carrera 4 vs. carrera

[esbrown]

hey guys. i am in the market for a carrera and have found a 996 carrera 4 in my price range that looks pretty nice. looking to test drive this weekend. one concern i have is the rear "carrera 4" badge is off center. without the "4", the badge is centered, but it kinda has me spooked. <_< even though the carfax vin check says its a carrrera 4. three possibilities in my mind, 1) its a carrera and someone somewhere added the "4" (1999 model, two owners); 2) its a carrera 4 that was repainted; 3) it is what it is a carrera 4 with the rear badge off center.

what should i look for underneath or other places to determine if truly a "4" or repainted. thanks. looking forward to joining the team soon.

[MWS]

There is a VIN number decoder on this website. Look at the top of this page uder the drop down menu that says "Documents".

MWS

[Pumpkin]

hey guys. i am in the market for a carrera and have found a 996 carrera 4 in my price range that looks pretty nice. looking to test drive this weekend. one concern i have is the rear "carrera 4" badge is off center. without the "4", the badge is centered, but it kinda has me spooked. <_< even though the carfax vin check says its a carrrera 4. three possibilities in my mind, 1) its a carrera and someone somewhere added the "4" (1999 model, two owners); 2) its a carrera 4 that was repainted; 3) it is what it is a carrera 4 with the rear badge off center.

what should i look for underneath or other places to determine if truly a "4" or repainted. thanks. looking forward to joining the team soon.

Figuring out if its a 4 is easy. Just pop the trunk and see if there is a front wheel drive mechanism. You'll be able to tell by the presence of the rectangular cover in the middle between the cd changer and disk brake fluid resevoir. In the carrera 2 this will be empty space. Here's what the 4 will look like http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Bj_NS78...m/c4s/trunk.jpg. Also, I believe that the carrera 2 has the spare tire standing upright and visible, whereas in the 4 its on its side in a compartment underneath the floor of the trunk. Here's a pic of the 2 http://www.asphalte.ch/LD/996/996%20trunk%20400.jpg.

Whatever you buy get it inspected by a mechanic first.

Good luck!