Future value of a 996 C4S
Discussion
Thread resurrection... £20k C4s in 2015 are now almost £30k in 2017!
Widebody 911's... 993 C2s / C4s, 997 C4s and 991 C4s... looking at the classifieds, double or triple the money of a 996 C4s!!
Big article in the Oct edition of Octane on the 996... Is it coming of age? Is the 996 C4s about to do something special??
Widebody 911's... 993 C2s / C4s, 997 C4s and 991 C4s... looking at the classifieds, double or triple the money of a 996 C4s!!
Big article in the Oct edition of Octane on the 996... Is it coming of age? Is the 996 C4s about to do something special??
I am not going to discuss the future value of 996 C4S - just want to make a casual observation...
Was pottering in our front garden recently and I heard the distinctive sound of a flat-6 exercising hard through the gears - we live on a relatively steep hill. I recognised the distinct sound of a PSE and next saw an Arctic Silber 2003 996C4S which was gleaming in the sunlight. It just looked so right - not a single detail on that design feels wrong. The sound is great too. So those of you who own one - you have a great car, which you should use more often
If you are thinking about buying one - do it - best rear on a 911 since the 964 Turbo
P.S. I like the design so much that I have caught myself day-dreaming about transplanting the underpinnings of my 996.1 GT3 CS into a 996 4S shell ...
Was pottering in our front garden recently and I heard the distinctive sound of a flat-6 exercising hard through the gears - we live on a relatively steep hill. I recognised the distinct sound of a PSE and next saw an Arctic Silber 2003 996C4S which was gleaming in the sunlight. It just looked so right - not a single detail on that design feels wrong. The sound is great too. So those of you who own one - you have a great car, which you should use more often
If you are thinking about buying one - do it - best rear on a 911 since the 964 Turbo P.S. I like the design so much that I have caught myself day-dreaming about transplanting the underpinnings of my 996.1 GT3 CS into a 996 4S shell ...
anonymous said:
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Reading this thread from start to finish is pretty entertaining... Back in 2015 you were all pretty wrong about future values and I bet he's kicking himself for selling it. Just goes to show that predicting the future is very difficult. 
A good bore scope check, new IMS and a low temp thermostat together with regular maintenance will result in a very reliable car...
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Depends which way you look at it.A wide bodied NA that's good looking, well built and fun to drive in a modern classic kind of way..
Could mean cost neutral 911 fun. Buy a C4s, use it for a couple of years. Pay for the running costs and then sell it for what you bought it for... now that would be special.
Not pointless at all in my opinion.
Cheburator mk2 said:
the distinctive sound of a flat-6 exercising hard through the gears - we live on a relatively steep hill. I recognised the distinct sound of a PSE and next saw an Arctic Silber 2003 996C4S which was gleaming in the sunlight. It just looked so right - not a single detail on that design feels wrong. The sound is great too. So those of you who own one - you have a great car, which you should use more often If you are thinking about buying one - do it - best rear on a 911 since the 964 Turbo
P.S. I like the design so much that I have caught myself day-dreaming about transplanting the underpinnings of my 996.1 GT3 CS into a 996 4S shell ...
Totally agree. That slightly raspy, airy boxer noise is v cool, charismatic and unique in an old school 911 way. If you are thinking about buying one - do it - best rear on a 911 since the 964 Turbo P.S. I like the design so much that I have caught myself day-dreaming about transplanting the underpinnings of my 996.1 GT3 CS into a 996 4S shell ...
I daydream of Singer 911's frequently. Flared arches, manual NA engine, sorted suspension and that solid feeling a 911 gives you. Only £250k between me and my dream!
m444ttb said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I know this is an old comment, but I totally agree. I found driving a 993 Carrera back to back with my 996 Carrera surprisingly similar. Certainly they were much closer than the 996 was to the 991 and the 993 to the 3.2 Carrera.FWIW I'd also say the difference between 997 and 991 interior - for a lot of reasons - is night and day, but the 996 most certainly harks back to the earlier cars and has a very retro feel now.
Mario149 said:
Interesting take 
Ref the "The 9x7 platform is much more synthetic and damped and contrived", specifically with 911s, have you found much difference between PASM/non-PASM cars, and GTS vs the rest? I'm curious as of the 997s I've only driven the GTS (mine), but the ride feels noticeably busier and more highly strung (even in Normal PASM) than the 9x1.x models I've driven. It seems to move over the road in a very similar manner to my old 7.1 GT3 (which was the most transparent car I've owned, was chucking the back end out about 20 miles after I drove it for the first time 
), just softened off a couple of tenths. Both cars PASM Sport was/is useless on all but the smoothest of tarmac. Steering feel on the GTS is not as good as the GT3, but as I mentioned earlier, I do wonder if that's just a tyre (or possibly geo) issue. The 997 GTS doesn't feel contrived/filtered to my mind (so long as you would leave the PASM and Sport buttons alone during the "comparison" run) compared to the 996, but I am wondering if there are any detail changes in the GTS which make it not truly representative of the 997 range as a whole.
I'd agree with your take on the 997 GTS being busier than a 991....I've only driven a 991.2 GTS and a 997 GTS but the 991.2 felt decidedly less busy....Sport PASM on the 997 GTS is not unusable like the firmer suspension setting was on say the M4 Coupe I drove last year but it's definitely not ideal on the country lanes where I do my driving. Ref the "The 9x7 platform is much more synthetic and damped and contrived", specifically with 911s, have you found much difference between PASM/non-PASM cars, and GTS vs the rest? I'm curious as of the 997s I've only driven the GTS (mine), but the ride feels noticeably busier and more highly strung (even in Normal PASM) than the 9x1.x models I've driven. It seems to move over the road in a very similar manner to my old 7.1 GT3 (which was the most transparent car I've owned, was chucking the back end out about 20 miles after I drove it for the first time ), just softened off a couple of tenths. Both cars PASM Sport was/is useless on all but the smoothest of tarmac. Steering feel on the GTS is not as good as the GT3, but as I mentioned earlier, I do wonder if that's just a tyre (or possibly geo) issue. The 997 GTS doesn't feel contrived/filtered to my mind (so long as you would leave the PASM and Sport buttons alone during the "comparison" run) compared to the 996, but I am wondering if there are any detail changes in the GTS which make it not truly representative of the 997 range as a whole.The 997 GTS does have a slightly firmer front suspension set up than the rest of the 997 range (bar GT£) IIRC...it also has the wider track of the C4.
From what I have read comparing the C2 with a "2 GTS" it grips slightly better because of the wider track and has a slightly firmer suspension set up. I think if you're comparing a C4 with a 4 GTS the difference would be less noticeable. I've never driven a 4wd 997 or 991...the only 4wd 911's I have driven are a 996 Turbo and a standard 996 Carrera 4
Because I just bought this...
Black, manual, NA widebody 911 for the price of a secondhand hot hatch!
If I come back to this thread in a couple of years and the value has indeed gone up great... It's a great looking car close up, the exoticness is all there.
With Brexit and the possible economic $hitstorm brewing, it doesn't go up then I'm not really bothered. It's a modern final nod to the analogue era of old school drivers cars... and now my daily hack (I'll be doing 8k a year in her) before I buy that GT3 TP!
Black, manual, NA widebody 911 for the price of a secondhand hot hatch!
If I come back to this thread in a couple of years and the value has indeed gone up great... It's a great looking car close up, the exoticness is all there.
With Brexit and the possible economic $hitstorm brewing, it doesn't go up then I'm not really bothered. It's a modern final nod to the analogue era of old school drivers cars... and now my daily hack (I'll be doing 8k a year in her) before I buy that GT3 TP!
BK911 said:
Thread resurrection... £20k C4s in 2015 are now almost £30k in 2017!
Widebody 911's... 993 C2s / C4s, 997 C4s and 991 C4s... looking at the classifieds, double or triple the money of a 996 C4s!!
Big article in the Oct edition of Octane on the 996... Is it coming of age? Is the 996 C4s about to do something special??
hmmm most 996 C4S, nearly 40-50k miles actually went for mid 20s this year.. (25-26k).. Those asking prices do not necessarily means that, they are actually going for that price. Looking at also inflation, 20k in 2015, today is nearly 20.5kish...so in two years, maybe 4-4.5 increase on 996C4s. The only reason I can see just the turbo look attractiveness. Any porsche that produced between 2000-2009 (except GT's obviously), will always be low imho, the maintenance bills and reliability just does not add-up, sadly.Widebody 911's... 993 C2s / C4s, 997 C4s and 991 C4s... looking at the classifieds, double or triple the money of a 996 C4s!!
Big article in the Oct edition of Octane on the 996... Is it coming of age? Is the 996 C4s about to do something special??
Yes, they are still worth less than a brand new boring bmw, merc or VW but the risk of throwing a piston on motorway, or any other expensive repair situation is not that fun unless you got the equipment, tools and the time.
Ooid,
Some of those cars have sat around for over 2 months (how long I've been hunting)...
One thing I am certain of in the current market is that good manual cars from dealers like Harbour Cars, RPM, JZM, 911Virgin and the like are selling almost immediately... and the ceiling price for a manual low mileage has pipped £30k...
Demand supply doing its thing in the 911 widebody segment I guess... a lot of people (me included) prefer manual NA cars, a 996 Turbo doesnt appeal to me for everyday use.
Bored of driving over power cars you can't excite driving to work! I'm downsizing from 420bhp
Some of those cars have sat around for over 2 months (how long I've been hunting)...
One thing I am certain of in the current market is that good manual cars from dealers like Harbour Cars, RPM, JZM, 911Virgin and the like are selling almost immediately... and the ceiling price for a manual low mileage has pipped £30k...
Demand supply doing its thing in the 911 widebody segment I guess... a lot of people (me included) prefer manual NA cars, a 996 Turbo doesnt appeal to me for everyday use.
Bored of driving over power cars you can't excite driving to work! I'm downsizing from 420bhp
ooid said:
Yes, they are still worth less than a brand new boring bmw, merc or VW but the risk of throwing a piston on motorway, or any other expensive repair situation is not that fun unless you got the equipment, tools and the time.
What you need more than equipment, tools and time is the money to do the work. Sadly, that’s why so many end up looking a bit rough and acquiring a reputation for all of the range.I would approach any 996 purchase with the expectation that you may need £5k plus to put some of the common issues right, and ongoing maintenance of maybe £1 - 2k per year. Not a cheap car to buy and get into tip top condition, but over a few years the TCO is no different to your average rep mobile.
The value of a truly sorted C4S is rising gently simply because a lot of these costs have been handled by the previous owner.
Mine goes to her new owner on Sunday. Can't say I'm looking forward to it 
Purchased three years ago, was the cheapest 4S on the market with a slightly shabby body, a fair number on the odometer and a history file stacked with receipts and invoices. I've kept up the maintenance and have replaced a lot of the normal 996 wear and tear items. The rise in value has been enough to offset most of these costs and I'm almost breaking even, which is more than I could have hoped for when I originally bought her.
Values seem to be the most common point of discussion in the Pork forums these days, followed closely by Dutch-ruddering GT2/3/RS/R owners competing with spec sheets and the rest whining about unscrupulous OPCs as the can't get in on the flipping action. I bought my 4S thinking it was going to cost me money. Money that should really have been spent on other, more important things. But I was happy to spend the money as it meant I was getting in one of my childhood dream cars and it was as wonderful as I'd always hoped it would be
The rising values will unfortunately mean less people getting out and driving them as they were meant to be driven.
I'll really miss her....
Purchased three years ago, was the cheapest 4S on the market with a slightly shabby body, a fair number on the odometer and a history file stacked with receipts and invoices. I've kept up the maintenance and have replaced a lot of the normal 996 wear and tear items. The rise in value has been enough to offset most of these costs and I'm almost breaking even, which is more than I could have hoped for when I originally bought her.
Values seem to be the most common point of discussion in the Pork forums these days, followed closely by Dutch-ruddering GT2/3/RS/R owners competing with spec sheets and the rest whining about unscrupulous OPCs as the can't get in on the flipping action. I bought my 4S thinking it was going to cost me money. Money that should really have been spent on other, more important things. But I was happy to spend the money as it meant I was getting in one of my childhood dream cars and it was as wonderful as I'd always hoped it would be
The rising values will unfortunately mean less people getting out and driving them as they were meant to be driven.I'll really miss her....
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