Hey guys,

Looking for some quick opinions on this C4S I am looking at:

2003 C4S. 35k miles. Silver over black. Nav. Bose. 6 speed. Short shifter and stainless exhaust. Factory wheels and 19" OZ wheels. IMS/RMS NOT updated.

He is asking $38k. KBB seems right at 38k. 2003 just seems too old, but recognize this was a $100k car back in the day. What would be a good deal on this one?

 

Thats a fairly premium price. Is it worthy?

• Perfect cosmetic condition, inside and out?
• Clean carfax history, no bodywork?
• Low owner count?
• Full service history?
• Zero current issues?
• Any/all modifications done perfectly?
• Do you definitely want a C4S as opposed to a Turbo or C2?

 

• Perfect cosmetic condition, inside and out? Seems to be.
• Clean carfax history, no bodywork? Yes.
• Low owner count? 2
• Full service history? Need to check.
• Zero current issues? Advertised that way, but will get a PPI.
• Any/all modifications done perfectly?
• Do you definitely want a C4S as opposed to a Turbo or C2? hmm. I know I don't want a base model. I like the wide body of the C4S and I think I would like the AWD, living in the north east. But can you weigh in on what makes a C4S desirable? If at all?

 

Buy it if you like it. PPI of course.

 

Get the PPI done to have a peace of mind. When I bought my C4S (2003) back in 2007 I also purchased a extended warranty and used it toward the end of the contract. Contract was for 5 years or 50K miles, which I never came close to. At that time in 2007 the contract cost me $3,000. Peace of mind. Work done: Replaced the Starter, Replaced the oil sensor. I'm still the owner of my beloved 996 C4S and love it. They are really bullet proof cars, just maintain your maintanence and drive it to lube the componets. Letting her sit for long periods of time kills her and will cause greater damage...
Just my 2 cents...

 

Not everybody likes the same things... And the opinions below is purely MY personal perspective.

C4S vs. Turbo: The C4S is often described as a 996 Turbo without the turbo... Same great looks, but without the pricey motor. When new, the price difference was pretty huge. In the used market, probably less than $7K difference between an otherwise identical 996 C4S and Turbo. Considering the Turbo uses a different engine design without any intermediate shaft issues, that upgrade alone on the C4S might take as much as a ~$2K price out of that $7K price difference. I guess my point is, if you love the 996 Turbo looks and are willing to spend $40K, maybe stretch a bit more and find a nice '02-'04 Turbo.

2WD vs. AWD: The Turbo had AWD because it was kind of needed with all that extra power. And I suppose its more difficult to get yourself into trouble even without the turbo engine if you have the AWD, but for me, that's not the point. I want a 911 to keep my driving skills in practice. Even if I picked up a new 991, I would readily agree that the PDK transmission is superior in almost every way, but I'd still take the manual. Because even though a computer can blip a more perfect downshift than pretty much any driver, I still want to blip the best downshift I can by myself! Same logic why I personally prefer RWD to AWD in my 911...

As for foul weather, I live in Colorado. I thought it would be cool to have a Porsche I could take out when the weather sucked, but that thought passed in about 2 seconds... My F150 ecoboost FX4 with four blizzaks is an infinitely better bad weather machine. Ground clearance, far better sight distance, a big-*** cage around me and my passengers, plenty of room for a tow strap, shovel, jumper cables, gobs of horsepower and torque, surprisingly good handling. And when it gets absolutely coated with road grime and mag chloride, I can run it through the corner car wash instead of detailing it.

 

I've noticed the C4S prices have gone up a bit in the last year. If you can find a turbo for about 40K as mentioned you're about equal if you do the IMS Bearing or IMS Solution which I would do the latter. But the turbo will have, in most cases, more miles on it.
I bought my 2003 C4S, which had 32k on it all services done over the years, kept in a private collection in a climate controlled garage, all new tiresn brakes, clean PPI, no pings,dents etc.. I did the IMS and RMS, LNE screw on filter adapter, and silicone air intake hose and she runs like a beast. I looked a a turbo but it did not pass the PPI and the ECU tune was a mess, had 89K on it a few body inperfections not overly clean inside, needed new tire and brakes and a tune, missing front lip spoiler and he wanted 38K for it. He finally sold it for 34k and when I last spoke to the current owner he said it was the worst decesion he's ever made and he put $$$ into getting the issues fixed but the tune is still not correct.
So, my point, before you lay out any $$ make sure you get a good PPI and take the cost of getting things fixed into consideration as far as pricing, it's not just the cost of the car.

 

Not sure where in the NorthEast you are but that does tend to make a difference in prices. I bought my 2004 C4S last year for $38K. Perfect condition, clean PPI, all service, No IMS replacement, 24K miles. To me based on the 30 or so other cars I looked at for over a year, it was a good deal. Mine was from a private seller. Virtually the exact same car (different color) was at a dealer for $42. I have just done the IMS, RMS, AOS and clutch (all for peace of mind) so I'm still only $41K and I have the car I always dreamed of...

 

At 38K you're approaching 'Turbo' price range. The Turbo is *always* going to be the more desirable car.

The C4S looks a lot like a Turbo (that nice fat *** and all), but is still basically a 996. The Turbo is a completely different beast.

If it were me and 38K fit into my price range, I would probably look at Turbos.

 

$38k seems pretty steep for a C4S, but then again I'm not one to pay a premium for low miles. IMO, 35k miles is almost TOO low for a 10 year old car.

YMMV.

 

So I guess if I were to sell my X51 + sport exhaust standard equipped 2004 C4S with 34k miles, I should be looking around $45k?

 

I'd say this is a fair price its pretty low miles for that year car and nice mods always helps if youre eventually going to do them.

PLUS you get two sets of wheels. If you want to sell one set thats at least 1k back in your pocket if not more. If you look at full package its fair price IMO.

 

Lots of people suggesting turbos but doesn't that include a fairly large future maintenance burden?

 

Ummm..... yeeaaapp...

 

pretty fair price IMHO... for comparison sake, I bought mine 1 year ago tomorrow.

2004 C4S , black on black, psm, bose, nav, 6speed, heated sport seats, IMS upgrade, no mods. 42k miles $40k. I bought it from a porsche dealer, certified, with a brand new RMS.

1 year of wonderfulness so far and many more to come. I love the car to death and drive it every single day. its my ONLY car.

best of luck.