buying decision certified pre-owned C2 vs C4S

I am interested buying a 2003 996 C2, then I spotted a 2003 C4S in a used car dealer. For about the same price as a certified pre owned 2003 C2 I could get a same MY C4S- the mileage is higher on the C4S (42000vs 26000), the car is clean and i spoke to the service manager of the dealership it was serviced at, and he noted that the car was well maintained. Is it better to stick with the CPO, or buy an extended warranty with the C4S?

Depends on which car you like better. I picked up a beautiful 2002 C4S on Monday night and I couldn't be happier. Personally, I find the NB 996 a little bland and I love the widebody look (along with turbo brakes, etc.). The opposing opinion will be that the C2 is marginally faster secondary less weight. Do you mind posting or PM'ing what the asking prices are on the relative cars? Is there any documentation of the service/maintenance history of the C4S?

A cpo'd p-car is worth 2k+ more than a non-cpo'd car, all other things being equal. No aftermarket warranty could touch it. There are a whole slew of C4s available from porsche dealers, with lower mileage than the one you're looking at, with prices that seem very attractive. I love my c4s and not only are they eye-catching they handle beautifully. If I wee you I would do a little more shopping.

The c4s is going for 45000, the cpo c2 is at 47000, but the dealer actually negotiates.

The C2 guys will tell you to buy the lighter,less complex car. The C4 owners will aim you at the C4. Do you live in a cold, snowy region where you would use the C4 to your advantage? The wide body C4 does look cool.Good luck with your search.

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The CPO should not be THE deciding factor. Buy the car you want. Or wait and shop around until you find the one you want. As someone mentioned, the CPO costs the dealer about $2,000, but the Porsche CPO is NOT a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty, it only covers major parts. The pro is that it's backed up by Porsche and you can go to any dealer for service. There is also a comfort in knowing that Porsche has certain standards for CPO cars e.g. major crashed cars cannot be CPO. If you like the C4S you can always check with aftermarket warranty companies and get a quote. Aftermarket warranty companies vary, some will insure a car out of warranty (may require an inspection). Some will offer major parts warranties or bumper-to-bumper warranties. Some aftermarket warranty companies are financially unstable, do your homework before buying. It needs to be backed by a rated insurance company. Me personally, I have Warranty Direct and have been happy with them. No problems with any repair claims so far (RMS, leaks, coolant tank). Before buying a non-CPO car you need to get a PPI.

Get a history on the C4S, is the answer. It's on a used car lot. Could be a great car, or there could be a story there. The CPO car will be an open book. Me, if I liked the C4S but couldn't get a clear picture of what kind of life it had led, I'd pass on both cars and start hunting for a nice C4S. It seems like you have lots of 996s to choose from down there in 'merka.

You won't believe it, but my local dealer got a beautiful 2003 white C4 cab in with natural brown full leather and wood package (the interior I would have ordered if I bought new) and I went for it! Just waiting for the paperwork. I am very excited (I went with the cab to replace my BMW convertible, I started to miss).

I have to agree with the consensus, CPO makes the difference, if you really like the c4s you can always keep looking, the prices have been steadily falling and this is a bad time of year to sell, but a very good time to buy!!! edit: just read the last post, excellent now you have best of both worlds!! Congrats and post some damned PICs...lol