Inaugural trip- review and comparison to 964

Good morning all! So, we have owned our Arena Red C4 Cab for 1 week now. I thought I would share my impressions. Picked her up and put the hardtop on to get everything home. I was impressed with the ease in attachment and the weight (I can pick it up and move it pretty easily, takes 2 to install though). It also came with the optional cart and cover, both pieces are very nice and the top stowed in the corner of the garage easily. I can't help but think about making a hoist for it, as the sunshine and long seasons coupled with the potential for nasty weather in Tahoe anytime would be ideal to be able to attach at a moments notice. Anyway, the C4 drives differently with the hard top in place, it's very nice, like a coupe. The top is also well insulated and quiet. I am fortunate to work near Fister and called Darrin, he had a couple of sport mufflers in stock so I picked them up and installed them the first night. It took me about 45 minutes although I am not happy with my tip placement and need to revisit soon. The sound is impressive and with a cab, I don't think I would want any louder, but I also don't think I would want any quieter!! No drone and you can certainly tell when you are in the throttle. My wife drove the car on Thursday and really enjoyed it. She has not regularly driven a manual in 20 years and I was impressed with how quickly she adapted to the 996. We had planned a trip to wine country to pickup a case of "futures" we had purchased on a BMW club wine tour last fall at Karmere Vinyards in Plymouth, CA. It is a fantastic drive from Reno, multiple routes are available, but all of them cross the sierra and offer some fantastic canyon carving roads and stunning scenery. We started at home near 5200 feet, traveled as high as 9200' and then nearly down to sea level. We took about 4 hours to get there and about 3to get home. I am pleased to report that you can fit 2 bags, 2 cases of wine, several bags of various shopping goods and a passenger in the cab without removing the wind deflector. Coming from a 964, here are some initial impressions. Cabin- my 964 was extended leather and was tan vs grey. I preferred the 964 but that is not apples to apples. My cab is lightly optioned with no extended leather. I like the forward view from both cars, but the 964 had more of the classic fender humps! 996 clearly has the better stereo, HVAC, gauges, shifter. Exterior- 996 in arena red is flat sexy. The paint quality is first rate and the fit and finish are superior to my old 964. The rear spoiler is cool. My 964 was a turbo look- so I do miss the swollen flares in the rear, but a 996 has the best rear of any 911. Drive- The water 6 is amazing! Nice torque curve, fantastic sound, great. So was the 3.6 in my 964. The cars feel like about a toss up on power and acceleration. E added weight of the cab probably negates the slight power advantage. A draw. The gearbox in the 996 is superior. The brakes are amazing on the C4- another clear advantage. Steering, I believe that my 964 felt more connected. That may be the AWD workings or may be "progress". Both cars are great at giving feedback, but 964 would get the edge in steering feel. Honestly, everywhere else the C4 has an advantage. If you missed my welcome post, arena red C4 with 55k, 6 speed, hardtop. Yes the IMS and RMS were completed and I don't want to talk about that anymore!

Congrats. I agree, the C4S 996 is dead sexy from behind. This is one of my favorite things about my C4

Nice review! When I test drove a 964 I was most impressed by how it felt like a large go-kart. I still don't quite get that feeling on my car even with an improved suspension. Oh and the oil-cooled smell that permeates the cabin is hard to replicate in the 996 as well. Of all the Porsches I've driven the 964 is the once that put the biggest smile on my face. Agree about the hard top. I keep mine on all summer because it's just too hot to put the top down.

Great write up. I have one of each. Both great to drive. Don't know how to describe it, but the 964 "fits" better. Maybe it "engages". Maybe because I have owned 3 964's prior to the 996, and my butt and feet molded to the 964. On the rare times I play music in the cars, I play Deep Purple in the 964, Ray Charles in the 996.

Great review! What still impresses me about the 996 is its ability as a daily driver. I drove home this evening through some violent thunderstorms ... the car was dry, sure footed, and pretty much completely unfazed, even in areas with a few inches of standing water on the roads. And that's with the soft top; the hard top is better yet, but here in the Northeast the hard top and snow tires don't come out of the garage until November.

Excellent, thanks for sharing your experience! I plan on getting a 964 one day and this is helpful.

My first Porsche was a 1990 C2. I had it for 5 years from 2002 to 2007. It had 115k miles when I got it. I drove it regularly and it was a great car. Sold it after putting 30k miles on it for about $800 less than I paid for it. The only 2 things that I didn't like about it were the oil leaks and the snap oversteer. Other than that, it was very livable as a daily driver. The 964 was a huge improvement in refinement over the previous 911, especially the shifter.