996 Turbo S Cab
Discussion
My wife doesn’t need a daily commuter anymore and we’ve been looking at older Porsche’s as a bit of a Weekend car. Found a cracking 996 turbo cab but also found as ‘S’ for £8k more. I’ve looked through the old threads but as times change, any 2020 advice/opinion would be great. Good 996 turbos are starting to get more expensive and I appreciate they were cheaper a few years ago. The Turbo S is sub £50k, the Turbo is £40k
I think they have come down a bit recently. I was looking for one about 5-6 years ago. You could get in to one for about £35k (Reasonable condition). I thought I had missed the boat, they then seemed to ballon To where £45k was required for a reasonable condition one.
Just prior to lockdown I saw them back down to mid £35k again. I even test drove one just before lockdown. I was massively underwhelmed by them. Fantastic point and squirt car with massive grunt yes but nothing like the driver involvement you get with a 996 Carrera.
Each to there own though OP, don’t mean that to come across as rude. Hope you find what your after and enjoy it.
Just prior to lockdown I saw them back down to mid £35k again. I even test drove one just before lockdown. I was massively underwhelmed by them. Fantastic point and squirt car with massive grunt yes but nothing like the driver involvement you get with a 996 Carrera.
Each to there own though OP, don’t mean that to come across as rude. Hope you find what your after and enjoy it.
Buy whichever is the better condition car as turbo s was a spec level by this stage. X50 cars the same.
Worth having a look at this though if you do perhaps want an s. They're very rare but debatable as to whether collectable. Arguably the best 911 turbo if you can find a good one. Look for cars that have had coolant lines, rads, clutch, turbos refurbed and cars with a few miles do not be scared of them as they will have had everything done. If maintained well these cars are good for 300-400k miles.
https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2005-porsche-9...
Worth having a look at this though if you do perhaps want an s. They're very rare but debatable as to whether collectable. Arguably the best 911 turbo if you can find a good one. Look for cars that have had coolant lines, rads, clutch, turbos refurbed and cars with a few miles do not be scared of them as they will have had everything done. If maintained well these cars are good for 300-400k miles.
https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2005-porsche-9...
This is the Turbo https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
This is the S https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
This is the S https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
Difficult one at this mileage without going through the invoices and getting the cars up on ramp. They are just at the mileage where big bills start looming.
As a guide I'd generally not spend more than £35k on a 996 turbo and would be looking for a less than 35k miles, manual with very few owners. They are very expensive to run if you cannot do maintenance yourself and something like a gearbox or turbo fails. Common issues at this age and mileage.
As a guide I'd generally not spend more than £35k on a 996 turbo and would be looking for a less than 35k miles, manual with very few owners. They are very expensive to run if you cannot do maintenance yourself and something like a gearbox or turbo fails. Common issues at this age and mileage.
Would not pay an extra 8k for an S. With today's Porsche hp numbers any prospective future buyer would not care much about the extra 30hp, 450hp is no longer a gobsmacking figure. Plus a performance buyer would not be in the market for a cab, anyway. Hope that makes sense. And a 996 Cab at near 50k is serious money, way too serious.
If you want more hp a simple remap and not much else will take any non-S well beyond standard S spec hp.
Keep the 8k and use it on whatever might need doing in the future.
If you want more hp a simple remap and not much else will take any non-S well beyond standard S spec hp.
Keep the 8k and use it on whatever might need doing in the future.
Thornaby said:
Thanks everyone. I'll keep looking out. There arent (m)any 35k for £35k turbos knocking about and the 997 Gen2 4s are still strong money. I'll see how the next few months pan out.
Ashgoods have what looks like a cracking 997.2 C4S Cab in on bang on the money ...Edited by Thornaby on Monday 8th June 14:05
https://www.ashgood.co.uk/vehicle-details/Used-Por...
The Ashgood car if no accident with FSH compared to the 996 is a far better option. That will sell within a few days. Not kept an eye on turbo prices but they are about £10k more from dealers than last time I looked years ago. I can understand why as the good dealers stand behind their cars and for example common issue a gearbox is a £10k rebuild, same with a pair of turbos. The extra cost of running turbo is significant over a 5 year period especially if you have an issue. I'd buy from a good indy who provides a 12 month warranty as a minimum whatever you go for.
I may be slightly biased on this topic....
First I'd say it depends what you want the car for - no point buying a low mile garage queen if you plan it for racking up miles.
Second the differences between the S and non-S are more than just BHP - different turbos, ceramic brakes (yellow calipers), S logos !, hollow wheels (maybe that was all turbos) and other bits and bobs I can't quite remember - usually a bit higher specced. Mine has leather everything for example.
Turbo vs non turbo seems to be a bit binary - you either want a turbo or don't. Your choice, for me the modded turbo always has that grin factor.
Speed/performance - get tracking/alignment done properly by a decent Porsche garage e.g. 9e, same for performance mods and switchable exhausts if you're going down that route.
Personally I like having a tip, means I can keep both hands on the wheel and you need to when you push the right pedal down !
Finally I think you can have the ecu checked for overrevs - can give an indication if its been thrashed / over revved or not - easier to do in a manual.
Disclaimer - bought mine ages ago, can't remember all the details.
First I'd say it depends what you want the car for - no point buying a low mile garage queen if you plan it for racking up miles.
Second the differences between the S and non-S are more than just BHP - different turbos, ceramic brakes (yellow calipers), S logos !, hollow wheels (maybe that was all turbos) and other bits and bobs I can't quite remember - usually a bit higher specced. Mine has leather everything for example.
Turbo vs non turbo seems to be a bit binary - you either want a turbo or don't. Your choice, for me the modded turbo always has that grin factor.
Speed/performance - get tracking/alignment done properly by a decent Porsche garage e.g. 9e, same for performance mods and switchable exhausts if you're going down that route.
Personally I like having a tip, means I can keep both hands on the wheel and you need to when you push the right pedal down !
Finally I think you can have the ecu checked for overrevs - can give an indication if its been thrashed / over revved or not - easier to do in a manual.
Disclaimer - bought mine ages ago, can't remember all the details.
The S adds X50 pack (+30bhp - 444bhp over 414bhp and a bit more torque (normal turbos can have this fitted as an option), PCCB (more of a worry than benefit at this age IMO), wheels were painted GT silver rather than standard silver alloy (prefer standard TBH) and cruise/CD changer were standard. No extra leather.
I wouldn't pay a big premium for one (maybe 3k) and get those PCCBs checked out, as £5k each to replace IIRC
I would also say get a manual and a coupe but thats not terribly helpful I suspect
Beware of big bills, you want evidence of a lot of recent work done
I wouldn't pay a big premium for one (maybe 3k) and get those PCCBs checked out, as £5k each to replace IIRC
I would also say get a manual and a coupe but thats not terribly helpful I suspect
Beware of big bills, you want evidence of a lot of recent work done
Edited by Adam B on Tuesday 9th June 20:25
996TT02 said:
Would not pay an extra 8k for an S. With today's Porsche hp numbers any prospective future buyer would not care much about the extra 30hp, 450hp is no longer a gobsmacking figure. Plus a performance buyer would not be in the market for a cab, anyway. Hope that makes sense. And a 996 Cab at near 50k is serious money, way too serious.
If you want more hp a simple remap and not much else will take any non-S well beyond standard S spec hp.
Keep the 8k and use it on whatever might need doing in the future.
If you want more hp a simple remap and not much else will take any non-S well beyond standard S spec hp.
Keep the 8k and use it on whatever might need doing in the future.
David A said:
Second the differences between the S and non-S are more than just BHP - different turbos, ceramic brakes (yellow calipers), S logos !, hollow wheels (maybe that was all turbos) and other bits and bobs I can't quite remember - usually a bit higher specced. Mine has leather everything for example.
The S's turbo was slightly laggier, so it wasn't all good news.The ceramic brakes were (at the time) a lot more expensive to replace. (are they cheaper nowadays perhaps?)
All turbos had hollow wheels (it was the 4S that had the same design but solid spoke).
The S logo can be added for a couple of quid (
)I'm not knocking S's - but they were never that special even when they were on sale, and the passage of time hasn't increased their desirability.
OP - I'd judge the cars on their individual merits/pricing and the other factors that are important to you (colour, options etc), and then if the better car was an S (or not an S), go for that one.
monthefish said:
The S's turbo was slightly laggier, so it wasn't all good news.
The ceramic brakes were (at the time) a lot more expensive to replace. (are they cheaper nowadays perhaps?)
All turbos had hollow wheels (it was the 4S that had the same design but solid spoke).
The S logo can be added for a couple of quid ( )
I'm not knocking S's - but they were never that special even when they were on sale, and the passage of time hasn't increased their desirability.
OP - I'd judge the cars on their individual merits/pricing and the other factors that are important to you (colour, options etc), and then if the better car was an S (or not an S), go for that one.
I disagree, I sought out an X50 because the power delivery was so unashamedly Turbo, feels a world apart, properly old school. Back to back with a mapped K16 the X50 just had so much more character. Sure on a race track the more linear power delivery is better, but it just adds to the driving experience. The ceramic brakes were (at the time) a lot more expensive to replace. (are they cheaper nowadays perhaps?)
All turbos had hollow wheels (it was the 4S that had the same design but solid spoke).
The S logo can be added for a couple of quid (
)I'm not knocking S's - but they were never that special even when they were on sale, and the passage of time hasn't increased their desirability.
OP - I'd judge the cars on their individual merits/pricing and the other factors that are important to you (colour, options etc), and then if the better car was an S (or not an S), go for that one.
If i had the money at the time I would have gone for the 'S' purely for the rarity value.
There's a beauty at 911 Virgin with rare GT2 wheels with turbo offsets. Higher mileage but serviced at OPC all her life and used for motorway miles. I'd be tempted to take a close look at that with a 12 month warranty.
I was at an indy other day picking some wheels up and saw a few 997.1 turbos parked outside. All low mileage circa 50-60k They looked ancient compared to my 100k mile one owner car inside and outside. I was stunned how shabby they looked so difficult to find turbos in condition I would personally buy. Even the CC turbo s with very few miles did not look as good condition wise as the 911 Virgin turbo s. Did she sell?
I was at an indy other day picking some wheels up and saw a few 997.1 turbos parked outside. All low mileage circa 50-60k They looked ancient compared to my 100k mile one owner car inside and outside. I was stunned how shabby they looked so difficult to find turbos in condition I would personally buy. Even the CC turbo s with very few miles did not look as good condition wise as the 911 Virgin turbo s. Did she sell?
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