Welcome to the addiction that is this forum. You won't be dissapointed if you buy a 996tt. They are simply awesome cars. You are bound to get plenty of biased info here since we all love these cars. Others will have more info for you than me since I've only owned mine for just over a year but it has been a great 1st year and I have researched the hell out of these cars for the past couple years. I was in the same boat as you a few years ago trying to decide between a 996 C4S and a 996 turbo and I opted for a 2002 996 C4S that I got a great deal on. As you can see that didn't last long and I realized I longed to have the turbo so I bought one and sold the C4S. If all the HP of the turbo isn't something you long for, the C4S is plenty of car and is lots of fun as well. I recommend you drive both. It is basically a 996 turbo without the amazing GT1 engine or the turbos of course. Other than that they look similar have the same wide body, same suspension, same wheels, and same brakes. I think mechanically you are not really losing much if any reliability with the turbo over the C4S. The GT1 engine in the turbo is much stouter than the engine that goes into the C4S and handles the increased power easily. There are however some items that are problems and should be looked out for with the 996tt. A good pre purchase inspection by a reputable Porsche mechanic before you purchase can weed out some of the cars that might have problems. Some issues I can think of off the top of my head is the clutch slave/accumulator system is prone to failure, the hydraulic rams on the spoiler fails, and coolant expansion tanks crack and leak, and coolant hoses have come loose (see recent thread on this). Obviously if you can get a good car that has some aftermarket warrenty or Porsche CPO warrenty that is even better.

If you search the archives you'll find a lot of information on these cars. The 996tt is undervalued right now due to the economy. Myself and many others on here see the 996tt holding its value over the years as the economy recovers but really who knows what will happen. It's hard to see the values on these cars falling too far given the exceptional performance. Great examples of these cars can be had from the high $30k to $50k range.

Good luck in your search

 

Ask yourself "if I were driving a C4 and a turbo drives by, will I still want the turbo"? Because I can guaranty you if you are driving the turbo and a C4 drives buy, you won't want the C4.

 

Funny thing is, that is exactly what was I was thinking when a local shop suggested the C4 instead. I had an immediate, "Yes, but ..... " in my head. I couldn't stop thinking about the unreal bottom end these cars have. The 2 things that blew me away were the torque & how well the all wheel drive hooked up to eliminate most of the squirelly behavior that many high powered cars can have.

 

I wanted a Turbo as a little kid back in the 80's. Several times I almost settled for a non turbo (c4s or gt3) but decided that I should wait for what I want. It took a few extra years, but mine is a dream come true.

What are you looking for and what do you want it to do? The answer should point you in the right direction.

If its just to satisfy your desire to own a Porsche, a non turbo might be a good direction. If its to scare the wife and beat up on kids in Audi's, you need boost.

 

My story exactly.


To The OP a high miles car will always be cheap and probably reliable if you get nice car. A low miles car will be relatively expensive. The question is are you going to put a LOT of miles on a low mileage car and make it high mileage car? if so get the high miles car. If not get the nicest example and keep it pristine and it will retain a lot of value.

 

Will the extra $10K really make a difference in your retirement nest egg? I'd go for #1 on your list...get the Turbo for a bit of a premium and you'll never look back. Good luck with your decision!

 

I'm just looking for a fun back road blaster when the mood is right, just for me. Beating up on the kids in their Audi's & the Ricer crowd would be some EXTRA fun.

 

I would not be piling on miles. I have a beater van, a Volvo V70R, & a few bikes so it would be just for when I want to go have some fun with it. I'm thinking a low miles, really clean car would fit the bill.

Thanks very much for the informative answers from everyone.

 

Where are you in the Northeast?

 

I think the term "ricer" is mainly used in the biker world. Dont like it used in this forum if you catch my drift

 

I don't. Seems like the term accurately defines a type of car/mod crowd that is commonly seen on 4 wheels.

So what am I missing?

 

Given the depressed prices of a 996TT, it's very hard not to say yes.

 

Maybe he's Asian and takes it as a racial slap as opposed to a term to describe a style. I use the term occasionally as it is the quickest easiest way to imply a visual. But I understand how some people take it. Perhaps rightfully so.

Jim

 

The car will be a depreciating asset and will require further expenses to maintain and keep it in the road.

The car has no collectibilty so will probably follow the depreciation curve and continue to lose value as you own and drive it.

You can mitigate the depreciation somewhat by buying a good car, for reasonable money, giving it good servicing, leaving it stock and staying off the track.

The car in this case will depreciate less then it would otherwise.

Then there is this: Another risk is if the car is not covered by some warranty it can suffer a serious problem that can have you facing thousands to repair. These cars sold new for $120K (my 03 Turbo cost its owner $119K and change) and they are complicate and rather expensive to have serviced and if something goes wrong repaired.

In the worst case if the engine say fails you could be facing a repair bill that might approach 50% or more of the car's value before the engine got sick.

Next comes this: Be sure you have good insurance. The car is at risk from things beyond your control. An accident or something else (flood, fire, tree falling on the car) can erase any value the car might have had before the incident.

Oh, I'm sure you know this but a purchase like this should in no way materially affect your retirement income or the principle upon which you depend for this income.

I know some people in their 90's who have been retired for over 30 years and thankfully have sufficient investments and pension income to let them live comfortably, though not lavishly. But everytime I visit them they tell me of other retirees who are having to tap into their savings/retirement money to make day to day living expenses simply because the amount of money they had set aside doesn't produce the retirement income they had anticipated or in a few cases they touched this money earlier in their retirement to fund a second house purchase, a dream vacation, or something similar.

Oh, thank goodness you are on the road to recovery after your cancer experience. All the best to you.

Sincerely,

Macster.