996 awd or rwd

Hey guys, Im looking at a 2000 996 for sale and trying to determine if it is a carrera 2 or 4. The dealer listing states it as rwd but on one site that I decoded the vin it shows it as awd. There is also a "S" badge on the back but it doesn't look right to me. Was there a Carrera S in 2000? Its my understanding (and I could be wrong) there was only the 4S. The spare tire in the front is mounted vertical, which I've heard is a way to tell if its rwd. WP0AA2999YS620165

No, there is no such thing as a 996 Carrera S, someone slapped that �S� on the back themselves. There are however c2, c4 and c4s models where the c2 and c4 are almost identical save the rwd and awd transmissions. I tried to pull the window sticker on the VIN you supplied but no luck. At the end of the day, the car you�re looking at is either a c2 or c4, not an s or c4s. A quick look underneath would solve that mystery.

That S badge is nor for that car. The 2000 Carrera 4 only had a 4 after the Carrera. Show a picture of the front hood open. This car however, if the exhaust tips are attached to the mufflers they supposed to be than it has B&B mufflers.

Gentleman, Also the Calipers are silver on a C4 and not red. Eric

I assume you mean calipers. All brake rotors should be silver - unless they are rusty.

Ok, I didnt think there was such thing as a Carrera S. Looked like someone slapped that S on there based on the "Carrera" being centered on the rear. They look red to me!

That's a C2. Here's a C4:

https://vinanalytics.com go to this site and put in the VIN#, it should tell you everything you need

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C2 with non-factory red painted calipers.

Thanks guys, you're all awesome! Optionman1 I did try that site you linked earlier and it said build sheet was not available, any idea what that would mean or the cause of that?

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i'm not sure, same happened when i entered that VIN, maybe it was taken down incorrectly. i recently acquired a 2003 c4s and got the factory build sheet when i entered my VIN#, nice thing to see.

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i mentioned that in my post above unfortunately that site doesn�t work on all 99, 00 and 01 models. But ithw car in question is indeed a c2.

look for a white label applied to the inside of the frunk lid. it lists production info/codes

Cool, Thank you all for the info!

Why can you just look under the car and see if there are axles to all 4 wheels? Seems like a pretty easy way to discover the answer...

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No need. Post #6 provides the answer.

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Not if it was converted to RWD. If the frunk looks like an AWD then the only way to be 100% sure is to check for the front CV axles.

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Did you see the photo in post #6?

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DOH! My 8bit brain computed in a wrong way.

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I hate when that happens.

There are good comments and advice in this thread. It would be great if you had an opportunity to drive a C2 and a C4 for comparison. In most street driving situations, you won't be able to tell the difference. If you push the car hard, then the C2 will feel lighter and the steering will feel lighter. I wouldn't say that the steering in the C4 isn't precise; it's excellent. It will simply feel a little bit heavier than the C2. Some people like this, some people do not. Here's my summary from memory of the key differences (some already mentioned above): The C4 running gear adds approximately 130 lbs. to the overall weight of the car due to the front differential and drivetrain The C4 front differential takes up space in the trunk, so there is less storage space. C4 cars have a collapsable spare tire with a compressor pump underneath the floor in the trunk, while C2 cars have a visible spare tire standing upright in the trunk. C4 cars had silver brake calipers from the factory, while C2 cars had black calipers. Other than color, the brakes are identical. There was a unique wheel offered with the C4 that wasn't offered with the C2. They aren't very common, as many people opted for other wheels C4 cars are all equipped with PSM. This is optional on C2 cars. The AWD system in the C4 utilizes a viscous coupling system to send power to the front wheels. It sends a minimum of 5% of the power to the front wheels, and a maximum of 40% (I may be wrong on the top number). This system works well and it does provide additional traction, but it's not especially good in winter weather. The benefit is minimal, especially if you encounter rear wheel spin. In that case, the PSM system will cut power to the slipping rear wheels before the front wheels ever get any traction. The AWD system really shines in cornering, and accelerating out of a corner. There is very little additional maintenance for C4 cars compared to C2. As I recall, Porsche recommends a flush of the differential fluid at some point, perhaps 90,000 miles. That said, the front differential can fail. It happened in my C4S, requiring the differential to be rebuilt. C4 cars are a bit more sensitive to tire selection because of the AWD system. Tire diameters need to be within a certain range or it will damage the system. Go with the sizes recommended by Porsche and you won't have a problem. This can be a problem when using larger, aftermarket wheels. Good luck with your search. You can't go wrong either way.

The biggest thing I've noticed when driving both is that the C2 will squat down during launch and the C4 will stay flat.

Here's a photo of a C4 Cabriolet that shows the wheels that were offered specifically on the C4.

I have those rims on mine. Pretty gross rims. There's a reason owners get rid of them ...