Hi,

I am thinking about a 964 C4. I have heard the 4's had a fiendishly complicated AWD system that uses hydraulics.

I want the C4 because I intend to use the car as a daily driver 365 days a year in Minnesota.

What, especially, should I look out for in one of these cars? What should be checked? What are liikely costs associated with keeping such a car running?

I did a search and didn't see anything particular to the C4, except a discussion on ATE Super Blue.

Thanks!

 

C4's seem to have solid drivetrains. Hardly ever hear of anyone having trouble. Several guys on here race them and seem to have little trouble. I would do the normal stuff for a c2, but check the operation of the 4wd system. I could give you a bit of info here, but it would be better and more thorough for one of the c4 guys to pipe up.

 

Consider a 94 wide body. Probably better resale.

 

Not much breaks on the 4 wd systems . I've been reading this and other forums for years and I have very nearly never heard of anything going bad on the thing .　Just　week or two ago someone had a bearing problem in the drive shaft , but thats about all I can recall .

 

If you want an unique sport car, Porsche no less, get a C4. May not be as limber as a C2 for the track but lot of guys here handle the C4 on the track just as well as the C2. Well built and no more complicated than any SUV except better built and better designed. AS was said, do a standard PPI and your own due deligence. There is a manual switch near below the radio. Activate it to see if it engages the PDAS system. The AWD is always on with about 35% drive in the front and 65% in the rear. I would also go for a 94 C4 widebody, if you can find one.

 

That kind of proves the point - the C4 doesn't seem to have any particular problems with the AWD. You are far more likely to suffer more general problems - just because of the cars age - than anything due to the fact that it's a C4.

 

I suggest heading to John's Porsche 964 Web and check out the reviews and running reports for some additional information as well as Adrian Streathers book "Porsche 911 Enthusiast’s Companion Carrera 2, Carrera 4 and Turbo 1989-1994:“Auftragsnummer 964”

 

Just ordered Adrian's book about 2 hours ago. His 993 book is so splendid, I figured the 964 one was a must-have.

 

I love my C4. Not being a skilled track driver, the C4 allows me to drive twisty hilly country roads at fun speeds without ending up in a ditch or a field. Great stuff the C4!

 

Hey Thaddeus, I'm on to my second C4 now and no specific C4 problems to be reported. Just like mentioned above there are no real complications connected to the 4WD. If something goes wrong in that area it shouldn't be too hard to find secondhand spare parts since nobody basically needs them.
This link contains some nice general info.
This link is to the site of a Dutch member and contains excellent information with several running reports.
Mounted with winter tyres the C4 will go anywhere, the guy who bought my previous one goes skiing in the Alps with it, skis mounted on the roof. Although I don't have one I would also go for the widebody, they look so good.
Best of luck and make sure to come back when you found one.

 

Glad you like it
I think there's another running report due in a few months, which will include my experiencies during a 4000km-in-1-week trip to the Swiss and French Alps.



Sneak preview: I was there with 3 friends (968CS, Lotus Elise SportsRacer, Honda S2000), and the 4 cars were pretty evenly matched. Until we came to a twisty road with lots of hairpins in the damp: neither of the others could come close to matching my pace there. Quite useful sometimes, having the engine in the back
Oh, and mine is a C2, I'd have had to wait even longer at the top if it had been a C4 I think



Cheers,

JW