New 997 S or pre-owned 997 C4S? Rear bumper slits gone?

I just test drove a brand new 2008 997 S at the Bev Hills Porsche. Man, 997s are indeed much nicer and sharper than the 996. Driving back home, I wanted to get the C4S, thinking that 997 C4S have the slits on the bottom rear bumper like the 996 C4S, but get this... I just saw that the 997 C4S no longer have them. Aside from being a 4 wheel drive and wider hips, those cool slits were the reason I wanted to get the 997 C4S. Could there be more problems with C4S, being a 4 wheel drive meaning more gadgetry was put in the car which may be prone to more problems down the road? How are the 996 C4S dependability?

Yup, no "gills" on the 997 C4S and no rear red reflector either. Do you really need AWD? The C4S is a $6K bump in price from the 997 C2S. Get a C2S and spend the "saved" $6K on interior leather options that you will be able to see and feel each time you drive it.

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That's a good suggestion. I don't really care for the AWD, it's those sexy wide hips on C4S .... is just too alluring ...

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In my opinion, the "wide hips" on the 997 are overblown. The 997 wide body is 1.73" wider than the narrow body, or 7/8th inch wider per side. To give you a relative comparison, here are the dimensions of the 996 and the 997 narrow bodies versus wide bodies: Model ---- N/B ----- W/B 996 ----- 69.70 ---- 72.10 997 ----- 71.18 ---- 72.91 As you can see the W/B 996 is 2.4" wider than the N/B996, but the 997 W/B is "only" 1.73" wider than the N/B. The 997 N/B is 1.5" wider than the 996 N/B. The 997 W/B is 0.8" wider than the 996 W/B. Probably more importantly in your situation, the 997 N/B is only 0.9" narrower than the 996 W/B. You can still hang out on the 996 Forum. We're a lot more fun than the 997 guys.

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Good post. That should inform alot of people about the 997's misconceived "hips"

In the 996 line, there was a significant difference in what the C4S comes with compared to the C2. It made the price difference worthwhile. In fact, if you added all the options on the C2 to make it equivalent to the C4S, he optioned C2 would have listed at a higher price. The 996 C4S was actually a value bargain. On the 997 line, I believe the only difference is the AWD. Post on the 997 board, and you'll probably get better answers on whether it is a better idea to get a new 997 C2S or a used 997 C4S.

Palting - I agree on the 996 there was a marked difference between the C2 and the C4S and worth the difference in $$$. However, to your point, there are not as much of a difference between the 997 C2 to the C4 or bewtween the C2S and the C4S other than the 4-wheel drive.

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Thanks for that chart and your analysis I actually looked it up too, but I was too lazy to compare the figures to the 996. LOL Definitely more helpful in the 996 forum. Pre-owned 997 C4S is definitely rare. At this point, I have two options: Sell my 996 for a new 997 C2S. Or keep the 01 996 black/black 27,500 miles and get a 3rd car that is more comfortablle and practical. Test drove the BMW M6, 750, Range Rover yesterday. There was no excitement in the Range Rover, and Forbes voted all Land Rover models in their "most unreliable luxury cars." Don't got the time to go to dealers for repairs. Besides, I saw a guy in his 30's going to work in the morning in a suit in his Range Rover, and I thought it didn't look right... A t-shirt and jeans or something casual is the right attire for the Rover. On the other hand, 750 may be too much for a single guy, but being 6'2" I fit in it comfortably, and anyone with a suit & a tie would look good in it going to a business meetings than in a Range Rover. Also, surprisingly, the driving excitement factor in the 750 was much better than the Rover. No one I know recommended 750, though. M6 may be an overkill, if I keep the 996. Tough choice.

Here is the C4S with Factory Aerokit. The GT3 or GT3RS may be what you are thinking about.