What section should we request at Pop century? We will have a rental car, which we will use most days. As for dining at Pop, it will probably only be a couple of times, and picking up beverages in our refillable mugs. This I can do, while hubby waits in the car, near the lobby.
Have you been to http://www.popcenturysite.com/? There's lots of advice on the resort there. I haven't stayed there personally, so my best advice is to check out the articles and blog over there! 
One thing I will recommend is to try to stay away from the pools. Many people want to be close to them for easy access, but we found ourselves wanting to get to sleep and not having any luck because of the pool noise. We actually asked to move over it.
i am good with being away from the pools. After swiming in my parents saltwater pool, i find public pools pretty nasty.
I love the 50's section at Pop. If you get the right room in building 1, you can see the fireworks from Illuminations at Epcot.
This is from a blog easy WDW. I've found his info very reliable:
Best Rooms: The Preferred rooms are listed above, but are not necessarily "better" because of the additional noise that may come from the pool area. All rooms should be within a 5-10 minute walk of the main building and most should be within 5 minutes, depending on speed and whether you cut through the parking lot. The best rooms at Pop are probably the top floor of 60s' building 4 that face the lake. These rooms have a nice view, reduced noise, and are close to the main building and feature pool. In reality, there isn't really an inherently bad room at this resort. Rooms farther away from the feature pool and main building will be quieter and rooms closer will be louder, but have a shorter walk to the buses and dining. It just depends on what you want.
Close to parking and not facing a pool would be best