All very good advice so far. To add
1. The C4 will have a smaller boot than a C2 because of the front diff
2. C4s have slightly heavier steering, and subsequently slightly less 'feel' than a C2, so purists go for the C2. However, C4s also have less of a floaty feel at the front (which might feel slightly disconcerting for a first time 911 driver) than C2s and have better all weather abilities. Most of the time only around 5% of power is transfered to the front wheels anyway.
I've seen some magazines quote C4 0-60 times faster than C2, due to the better traction of the line, but it's marginal.
3.The C4 will have slightly worse fuel consumption and higher tyre wear than a regular Carrera.
4. The Tiptronic gearbox uses a torque converter. The Tiptronic system is dynamic in that it adapts to the driver's style, with 11 different mappings to suit. You can leave the Tip' in 'M' (semi-auto sequential - gears changed by pressing buttons mounted on the steering wheel) or 'D' (full auto - although u can still override the 'box by pressing the buttons). The gearbox will not let you over-rev or stall, it will change up or change down accordingly.
The big move came with the facelift model (Sept 2001 onwards) as has been described, with the biggest difference being 320bhp instead of 300, and visually - a glass rear screen and turbo front headlights.There are lots of smaller differences some of which have been noted, but also - Mechanical boot and engine compartment openers changed to electrical, matt soft touch finish buttons as opposed to gloss,LED in rear view mirror, and remote openable front lid, a fruitier sounding exhaust and the turbo trip computer.The car became 25% stiffer for the coupe and 10% for the cab'.It has been said that the engine is more reliable on the 3.6 as well (if this is true, it will only be a small percentage). If funds allow this is the model to go for, if not try and get a MY 2000 car which have the updated lights, updated Bosch Motronic and E-gas as standard.
I agree you should get the car inspected by Porsche and get the warrranty (moves up in price by around £175 in November), this will give you peace of mind and is good value for money (and includes Porsche Europe wide Assist). Have a look at Richard Hamiltons excellent FAQ for details on the warranty and Porsche inspection [
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Issues across the Carrera range and things to look out for include:-
1. Coolant tank cracking (around £300 from Porsche to fix - not covered under warranty)
2. Rear Main Seal leaking (covered under warranty)
3. Easily corroded disks (around £100 each from
www.eurocarparts.com)
4. Squeaking suspension bushes. (£245 at OPC)
5. De-laminating windscreen (insurance covered, usually around £50 excess)
6. Broken glove-box hinge (£17 easy self-fix)
7. Cracked rear plastic screen (around £250 for a new one to be re-sitched in)
8.Rust behind door catches in earlier cars (and wont be covered by Porsche's 10 year body warranty)
9. White residue in oil filler tube (most likely condensation due to short journeys, but could be a sign of an engine gasket failure leading to coolant in the oil) (rare)
10. Engine failure due to crack in cylinder liner (rare)
11. Fuel sender entangled in fuel pipe (£220 from OPC - not covered by warranty)
Make sure the car is 'C16' (have a look under the bonnet for a large white sticker detailing the options list in code form, or in the Service booklet), that means it was built for UK spec and is not likely to be an import.
Good luck, you'll be driving a truly amazing car no matter which you choose.[
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