Narrow or Wide Body

Hi, I'm interested in buying a 996 C4S. I believe I know what I'm looking for by now, however, I have one last thing to clear out. I'm not sure what the difference between narrow and wide/turbo bodied Carrera is? Can anyone help. Also, any other advise on second hand 996 C4S's is very much appreciated. Thanks

Ari, welcome. Narrow body is "standard" C2 or C4 car, turbo bodied cars (C4S, Turbo) have a wider track. The C4S is essentially the turbo without the turbo engine (i.e. turbo brakes and suspension but normally aspirated engine). The C4S doesn't have the ducts on the rear wing that the turbo has. A lot of people say the wide bodied car should have been what the 996 model was all along. there's a few owners and ex-owners on here who can fill you in on the finer details. Cheers Tim

The only wide-bodied, big bummed 996s are the C4S, Turbo and the GT2, they are a few inches wider at the rear, basically this improves the rear track making it more stable during cornering etc. I've just sold my C4S, after over 3 wonderful years with her. Things to look out for are warranty, OPC (or good indy) service history, a good spec and good colour/interior specification. If you find one with all of these you're on to a good un! Did I mention a Porsche Sports Exhaust (PSE)? Make sure you have one of these! As you can see from the side/rear shots the wide bodied cars flare out more! Lovely!!!!!!

I have a C4S- its a great car! Tim has basically summed the differences up. The suspension works really well, very composed without crashing over bumps, and I love the wide body look. C4Ss came well-specced as standard, with electric memory seats and an uprated stereo, as well as the turbo spec suspension, brakes and Turbo look wheels. As Damian says, don't even think about getting one without PSE (Porsche Sports Exhaust), or at least get it fitted!

IIRC, the difference is about 44mm

The difference between 'ooooooooooo' and 'aaaaaaaahhhhhhh'

Is that what the ladies say! :twisted:

Think, "When Harry met Sally" - the diner scene

I can thoroughly recommend the C4S too - having owned one for about 18 months.......... They look so right IMHO. Remember that they are slightly slower than their narrow bodied C2 counterparts - since they are heavier with the bigger shell and 4wd - but its a small price to pay...... OPC warranty is a must - it covers the expensive bits. PSE is to die for - it transforms the cars sound. Manual rather than Tip. Usual accident damage should be looked out for. RMS seals are about their only weakness - but probably overhyped on the internet. I never had a problem with mine...... Nice to have Bose. PCM nice but certainly not essential. Go for it !

Hi Tim, Thanks for the info. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about Porsches before I buy one. You made it very clear about the differences though, I now know from having seen pictures.

Hi Damian, Thanks for the pics. Lovely car by the way! As far as warranty is concerned, I'm not too sure what would be applicable if I shipped it to Cyprus?! Also, I've been trying to look for good speced C4S's on several websites but to be honest most seem a little expensive! What should I be looking to spend on a good 2001/2002 example?

She was a lovely car, I do miss her lots Mine was a October 2002 car, I sold it with 52000 miles on her for around £36,500, this had new brake discs all round, new MoT, 8 months warranty etc. My car didn't have Bose or PCM. It would be interesting to see whether a UK warranty would be honoured elsewhere in the EU, I'm pretty sure it would

Hi Robert,] Thanks. I also think the wide body looks really nice

Hi Gastro, Thanks for the info. Again, what's the deal with the warranty if I ship it over to Cyprus. Also, I had no idea it was slower then the C2?! Doesn't it have more HP though? What are RMS seals?

Hi Ari A good spec is open to debate but IMHO the following are essential: Litronic headlights Porsche Sports Exhaust Sport Techno Alloys Porsche encrested sport seats. (however you lose the memory functionality) Carbon fibre You can never have too much 8) There is a lot of discussion regarding PCM2 ie sat nav. In my opinion I do not feel it will be the big deal breaker it was. There is no blue tooth, no DVD play back, no ipod intergration. There are far superior after market products out there now that can be installed. The installation is easier in a pre 2003 car as there is no MOSTbus issue. However after market can be installed on post 2003 just more of a pain. The C4S has upgraded sound system so no real need for the Bose. CD changers are not a major thing for me. Also as it is a coupe a sun roof is a no, no :wink: . I will probably get slammed for this. Parking sensors and cruise control not in my opinion essential. There are many 2002-2003 C4S in the uk going for £38,000-£48,000 I have seen several 2002 22,000 mile ones with litronics around £43,000 Quick pick of the best alloys!!! Enjoy the search regards Alan [/url]