996 C4S OWNERS

[JOHNY]

I posted a notice on the gassing station about service costs on the 996
c4s tiptronic, i did get a reply but not from someone with a c4s. Ive looked at service costs at OPC and they don't seem to bad. Can anyone out there with a 996 c4s give me some examples of bills i might expect. I am serious about buying one, but as i don't have much free time, it will spend most of it's time garaged, it's going to be what i would call a Toy that will do roughly between 2000 and 3500 miles a year max.
Hence i would like to find out as much as possible from owners or pre-owners before parting with my hard earned pennies.
Johny

[Jared_m]

Hmm, just make sure you're not buying a high mileage example like I did and believe the dealer when he tells you it won't affect the price

Bills wise, I paid for one service which cost £260+vat (I think) during the year I had my car. They'll always tell you they recommend various things like a bacteria filter change and other crap... its entirely up to you but for most of the stuff they wanted I didn't bother. I'd covered 12000 problem free miles in mine.

I enjoyed every moment of 911 ownership and definitely liked the car more than the M3 I have now. From the nifty fold out cupholders to the sound of the engine to the way it handled. When I have more cash, I'll be going back to Porsche.

Here are a few things to look out for, even if getting your car from an OPC:
- Make sure the 111 point check has been carried out properly and maybe do your own checks to verify this. I would suggest looking at tyre tread and when the last service was carried out.
- Get them to put in writing that they will provide a warranty for the PCM module. Mine went belly-up after 2 months and my local Porsche centre said PCM wasn't under warranty since it was costly to fix! If you want to know which one have a search on the forums, they're well known for trying to get out of warranty work... Anyway, after the threat of small claims proceedings they did it under their 'good will guarantee scheme'... Whatever, I got the amp replaced and it would have cost £2k if I had to pay for it myself.
- Check the interior, come resale it HAS to be pristine if you want a decent price for your 911. Don't buy if its got the slightest blemish.
- Check the exterior for poor quality touch up jobs. The OPC attempted a touch-up which I hadn't noticed and was quite poor, come resale buyers noticed and were complaining. So, check every single panel very very closely.
- If using Porsche Finance get another quote and compare the deals. Porsche Finance are good but they can be more competitive if faced with a buyer who's doing his homework...

Other than that, enjoy :-D

>> Edited by Jared_m on Friday 25th November 08:03

[frankc]

Make sure you put a warrenty on the car....cost £750 pa.
Set of back tyres fitted.............around £400.
Cars not bad on fuel......around 22mpg.
If you only plan to do 2-3k miles a year you will pay a reduced rate for your annual service.

Had an RS4 before the C4S,and it was more expensive to run than the Porsche.

With regards to buying a C4S try and buy a car with the factory fitted sat-nav as a starting point....cars without it tend to stick.
Take your time and do your research.....it took me 5 months to find the right car......and it was well worth the wait

[Rob_T]

i would mentally prepare yourself that you will always end up spending about £1000 for a service - which would clearly include parts and labour for anything that needs replacing. may not always cost this much, which is clearly a good thing, but then at least you won't feel disappointed when you get the bill. having said that the service for my c4s ended up being £350.

the main thing is to keep the car fully OPC warrantied (£750)

great car though, excellent value for money at the moment too.

[Adam B]

JOHNY said:

it will spend most of it's time garaged, it's going to be what i would call a Toy that will do roughly between 2000 and 3500 miles a year max.

then why buy a tip?

get one with PCM and sports exhaust

[johnfm]

Adam B said:

JOHNY said: it will spend most of it's time garaged, it's going to be what i would call a Toy that will do roughly between 2000 and 3500 miles a year max. then why buy a tip? get one with PCM and sports exhaust

Some people actually enjoy driving 911s with tiptronic gearboxes. They still go like shit off a stick, still sound great and still handle fantastically well. Unless you make you're living from heel/toeing around a circuit for money, a clutch and an extra ratio isn't always de rigeur.

[Carlt]

JOHNY said:

I posted a notice on the gassing station about service costs on the 996 c4s tiptronic, i did get a reply but not from someone with a c4s. Ive looked at service costs at OPC and they don't seem to bad. Can anyone out there with a 996 c4s give me some examples of bills i might expect. I am serious about buying one, but as i don't have much free time, it will spend most of it's time garaged, it's going to be what i would call a Toy that will do roughly between 2000 and 3500 miles a year max. Hence i would like to find out as much as possible from owners or pre-owners before parting with my hard earned pennies. Johny

Mine is for sale - check out the classifieds

[BliarOut]

Just enquired at my local indy for a 99 C4 tip. £90 for a 12K service. Pleasantly surprised

[DaGinge]

All service pricing at OPCs is now on their website:

http://opc.cmwinteractive.com/servicepricing911996.a

[BliarOut]

£331 for a 12K service and my indie does it for £90 I can see who pays for all that nice glass in the OPC's The 12K service is only a glorified oil change.