I’ve seen a lot of conversations lately on which is a better car, the Carrera 2 or the Carrera 4. What’s not always clear in these discussion is exactly which model(s) are they discussing? Are all non Carrera 4’s (excluding Turbo’s) considered a Carrera 2? It’s tough to say, and it may depend on who you talk to. So, for the sake of this discussion let’s separate them based on two-wheel/rear wheel drive versus all-wheel/four-wheel driver.
I’m biased as I own a C4S. I bought this car not only for the look (wide body Turbo look) but for the all wheel drive as well. I’ve driven quite a few Porsches and while I enjoy the “driving spirit” of the rear-engine two wheel drive versions, there is some comfort in knowing that with an all-wheel drive version the idea of going “ass over teakettle” has basically been taken out of the equation.
So, what are the major differences between the two and which one is a better car?
Major Differences:
- Options – The Carrera 4 has certain standard equipment that is only available as options on the Carrera
- Braking System. The Carrera 4 has the ABD or Automatic Braking Differential
- Differential. The Carrera 4 has a mechanical 22 – 40% lock limited slip.
- 18″ Wheels
- Big Red Brakes/Turbo Brakes
- MacPherson Struts (same as option code MO33)
- Turbo look wide body
- Weight –
- The Carrera weighs in roughly at 3014 lbs (1370 kilos) vs. 3120 lbs (1420 kilos)
- Performance –
- The Carrera has a slight edge due to lower weight. However, this edge is only noticeable on the track as top speed is only 3mph more and doesn’t become really noticeable until you get to quarter mile times.
- As a note, any performance advantages are lost if weather conditions are anything less than dry. At this point the Carrera 4 takes over with a marked difference.
- Resale –
- This remains to be seen. I’ve been thinking of starting a thread on this to track pricing and sales, but I’m still undecided.
- Based on my research and tracking of pricing the C4S carries a premium over everything but Turbo’s and other limited editions (such as the GTs, RS’s, etc.).
So, who’s the winner? I don’t think there is a clear one here. Again, as I’m biased, I would say the Carrera 4, specifically the C4S coupe wins each time, I know others would say different. Let me know what you think?
WARNING!!!! The following is outright blatant advertising. However, I am hoping that I can provide enough decent content that makes it worthwhile for people to read my blog. So, in an effort to help pay for my hosting costs, I’ll occasionally provide links to things that I think are worthwhile with regard to Porsche 993(s).
In this instance, some of the information provided above came from “Porsche 993 The Essential Companion” written by Adrian Streather. I’ve done my best to make sure that the things I advertise or “recommend” are useful and are things that I use myself or have used in the past. In this case, Adrian’s book has been a constant companion and helped immensely in the purchase of my 993.