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The look of the 4S does it for me. Just the right amount of “more aggressive” that the 2S doesn’t quite reach. I rarely drive in rain but the handling is still as good or better than the 2S in the dry and you lose maybe 5% of the steering feel.
For sake of comparison I drive a Viper and now daily a 986 Boxster S and occasionally drive a manual steering rack Alfa 4C... none are “disconnected” cars and the 997.2 4S still ticks all the boxes.
4S is definitely worth the modest premium even if you aren’t utilizing the awd advantages regularly. I will say that on one road trip where I was caught in very heavy rains in the mountains that the sure footedness of the awd WAS a nice-to-have...
I live in South Florida and for me the lightness and less complexity of the 2s beats the 4s. I would not pay much of a premium. Also, do you have to ultra aggressive all the time? When it rains and the roads are slick I drive commensurately, but if you hoon wet or dry then the 4s
Also, do you have to ultra aggressive all the time? When it rains and the roads are slick I drive commensurately, but if you hoon wet or dry then the 4s
If directed at my comment then you misread it. I said it has a more aggressive look, which I think is hard to argue against. Another option (but even more $$) is to get a GTS.
I'm with James. I actually think the rear look of the NB cars in the 997 generation is prettier and more pure. If you follow the character line from the rear window down over the rear fender, on the NB cars it's a continuously changing curve. The WB cars have more of a flat spot in the middle of the rear fender where they've added the extra inch on each side. I also prefer the way the NB taillight terminates at the edge of the fender visually whereas on the WB cars, there is more fender beyond the end of the light. There are also fewer models available in NB - only the C2, C2S, and GT3 - everything else is WB. There's no difference in the width of tire you can run on a NB vs a WB either - just the wheel offset changes, so it's a purely visual thing unless you get into the Turbo cars where the extra width has benefits for intercooler intake ducts, which is where the extra width started from and then without the ducts, it's really the classic Porsche "turbo look" option. In the 997 series where they went back to the "Coke Bottle" shape of the 993, vs the straight sided 996, the body shape is plenty curvy and since the fronts of both NB and WB cars are exactly the same, I think the NB car looks more lly balanced.
Both of my 997s are NB C2S cars and there's nothing narrow about these rear ends.
In reality though, it doesn't matter - what's important is to get one with the options you want that has a good service history and is in nice shape.
RWD vs AWD, I'm a RWD sports car guy. The 911 has such sublime front steering feel in the RWD cars that unless you live where you need to drive through snow, the RWD cars will be fine (better IMO). Less complex, lighter, more front storage capacity without the additional driveline components.
BTW, the rear reflector on the 4S cars is subject to cracking, separation, and allowing moisture intrusion. I liked the look on the older air cooled cars where they did it and on the 996 because it flowed with the design of the taillights, but it doesn't match up well with the taillights on the 997.2 IMO.
996 C4S rear end with center reflector (see how it makes a continuous red stripe across the rear)
997.2 C4S with center reflector (doesn't really align well with other anchor points)
If you're coming from a traditional car platform - front engine, RWD or AWD and that's why you're considering that you need the 4S, you have to change your perspective because of the rear engine and weight bias of the 911 platform. Rear engine with RWD provides for exceptional grip and acceleration hook-up because the weight is over the driving wheels. I've driven my RWD cars on long highway trips in pouring rain at 85 MPH without a wiggle - do I need the carve mountain roads at 8/10s when the weather is like that - no, so I slow down if in that situation.
My brother just recently bought a 997.2. Had to be a cab, had to be a MT and he wanted a 4S as he lives in VA and will drive it year round. We talked about it and he couldn't find any good candidates for a 4S in his price range. I expressed my views about RWD vs AWD and he found a really nice 2S that he ended up buying. The first day he drove it to work, he sent me text that just said "I get it now".
Point of all this is that for your use case in FL, the quality of the specific car is more important than WB or NB and AWD vs RWD - any of them will work just fine as long as you find a good car. Good luck on the hunt.
I like the wide body, and the red stripe, and I live in the snow belt so it works well for my need. Had I found a decent 2S at the time I would probably have bought that, but as I have now found, the 4S is very rear biased compared to any VAG Haldex equipped car, or any Subaru AWD for that matter. The driving dynamics are excellent, so go with what catches your eye first.
I'm biased, but a huge fan of the 2S manual. I prefer the narrow body's lines and the RWD configuration - I also prefer not to have the red reflector across the rear, just looks cleaner to me. I'm in Utah, I drive in the rain occasionally with the appropriate adjustment for conditions, but never in the snow - if I had a 4S I would. If I lived in a warm climate (even a wet one) I'd still choose the 2S. Sport Chrono was not important to me - doesn't matter much with the manual, but PASM was - I'd have loved to have the Sport Exhaust but I don't.
I have been driving in rain and snow my entire life without AWD and a 997 is easier than most because of the weight in the rear. The biggest problem with snow is stopping, not driving and AWD doesn't change the number wheels that have brakes.
2S fan here. I think it’s wide enough already in the back and coming from a Boxster where it had 2 trunks, I want as much front trunk space as possible (C4s have a little less). They’re all great though!
I have an ‘07 997.1 4S cab w/ 6 speed here in Florida as well. As this is my first P car, I love my all-drive. Point and shoot no matter what the weather. Had an Audi A8 in the past and fell in love with power to all 4. It is a real confidence builder. Perhaps a little heavier, but I don’t think it’s enough to notice. I have the Chrono, but the only aspect I use is sport mode, as throttle input is higher on the fun-factor!
Mine is Black with tan leather and I like the combo. Agree that black is the hardest to keep clean, but I got the car at a price point that I couldn’t pass up. May consider a spray-wrap to change that. I have garage at home and work so heat isn’t a big issue.
Like what others said...get the car that speaks to you. Ultimately, it is the joy of driving that creates the experience and now I know what it’s all about. You soon will too! Cheers.
SpeedyD I was not commenting on what you wrote but this: "Living in Florida you know it rains a lot. Are you an aggressive driver? If you feel you want the best traction in the rain then it's the 4S. If you are not an aggressive driver then the 2S is fine in the rain as well."
SpeedyD I was not commenting on what you wrote but this: "Living in Florida you know it rains a lot. Are you an aggressive driver? If you feel you want the best traction in the rain then it's the 4S. If you are not an aggressive driver then the 2S is fine in the rain as well."
Try to find some pics. of the WB next to the NB 997 though. Maybe someone will post a pic. they have. The difference is not as significant as I thought, and I actually prefer the NB shape but that is just me.
I had 2 EVOs and a B8 Quattro Avant before my C2S, so I bought a 911 specifically as RWD. I had FWD before that on a few cars as well. My only RWD car other than my C2S was a 73 AMC Hornet, so I really wanted to see what a more modern RWD car would be like.
IDK if it is relevant or not but I also didn't want the extra weight of AWD for this specific car.
Pictures attached. Not identical angles so probably not ideal comparisons. The 1.75" difference (I think that's what it is) between the NB and the WB doesn't sound like much but I think it's easy to spot and identify either one on the road even from a distance. Which one looks better will be discussed till most of us are dead.
On a slight side note and just a personal opinion. I think in general, most rear wings take away from the curves of the WB. More so on the WB than on the NB. Non issue except for those of us who like the WB curves.
10-29-2019, 11:27 PM
