sambeckett78

in the market for a 993. looking to buy as soon as i find the right car.

i live in socal, so a C4 is obviously not a necessity. this would be the first "fun" 4WD car i'd consider. all other fun cars have been RWD.

what are general thoughts on the C2 vs C4?
any difference in resale value?
is the C4 desirable because it's more rare?

i certainly need to drive both before i decide, but i want to see if i decide on a C4 is it possible that they are less desirable.

any feedback is appreciated.

asofine

I'm sure others here will be able to provide a more in depth review than I can, but just to get things going...

Points in favor of the C4:
- Obviously, the more weather ready vehicle. Plenty of guys DD their C4s in very harsh winter environments. While this isn't a huge concern in SoCal, a C4 is still nice if for nothing other than heavy rain & the fall months when leaves, etc. are on the road.

- Less oversteer. Of course, whether this is a point in favor of the C4 or a strike against it is subjective. Nonetheless, if you're not a seasoned track guy, the C4 will be the easier car to keep on the road through the turns.

Points against the C4:
- Extra weight. I'm not sure offhand what the weight difference is, but obviously the 4WD is heavier than its RWD counterpart.

- Extra mechanical complexity. Of course, you're also theoretically exposing yourself to greater maintenance costs in the event that something with the 4WD goes on you. In practice, this isn't a big deal...there are some nightmare stories about the 964's AWD system, but the 993's viscous coupling setup is very reliable.

- Less "pure." This is the flip side of the oversteer issue. Aficionados don't want the 4WD getting in their way. To them, the pure 911 experience is is a RWD one.

Resale Value:
- I'm afraid I haven't followed this closely enough to give you a terribly insightful answer. C4s are typically only appealing to buyers who a) live in areas with harsh winter months and b) intend to drive their 993s during the winter. Thus, generally speaking, I suspect there will always be more demand for C2s than C4s. As you point out, though, the supply of C4s is lower. I'm not sure offhand how these factors balance out in the overall market.

kjr914

Sam,
Since you don't "need" AWD (SoCal), find the best car you can and buy that.

I bought a C4S (in SoCal) because I wanted the wide body, big red brakes, and found a nice one nearby. At the time C2S's were hard to find and actually cost more. My AWD doesn't work anymore and I'm not bothered by that, especially since I AX and TT with it....and it never rains here.

murfysflaw

This is what I did as well. Unless you're going to track it, I didn't worry about whether it was a C2 or C4 and just found the best example I could.

RBP

The C4 is about 110 lbs more weight and runs 0-60 mph a whole .1 second slower according to Porsche specifications. The answer to your question is based on what you intend to do with the car. If you intend to track the car and push to the maximun then you want the C4 for the overall handling. I don't know that anyone drives these in the snow and salt so I don't see the C4 being a desirable choice due to winter conditions. I know my cars are off the road by the end of November and back out in May sometime. The C2 is cleaner. lighter and somewhat faster. In my thinking, I went C2 simply because I don't track my car, it is just for fun in fair weather so the fewer things to go wrong the better.

davePorsche

I love the turbo body , brakes, etc of the C4S I have.

I dont love that the first mechanical problem i had with the car was the front differential on the 4wd system that i really dont need...... $2000 later ... all good. but i would rather have spent that 2000 on something a bit more fun.

despite that frustration... still love the look of this car and happy to own it.

mdude

Porsche made more C2 than C4, but made less C2S (or simply Carrera S) than C4S.

Even though C4S sold for more when new, I believe today low mileage C2S are worth more than comparable C4S.

J4yDubs

I've seen this said a couple times in these C2 vs C4 threads (yeah, there's been one or two in the past ). A counter argument to this statement is that a couple of publication have tested the C4 as being faster (by .1 - .5 secs) to 60 than the C2. I have an R&T article from 1995 that states this. Of course, if you really care about 0-60 times, you probably shouldn't be looking at a non-turbo 993. There's a bunch of other cars out there that will win in 0-60.

The C4 also comes with some equipment standard that were options on the C2. Better brakes and limited slip come to mind (I forget the exact Porsche terminology).

Oh and there's that very cool "4" after the Carrera. That's worth at least a $2k bump in price.

As others have said though, don't worry about the car being a C2 or C4. The differences are not enough to sway you one way or another. I ended up with a C4, but that's just because that's what I found. I'd have been just as happy with a C2. I do love that little "4" though...

John

martyp

Buy the best example you can afford/find, and enjoy it!

FWIW - if you ignore the non-Varioram and Cabriolet cars, there were ~2X more 2S made then plain 'o C4, and way more C4S (per Streather) - Just sayin' I like creative statistics

K964

As an FYI, there will be a very nice, 33,275 mile Polar Silver/blue 993 C4 for sale in SoCal soon. It leaves my garage on Tuesday morning heading out to CNC Motors, Inc. in Ontario, CA, and should be there in about 7-10 days. It is a '95 that I traded in on one of their cars. Good luck in your search.

tcsracing1

i thought i was a 2wd guy until i discovered the C4S.....

i wouldnt go back to 2wd. the 4wd grip has me spoiled.

goofballdeluxe

Unless you are a very experienced and talent track monkey, either car is more car than you are driver.

Forget about C2S vs. C4S and focus on finding the best possible car. You cannot go wrong with either

tcsracing1

very true. Both are excelent. Take what ever is the best example you can afford/find.

il pirata

The C4 was produced in more limited numbers than the C2 meaning if you have a specific color combo in mind it will be harder to find a C4 on the market at the time you are looking...just a numbers thing.

The C4 did come with ABD/LSD standard which along with all wheel drive is pretty nice...especially if you are not going to track or do a lot of DE events. You really have to be driving stupid on the street to lose it. During normal driving all the power goes to the rear wheels. As others have mentioned the viscous coupling has been very durable for almost everyone.

I like my C4S and really like the way it handles but if you are looking for a C2 or a C4 either one is great...I would go for either one that has the colors/options you want and a CLEAN history, up to date maintenance with docs, good paint and a fair price.

Of course you could start down the slippery slope earlier on and expand you search for a C2S or C4S instead!

Chris M.

Did something fail and you took that opportunity to do the front wheel drive delete?