Markusc

I'm looking at a low miles 9,600- C4S 996 and wanted to get some feedback about the car and value. Manual C4S and in excellent condition.

I have only owned a 997 but like the look of the 996 C4S. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Dennis C

I have a 996 C4S and I love it. It's a wonderful car and it has a unique look. The 2005 model is pretty rare because it was the transition year to the 997. I believe the only 996 cars produced that year were the C4S and the Turbo S. I'm not sure about the targa - but I think all the narrow-body cars produced in 2005 were 997s.

The 996 is nice because it's a wide body car, and it has the unique reflector strip on the rear deck lid that connects the tail lights, making it look somewhat similar to a 993 from behind. It has the same brakes and suspension as the turbo, and it has lots of nice upgrades like the full-leather interior.

IMHO, you can't go wrong with a 996 C4S. In this case, you're looking at a 7+ year old car with very low mileage. That's a great find, but get a good PPI and take it on a nice long test drive. Cars that old with such low mileage can develop leaks because the seals dry out. Also, was the recommended maintenance (such as oil changes) performed on the car? The maintenance schedule is set up for mileage and/or time. Oil, brake fluid and other fluids need to be properly maintained.

Good luck with the possible purchase - it sounds like a great find. What color is it?

Markusc

Thanks Dennis.
Speed Yellow!

In your opinion what is a fair value?

Markusc

Some people have told me they prefer the 997 because of the look and they are not fond of the head lights on the 996, but I actually like the look.

Dennis C

Many people like the 997 because of the updated headlights and the updated interior. That's fine - the 997 is very nice. However, I really like the 996, especially the 996 C4S. Speed Yellow is awesome!

I can't help you much with values - I haven't been in the market for a long time. I'm sure others will chime in on that topic...

Markusc

Thanks for the feedback.

mrtoro

I am in the market as well. Excellence (Porsche magazine) buying guide has them listed in a range of 29 to 35 for 04 c4s cars. You got a rare color (which I am searching for as well) and super low miles. Dennis has it right, low miles is not the best thing sometimes. More they are driven better the chance of normal issues to come up and be addressed. Be cautious and get a through PPI done. Drive it for 30 or so miles before PPI. This will let the leaks show their ugly heads. I hope they don't and you get an awesome car!!!

I had two cars fail PPI last week. Don't rush through the purschase. I would say a perfect example with new fluids and no problems at all should be priced in low to mid 40s.

street rod

Its interesting about the head lights because as we all know there are some P car owners that don't like them. However for some reason it seems like many other people that just happen to see my car make comments on how they really like the head lights. The C4S is a beautiful car and I have also heard a few other 997 owners comment that they really like that model. As Dennis said make sure you get a PPI done at a good Indy. You would need this in any case but the low mileage presents its own set of possible issues. Any other info on the car like how many owners, maintenance records, any accidents? You can get the paint checked for any re-sprays which could indicate a possible accident. If the car is in exc cond the value will be more like 36 - 41. Good luck.

Markusc

Thanks for the info. He's asking $51,500 for the car. Speed yellow. Clean car.
A PPI for sure. car was $101,500 msrp. 2005 c4s

jyoteen

Nice color! Enjoy. It's a great car.

oMenRC51

What is the asking price?

Oops just read the OPs reply above (damn iPhone)

That price is too high.

Peter 642

No right answer here, but I absolutely love my C4S. At that price, I assume you specifically want (a) a C4; (b) an S, because otherwise you're well within the 997 price range for a similar car than what you've previously owned.

If you do want a 996 though, it's really hard to pick a better model (IMHO) than a 2005 C4S (with the exception that the car may still suffer from the IMS failure at some point, if not already replaced) unless you want to take the same amount of money and buy a 996 turbo.

The comment above that Excellence has put the C4S at "a range of 29 to 35 for 04 c4s cars," isn't wrong but Excellence recently commented that they were going to essentially stop pricing their cars because there was no "right" price possible. $35K is about the lowest you would find a low-mileage 2004 C4S at this point, unless it needed something or the seller was in an awful hurry to unload it. I'm not surprised that at less than 10K miles, the price is north of $50K, but again, you could get a 996 turbo or a 997 for that money. It's also true that a car with 10K miles on it, that's now 7 years old (let's say 6, assuming the buyer used it in 2006), has an average of 1500 miles/year, which is really nothing, and might cause some pause. Not being driven enough is a big cause of failures, as you probably know, and low mileage doesn't necessarily mean "good." You learned that above from Dennis.

If you like it and you have the cash, go for it, especially if you love the color. Keep a few extra dollars for potential disasters, though, but you knew that already.

silotwo

Excellence also foot notes to add 10% for cars with low miles and in excellent condition. When I was buying last fall excellence listed the top price at $39K - I paid $41K - 23k miles - $98K original sticker. It's an 04 with an April 04 build date.

I doubt that many people would be knocking on the sellers door at $51K so IF the car checks out you probably have some room to negotiate. Personally I've never been afraid to pay when something is a near perfect example and of course if I really really want it.

As others have mentioned, service based on time rather than miles is actually important.

Hope it all works out because you are sure to enjoy it.

silotwo

Hello Dennis - I have read many times that the C4S shares the same suspension as the Turbo. The build sheet on mine shows a touring suspension. Any idea what a stock Turbo suspension is? My C2 has the USMO30 suspension and it is definitely a firmer suspension than that of my C4S. ( I am actually coming to prefer the C4S touring suspension these days though)

jyoteen

the turbo and the c4s has the same suspension. As witnessed by quadruple the price of the aluminum wheel carriers which are turbo/c4s as opposed to steel on the c2.

The difference is mainly the drivetrain, and some other minor body stuff.