I know this has been discussed many times, I've searched all over, but would love to get the experts' feedback on which makes more sense given I'm looking to pick up a 993 as a weekend car.

The two options are:

1997 C2 -- 85k miles
1997 C4S -- 65k miles

Both are the same ext/int color, standard options on both (no sport seats, etc.) 6MT, condition looks to be similar with the majority of service records and no known major issues. Have not done a PPI on either yet, but plan to on whichever I move forward with.

The C2 is local and the C4S is remote and would be purchased sight unseen (plus freight charges). The price difference is ~$15K.

Would love to hear your thoughts, pros/cons, and others who may have gone through a similar purchasing process.

Thanks!

 

This has been discussed numerous times, each of us has our own opinions. It comes down to this:
Is it worth the extra $ for AWD, and Wider fenders?

Only you can answer how valuable your money is to you.

AWD and RWD will drive differently, have you driven each? Do you prefer one over the other?

I have zero need for AWD, so the C4S was out of the picture, and the extra $ for a C2S over the C2 was not worth it to me. So I chose a C2.

If the difference in cost was <$5k I might have gone for a C2S, all else being equal, but at $10K+ difference, I figured I could buy a LOT of mods.

 

The big question you need to ask yourself, and is a very subjective question, is it worth an extra $15K to you for a widebody car? Do you care about buying locally vs. far away? Preference for 2WD vs. AWD? Only you can answer these questions best.

Really, should the PPIs check out, both will easily scratch the 993 itch quite nicely.

For me, I'd probably buy the one that's had a new suspension, new clutch and/or top end done, rather than NB vs WB. At this mileage, these spendy items are getting due to replace. Unless, of course the body style is the major factor in your decision. Only you know.

Keep in mind, no matter which you buy, you always need to set aside a few grand after purchasing to sort out any used 993 to get it perfect.

Enjoy the hunt and best of luck. This is a nice problem to have

 

really...apples to oranges.

You either want a WB or not. Decide, then move forward.

 

Some people have to have a wide body, other people don't. Which are you? That is your answer.

 

This. Two hypothetical 993s, one a NB the other a WB, same options/equipment/mileage/history etc. WB will be $10K more.

In all honesty a particular car's setup will have more to do with how a 993 drives than 2wd or 4wd (IMHO).

 

Some people just have to have the WB. All 911's drive weird and a little different in my opinion, but I like c2 because they are the lightest (not just weight, but also the controls). $15k is a lot of money for upgrades and refresh, or a whole other boxster

 

Some of that differential is the lower mileage too. Can't get low mileage installed as an upgrade. But like they said, if you lust for WB, go for it and the difference is prob about right given that you also have 20k less mi.

If you don't know or are neutral, just go for the NB and pay to lower/refresh the suspension.

Just my $0.02.

 

For me, the wide body meant little, but I wanted 4 wheel drive. a c4s was more exclusive -- and therefore held value, which is important to me. That said, drive them back-to-back and the 4s will feel heavier around a corner. But you have to drive them back-to-back to really feel it.

Frankly, facing your choice, maintenance would be more important to me. Clutch? Valve guides? Suspension? Any of those done on either of those cars? Are you a guy who likes to mod the car? If so, the nb might be better because you have more money left over.....

 

I was shopping for a c4s locally, drove about a dozen 993's within 100 miles...bought a c2. It will be on a truck Saturday morning. So much for "plans".

 

Thanks everyone for the great perspectives.

I'm planning to keep the car close to stock so the extra cash leftover for the C2 would just be for maintenance. I've drove the 4S (and loved it), but not the C2 or C2S yet. Hope to do that soon.

I'm glad to hear that either will scratch the 993 itch well which is something I was very curious about.

Will find out more info on what has been recently replaced -- this will be a key deciding factor.

 

The 4S is a status car, the c2 is a performance car. Which is more important to you? And it's ok to say status, because well, many people want that and that's why they buy a Porsche.

 

Yeah, tell anyone who drives a C4S and a C2 in the snow/rain that the C4S isn't a performance car

Both cars post nearly identical performance numbers, and by definition, a 17 year old car isn't a status car

 

Given it's a weekend car and I have no plans to track it, the 4S sounds nice. But so does a 993tt or a 997 GT3.

 

porsche bud,
you've gotten great advice above. The key is in the "Do you lust for a widebody?" question, if not, you've just saved $15k (mind you, about $5k of that is lower mileage for the cars you listed). As pointed out, maintenance is probably MORE impt, since you could spend nearly another $15k on a car with lots of maintenance coming up (top end rebuild + suspension+ brakes + clutch + bits n pieces).

As a single data point, there's me and my C4S: I lusted for the WB, big reds (calipers can be repainted really), LSD, turbo wheels (C4S are solid spoke turbo-look, not real turbo-hollows). Its really the look I couldn't stop myself from searching for and it didn't help my prior 911 was a WB. BUT, I found a car with a top-end rebuild done and SAI clean out, PSS9s, and lots of other maintenance done already. Best of both worlds. And I bought an 88kmi car, so the price was right as well.

Search: C2 vs C4, C2 vs C4S, C2S vs C4S and similar for hours of reading about the differences.