Experience with a Carrera 4?
 

I'm looking to move up to a 996. Can't make the stretch to the '02s and later so am looking at '99 - '01 models. A nice '01 Carrera 4 has appeared in the area. I never really considered a four wheel drive P-car, but have heard nothing but good things on this board so far.
Are there any negatives?
Thx.

If you do a search there's a bunch of opinions RWD vs. AWD. But off the top of my head:

AWD cons:
costs more
heavier
steering feel a little different and is just a tad heavier
1 more item to maintain/repair
less trunk space
collapsed spare tire
might be more prone to understeer in certain situations vs. RWD
PSM is standard, not optional (not a con in my book, but maybe for others)

AWD pros:
better acceleration grip in the dry/rain/snow/mud
handles like a RWD for most of the time, until the rears lose grip (5/95% F/R normal torque split with up to 40/60% under slip)

None.

how often do you guys drive hard enough to even begin to experience the "negative" that's called understeer on public roads to make the experience less fun for you guys?

I love my C4 ... I say go for it, if it is something you want.

Only reason I have a C4 is because thats the car I wanted since 13 years old. I blame my dad for this :icon501: :D

Buy the car your heart desires

For me it's "never". Everytime the car starts to show understeer or oversteer, usually on icy roads, PSM comes on and makes it all right. As far as on the track, ask me again this time next year and I'll tell you.

I Just bought a '01 C4 and I love it. I agree with smsackboy regarding trunk space but with the rears seats down there is more avail space then you might think

I cant say I would ever notice the performance issues. When I want to drive hard, I go to Skip Barber and use their cars ;)

AWD is a must around here since she is my daily driver and we tend to get snow in the winter, but she does quite well in the rain too

Good luck

I love my C4. I drive a couple of very curvy roads very aggressively on a regular basis and I like knowing I've got the AWD.

You will find that the C4 performs exceptionally well in the rain, especially HARD rain........ Between PSM and 4 wheel drive, the things that car can deal with are nothing short of amazing.

I have 97+ thousand miles on my 2000 C4 cab tip, and it has been a terriffic experience.

There is a video on the net somewhere of a 996 C4 on the 'Ring in the snow......... That is one amazing video............

I think I'll always be a RWD fan, but I gotta say, the AWD experience thus far in the C4S has been a lot of fun. I can still get it to slide, but there's just more confidence here.

I have a 2000 C4 Cab that I drive here in Germany. Drive the car all the time at 160MPH+, handles corners etc.. just fine. I love mine.

c4... solid performance, very confidence inspiring to drive

160 all the time? WOW

I fastest i got the 4s was 142mph on US roads

Hey Mitch - Any 996 you wind up with will be a killer car! Way nicer than a 944/951, and faster, without seeming fast. I find I could be cruising on the turnpike, look down at the speedo, and am shocked to see I am going 90! These cars just go!!

So did my S2000 :D

Thx for all the responses, guys. All is as I suspected.
The AWD is neither desired nor shunned in my search. All things being equal, I'd rather have it. But I'm being pretty snooty in my search, and I have a pretty definitive "must have" and "can't have" parameters. I've set a pretty firm cost ceiling, so the rest is options vs. mileage vs. condition vs. cost...
Don't worry - there'll be pics when I pull the trigger...
M

good luck bud, i'll never forget my first 911 buying experience :)

Good luck Mitch. I'm picking up my first P car on Saturday, a 2004 C4S. For me the choice was more about styling (I love the wide body look) than the other small differences between the C2 and C4.

Love my C4 cab....the understeer will go away with suspension mods...the "heavy" steering turns to "solid" feel....and you forget the front wheels are drive wheels, except when you need it and it saves you...great system...as far as upkeep...there is NO extra upkeep....the Porsche AWD uses a viscous coupling system, where fluid activates the front drive wheels...not MECHANICAL....so its not like the 964 C4 system that had lots of wear and upkeep issues....It uses the same drivetrain from the 996 TT, and 997 TT. Its very solid...I have 135k miles on my C4 ad have NEVER had any issues with it. Oh and IMO the extra weight over the front end keeps the car stable at high speeds.....

Hey Dominick, I was there for the 2 day HPDE, how was your 1 day course? Did you get to drive the 997? I have big time 997 envy now. All I can dream about is a 997 Targa 4S, or a Cayman S w/ a supercharger :burnout:

I love mine (C4)...have had lots of experiences with both, and the C4 is an infinitely more confident daily, all weather feel, with emphasis on the versatility (any and all road conditions, weather conditions) at the track, both are undeniably impressive, 99% of us will never drive at the proper limits of either. fwiw.....

It's a personal preference, but I drove both back to back and liiked the way the C4 felt. If this is your first Porsche, make sure you check out all the options on the cars. Almost everything is an option. PSM was optional on the C2 and can't be added after. I would definately look for one with PSM and a few other "must-have's" like litronic headlights....

+1. Decide what options you want first. These cars cost virtually the same regardless of how many or how few options the car might have. Mileage seems to be the key determining factor in resale value.

Smackboy has it right. I just bought a 2006 C4S cabriolet. I was not looking for an AWD Porsche but it was the COBALT blue car I could find.
The advantages of the RWD car is that the trunk is large enough to fit an 18 gallon rubbermaid bucket inside the trunk plus have room on top to stack more. I drove my 1999 car a lot because it is usable to run errands around town due to adequate trunk space and space over the folded rear seats. The luggage space on the C4S is considerably less and the space is irregular due to the NAV box and the CD changer box.
My 996 feels just as stable as the AWD car but my 1999 car has #220 locking differential, #222 traction control system, # 224 active brake differential, and the 18"wheels. The combination of those options makes it feel as secure as the new car with AWD.
My 1999 Carrera is for sale on autotrader.