981 GT4 to 992 C4S?? - Page 1 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

I currently have a 981 GT4 which I barely drive. It has every option with the exception of PCCBs which I did not want when I was looking for a GT4. I've owned the car almost 4 years, never tracked it as I track a bike engined MK Indy (similar to a Caterham 7) and will not track anything else. My GT4 is a CS equipped car and the carbon buckets are not an issue for me at all. I'm just looking for something else and I've seen a nicely specced 992 C4S. Am I mad going to a 992 C4S and parting ways with the 981 GT4, the car I'm looking at is at an OPC and is a previously owned car. I know many of you have or have had 992's in varying guises but I'd like to know from 992 owners what they think of their car and it would be good to hear from, if possible, current or past 992 C4S owners. My wife will also be driving the car so a GT3 is really out of the equation to be honest. I'd be very grateful to hear your thoughts as I'm really torn as to what to do. my GT4 is owned outright so I don't have the worry of having to refinance or anything like that to keep the car. Over to you lot Edited by Andy OH on Thursday 28th December 14:51

Be good to know why you think you barely drive the gt4. Only then can a diagnosis be offered!

n12maser said: Be good to know why you think you barely drive the gt4. Only then can a diagnosis be offered! The GT4 has been sorned since October, prior to that it was driven maybe once or twice a month to the odd car meet and to Cambridge with the wife once every two or three months, as I said it doesn't get tracked as I track something else. I also have another car which performs station duties and the supermarket run.

I suggest you have a really good test drive in the places you visit most - I followed one of these the other day, it looked absolutely massive (wide) and seemed to be bouncing along on an admittedly potholed bit of town centre road.

How do you intend to use the replacement? How will you be funding? Cash again or taking finance? Are you comfortable with this approach? (whichever) Would be good to get answers to the above … but on the basis that you’ve told us this will be a road car only, your wife will drive it also and you own 981 GT4 outright… I’d actually say ignore the 992… and look at 718 Boxster GTS 4.0. Great useable sports car, fun, fast, practical…. Decent selection available, decent value with some wiggle room it seems … PDK and Manual options.

Ok cool, makes more sense as to why 992 would fit your circumstances now.

elisered said: I suggest you have a really good test drive in the places you visit most - I followed one of these the other day, it looked absolutely massive (wide) and seemed to be bouncing along on an admittedly potholed bit of town centre road. I do realise the 992 is a wide car but believe it or not, they are only 46mm wider than a 981 GT4. TDT said: How do you intend to use the replacement? How will you be funding? Cash again or taking finance? Are you comfortable with this approach? (whichever) The car will mainly be used by my wife and whenever I need to use it for car events and the like. Regarding the funding, that's a good question as it will probably be a loan, there's actually two cars going to be replaced with a possible 992 C4S. The 981 GT4 and a BMW M240i Convertible. TDT said: Would be good to get answers to the above … but on the basis that you’ve told us this will be a road car only, your wife will drive it also and you own 981 GT4 outright… I’d actually say ignore the 992… and look at 718 Boxster GTS 4.0. Great useable sports car, fun, fast, practical…. Decent selection available, decent value with some wiggle room it seems … PDK and Manual options. To be honest I'm not sure I really want a Boxster as the main car as I'm not really a convertible car guy, albeit, I know they are an exceptional car. The reason I'm looking at a 992 C4S is that it is quite modern inside, it has a sunroof which for the wife is a must, and it is 4WD which again is a must for the wife, just to give her the assurance of the grip available especially in 'Wet Mode'. Edited by Andy OH on Thursday 28th December 15:37

I’ve had my 992 C2S (so not the 4 wheel drive version) since I bought it new 4 years ago. It’s my daily driver. It has winter tyres on in the colder months and I’ve never felt like it needed 4 wheel drive. The modern interior suits it as a daily driver. I like that it has a big sat nav screen, heated seats and a heated steering wheel (optional extra). Wireless CarPlay is good too. PDK was a must for me as a daily driver. These cars are very rapid. They have loads of torque. The main thing to work out is if you want -10mm PASM or not. With that option the car’s stance is “correct” but the ride is firm. Without it the ride is good but for me the stance is wrong. Even with the -10mm PASM the car gets over speed bumps fine if you approach them slowly as you would do anyway in a car like this. I don’t know how the car would get on in a multi storey car park with steep ramps as I’ve never taken my car in one.

johnny senna said: I’ve had my 992 C2S (so not the 4 wheel drive version) since I bought it new 4 years ago. It’s my daily driver. It has winter tyres on in the colder months and I’ve never felt like it needed 4 wheel drive. The modern interior suits it as a daily driver. I like that it has a big sat nav screen, heated seats and a heated steering wheel (optional extra). Wireless CarPlay is good too. PDK was a must for me as a daily driver. These cars are very rapid. They have loads of torque. The main thing to work out is if you want -10mm PASM or not. With that option the car’s stance is “correct” but the ride is firm. Without it the ride is good but for me the stance is wrong. Even with the -10mm PASM the car gets over speed bumps fine if you approach them slowly as you would do anyway in a car like this. I don’t know how the car would get on in a multi storey car park with steep ramps as I’ve never taken my car in one. The reason for a C4S is the car will be predominantly driven by my wife and I want the assurance of 4WD for her. Her M240i has winter tyres on it during the colder months and the difference is very noticeable to the summer wheels and tyres. I appreciate winter tyres on a 2WD car are great but winter tyres on a 4WD car will be excellent. I’d be interested to know what winter tyres you’re using. Do you change tyres on the same wheels or have another set of wheels and tyres for winter/summer? We’re looking at a C4S tomorrow which is quite nicely specced and to be honest I’m not too fussed with the -10mm PASM. My GT4 scraped on everything and I’d quite like not having that again. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow with the C4S. Edited by Andy OH on Thursday 28th December 21:01

elisered said: I suggest you have a really good test drive in the places you visit most - I followed one of these the other day, it looked absolutely massive (wide) and seemed to be bouncing along on an admittedly potholed bit of town centre road. Comments about there size bewilder me, do you realise that a 992 is the same width as a 997 C4s. Yes you cannot have a narrow body 2wd version, but they are not that wide compared to most modern vehicles. They are them same width as an A45 AMG, 1.85m. Don’t always believe what the press write.

The 992 is widely perceived as a ‘big’ car and even the press mention it. It definitely looks and feels bigger than the 991, let alone the 997, but now comes with so many driver aids, cameras, and sensors that the extra size is relatively easily manageable. The only thing that you mention that would concern me, is the suggestion that 4wd is somehow ‘safer’ than 2wd. Your wife would need to be driving at insane and illegal limits for there to be any marginal benefit from 4wd. Even in harsh winter conditions, most people here will confirm that the correct tyres are more beneficial than an extra driven axel.

I found my 992 C2S (so not a C4) super comfortable and easy to drive in any conditions. Very refined. The interior design is much more like a luxury saloon than a traditional 911, make of that what you will. It's still a joy on a challenging road. But less feelsome and interesting to drive, by quite a long way, than many of its predecessors, when you're not pushing it. So it depends where you want that needle to be pointing on the spectrum. If you can stretch to it, a 992 GTS has more edge and a 4 GTS might suit your needs. 991.2 4 GTS is definitely more of a hoot than a 992 non GTS, although it doesn't have the latest tech. I know what people mean about wide, it's the front, which is noticeably wider than previous models, and which you are looking at while placing the car, that makes the difference, it feels a big step towards a Panamera in that respect. But the car itself is obviously just as wide as it is. Maybe standard 992 is just too competent and well sorted for its own good..but then they said that about 991.1, and 996, and probably 964 who knows.

Andy OH said: The reason for a C4S is the car will be predominantly driven by my wife and I want the assurance of 4WD for her. Her M240i has winter tyres on it during the colder months and the difference is very noticeable to the summer wheels and tyres. I appreciate winter tyres on a 2WD car are great but winter tyres on a 4WD car will be excellent. I’d be interested to know what winter tyres you’re using. Do you change tyres on the same wheels or have another set of wheels and tyres for winter/summer? We’re looking at a C4S tomorrow which is quite nicely specced and to be honest I’m not too fussed with the -10mm PASM. My GT4 scraped on everything and I’d quite like not having that again. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow with the C4S. Edited by Andy OH on Thursday 28th December 21:01 I have a mobile tyre fitter who changes the tyres. I use the same wheels therefore. I use Porsche approved NA0 rated Michelin Alpin winter tyres.

Hope I can help as i bought my 981 GT4 in Dec 2020 and it was my first Porsche. Great spec with buckets , roll cage , ceramics etc unlike you I cant stop driving it as it just glides along on our bumpy roads up in NE Scotland and it is so engaging to drive it just makes me smile . I have also had it on track once or twice and it was amazing and helped be bond with it Then about 18 months ago the idea of a 992 GTS to replace the GT4 was born as it could be the perfect car for me in my mind. 4 seats , PDK , more modern interior, maybe more economical so it could be a daily So plan was to get a 992 GTS PDK and sell the 981 GT4 Fast forward March 2023 and the 992 GTS arrived and got PPF'd and was finally on the road. It does what it needs to do as in carry all 4 of us in comfort, it is quite comfortable, but as a drivers cars it gets beaten by the GT4 every day As a daily car it is great but it does not ride as smooth as the GT4 as it seems to bobble at the front of anything but smooth roads, I hate the interior touchscreen's it is way to complicated. Just to turn the air con on and off needs about 3-4 buttons to be pressed on the screen instead of 1 button on the dash. You cant select the radio channels using the column stalks . But it is modern , full of tech , a little bit lacking in involvement , bloody fast ( maybe too fast), feels way to big at times Long story short I still have the GT4 as it will be a keeper and the 992 GTS will probably get sold off for maybe a 991 as thats more my kind of car I think My advice is it sounds you just want a Porsche for the wife to drive and something for you to show off occasionally ( nothing wrong with both by the way). is go drive it and if you like it and it suits you then go for it. The added security of 4wd will be handy for you in wet / cold weather. You will love just staring at it and looking in the side mirrors at those big fat hips every time you drive it Hope that helps

Also looking to make changes, test driving next Friday, I have an Emira which is very comfortable, the GTS is apparently quite hard also -10 makes a noticeable difference. Def worth trying a standard 4s as may give you the glide you’re looking for.

Koln-RS said: The 992 is widely perceived as a ‘big’ car and even the press mention it. It definitely looks and feels bigger than the 991, let alone the 997, but now comes with so many driver aids, cameras, and sensors that the extra size is relatively easily manageable. The only thing that you mention that would concern me, is the suggestion that 4wd is somehow ‘safer’ than 2wd. Your wife would need to be driving at insane and illegal limits for there to be any marginal benefit from 4wd. Even in harsh winter conditions, most people here will confirm that the correct tyres are more beneficial than an extra driven axel. I appreciate your response and the 4WD thinking is also a psychological aspect for the wife as she's had an Audi S3 cab before and the quattro system on that especially in the winter was quite good. Her BMW M240i is currently running winter tyres, probably a bit overkill at the moment with the milder temps, but beginning of December it was quite cold. I know I could get a 2S and put winter tyres on it for the colder months as you've suggested and Johnny Senna above has stated his 992 is shod with winter tyres in the colder months. However, 4WD plus winter tyres, which is what we'll get if I go ahead with it, will surely be more of a benefit over 2WD with winter tyres. Personally I have driven 3,000 miles in Europe in the winter in a F10 M5, through heavy rain, sleet & snow with Pirelli Sottozero winter tyres on it and it was astonishing how much grip was available from those tyres in very harsh conditions bearing in mind a M5 is a big heavy car, RWD and in excess of 500 bhp. Edited by Andy OH on Friday 29th December 10:09

Just as an update and to conclude this thread. We test drove a 992 C4S yesterday and although a very nice example and a very capable car, I didn't walk away from the dealership thinking I want this 911, unlike when I bought my GT4, I knew within 3 minutes of the hour test drive I had that I was going to buy it. Needless to say I'm keeping the GT4, and will drive it more now, and look at changing the wife's M240i Cab for a 718 Boxster S some time next year. Thanks to all of you who shared your thoughts and own experiences.

I did say 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 at the start! lol.

TDT said: I did say 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 at the start! lol. Maybe not a GTS if we're just replacing the M240i. I think a S would be more than enough for her, however, never say never Edited by Andy OH on Saturday 30th December 16:20