1999-02

I'm looking to purchase a 911 C4. I've been pointed at the 996 as it's a pretty sweet spot in the market comparted to most 911's.

Is the 2002 update worth the extra $$$

Thanks for the feedback

 

In my opinion - the 2002 & up is a preferred route.

The power (320), the displacement (3.6), the interior upgrades (better materials), the lighting upgrade (once they changed the headlight shape to distance it from the Boxster), the resale for all of the above. Its a win.

 

Thanks Michael - I also like the wide body on the 02 and up. Haven't been able to find the right car yet but in no hurry.

 

Tiptronic something to stay away from? Common problems? Cost to fix?

Was thinking that might be better than the 6 speed for a daily driver. Always have my Viper to drive for the thrill of stick.

 

I concur on all the above.

I had a tip 99 and it was a great car, but the tip made it kind of boring. It was great for traffic and the tip did shift quickly. There's not much to worry about the tips as parts are readily available to repair at an indy trans shop. I found the car accelerated fastest if I left it in D.

 

I don't see having a Tiptronic doing resale any favors (definitely the case with 993s). Plus, I hate Tiptronic. As I've said here before, 996s, like most modern Porsches, are just so easy to drive that I really don't think much convenience will be lost anyway. My 2 cents anyway.

 

Make sure that you have a PPI done on it. The gearboxes have a couple of issues, which are easily addressed but will typically cost about $4000.00 to take care of.

Great Cars.

Erik

 

FWIW,

I race a 2002 C2 (2003 motor making 290whp & 2800lbs with me and fuel). I've also got a '99 C2 that was a street car. I had always kind of "pooh-pooh'd" the "regular 911's" thinking it would be like a 3-series compared to an M3 (comparing to the 996 GT3 RS I drove on the ring). I had figured the "regular" 911's weren't that exciting until I drove it. I was blown away. The power was great, handled great, (with the Fabspeed straight race setup) sounds great too. I instantly changed my mind and realized that the C2's are fantastic cars, even the early models that so many people seem to dog on simply because they're down 20hp.

What's the point of all my ramblings? Save some extra money to throw a nice exhaust and wheels on it, and buy the pre-facelift 996--they're great cars even though most people rag on them a bit. The 20 less/more hosepower simply won't make that much a noticeable difference either way on the street, nor on a track for that matter unless you're racing at a professional level.

If it was me, I would rather have a lower mileage, older 996 with some money left over to play with, rather than spend it all on a high mileage 2002+ car. The early models are just as fun as the facelifts as a street car.

Just my $.02,
Ricky

Edit: not sure if it's worth mentioning, but I will anyway. The IMS issue that everybody on the interwebs seems to yammer on and on about isn't that big of a deal. It's all hyped up and blown out of proportion. If you are really concerned with it (keep in mind it can--can not will--affect any 996) with the IMS, then LN Engineering is a great place to either buy it from or get in contact with to have it done. I am not affiliated with them in any way:
http://www.lnengineering.com/ims.html

 

if you're a track junkie this is spot on. also, Spec996 gives the 99-01 cars (3.4 motors) a 200 pound weight advantage

if you're just going to use it as a daily driver/weekend cruiser then I'd spring for an 02+ car.

 

Guys - Thanks for the feedback great as usual which is why I posted here.

The car will be a daily driver and I sit in traffic both ways each day. That is a big reason why I'd possibly choose tip over 6 speed. I'm a sports car purist but don't want to sell the car 6 months after buying because of dreading the manual.

I need a C4 or another AWD version do to the WI winters. Would rather not waste any extra money. Need to research what extra options were added in 02 and newer.

 

I have a 2000 C2 that is my Chicagoland daily driver. I put a Fister exhaust on it because the stock was sooooooo quiet. Then I found a great deal on Pelican for a K&N cold air intake which I put on with the Fister and it just howls at 4000 RPMs! In about another 3 weeks, I will put my spare set of wheels on with the Bridgestone Blizzaks and blast thru winter! My car will leave SUVS crab crawling away from lights with those tires!

I went thru the same things you're going thru now. I have a 12 year old and a 10 year old that love riding in the car. Put the winter tires on and there's no reason to put it away for the winter!! Look on Craigslist and there is always someone selling 996 wheels. Buy a set for winter and a set for summer and have fun.

Remember, it's a car and it's supposed to be driven! It's not a priceless Bugatti that you should tuck away. My brother has a Corvette and he will be putting away for the winter soon. I can not imagine not driving the car I love for 4 or 5 months of the year.

Here's summer and winter:
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no better way to work on 911 car control than in the snow!!

 

indeed, back in Mizzourah I threw some winter tires (not even true snow tires!) on my C2S and went blazin' past SUVs in the snow. hilarious.

teaches you quite a bit about the handling characteristics of the car, too

 

Wish I could get by with a RWD version (seems quite a bit cheaper than most c4's). Just isn't realistic to drive year round. M wife wants this as a daily driver or my Viper needs to go.

Needless to say I'm going to take my time waiting for the perfect car and deal to come along. Would like to drive something with Tiptronic to rule that in or out.

 

Put a set of Blizzaks on a RWD Pcar and they're great in the snow. Honest.

 

Most owners have had less issues with the 2002+ model years. Not to say that previous years were bad, just seem like they had more issues.

 

I agree, I've driven a 2003 Carrera Cab manual and the clutch was light and the gearbox was precise and effortless.

I thought the interior was still cheap, though -- not close to the 993 or 997.

I had a tiptronic 993, and the performance penalty was steep - maybe a full second slower 0-60. That said, I've also had a tiptronic in my current Audi and it's reliable and smooth, so if you're in traffic I'd go for it. Also, 996s are already fairly cheap and you might pay less for a tiptronic, so I doubt you'd take much of a financial hit. I sold my 993 without much effort, because some drivers specifically want the automatic.

 

Amen!

 

I'd recommend driving a manual to see if it will work for you. They are remarkably easy to drive, and are much, much easier to sell when the time comes. Tips aren't terrible, and are fairly reliable, they just aren't as much fun, and typically take a big hit on resale.

 

Bumping this because I am considering a 996 C4S.

The main thing holding me off though is the reliability of these cars plus the IMS issue.

Seems to me like they are pretty stout cars, but most issues lie in the motor and transmission and can be big money to fix.

The car I am looking at has full history and was once a CPO car with full dealer maintenance. It looks stunning but I fear buying the thing and then having the $20k motor go kaboom. It's a 2003 manual with 87k miles.

Am I being overly paranoid?

 

87k miles? if it doesn't use any oil, and you have the service records, you're pretty safe. most IMS issues surface around 30k miles.

as some inspiration: here's my lowly 99 996 with a 3.4. man is it slow, I could barely keep that 500+ bhp Z06 behind me
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Not sure if youre looking ourside 00-02, but a nice listing here.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-911-C4S-COUPE-2006-PORSCHE-911-C4S-COUPE-6SPD-NAVIGATION-SPORTS-CHRONO-ORIG-PAINT-WARNTY-/110988051757?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19d767452d

 

A nice car for sure, but it's about $10k higher than the 996 and it's black. Where I live black will be dirty. ALL. THE. TIME.

 

That's what I was wondering as well. Seemed when I was reading about the IMS issues most of the engines that grenaded were low mileage. I assume 87k miles isn't really anything for the Porsche, but I wasn't sure!

 

'Grenaded' overstates the failure mode, doesn't it? For $1000-1500, you can update and not worry.

Keep the revs 2500+, and wind it to redline 1/drive.