996 C4S guys: How are you liking your car?

I'm curious to know how you're enjoying the overall experience of owning a 996 C4S. I take it whether it's an 02 or 04 or in between, it's all the same. Just curious to know what your thoughts are however deep or abbreviated. Best, Ben

If this is a serious question...here are my thoughts. I recently went to the canyons with my stock 4S for the first time. I've been to the same canyons with my E46 M3 w/ Dinan Stage 2 suspension. The difference is vast... I need to get used to the way the 4S's AWD reacts. The rear still sticks out a bit on quick switchbacks. I've driven RWD's prior to the 4S and got used to throttle-steering and oversteer. With the 4S, it's different...it's relatively neutral in the turns. I do like the fact that PSM doesn't intrude as much as the E46 M3's DSC (non-comp).

Best car I've ever owned! I never get bored of driving it, rain, shine, snow, etc... The amount of grip this car has in the corners constantly surprises me.

Loving every bit of it , though sometimes I do wish I had a stick. The tiptronic is also quite fun and responsive, but you know, there are times... Still got to experience a wet drive to truly experience the all wheel drive. It's never been in the rain yet since I got it last summer...

Love it! Just check the pics under the sig. Best ones are in page 2.

I don't think I'll ever be able to wipe off the grin on my face everytime I'm behind the wheel of my C4S! It's such an awesome car, as ALL P-Cars are! Happy Motoring! - Jong

I love it, BUT: I wish my 2002 C4S I had 700 HP or more.

As said before, the grip is amazing. I mean, lets face it, this IS a 911Turbo -100BHP. I still feel like it's underpowered. I think the S should have added 20 or 30 more HP. After driving a 997S, my goal is to move to one.

I am very pleased with mine. But I think the best upgrade was the X74 suspension which makes the car much more neutral.

go for a TT

Best car I've ever owned and I like it better than my 2001 C4.

I never intended for mine to be my daily but it quickly became my car of choice for my 120 mile round trip commute. Since purchasing it in December 2005, I've put 30,000 fun-filled miles on it, even in snow.

Love mine. If you factor in snow, there there is no contest that this is the best possible car I could have.

I recently traded my 2004 C4S on a 2007 C4S. As much as I loved my '04, the additional power of the 997 combined with the PASM, 19" wheels, improved interior sealed the deal. Both are awesome machines!

Come over to the "Dark Side" Ben. The force is more powerful in the 996!! Resistance is futile..............

Yeah, the thing that gets me is the grip - it's massive. Turn the wheel and hold on, baby... The car's a hoot.

LOL thx guys and the always animated Ray. =D I've driven the Turbo and the 996 C2 and 997S, but never driven the C4S. I love that rear end and like that it's really hard to find even in Microsoft land. But I wonder if I go for a C4S whether I'll regret not getting the Turbo with its additional power and respect. Don't get me wrong, I'm clear on the notion that some, not all 911s are superior to the BMW M driving experience, but understand that even within the 911 line-up there are haves and have-nots (relatively speaking). I have put my E46 M3 up for sale on eBay and if it sells at the reserve price, I will pick-up a 911 and be a paying member of Rennlist and be the biggest 911 ***** ever. j/k Just not sure which path to go down. The C4S is the best looking 996, but far from the lightest and powerful. Will vanity make-up for the less impressive butt dyno?

Love mine. Outstanding in every weather condition. The red reflector strip and widebody are perfection! I would never trade up for a 997 4S, while I like the new interior, there isn't enough hp difference to make a $$change and the 997s are not all that good looking with the only exception being the GT3.

A biased crowd no doubt, but as most of the posts indicate, it's an outstanding handling car that's deceptively quick. It has a tendency to understeer with the stock alignment specs but a slight change to the rear camber and toe-in settings neutralizes this. I find the suspension slightly on the harsh side for long freeway trips but not unbearably so. It's not my daily driver so I always look forward to taking it out on a drive.

Whoa there buddy. Who told you you could have my job? Don't make me come down on you like a ton of bricks....

Oh Ben... you have certainly changed your tune. Remember back a few months ago, you said the C4S was ugly and the rear-end was too big , something like: "it needed extra's to be added to the body to make it look right?" You also said: "the M3 was the FAR better looking car." Just curious, what made you realize how wrong you were? God I LOVE getting the last laff!!

Benjamin, If Kirkland is Kirkland Washington, then the C4s is an ideal car. The amount of grip in the wet (but not icy) conditions here in the NW is impressive. You can literally take wet corners as if in summer, with summer tires on. Once there is ice on the road you do have to dial it back with summer tires. But winter tires are a good investment unless you have another vehicle for the few days it actually snows and sticks. The AWD is not for ice/snow, it's for wet weather handling. I cannot stress that enough. Of course with the right winter rubber it handles very well in the snow (assuming it doesn't low center, especially if you've had a suspension upgrade).

That is exactly what I really want! However, being a small time musician, it is going to take a long time... but I will get it. Waiting for a TT is what stops me from futher modifying and spending more money on my C4S. However, at 320 HP, which in a C4S means 28% less at the wheels ( 270 HP ) due to the ineficiency of AWD, - Porsche here in Toronto just gave me their G-Tech print out showing these figures, as per my request. In earlier days, Porsche used to be one of the most powerful cars around. Now, many cars have 600 and plus HP. However, at 320 HP, which in a C4S means 28% less at the wheels ( 270 HP ) due to the ineficiency of AWD, - Porsche here in Toronto just gave me their G-Tech print out showing these figures, as per my request. In an article I just read, 1000 to 1500 HP will be more and more comon in the near future, and many here, me included, would prefer to buy a 1500 HP Porsche than a 270 HP. Torque is also quite low too 261 Ft/LBs. For the 70's these numbers were impressive, but not in 2007. John

My personal experience is that historically speaking, Porsche has never ruled the 0-60 Olympics and has never sought to do so. You are right there are a load of sporty coupes and even sedans with a huge engine shoehorned into them. I'm not into that. I'd much rather take a 30 MPH corner at 70 than drive down the highway at 155.

I still see the M3 as the better looking car. It's not a complete upgrade to me. The M3 lacks the P-badge, the sound and the steering. I'd be happy with either car. Now if I could justify putting a bit more of my money into cars, then I'd get the 997/996 Turbo and never look back.

Yes, it is Kirkland, WA. Do you live in the area? I have a daily driver so this would be my dry day car so AWD isn't a pro or con for me especially since I won't be tracking this car. Plus, I would put on 19 x 11.5" aftermarket wheels w/ RE050A PPs. Regardless, thx for the advice. I appreciate it very much.

I would recommend AGAINST buying a car for the badge. The sound and steering? That's not enough to move away from a car that you think is the better looking one, especially since it has similar power/weight performance. Looks of a car are VERY important. Don't buy a car you don't even think looks as good. Stick w/ your M3!!

Big mistake, don't buy it for the badge. If you'd really be happy with either car why change? The answer is that these cars are far more different than they are alike and those differences go way beyond the "badge" that each wears.

I figured some of you would nit-pick at the badge, but whatever. Badge counts to an extent as the P-badge shows history in motorsport and not just a P-badge for badge's sake, but a P-badge on a 911 which we all know and love. I'm not inquiring about the Cayman or Boxster driving experience. I'm asking specifically about a certain 911 model here. The M badge has history as well, but not nearly as deep as the 911 P-badge. And sound and steering are two huge things to make the driving experience better. I've had enough seat time to appreciate the 911 drive to where I would overlook the vanity aspect of things and it's not even a huge jump off. The discussion is how you're liking your C4S and not whether Ben thinks the M3 is better looking than the C4S and based on this reason alone why one would discourage him from looking at a possible move. I'll post that topic at some later point in time.

I love my C4S. Best car I've ever owned. Use it as a weekend car only, works great taking the wife and our daughter on weekend rides. I would only sell it for a 996 Turbo or 997S

Ben, I don't quite know how to break this to you, so I'll just say it. The 996 is your daddy.... << Ben It ownz the M3...

The 996 Turbo/GT3 heck yes... 996 RMS speciality... a much closer call.

You talk alot of smack, so you would be better served to not go for the Turbo junior and step up to take a hit from the boost bong

We bought our '03 C4S last summer to replace and "step-up" from a Boxster. We learned the best and worst qualities of the car in the fall when we did a 4-day 1500 mile trip to Vermont. The C4S it a great long distance cruising car when the roads are relatively smooth. We did about 250 miles in steady rain one day and the car never set a foot wrong. However driving a few hundred miles on Pennsylvania and New York Interstates with their many frost heaves and intermittently crappy surfaces was not fun. The car is a blast for shorter drives on back roads and long drives on smoother roads. I still look forward to every drive in it, but my next Porsche will not have such an "extreme" suspension. Maybe I'm just getting old (52!), but I would prefer a little more compliance in the ride.

Great discussion. This was my first winter with my C4S. I never thought driving in nasty weather could be so much fun. Once you learn the car's limtations (done very late at night on empty roads), it's a thrill ride. However the best part is looks you get on snowy days from folks wondering how a sports car can handle such harsh conditions. The anwser is quite simple: 4S...

with winter tires.

I do agree that the ride on the factory suspension is pretty rough. Softer tires (I have Bridgestones) help though.

It was much rarer in the 70's to be taken 0-60 in a stock non modifyed car. Now anybody from the heavy Mercedes to Corvettes can be faster... for less money! I think Porsche has a talented enough engineering team to give us both handling and fast acceleration. I am not that much into top speed either, (not because I wouldn't do it if it was safe, but because it is ilegal), but I enjoy having the option just in case. Having a C4S always gives me the feeling of almost having a super car, yet not quite. John

I am going to be very candid about this question but first just a touch of back ground. I have been racing cars since the late 60's with a few west coast SCCA Division championships and have most recently owned and driven a Hendrick Winston Cup stock car in historic NASCAR raod racing - so I am not a new comer to speed done right. I enjoy the entire package that Porsche delivered in my 2004 C4S but never thought it was really the greatest machine I have ever driven. Don't get me wrong, I think it IS one of the greatest STREET machines offered today and that is why I have one. While I have no complaints about the car other than the USA suspension (just ordered X-73 and 19" wheels), I just never went up to my rooftop and hollared the joys of owning a car that quite frankly young girls in Orange County drive to the tanning salon on a daily basis. But today, I had an appointment that my wife needed to be at also, so I took my BMW and she took the C4S because we needed to go two different directions afterwards. When I saw that car driving down the street I was impressed with it. Not only is it a very nice GT style sports car for the street with some nice creature comforts but it really does look cool. If you are looking for an affordable car that delivers some real nice bene's and does get some looks - my vote is for the C4S. BTW, I determined that for the $$ trade-off I personally did not think the Turbo was worth the extra. This S car has plenty of power at every level. I would buy another. Just my .02 worth. .....sittin' around thinking as I am waiting for my suspension..... cool!

I love mine. I find it very hard to hit its limits in a non track setting. With my 99 boxster with I had no problem hitting the limit and getting myself in trouble, but the C4S is glued to the road and just does what I want it to do. Plus its the best looking 996 ever (flame suite on)

lovely post thx

I'm here in Portland, so no stranger to the wet conditions. To be honest if I was only going to drive in summer conditions, I guess I would prefer a Carrera 2S with the X-51 over the C4S...