[rxter]

For all of my tough talk about the merits of a convertible, especially in my location, I am getting to the point of sick and tired of the cab. Why?



Well, mainly because my wife got a lovely Mercedes with a retractable hard top. This has made the task of lowering or raising the 968 top unbearable. Used to be pretty simple when it was the only option to go top down cruising. Now it's just a nuisance. So the top was down for the longest time. Then when we took the road trip we put it up and it's stayed that way for 6 weeks. If I want top-down cruising now I take the Merc. What is more pointless than a fabric top that never goes down?



With the top up I find that :



A) the stereo sounds better

<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.png" class="smilie" alt="" /> there are a lot of rattles that I never heard before - they are loud, annoying, and will never go away cause they are from the top

C) road noise is horrific (although better than with the top down - see A)

D) the AC works better

E) rear visibility is poor - especially since I refuse to put the rear wind deflector down on the off chance that I'll ever put the top down again - its such a PITA to move that thing

F) cowl shake is really, really bad in this car. I knew that, but with the top up pretending like I'm in a hard top the bumps and dips are very unsettling.



I find myself pining for the days in my RX8, when a hard top was a hard top.



Tell me coupe owners, what have I been missing and is it worth the hassle of finding a good coupe and moving all my D1R stuff over (off topic but seriously when do I get to put a DINAN-type emblem on this car - its really a lot more than a Porsche now)?



Cab owners is there any talking sense into me? Am I missing the point? Have I become fat and lazy at the Stuttgart alter?

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[Rap]

Seems like you have covered all the pertinent issues. If you have a better cab, better meaning better to you, then you have your answer. Wouldn't you like to have both sides covered say as in a coupe? Come over from the dark side and enjoy your ride! Lol please just don't buy a silver 968!

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[flash]

this is why i have a zip out rear window. i can leave the top up, zip out the window, roll the glass windows down, and have the same open air feeling without all the fuss and sunburn. then, when i want to close it up, it's a lot easier. i still have the option for spring and fall weather with the top down. best of all worlds.



as for cowl shake, i think i need to take a ride in the car and figure out what that's about. i really don't have that problem. not a lot of rattles either.



but, i do understand the situation, and make similar decisions, have an SL550 here as well. we often choose that car, purely because it's more civilized and comfortable.

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[tamathumper]

I don't have any cowl shake, but that may be due to the D1R braces, and all of my rattles and squeaks are gone since I put the little piece of weatherstrip foam along the leading edge of the cab top. It sticks so well it got rid of all that drama.

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[Paul W]

This is exactly why I bought a 968, because driving in a convertible with the top down is such a narrow window (about 72-82F) that I realized that a coupe is so much better. AC, quiet, etc., etc. Here is my convertible:

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[Cloud9...68]

On the flip side of Flash comments, the nice thing about the 968 coupe is the huge sunroof. It is a bit of a pain to remove by yourself, as you don't have very much leverage on it unless your name is Manute Bol, but with the top off, you get much of the open-air experience of a convertible, especially since you need to keep the windows cracked to prevent blowing your eardrums out from the buffetting. In fact, I tend to keep the sunroof off much of the year.

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[ds968]

I wonder if there is another car that has as large as a removable roof as the 968 ? I'm not talking about the retractable hard top convertibles , or the old style ones like the MBZ 450 SLs where the entire top can removed ( by four people and with the help of a crane, LOL ) but real coupes where just the top portion of the roof comes off or slides back.



I took the sunroof off on the 968 maybe three or four times in the last ten years ( and windows completely down ) IIRC all those times were in what I would consider to be perfect setting and weather - on the pacific coast highway, clear days, and in high 70s - low 80s temps. It's nice, but I just don't get the fascination with convertibles. And yes, I have driven "full" convertibles, did not care for it.

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[flash]

lol - probably too hard on your hair



i'd venture a guess that you wouldn't like riding a motorcycle either.



you like the more cocooned feeling of being enclosed in a car. i like the more exposed and raw feeling of having less between me and the road. i get the benefits of a hardtop, and am considering one for commute purposes (though i would probably ditch the hatchback and covert it to a coupe), but i don't plan on enjoying the driving experience. i plan on merely being comfortable and quiet. two very difference experiences, which call for two very different cars.

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[kzem1]

My 1982 Mazda Rx7 had a huge sunroof like the 968. I also used to drive it with the sunroof out most of the time. Of course that was a long time ago. lol

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[JWahlsten]

I can't say the coupe is a very quiet car either, and the large glass hatch creates an echo chamber for the road noise. That being said the car is quiet structurally, and with the chassis brace in the back makes a fun DE car. The AC works great in mine still...



The stereo will still need some work if that concerns you.



I've driven mine on many a road trip, and find it a great companion regardless. Maybe you should have two...

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[flash]

which is exactly why i said i would ditch the hatchback, and covert it to a coupe. i just haven't worked out the profile yet, but it likely would involve merging a cab with a hatchback. either that, or i will make a hardtop for the cab. the latter would certainly be cheaper, as i already have a white tiptronic cab to start with.



hmmmmm...............

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[ds968]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1378476256' post='148790']

i'd venture a guess that you wouldn't like riding a motorcycle either.

[/quote]



Actually I have enjoyed doing that when I was very young ( 16-17ish..) Never owned one, just used my friend's for a few runs . I don't remember how many cc's, but it was not a huge bike like a Harley, nor a moped, LOL..run-o-the-mill Kawasaki, IIRC. Anyway, not sure if the size and nature of a bike makes a huge difference to the experience, guessing it must to some extent, but it's definitely not something I would go out of my way to do now. Yes, I do prefer the cacooned feel at least when it comes to cars.

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[Rap]

Our roof is great when its out but as everyone else has said, what a pain in the neck to get out and back. I rarely use it unless I have two people to put it back in. I'm not Manute Bol and I haven't added that crane to my garage as yet! My other cars have always had moon roofs and this is my preference. Push a button and instant air. No fuss no muss! We enjoyed the rag top in Paso but our weather here works better with a sun or moon roof. After reading about all of the problems with the 968's roof, this is a potential problem I would prefer to avoid.

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[blau]

Well, you don't have to go far to get your new coupe. Alburquerque. Already has the D1R SC so you don't have to waste time swapping that over!



Is this car Slate Grey? It looks a little dark and bluish...



http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/4024882117.html

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[flash]

it's oak green. i know the car.



i would only consider a white car. the more i think about it, the more i like the idea of a hard top on a cab. i looked into this a while back and i think i know how i can incorporate it into the framework and use it to stiffen things up too. i'll poke around a bit on that in the coming weeks. just musing at this point, but all too often that turns into a project, so you never know................

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[rxter]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1378488324' post='148801']





hmmmmm...............

[/quote]



hmmmm....... indeed



When I was running around with the top down all the time I didn't much care for the big scarf that the top makes and thought the car would look so much better by just cutting off the roof. Of course one would need a cover for the hole. I know this has been discussed ad nauseum, A hard top would be the perfect companion.

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[Inkedupfatboy]

I have a better idea on what would make a perfect companion - lol

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[Langley968]

How about this? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rock.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



   

Or this?



   





It has a WING!!!!!!!!!!!!! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/icon_lol1.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

i've had "flying buttress" cars before. while i like them, it rather dates the car, and i don't think the angles look right. i'd have to see it on the car though. it could be very cool. i sure prefer that to the hatchback.



not the wing though - lol - been there done that. looks way too much like the daytona charger that nearly killed me

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[Langley968]

Wow, you reply FAST! You would almost think you are the Flash! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/clap.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



I think I also would prefer that to the hatchback. A/C would work so well it might freeze some body parts! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/icon_lol1.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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