wdlfbio

Hello,

We live outside Seattle. Lots of rain, some snow and ice, small mountain pass going to and from work. Car will be her DD. Cabriolet for sure. She had an '08 E92 M3 and now drives a lightly tuned E89 Z4. Both were fitted with winter shoes when appropriate and did fine as her DD.

Trying to figured out what the differences are between the two. Seems like AWD and a little wider stance in the 4S is it??? The S may be a bit more fun to toss around the corners though?

If I have to buy winter shoes for either car, I see no advantage to the added weight and cost for the 4S. If the weather is particularly snotty, she can drive my 335 XI and I'll drive the Duramax. If the deal is great on a 4s, then we wouldn't pass it up. But, what am I missing in the differences?

Looking for a lightly used model, as I'm not interested in a $20-$30k depreciation. We are patient and she has the list of wants. If anyone hears of one that is not on the Porsche locator or Autotrader, please let me know.

Must haves:
Cabriolet
Agate Grey exterior
Platinum Grey interior (two-tone black or not)
PDK
Sport chrono
Park assist
Heated seats
Entry and Drive

Thank you for any input.

Archimedes

There are a number of good reviews on the 4S on YouTube you should watch. There's a particularly good comparo of the S and 4S on a wet track. If I were you, I'd go with the 4S unless your wife likes to regularly slide the car around for fun in the dry.

Team Plutonium

4S is wide body and looks better (IMHO), but I'm a wide body fan. Don't know where you live, but the 4S is a tank in the snow, incredible in the rain, and one of the best DD's out there. Since you have a 335xi it might not be worth the extra price. The extra weight isn't really noticeable unless you are a track-rat.

smosier

I live nearish to Seattle, I have a 2S and have done 18k miles. It's perfectly wonderful and I have never felt that I needed any additional traction from 4wd. BUT, the stock Pirellis are awful in the wet, so if you stick with them, you will notice some unexpected sliding at times. However, if you put some winters in during the rainy season, you won't have anything to worry about.

Keep in mind, too, that the safety nannys on the car are good and the rear weight bias is already helping with the traction that 4wd helps with in typical DD scenarios.

So I think you have the right attitude, the 4wd safety blanket is not objectionable, per se, but you really don't need it to enjoy a DD in the PNW.

Chris3963

IMHO, 4S. Wider body looks better, steers better, handles better is all conditions so what's not to like. If still doubtful, see if this review convinces you.

RobC4sX51

I've had both and tho KY doesn't rain as often as the PNW (I love Seattle), it rains a lot here too (over 45"s a year). I have had both NB & WB awd and much prefer the awd. Tires are important but think about Subaru, Audi Quattro, etc! GL w your decision. Great cars either way.

trysixty

Not sure you need a 2S or 4S for DD since you hardly can get over 15 mph within the city and 30 mph on 5,405, and 90 most days. Also a Porsche will not impress the all the global warming-kool aid drinkers in Seattle/Bellevue while your sitting in traffic. Buy her a Smart Car for DD and 2S cab with PSE for weekend trips or cruising outside the Latte Capital. Call Nick at Roger Jobs, they had a car almost identical to what you are looking for last time i was there. Good Luck

thomnellie

I'm surprised by your view that the Pirelli's are awful in the wet. On my T4S they are great. I had expected a fair amount of aquaplaning through puddles with such wide tires and have experienced virtually none, they channel water that well. In fact, I have been telling everyone I know how great they are in the wet. Tests show them as good as the Michelins in the wet and perhaps even better in wet braking. What tire pressures do you run?

trysixty

A lot of people get cold weather (below 40) confused with wet weather when comparing Pzero's to MPPS tires.

thomnellie

From the reviews I have read, one of the advantages that the 4S has over the 2S is the ability to get power down to the pavement, even in dry track conditions, making it faster out of corners. I imagine that this would be amplified in inclement conditions.

wdlfbio

Thanks. Looking at a '13 4S. 10,000 miles, CPO, asking $104k.
nstrument Dials in Black

Sport Exhaust System

Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK)

20-inch Carrera Classic wheel

Wheel center caps with colored Porsche Crest

Smoking package

Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS)

Park Assist (front and rear)

Sport Chrono Package

Power Steering Plus

Navigation Module

Sport Design steering wheel

Two-tone leather interior

Black / Platinum Grey leather interior

Agate Grey Metallic

Power Sport Seats (14-way)

BOSE® Audio Package

Premium Package Plus

Bi-Xenon™ headlights in Black incl. Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS)

wdlfbio

Haaaaaa. Too true

wdlfbio

From the car fax. Any red flags, or probably an issue finally fixed?

snowcar_C4S

All I needed to read in your post was: "some ice". Personally, I would go for the C4S, and install snow tires for the winter months. Most Porsche dealers will provide this service to you and store the tires - mine does. Having lived in Seattle, I am aware that the downtown area does not get too bad during winter, however, it seems that the further out you go you tend to hit ice and snow. Just from a peace of mind standpoint, it's the right thing to do for your SO, IMHO!

Here's a prior post of mine responding to a fellow Rennlister regarding a switch from an M3 to a C4S:

I was in your position last September. I ended up trading my 2013 535iX Diesel on a 2104 C4S Loaded, but no Burmeister or Ceramics. The 535 is a large sedan, and I simply had no use for it anymore, so decided to keep my 2011 M3 ZCP Coupe. So now I have 2 white 2 door coupes - genius, but love both of them. The M3, IMHO, is a knife, but not just any knife, it remains a vey sharp purpose built knife - if you have ever used a Messermeister knife in your kitchen, you'll probably know what I am talking about. There really is no point in comparing these cars to each other, they are in the top of their class in their respective sectors, but completely different from one another.

I have read the threads on C2s vs. C4S on this forum, and the debate continues unabated. I could tell you that because I live at 7 600 feet and experience snow and ice for close to six months of the year that I opted for the C4S. Well I would be lying, because my C4S is garaged for the winter, for me the choice was simple, those hips. I was married to a skinny ballet dancer for over two decades, no hips or bottom, totally miserable.....now I am very fortunate to have someone with extraordinary hips and bottom, much like my C4S, the C2S is lovely but has a rear like Taylor Swift, whereas the C4S is Beyonce all the way.

Now I am sure that you have perhaps heard of a prenup, the CPO is your Porsche prenup and, IMHO, when buying used, is crucial, the Dealer will charge you $2k+ for it, but it's worth the cost to me when amortized over the 6 year CPO period.

So when do I need 4 wheel drive? Probably never, so I decided to test the beast. I drove up a dirt road mountain pass yesterday, the most atrocious conditions, sometimes I was crawling at < 5 mph at > 9 000 feet according to my trusty Suunto watch. I had the Torque screen on and my front wheels never had less than 30% of the power, so it seems that this all wheel drive is a useful option after all. (I apologize to all those offended by my driving this vehicle on a dirt road, I know that many here have suffered severe psychological trauma when incurring that first spoiler scrape on the speed bumps at the Whole Foods store parking lot).

In closing, would I have the ***** to say that I would actually know the difference on the track between the C2S and the C4S? No, I think not, I do not race for a living, yet I am able to enjoy this car immensely, as do I enjoy the M3, to this day.