routine, modest job. A single line or strut typically runs from one to three thousand dollars. Multiple struts or a pump can reach five thousand and beyond. Some owners respond to a large ABC bill by converting the car to conventional coilovers. That solves the cost and changes the car, both in how it drives and in how a future buyer will value it. The better route is to buy an example on which the system has been maintained and documented. Porsche 911 Targa: the roof that moves the rear window The modern Targa mechanism lifts the rear window, folds the roof panel beneath it, and sets everything back in place. It is reliable when maintained, and we look at it in detail in our 911 Targa vs. Cabriolet guide. The faults that do appear are mostly about alignment and water: a roof that moves slowly or unevenly, seals that have shrunk with age, and drain tubes in the roof frame that block and send water onto door trims and seats. Clearing drains is a minor job. Replacing seals frequently runs to four figures, because parts of the roof assembly must come apart to fit them. Ferrari California T: a folding hardtop at Ferrari rates The California T uses a two-piece retractable hardtop, hydraulically operated, which gives it the same broad character as the SL: a proper coupe with the roof up, a convertible with it down. The categories of fault are the same as well, from fluid and seals to sensors and alignment. What changes is the price of putting them right. Ferrari parts and specialist labor rates mean that the same class of fault costs considerably more than on a Mercedes, which makes a documented service history and a full roof cycle during inspection even more important. Soft tops: fabric, frame and rear window A fabric roof is simpler than a folding hardtop, and it is also a consumable. The soft-top cars that come through our showroom range from the MINI Convertible John Cooper Works and the Volkswagen Beetle Convertible to the retro Ford Thunderbird. On all of them, the fabric itself is the part that wears. Ultraviolet light breaks down the material and the stitching, rear windows cloud or separate from the fabric around them, and the frame’s pivots and motors wear with use. Replacement costs vary enormously by car. A quality top for a MINI or Beetle typically falls between one and two and a half thousand dollars installed. A factory-specification top for a Porsche or a premium German convertible commonly runs from three thousand to well beyond. Switches, sensors and batteries Many convertible roof faults are electrical rather than mechanical, and some of the most common are also the cheapest. A weak battery is the first suspect when a roof hesitates, particularly on a car that sits. Roof sequences draw significant current and many control modules refuse to run them below a certain voltage. Position sensors and microswitches are the next. As we described in our convertible buying guide, we once bought a Porsche Boxster whose owners had lowered the top only twice; its microswitches had stopped working simply from disuse. Replacing them was inexpensive. Finding the cause required running the roof through its cycle. Water: the expensive failure that is not mechanical The costliest convertible repairs often begin with a blocked drain. Every convertible channels water away through drains around the roof and body. When those drains clog with debris, water collects and overflows into footwells and trunks, which is precisely where many cars keep their control modules, wiring and, on the SL, the roof pump. Clearing a drain costs almost nothing. Replacing the electronics that a flooded footwell has damaged can cost thousands. This is why we check under the carpet rather than on it, and why a convertible that has lived outdoors in a humid climate deserves a closer look than its mileage alone would suggest. How to check a convertible roof before you buy Operate the roof through its full cycle at least twice, with the car stationary and the engine running. It should move smoothly and at a consistent pace. Watch and listen for hesitation, uneven movement between sides, or grinding and whining from the pump. Look for hydraulic fluid on the headliner, parcel shelf and trunk lining, and around the wheels on cars with hydraulic suspension. Lift the carpet in the footwells and trunk and check the underlayment for damp or staining. Find the drain channels and confirm they are clear. Ask for records of roof servicing, hydraulic fluid changes and, on an SL 63, the ABC system. For a buyer purchasing remotely, a video of the roof completing its full cycle, filmed from outside the car, is worth more than any number of still photographs. How we approach it Every convertible that comes into our inventory has its roof operated during inspection. “Those systems have a lot of moving parts,” Dan says, “and because the hardtop is much heavier than a fabric roof, there are additional hydraulic components that need to be checked.” Our standard is that a car on the showroom floor is ready to go and needs nothing, and the roof is part of that standard rather than an exception to it. Frequently asked questions How much does convertible roof repair cost? Anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a fluid top-up or a switch to several thousand for hydraulic cylinders, a pump, or a factory soft top. The make, the roof type and whether the work goes to a dealer or an independent specialist all move the figure considerably. Are folding hardtops less reliable than soft tops? They have more components and heavier hydraulics, so there is more that can fail and repairs can cost more. In exchange, the roof itself does not wear out the way fabric does. A well-maintained folding hardtop is not a liability. Why does my convertible roof stop halfway? Most often low hydraulic fluid, a weak battery, a failed position sensor or microswitch, or, on an SL, a trunk partition that is not in place. Each is identifiable before it becomes expensive. How often should you operate a convertible roof? Regularly, even in the off-season. Seals, switches and hydraulics all deteriorate faster through disuse than through normal operation. Does Active Body Control make an SL 63 a bad buy? No. It makes service history essential. A documented, well-maintained ABC system is one of the finest suspension systems ever fitted to a road car. With thanks to Dan Magee, Sales Consultant at Rosner Motorsports, for the inspection detail throughout. Browse our current selection of pre-owned luxury convertibles, or read our full guide, Best Used Luxury Convertibles: What to Know Before You Buy. If you have questions about a specific car, call us. We would rather answer them before you buy than after.