996 C4S OR 997C4S

I sell Porsches for a living.

Get the 997. The difference is huge.........don't even think twice.

 

And you wouldn't think of swaying him towards a 993 C4S? Surely one of the most attractive cars to ever come out of Stuttgart...

 

the 996's are outdated. i had a turbo... sick car.. but outdated.

id much prefer a 997 C4S over a 996 turbo... the 997's are incredible cars and probably 10 leaps over the 996's.

 

I would imagine that anyone asking about 996 vs. 997 is a different buyer than someone who would consider a 993. You either get 'it' or you don't.

Back to the OP - more or less, the 996 was a mistake when compared to the 997...

 

David S.....

He never asked about the 993.......but what Prancing 12 said rings true IMHO. 2 very different types of P-car owner with 2 different mindsets in most cases.

 

That may very well be true. I'm very much of the former mindset, so I can't even conceive of the latter.

 

You're not really expecting to "take 3 or 4 friends" with you in the 996/997, are you? You'll be able to carry one happy friend with you in the front, but anyone larger than a 6 yo child will be very upset with you if they have to ride in the back

 

If it is going to be your first P-car experience get a 993 C4S then. It is not going to be easy to do though with only $55K CAD......try and spend more and get the lowest mileage 993 that you can.

If you don't like it you can easily re-sell it.

There are ten times as many 996/997 cars out there versus the air cooled ones. You won't take a financial hit on the 993 if you buy a good car.......you will on the 996/997 regardless of what you buy.

 

I think the 996 looks better than the 997, especially the front and rear ends. I don't like the look of the front end of the 993s so my distaste for the 997 is obvious. Interior-wise, there is no comparisions between the 996 and 997, the 997 is so much nicer and modern looking.

With that said, I'm selling my extra clean, loaded ($92k MSRP) speed yellow 996 C4S which only has 14 k miles and has MOMO 19s and Bilsten PSS9s. If interested, PM me. You can see it at www.phillipsauto.com

 

Have you driven both cars yet ?

 

The 993 C4s has real LSD clutch packs at both ends, while the later cars have a computer controlled way of eliminating wheelspin using the brake applied at the spinning wheel. Someone here may be able to elaborate on the newer awd systems better than me.
I have an issue of Car&Driver from December '94 that has a good write up test of the 993 C4s.

 

I think the most important question in this thread was the one posted by Kds. The $25,000 difference may make sense for some, well not for others. Is the 997 a better car? In my experience yes it is but thats not to say the 996 is a bad car the 997 is just the next step. Drive both of them and see what makes sense to you. Personally I would probably buy the 996 reasons being 1. At the price point it is a great car 2. The 997 has more depreciation left in it than the 996 so your going to be stretching to buy a 997 now, and it is in my opinion going to cost you more once you go to sell it. ymmv.

 

Incorrect on both counts.

The 993 has a viscous coupling in the center of both axles, and the 996 has it on the front end.

The 993 has ABD (an early form of traction control) and the 996 has PASM, an advanced version of the same thing, almost identical to MB's ESP system.

 

I would buy one of these...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___Porsche-1997-911-993-Twin-Turbo-TT_W0QQitemZ220282511264QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220282511264&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A3%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___C2S-42-000-miles-Original-paint_W0QQitemZ120309215864QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120309215864&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A3%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

You certainly won't loose a dime, in fact, if you keep the mileage low, you might make money when you sell.

 

Go 997 and not 996. There was an issue where the block cracked on the 996. The crack would worsen until a horseshoe shaped piece broke out. If I remember correctly it was always the same number cylinder (3 & 4?) walls that stressed. Rear main seal is another foible. It also appears to be a random issue.
One curious issue on the early 997> one exhaust pipe would be covered in soot and the other side would be clean....

 

Have you looked at the 996 interior? It may be the cheapest and most plasticky ones ever to appear in a Porsche since the old 924 era (1976).

I had a 993 cab. My brother has an '08 997 coupe. For the money, I'd take the depreciation-proof, air-cooled 993, but the 997 is a great car -- just doesn't have the character of the 993, if that matters to you. I've gotten to the point where all the extra computers and horsepower don't add as much to the enjoyment, so I'm biased toward the older cars.

 

The man drives british sports cars -- I can't imagine any reason to do that other than character

Check in with the folks over at rennlist or pelican parts as well -- they'll have good first-hand advice for you.

 

I am pretty sure the 964 had a "PSD" limited slip that was computer controlled based on wheel speed and slip from the ABS sensors. I was also pretty sure the 993 had a more simple lsd system. I don't know what you mean when you say "viscous coupling".
The PSD system has a pump and in 100ms will drive a slave cylinder that engages from 0 to 100% lock up. It was a rather expensive and heavy system, and problematic now 20 years later. It first appeared in the 959.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscous_coupling

http://www.autozine.org/911/911_9.htm

 

Hey Esprit, I was in the exact situation you are in 3 months ago. I was also looking to purchase my first Porsche as well. I was looking at 996 C4S, 997 C4S and Targa4S. I drove all three cars and liked all of them, but not equally. The Guards Red 997 Targa4S I think is the most beautiful water cooled Porsche hands down but let's compare only the C4Ss'. The 997 has nicer interior compared to the 996 but they both have the same things, you will not get anything substantially extra with the 997 interior. The seats might be better on the 997, the buttons and dash are just as nice. Someone said the 996 dash has too much cheap plastic. I dissagree, there are 996s out there with leather covered dashboards, it's an option that makes the interior, including the door panels richer with leather and stiching.

When I drove the 997 I felt like I was a bit removed from the road, it's smoother and much easier to drive than the 996. I'm not saying the 997 doesn't perform, it does so very gracefully and aggressively when pushed but I personally like the feel of having something under me that I am a part of rather than something cushy. The clutch on the 996 is heavier, the gear selector is harder to maneuver in going through the gears, the steering is also stiffer. Overall it feels more like an O.G. 911 than the 997. Anyone (including the missus) can sit in a 997 and drive it, Porsche has made it very driver friendly, it's a matter of personal preference. When I drove the 996 I felt like I was involved with the car's mechanics, I was really driving the car. The suspension is tighter than the 997 which has a "sport" suspension setting but even then it doesn't get as stiff as the 996. I have driven an 1982 Targa and that is a tough car and very physically involved with the clutch, gear selector, brakes the way the doors slam shut as if its a submarine hatch, suspension and all. I love that but driving it all day will tire you out, less so with the 996, and in the 997 you can drive across the country for hours and be comfortable.

In my opinion the body of the 996 C4S is much more beautiful than the 997. From far away there is no physical distinction for the 997, it could be anything from a regular Carrera to a C4S until you read the rear emblems. When you look at a 996 C4S you get the Turbo body minus the scoops on the rear fender. The front air scoops look aggressive, and I love the reflector that goes across the rear connecting the tail lights (thank goodness they brought it back in the newer 997s ). Even though the 997 C4S is wider by around 3/4" than the 996 C4S but the way the 996 C4S is shaped you can really tell the body is wider from the back and that in itself was a giant PLUS in my decision making.

A lot of guys will tell you the 997 is better blah, blah, blah... So what? It doesn't mean that when the 996 C4S came out people thought it was inferior. You're not gonna be testing the limits of the car because most Porsche owners, including myself, are limited by their driving abilities and not the car. The car will do amazing things in the hands of the right person.
I found a great 996 for a great price and I couldn't be happier. It's a 2003 Speed Yellow C4S with X51 power package (345 hp), sport seats, PCM, painted center console, and best of all Porsche Sport Exhaust. I love the way the exhaust sounds, way better than the 997 even though it has a sport exhaust option too it's so tame compared to the 996 PSE. The 996 PSE can be turned on or off with a button on the dash board, so you can drive it loud or quiet depending on your mood. If you end up looking for a 996 you MUST find one with PSE, believe me you will never regret it.

Every time I'm walking towards my car and look at it from the back and see that PHAT ASS it puts a smile on my face. Every time I start it up in parking garage, or drive close to a building or a wall where the exhaust sound resonates back into the cabin it puts a smile on my face. Simply put, I'm extremely pleased with my purchase and honestly I would not trade it in for 997 if someone offered it to me. Don't waste your money on a 997 when you can have the same car for less money and the 996 will depreciate less. It's not the same car, but if I would compare the two, the 997 is about 15% better than the 996, and the price difference doesn't justify it for me.

At the end of the day, you will have to weigh what you really are looking for in your first Porsche and go out and find the one for you. After deciding on the 996, it took me more than 6 months to find my car. Don't settle for anything less than what you want and don't be afraid to wait. I was about to buy a C4S that looked perfect but I got great advice from my friend. No matter what you do, before purchasing the car, take it to a Porsche dealer and have them inspect it. In Los Angeles it's $300 and it's the best $300 I ever spent. The car had over $4000 of repairs to be done so I walked away from it and didn't find another good prospect for 3 months. Once a car has passed the inspection you can opt to buy an extended warranty on it so you won't have to worry about major problems in the future. I bought mine from a dealer and it was Certified Pre Owned that comes with a 2 year 50,000 miles full warranty.

I think I covered the major points. I will stress that after all the bashing I have done to the 997 is not in any way a bad choice. My opinion and my preference led me to look for a 996 C4S for the reasons stated above and I am extremely happy with it. You will be extatic with either choice. Since you wanted real differences between the two I did the best that I can in distinguishing the two.

Good luck