The 911 Carrera 4 (997.1) is the all-wheel-drive base 911, built for 2005–2008. It pairs the water-cooled 3.6-liter M96 flat-six with all-wheel drive and the wider body the AWD cars share with the Turbo — a rear track roughly 44 mm wider than the rear-drive cars — through a six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic S.

Mechanically it shares the rear-drive Carrera's M96/M97 concerns: cylinder bore scoring and the non-serviceable single-row IMS bearing, so buy on condition and history. The AWD hardware and wide body add a little weight in exchange for a more planted feel; only the Mezger cars sidestep the engine risk entirely.