hules98

Well I have been searching for both for a while..kind of leaning toward a turbo but a low mileage one seems a little out of my budget so that's I thought next best thing..c4s. Is there is a lot more maintenance with a turbo? That is another reason for a c4s if it is a lot more. I have driven both I think the c4s has enough power but it's not a turbo. If you were looking for your 1st Porsche would you buy a low miles c4s or high mileage turbo or something else. Btw I am aware of imsb issue & I'm taking that in consideration..thanks for all the help

Imo000

How handy are you with a wrench?

chsu74

I would buy a higher mileage turbo over a lower mileage naturally aspirated 996. The 996 stock turbos are very reliable. It's the modded frankensteins you have to stay from.

white out

turbo. hands down.

niche

Seriously? Turbo?

hules98

I'm handy enough..I have bought a lot of cars but I always went by the lowest mileage and newest you can afford but in Porsche it sounds like buy the best turbo I can afford. The only reason I was interested in a c4s is the one I currently local & one of the nicest used cars I've seen. Most of the turbos are ok but very high in price so I've been looking south.

hules98

Are you against a turbo?

944visage

For what it's worth I bought a low mile 2003 C4S 2 months ago and totally love it as my first 911 and 2nd Porsche prior being an 86 944. I've kept the 2001 Audi S4 as a winter Ski Car and part time daily driver which has dual turbo's (That have developed minor Oil Leaks and are not terminal at this point at 125K miles but failing turbo's contributed to my reason to buy the C4S instead of Turbo since those are not cheap on an Audi S4 or 996 Turbo! and am going to keep driving the S4 to Tahoe trips in winter without replacing the Turbos for at least a few or many more years if I keep the mileage low!). So Anyway the new C4S is a dream come true and is plenty fast enough to get arrested quite quickly at 320 HP thank you very much. Does that extra 95 HP for the Turbo's 415 really matter....sure if you are looking for a 4 second or whatever faster track time to brag about at Thunderhill or Sears Point or Laguna Seca which are my local tracks as reference) but damn a C4S is a very fast car.

I'm a couple year out of practice high performance drivng instructor for open track events and can't wait to get it on the track perhaps with PCA again with this baby but in the meantime have pushed it to the limits on rural highways with no traffic in the Sierra Nevada mountains, coastal highways, and other secret winding roads and it is a blast and is not a slow car at all so my 2 cents is get a Turbo if you have the extra bucks to spend or just get a C4S and can guarantee that you will be very happy as well.

Steve

Seeeu911

C4S, if your buying as a daily driver.

chsu74

It most certainly does not matter. However, if you ask me if I would pay $5K extra to get the reliability of a GT1 engine over a M96/97 engine... That is a no brainer to me since a GT1 engine costs over $25K new and a IMS retrofit will eat $2K out of the $5K premium narrowing the gap.

The 996 and newer 911 engines no longer follow the 993 and older product line up anymore. Production and cost designs are slashed to build entry Carreras.

niche

Oops. I meant:

Turbo!

hules98

Well the 2 cars I'm narrowing it down to is 04 c4s 32k all service done it's basically perfect all the options for around $39 local I know everyone says it's high but it's that nice & it's begin sold from a trusted mechanic. The other is 01 turbo 36k with nav & CDs changer. It's in NC the best price is $45. Got a ppi all good and 30k service done. Another ? Is a tip that bad I found one local wasn't interested but maybe for right price. And is the year that much of an issue since the c4s is 3 years newer. Thanks for all the input

Dennis C

Either choice would be excellent. They both have upgraded interiors and a nice list of standard features. The additional power of the turbo is certainly nice, but it's not really that usable in everyday driving. On the track - that's another story. The selling point on the turbo is the Metzger engine, as mentioned above. It's one of the best engines that Porsche has ever built. The C4S is a better looking car than the turbo. The lines are better because it doesn't have the air intakes on the sides and the permanent rear spoiler. Additionally, many people consider the C4S to be a very fun and safe car to drive because it has the engine of the C2 but has brakes and suspension that were designed for a much more powerful car. It's a "magical" combination.

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. I own a C4S and I'm very happy with it. That being said, I may buy a turbo for my next 911 just to change things up.

As for maintenance, they will be pretty comparable. There are a few things on the turbo that need to be addressed that aren't issues on the C4S. Additionally, there are silly things that cost more on the turbo. As an example, the front spoiler lip on the C4S is slightly different than the turbo. This is a "disposable" item that needs to be replaced every so often. The C4S lip is ~$125. The turbo lip is ~$395. I'm sure there are other examples.

Dstutler

If its speed and power you're looking for, I don't think you will ever second guess your Turbo decision. Once you get used to these cars you will always want a little more performance. With the Turbo it will take much longer before you reach that point...then comes a GT3.

BAD.TAG

If its coming from a mechanic, work out a deal that includes IMS replacement.

He should know thats a reasonable request with these cars and takes that concern out of the equation