996 C4S Values???

[scotty_917]

Seriously thinking of changing in the company hack for a 996 C4S ...is it me or are the values of early cars now on the slide...with quite a few now seeming to slip below the £40k mark? I'd consider fully loaded, manual, 30-50k mileage examples. Can you guys give me any insight into what to pay...or should I wait a little while longer?

[2something]

Just my 2 pence and I fully expect people to disagree ...

With the older cars the premium for the 4 and for the S is greatly reduced.
- the 996 C2&C4 pulls their price down
- the 997 C2 pushes their price down, if you could buy a 997 C2 for a bit more
people might consider it
- the 996 turbo also puts a bit of a ceiling on their price

Never driven one, but have to say there is a C4S 996 down the road and it looks great. So go ahead and do it !

[floordoc]

If you wait obviously the prices will drop. 5 years time there probably be 30k but your never make money on any car if your going to hold on to it and enjoy I paid 42k for a 2003 silver manual from merc dealership in January.
Don't go just on price as your find cheap ones out there but you may have to have deep pockets. Sat Nav is a must along with manual gearbox. nice car!!good luck.

[scotty_917]

floordoc said:

If you wait obviously the prices will drop. 5 years time there probably be 30k but your never make money on any car if your going to hold on to it and enjoy I paid 42k for a 2003 silver manual from merc dealership in January.
Don't go just on price as your find cheap ones out there but you may have to have deep pockets. Sat Nav is a must along with manual gearbox. nice car!!good luck.

Manual or tip?.....not driven a tip before; are they really worth bothering with on a 'performance' car?

[jonny996]

scotty_917 said:

floordoc said:

If you wait obviously the prices will drop. 5 years time there probably be 30k but your never make money on any car if your going to hold on to it and enjoy I paid 42k for a 2003 silver manual from merc dealership in January.
Don't go just on price as your find cheap ones out there but you may have to have deep pockets. Sat Nav is a must along with manual gearbox. nice car!!good luck.

Manual or tip?.....not driven a tip before; are they really worth bothering with on a 'performance' car?

2 points, firstly, do not slate the tip if you have never tried it, you are looking at the slowest 996 they made, so do not go shouting that "I need a manual".
Secondly, the gap between the basic 997 and spece'd 996 C4S is getting close, so decide which one you prefer the look of and go for it, performance will be very similar & resale, well worry about that when you have to sell it. Personally I think the basic 997 may go below the 996 C4S in value in a years time?
People how go for a C4S go for it for the asthetics, not the drive. a rear wheel drive will always feel better than a 4 wheel one.

[floordoc]

I've not driven a tip either but I consider a sports car to be manual and driven by the driver a little more then a tip allows.Go have a test drive, My car just keeps going and going through the gears

[scotty_917]

jonny996 said:

2 points, firstly, do not slate the tip if you have never tried it, you are looking at the slowest 996 they made, so do not go shouting that "I need a manual".
Secondly, the gap between the basic 997 and spece'd 996 C4S is getting close, so decide which one you prefer the look of and go for it, performance will be very similar & resale, well worry about that when you have to sell it. Personally I think the basic 997 may go below the 996 C4S in value in a years time?
People how go for a C4S go for it for the asthetics, not the drive. a rear wheel drive will always feel better than a 4 wheel one.

Point taken...my intention wasn't to 'slate' the tip...only to make the observation that I hadn't driven one yet!!! (do they make for an invigorating drive? )

I see what you're saying regarding the possible crossover between 996 C4S & 997 values, but at the moment from OPC & indies, there seems to be about a £10k gap...

[scotty_917]

floordoc said:

I've not driven a tip either but I consider a sports car to be manual and driven by the driver a little more then a tip allows.Go have a test drive, My car just keeps going and going through the gears

Does your car have the switchable sports exhaust?

Edited by scotty_917 on Monday 30th April 12:16

[scotty_917]

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to find:-

1. The base spec of a UK 996 C4S?
2. Options?

Thanks.

[floordoc]

Personally I think the basic 997 may go below the 996 C4S in value in a years time?

[/quote]
Interesting you think the older model will become worth more. I would never slate something I've not tried. I have a personal view. I did'nt get bose sound system in my car but I can live without it as I don't have music up loud anyway. The best sound system is working behind you and you have full control of this with your right foot.

[floordoc]

No to the switchable exhaust but if you want to tick all the boxes on the spec of a used car you could be looking for a long time. I believe that the C4S is normally high spec anyway. You will probably fall for the first one you see and disregard small spec details.

[wanta996]

I have saw them as low as £36k, there are always a few on the Pistonheads classiifieds under £40k,as with the 993's, the 'S' models seem to have held there value allot better than the standard C2's and C4's so i assume they will hold there value better BUT there does seem to be a vibe i get from being on the forum that its not the drivers choice,its bought more on looks that the driving experience, brakes are of the same cost as the Turbo when servicing time arrives and the number of Tips seem to outweigh the manuels which is a story in itself BUT i personally think its the best looking 911 out there - why Porsche persist with Impreza/Evo type spoilers ruining the lines of a 911 IMO is beyond me. Just saw a recent 997 with aero-kit and the rear spoiler looked totally out of proportion IMO. If Ferrari,Lamorghini,Maseratei and now Audi with the R8 can design great looking cars without these spoilers then why cant Porsche.

[wetwipe]

the only time cars generally depreciate at different rates is when demand outstrips supply

the C4S is unique in its styling and some people will want to buy the car just for its looks.

however, as the price of turbos continues to tumble i believe c4s will do the same. performance wise they are no faster than a c2 and whilst they have better brakes this advantage is outweighed by an increase in weight.

you do not see a huge amount of bargain cars as they were not introduced until 2002 so there are no ultra low cars floating about like some early 996's

my personal view (And it is only that) is that there are too many c4s out there for demand to outstrip supply and as turbos become cheaper and cheaper to get in then i have little doubt the strong values you see now will drop steadily.

if i were a trader i would think twice at stocking a c4s in the future as i suspect they may take a hit valuewise

irrespective of the above, porsches are not the depreciation proof cars they once were and as such any pork you buy built after 2000 will steadily drop. the only good point is some models will eventually bottom out, the turbo being one and the c4s another, although i expect the bottom of the market to eventually be 25k rather than the 38k where they stand at the moment

[scotty_917]

wanta996 said:

I have saw them as low as £36k, there are always a few on the Pistonheads classiifieds under £40k,as with the 993's, the 'S' models seem to have held there value allot better than the standard C2's and C4's so i assume they will hold there value better BUT there does seem to be a vibe i get from being on the forum that its not the drivers choice,its bought more on looks that the driving experience, brakes are of the same cost as the Turbo when servicing time arrives and the number of Tips seem to outweigh the manuels which is a story in itself BUT i personally think its the best looking 911 out there - why Porsche persist with Impreza/Evo type spoilers ruining the lines of a 911 IMO is beyond me. Just saw a recent 997 with aero-kit and the rear spoiler looked totally out of proportion IMO. If Ferrari,Lamorghini,Maseratei and now Audi with the R8 can design great looking cars without these spoilers then why cant Porsche.

ultimate performance is not what I'm after as it'd be a daily driver...hence being fully loaded and able to drive across the continent 'comfortably', plus trying it on track occasionally!

[scotty_917]

good points wetwipe...thanks for that!

would you suggest a TT instead then?

Edited by scotty_917 on Monday 30th April 12:43

[jonny996]

I agree that the TT droping will bring down 4S, but a first time porsche buyer may be very scarred of a TT and think BIG bills, those in the know are ok but as these cars reach £30k they are looking a very viable option for the 320 coupe man to have.

I think as it stands the 996 C4S will be the slowest depriciating porsche to buy, simply because they will be more buyers. TT have a limlited demand, I have 996 running experiance now but I would still be very scared of buying a TT.
excluding RS's GT cars of course..

[wanta996]

Agree Scotty, i am in the exact same situation as you, i need a car for everyday commuting but also for weekend blast - Its a toss up between a C2 Anniversary spec(345bhp), a C4S and now a TT is on my radar. 997 would be ideal but just out of my price range.

Jonny996 - I have 996 running experiance now but I would still be very scared of buying a TT.

Could you give me some insight Jonny??, some people on the Forum seem to think a TT would be a cheaper option running cost wise - No names mentioned.I have looked at Bazrens running costs and it scared me off but they are tempting at current prices. I would just like your thoughts

Edited by wanta996 on Monday 30th April 12:57

[jonny996]

wanta996 said:

Agree Scotty, i am in the exact same situation as you, i need a car for everyday commuting but also for weekend blast - Its a toss up between a C2 Anniversary spec(345bhp), a C4S and now a TT is on my radar. 997 would be ideal but just out of my price range.

Jonny996 - I have 996 running experiance now but I would still be very scared of buying a TT.

Could you give me some insight Jonny??, some people on the Forum seem to think a TT would be a cheaper option running cost wise - No names mentioned.I have looked at Bazrens running costs and it scared me off but they are tempting at current prices. I would just like your thoughts

Edited by wanta996 on Monday 30th April 12:57

there is 3 reasons behind my thinking, first I run my cars without OPC extended warrenty, second the standard car is more then fast enough for me & thirdly my indy kows what i want from a car & my financial status and he recomends a facelift c2 the price diffreance for a c4s just for the "looks" is not worth it.

if you plan to opc warrenty your car then TT is more do able but £895 a year is not for me.

[Dr S]

I'd not be concerned about comments whether the 996C4S is a driver's car or not. But for price there is no reason to go for a 996C4 instead. You get all the Turbo underpinnings which is a good thing (as long as you discount the slight increase in weight and running cost). That makes it a much better driver's car than the standard C4 IMHO. The real problem of the 996C4S is competition from low price TT's and 997's. You have to be a bit more daring for a TT but think of the rewards...

[Adam B]

scotty_917 said:

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to find:-

1. The base spec of a UK 996 C4S?
2. Options?

Thanks.

I can point out the main items which will give you an idea (and let you know all those things that are listed as high spec options but are actually std):

std spec:
metallic paint
18" turbo alloy wheels
lower turbo suspension
turbo body - front/rear grille, fat arse, wider arches
turbo brakes with red calipers
wider turbo rubber
PSM
full leather interior incl doors/dash
electric seats with drivers memory
sports seats are no-cost option but lose electrics/memory
uprated speaker system (or Bose option was half usual price)

Cost options that are valuable come resale:
PCM2 satnav
telephone module
Bose
xenon lights
sunroof
heated seats
6CD changer
sports exhaust

cost options that are nice to haves:
rear park sensors
ali/lthr gearstick and handbrake
large or small ali / carbon packs
ali/carbon/lthr centre console
cruise
auto dim mirrors and rain sensor
steel entry plates
chrome exhaust tips (4 pipe design)
ali (silver) dials
(the 3 items above often specced together as "ali/chrome/steel pack"
extra leather bits
18" techno alloys
crested alloys
crested headrests
non-std paint finishes

X51 powerkit is very rare as it cost almost £7k, adds 25bhp and a bit more torque. PCCB brakes best avoided but also very rare due to high cost

Edited by Adam B on Tuesday 1st May 11:26