Diary of a new 996C4S owner.

[pete a]

Arrived home from work tonight and went in the office at home to check a few emails and make some calls, quickly checked the classifieds and saw a Basalt Black on black leather 996 C4S due in at 911 Virgin, quick read of the advert, one phone call and a chat with Tom who was very helpful, knowledgeable and professional and deposit taken.

This totally goes against all my instincts normally to buy a car unseen, not even a photo, but a friend of mine has had many dealings with 911V and he has recommended them to me and I know they have a good reputation so I thought, hey why not you only live once.

So that's it, should be collecting the car next Saturday after it's had a full preparation to include a major service with plugs, brake fluid and clutch.

I'm sure it's going to be a big difference from the GT3 I had but it's good to try different things, plus it's almost a quarter of the price I got for the 3.

Pictures and 1st drive review to follow.

[pete a]

It was a keeper. In fact the insurance company kept it.
The GTS is nice and I nearly bought an Aqua blue one last week but got beaten to it. In the end I decided to keep some money in the bank and get something cheaper.
I'm really looking forward to getting it though.

[pete a]

Hey Russ, no hedges were harmed I just got my left and right mixed up in Switzerland at the exact moment a very large bus came around the corner.

Easy done when on your own in Europe in fact a few people on the trip forgot what side to be on but got away with it. I was just unlucky.
Only going about 20 mph so not even a case of losing control just bad timing and carelessness when tired.

[pete a]

alcatraz236 said:

unless it's heading towards you

too soon

Russ that's a plan, i'll even get the coffees.

SFO, yes Alpine south for me next year though.

[pete a]

jetstream said:

Sorry to hear about the GT3, was it red by any chance, with 29,000 miles on the clock?

Emailed you before this goes too far off topic.

[pete a]

Thanks Matt, I hope you are well? Don't worry there will be plenty of photos when I've collected it which should be next Saturday.

[pete a]

Beanoir said:

Good work sir! Glad to see you back in the saddle!

Up at Colchester OPC BBQ Breakfast on Sunday morning if you fancy it in the new toy!

Hi Nick, I'm collecting next Saturday if all goes to plan, not tomorrow else I would definetly have come along.

Once I pick it up I'll arrange to shoot over the water catch up.

Edited by pete a on Friday 25th September 06:51

[pete a]

marky911 said:

Please tell me it has PSE? The must have C4S option.

Hi Mark, no pse, but gundo hack happening prior to collection.

bigunit00 said:

So you didn't fancy a £50k 964 c2 manual coupe in the end? ............;)

not in this life time, 50k for a 964 c2

Fattrader said:

Brilliant Pete did not think you could stay away from Pork for too long. Car sounds great and looking forward to seeing the pics and the update of the diary

Hi Arran

Thanks mate, I had to buy something before my wife left me for spending too much time searching the classified adverts on here.
Don't worry full update with pictures and review will be posted very soon after collection. Fingers crossed 911V are as good as you say they are as i've not even seen a picture of the car myself yet though given my dealings with them thus far im very confident that I'm going to be a happy bunny

I hope you smiled when you saw the thread title

[pete a]

I've not collected it yet, I was getting it tomorrow however work commitments mean it works better for me to collect it next weekend.

Don't worry, once I collect it there will be pictures and a report. I've even offered CMoose a drive if he fancy's doing review.

[pete a]

Innowaybored said:

Looking forward to seeing this. Mine has the Gundo mod and it is sounds incredible.

Hope all goes well tomorrow.

Thanks, I'm collecting next Saturday the 10th October.

[Budflicker]

Well, I collected the car this morning from 911 Virgin and it was exactly as described by Tom, a really nice example of a C4S, it's actually difficult to believe it's 13 years old and travelled 75,000 miles it is in lovely condition.



My day started with a train to St Pancras followed by a tube ride on the Met line to Uxbridge where a car was waiting for me as arranged with 911V. After a short drive back to base and a welcome cup of coffee Tom greeted me and took me to see the car. Having not even seen a photo of it at this point I was delighted to see it was a fantastic example. The preparation and presentation work carried out was excellent and had a real attention to detail that really impressed, little things like while the wheels were off being refurbished the hubs had been painted matte grey and knowing I have a personalised plate on retention that can't be fitted until the new V5c arrives they went to the trouble of making up a second new set of number plates with my reg number and put them in the boot ready for when I need them.



The interior is in excellent condition with no noticeable wear to the seat bolsters,there is a small amount of patina around the cabin but for a 13 year old car it is great. I like the old school head unit instead of an old PCM unit as the old sat nav is not of much use and the Becker/Porsche head unit gives a nice retro feel to the cabin.



After checking the car over a quick look at the history file which has every invoice the car ever had it seems all immaculate in a ring-binder, a little detail but I like the thought someone took the care to do it, it reassures me they took time to look after the car as well.




Paid some money, taxed the car, took some pictures and it was time to drive home.






Another nice surprise awaited me here, the car had half a tank of petrol in it, I've bought cars for 3 times the value of this in the past and not had half a tank of fuel in them upon collection. It's worth pointing out that this was probably the cheapest car in their inventory and yet the service I received and the presentation of the car was second to none.

The drive home put a really wide grin on my face, what a great sports car this is. The ride is firm yet not bumpy or crashy, the steering is beautifully weighted, the engine pulls smoothly and the flat 6 sound is wonderful but not boomy or overpowering, also the gear change has a nice amount of feel and weight to it, it's a proper 911 experience.

Granted it's not as quick, loud or sharp as my GT3 was but in a way I like that. I could hear myself think,the clutch didn't kill my left leg when I hit some traffic on the M25 and i went over a speed bump without having to slow to 2mph and go at an angle. I've also got to say I like having no big spoiler on the back, after Subaru's, Evo's and a GT3 the back of this feels a bit more grown up.

When I factor in the small detail that this cost 25% of what I got for the GT3 it blows my mind, 90% of the fun for 25% of the price.

As for the elephant in the room, well the car has a 12 month warranty with 911 V which includes IMS and Bore scoring so
If they seem confident in the car so am I, If it goes bang thereafter well there you go, I'll send it to Hartech and get it rebuilt.

All in all a great day, a great car and a great Porsche Dealer.

Big thanks to Tom, Dan and Terry.

Edited by Budflicker on Saturday 10th October 19:45

[Budflicker]

I've just got back from a early morning run to the coast, great car. Tons of grip and feel, pulls well and the speeds in second and third are a bit more sensible for safe fun on B roads.

Really pleased with it.

[Budflicker]

Innowaybored said:

That looks lovely - although I would say that !

Will you keep the old skool stereo?

Yes absolutely, I don't like a modern flashing lights head unit in an older car.

This would look good but is lots of money for a radio.

http://www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/cl...

Oh and just noticed that it only goes in to cars up until 1995.

Edited by Budflicker on Monday 12th October 08:34

[Budflicker]

Fattrader said:

fabulous - hopefully see you on anther road trip with it.

Looks a beautiful car...

Thanks, it's really good, surprised me actually how good.

Alpine South next year for me I think.

How's the Fezza? Will you still have it next road trip or is the 458 calling you?

Bluedot said:

Lovely looking car, congrats on the purchase.
I'm still in 'discussions' with better half regarding taking the plunge and getting one for weekend use

Do it before they go up any more, a really under appreciated car in my opinion. A proper 911 experience for less than a new Golf.

[Budflicker]

Animal said:

This is exactly the kind of car I'm looking for (or a nice 996 C2) - was this a car they had in stock or did you tell them you were looking for something in particular?

It was due into stock when I placed a deposit, in fact the advert had been live for 5 minutes when I saw it and rang.

I believe they could source you a car if you give them an idea of what you want, give Tom a call and have a chat.

[Budflicker]

Slickhillsy said:

Congrats on the car sir and looks ace! I too had a GT3 (epic) and am now considering a C4S 997 (near as the same as yours) - can you give some feedback on the difference's and + / - on the 4wd over 2wd car? Be really interested to hear your thoughts...

Sorry I missed you're question, as I mentioned earlier it's not a GT3, it's quieter, slower and not as sharp, it's also more comfortable, the gearing makes more sense on the road, has four seats and I can go in multi-story car parks or over speed bumps without worrying about ripping the front splitter off.

Imagine the GT3 as a beautiful lap dancer who likes going out taking drugs and fking you silly all night with toys and porn.

Great fun, in fact Awesome, but not all the time, everyone stares at you when your out together, and eventually she's gonna wear you out and there's only certain places you could take her.

The C4S is more like the lovely girl who works in the city,is really pretty and smart, likes to have fun and go out for dinner and days out, is good in bed but not a crazy nymph but you'd spend a lot more time with her.

As regards the four wheel drive part it hardly notices, that's not to say I can't feel it when pushing on, and you can feel the extra weight in the steering if you are being really sensitive but it's not intrusive and for the most part it feels RWD.

I'm really pleased with it, it's a proper 911, looks good and drives good, in fact I've been using it so much more than I did the GT3.

Please don't take this as a GT3 knocking post though, it was awesome, the C4S is really good though and a bargain in comparison.

Edited by Budflicker on Wednesday 21st October 09:03

[Budflicker]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Hi Cmoose, I'll PM you and we will sort out a day that's good for us both.

[Budflicker]

One of my little personalisation touches on my list of things to do with the car included getting a red S, i tried a plasti dip which was useless so

not being the patient type i found a red S on ebay in the states and have fitted it today, looks a lot better i think than the standard grey S.

[Budflicker]

A quick update to the diary, the car developed a small oil leak around the IMS seal so i made a call to 911 Virgin and no issues at all they said to bring it in, I dropped it off at the arranged time, collected a courtesy car which was a nice Saab 93 Saloon, which was a pleasant change from the Minis and Corsas you normally get given as a courtesy car and off i went and left it with them.

Two days later it's ready for collection and upon arrival it's been cleaned inside and out and hoovered. As usual Tom and Terry were absolute gentleman (they really are two of the nicest blokes you could meet) and i really get the impression that they genuinely mean it when they enquire how your enjoying the car and want the whole experience to be excellent.

So a big thanks to 911 Virgin, other than that I've fitted an alcantara RS style steering wheel and gear shifter to give the cabin a lift and I'm really pleased with how it looks, the steering wheel was re-trimmed by DesignLS and the finish is as good as factory.

Also booked up a weeks driving holiday for the wife and I in June to take in the Porsche Museum,Stelvio, a few passes and then back home via Annecy and Dijon.

thats it for now.

[Budflicker]

So i've ordered a new set of 18 inch wheels, 18 x 8 front and 18 x 11 rear

would you guys recommend sticking with 225 40 18 front and 295 30 18 rear
or should i go 235 40 18 up front and leave the rears 295 30 18?