backerman

I've been looking for a daily driver here I'm the Seattle area. I realize how different each are. C2 is lighter weight and more of pure 911 experience vs C4S which is heavier but well suited for all the rain here and more power, brakes etc. I may do a few mods on each. There is a 15k difference in price. Also the C2 has 13k miles vs 28K on the C4s any thoughts? I don't want to start a whole "mine is better" discussion. Thanks everyone.

timmp

I have a '09 C2S cab - daily driver. If I lived where you do, I would buy the C4S for the all-wheel drive. When it rains here in NorCal, I drive my BMW X-5, which has all-wheel drive.

two cents - enjoy the purchase experience!

tim

MLindgren

I wouldn't consider a 4 unless I drove year round in an area with heavy snow. My C2S does awesome on wet with Bridgestone all season tires. Having grown up in Kent I would opt for the C2S in your area.

LlBr

A pattern has emerged. Here ya go:

Betternotbigger

C2 or C2S every time. The 4 simply isn't the same car. The notion you can't drive a 2 in the rain is hilarious. I live in Scotland part of the year (incl winter) for goodness sake and my C2S just eats up the wet roads. Just learn how to drive the car before you press on too far.

cbzzoom

I've got a C4S in Seattle and it is absolutely fantastic. I can drive it in absolutely any conditions and not worry about it.

That said, if I had to do it over again I would probably get a C2S. Personally I just like the challenge. I like to turn PSM off and try to start a little slide and then catch it. I like to row my own gears and try to do perfect heel-toe downshifts. I like to left-foot brake to set the front end before initiating turn-in. The C4 is just a little too composed all the time for my taste.

So IMO it's a question of what kind of driving experience you want. If you want a car that inspires confidence and is just incredibly capable, go with the C4. If you want to be really involved and have to be focused on controlling the weight balance of a difficult monster, go with the C2.

The C4 does give me a bit more confidence to go into the mountains here. I can go over the passes in winter without sweating, and I've had it on dirt roads to go hiking and it was great. Heck the roads in Seattle are so bad it's practically off-roading every day

Betternotbigger

Absolutely +1 to this. C2S for the joy of mastering the world's most iconic car, C4 for snow (with winter tyres) and for a sense of security (that I find a little numbing)

tkids

I drove my C4S on the nurburgring in the hard rain. I could feel the fronts pulling me out of those greasy corners. C4S for snowy and very rainy climates! IMHO, I think a bigger issue is the "S" missing off the C2!

carrageous

It's been said (like by Chris Harris in last month's Evo) that base model 911s are the more engaging.

By the way you phrase your question, I'd say you lean toward engagement ... and there's your answer: C2.

I have a friend with an older Carrera in Seattle who hit black ice going down a hill and did some damage. Would a C4 have helped in that instance? Ice pretty much doesn't care how many wheels you're putting power to, they all slide the same.

Unless you plan on hitting a lot of snow driving, you should be fine.

backerman

Thanks everyone. Perhaps I'll take more time and wait for a good C2S to throw into the mix. I appreciate eveyone's input.

Edgy01

Today's "911s" are not the back-heavy twitchy cars of the 70s and 80s. They have substantial intelligence built into them to avoid such problems. The C4 is a much more complex car, heavier car, and may give you a false sense of security. (Just how many 4WD cars do you see in ditches after a heavy snowstorm--many). 4 wheels spinning on snow or rain often times give you less control than only two.

Suggest you drive both in the conditions which you expect the car to carry you safely and judge for yourself.

alexb76

First off, are we talking 997.1 or 997.2 C4S? There's a pretty noticable difference.

I live in Vancouver, so got the same weather as you down in Seattle. I had the same dillema and ended up with C4S and CANNOT be happier.

I went back and forth and as much as C2S was fine in the rain, slippery conditions, C4S was JUST BETTER! I made my final call when in my last track day in my Audi S4, in heavy rain, I passed pretty much ALL Porsches, apart from one C4S and one Turbo... and while talking afterwards to the owners, the drivers felt it's just a bit unnerving in a pure RWD, Rear engine car in the rain... and the AWD gave people just that extra confidence, edge.

Then I test drove both, multiple times, back to back. I honestly DID NOT find there's any noticable feel difference or heavy feel in C4S vs. C2S, steering feel was almost identical, and in general 997.1 C4S has 90% feel of the C2S, with added traction for slippery roads we drive everyday on Pacific Northwest! Besides, GOTTO LOVE the WIDE BODY! Looks fantastic when washed and waxed properly!

So, overall, for our area, I think 997.1 C4S is an excellent choice... BUT, at the end of the day, you gotto drive them both, maybe back to back to make a call on your own.

PS. I drove 997.2 C4S this summer in Nurburbring, and it's a TOTALLY different car! It does feel heavier, and it has lost some steering feel, and AWD kicks in much sooner, and fronts work a lot harder in a much more noticable way. 997.2 new AWD is actually a more advanced AWD and BETTER for slippery conditions and snow, but it has LOST more of the Porsche driving dynamics than the older brother... so I'd say if you're looking into 997.2 C4S, it's a bigger difference that may sway your decision.

PS2. BTW, you're also comparing an "S" to non-S. So, how much the extra HP, and bigger brakes are important to you? If not, then maybe 15K extra is not warranted for your case...

cbzzoom

"4 wheels spinning on snow or rain often times give you less control than only two."

Let's not get carried away now

Salespunk

For street driving the 4S is not going to gain you much except a feeling of security. Remember that the only place that AWD is really going to help is when you are accelerating hard in slippery conditions. Traction control is going keep you safe in any rain conditions on the street. Having AWD does nothing to help you slow down or stop which is the real issue in rain most of the time. Snow is a different issue, but probably not a huge concern in Seattle.

backerman

I should have given the years 2006 for the C2 and 2007 for the C4S. So the 997.1 C4S is closer to the RWD than the newer 997.2? Cheers and thanks again.