Future value of a 996 C4S

[Shaoxter]

Gareth135R said:

I sold it.

Well done. For how much?

[rockysaunby]

c'mon guys - if we all knew the way values were going ? we would all be rich -- unfortunately we don't - i remember 12 years ago when i bought my 911 low mileage carrera 1989 - (with the wail tail ) -for £7500 everyone told me that it was terrible design and the worst 911 ever - the 80's wail tail was terrible and the impact bumpers were ugly and that the car would not really go up in value -i remember i posted a similiar post asking what people thought about this generation of 911's and i got shot down by a lot of similar people -

now look at 1980's 911 - suddenly everyone loves the wail tail and the impact bumpers are back in fashion - because they are period - the car is now valued at 35 grand - i love the design of the 996 c4s - i love the front lights - the sharp droplets give the car a menacing look - and i love the back reflecting light - something the new cars do not have - this is a classic looking bit of design -

plus - as cars advance into the future and petrol engines become smaller and more reliant on electricity and turbo's to boost performance - then the pure porsche engine will start to come into its own - just like the wail tail and impact bumpers did - so dont listen to these idiots - they know nothing - if you want to keep the car = keep it = love drive it - if you are looking for a investment then there might be better cars in the short term - but people don't slag this porsche off - because given enough time - you WILL be proven wrong -

[rockysaunby]

c'mon guys - if we all knew the way values were going ? we would all be rich -- unfortunately we don't - i remember 12 years ago when i bought my 911 low mileage carrera 1989 - (with the wail tail ) -for £7500 everyone told me that it was terrible design and the worst 911 ever - the 80's wail tail was terrible and the impact bumpers were ugly and that the car would not really go up in value -i remember i posted a similiar post asking what people thought about this generation of 911's and i got shot down by a lot of similar people -

now look at 1980's 911 - suddenly everyone loves the wail tail and the impact bumpers are back in fashion - because they are period - the car is now valued at 35 grand - i love the design of the 996 c4s - i love the front lights - the sharp droplets give the car a menacing look - and i love the back reflecting light - something the new cars do not have - this is a classic looking bit of design -

plus - as cars advance into the future and petrol engines become smaller and more reliant on electricity and turbo's to boost performance - then the pure porsche engine will start to come into its own - just like the wail tail and impact bumpers did - so dont listen to these idiots - they know nothing - if you want to keep the car = keep it = love drive it - if you are looking for a investment then there might be better cars in the short term - but people don't slag this porsche off - because given enough time - you WILL be proven wrong -

[rockysaunby]

c'mon guys - if we all knew the way values were going ? we would all be rich -- unfortunately we don't - i remember 12 years ago when i bought my 911 low mileage carrera 1989 - (with the wail tail ) -for £7500 everyone told me that it was terrible design and the worst 911 ever - the 80's wail tail was terrible and the impact bumpers were ugly and that the car would not really go up in value -i remember i posted a similiar post asking what people thought about this generation of 911's and i got shot down by a lot of similar people -

now look at 1980's 911 - suddenly everyone loves the wail tail and the impact bumpers are back in fashion - because they are period - the car is now valued at 35 grand - i love the design of the 996 c4s - i love the front lights - the sharp droplets give the car a menacing look - and i love the back reflecting light - something the new cars do not have - this is a classic looking bit of design -

plus - as cars advance into the future and petrol engines become smaller and more reliant on electricity and turbo's to boost performance - then the pure porsche engine will start to come into its own - just like the wail tail and impact bumpers did - so dont listen to these idiots - they know nothing - if you want to keep the car = keep it = love drive it - if you are looking for a investment then there might be better cars in the short term - but people don't slag this porsche off - because given enough time - you WILL be proven wrong -

[rockysaunby]

c'mon guys - if we all knew the way values were going ? we would all be rich -- unfortunately we don't - i remember 12 years ago when i bought my 911 low mileage carrera 1989 - (with the wail tail ) -for £7500 everyone told me that it was terrible design and the worst 911 ever - the 80's wail tail was terrible and the impact bumpers were ugly and that the car would not really go up in value -i remember i posted a similiar post asking what people thought about this generation of 911's and i got shot down by a lot of similar people -

now look at 1980's 911 - suddenly everyone loves the wail tail and the impact bumpers are back in fashion - because they are period - the car is now valued at 35 grand - i love the design of the 996 c4s - i love the front lights - the sharp droplets give the car a menacing look - and i love the back reflecting light - something the new cars do not have - this is a classic looking bit of design -

plus - as cars advance into the future and petrol engines become smaller and more reliant on electricity and turbo's to boost performance - then the pure porsche engine will start to come into its own - just like the wail tail and impact bumpers did - so dont listen to these idiots - they know nothing - if you want to keep the car = keep it = love drive it - if you are looking for a investment then there might be better cars in the short term - but people don't slag this porsche off - because given enough time - you WILL be proven wrong -

[olv]

Say it again.

[monthefish]

rockysaunby said:

and i love the back reflecting light - something the new cars do not have

...except for the ones that do.

[grumpynuts]

That car would sell this year with 52k miles for £25k private sale.Prices of 996 C4S have started to rise and good ones will carry on. It is a very desirable car, and the prices of Turbo's and GT3's have gone so far up that most enthusiasts are priced out of them. They then turn to the next layer of 996, which is the C4S. I bought mine 4 years ago with 40k miles for £20k from a specialist Porsche Indy, it now has 71k and a good chunk of maintenance has been spent in that time to keep it tip top. If I was to sell, I'd get my money back, at least,and my feelings are that by the end of the summer, it's value will have grown more.
My reasoning is that new cars are so playstation, big power,big grip, lots of "modes" to play with ,but none of them quite "right", and the novelty of DSG gearboxes and farting gear changes wearing off. Enthusiasts are coming back to wanting a well sorted car, with good power you can put onto the road, good road manners, NA with a characterful and great engine sound, manual gearbox, feelsome steering etc. They want a car you can "learn", become at one with and a car to get under your skin.
Old school cars like the 996 C4S deliver everything in one great package,and look amazing. It is the 911 to watch ,price wise, in 2017.

[Croutons]

grumpynuts said:

. Enthusiasts are coming back to wanting a well sorted car, with good power you can put onto the road, good road manners, NA with a characterful and great engine sound, manual gearbox, feelsome steering etc. They want a car you can "learn", become at one with and a car to get under your skin.

In my experience, most buyers at the moment are few of those things, they're speculators who want to buy something which will (or at least may) rise in price.

[gibbon]

grumpynuts said:

That car would sell this year with 52k miles for £25k private sale.Prices of 996 C4S have started to rise and good ones will carry on. It is a very desirable car, and the prices of Turbo's and GT3's have gone so far up that most enthusiasts are priced out of them. They then turn to the next layer of 996, which is the C4S. I bought mine 4 years ago with 40k miles for £20k from a specialist Porsche Indy, it now has 71k and a good chunk of maintenance has been spent in that time to keep it tip top. If I was to sell, I'd get my money back, at least,and my feelings are that by the end of the summer, it's value will have grown more.
My reasoning is that new cars are so playstation, big power,big grip, lots of "modes" to play with ,but none of them quite "right", and the novelty of DSG gearboxes and farting gear changes wearing off. Enthusiasts are coming back to wanting a well sorted car, with good power you can put onto the road, good road manners, NA with a characterful and great engine sound, manual gearbox, feelsome steering etc. They want a car you can "learn", become at one with and a car to get under your skin.
Old school cars like the 996 C4S deliver everything in one great package,and look amazing. It is the 911 to watch ,price wise, in 2017.

Old school, really? People do make me chuckle.

If you enjoy your car, then great. Its a good looking car, and nice to drive, but dont get hung up on values or the next big 'investment car', I dont think its ever going to be held up as a Porsche great or a bastion of analogue drive and feel. It was always more looks than drive as a model. A nicely spec'd c2 will drive far more as you seem to describe. Though it wont have that ass.

If you are lucky you might get a year or two of 'free' motoring with small increases in value in line roughly with running costs, as it appears you have, good for you, but it wont continue, the car will cost more and more to run, and is very unlikely to appreciate significantly. To think anything else is delusional.

[EarlOfHazard]

I love the look of the C4S, but prices are comparable to an early 997 3.6 or 3.8.
Would the 997 provide the better drive?

[grumpynuts]

Of course you are quite correct. The 996 C4S will NEVER be an investment car, like the GT3's are, but for many, it has already been a zero depreciation car, which is great to look at and to drive. I'm expecting values of nice ones to rise this year, but not by much, maybe £2k to £3k. Overall, it's a great car, I accept a bog standard C2 may be a more pure experience, but I prefer what I own and who doesn't love a wide bodied 911. £20k to £25k buys you a lot of car.

[Budflicker]

I love my 996 C4S, great car to drive and looks the business as well. Would I like a 991 GTS instead, yeah, but the price to change of about £70k makes no sense to me.

[996TT02]

IMHO the C4S is the prettiest 996.

It was only engine doubts that steered me to the Turbo, and at the time there was no more than around 5-6k in it.

[Digga]

gibbon said:

Old school, really? People do make me chuckle.

TBF the 996 interior does make it feel an older, more classic car than it perhaps really is. Dynamically too, the 996 is a slightly different proposition to a comparable 997, so it's fair (in some respects) to call them old school these days, even if they're not air colled.

[Wudee]

I switched from a 991S to a low mileage 996 C4S manual. As a toy car a 991 was just too clinical for me to have fun.
Great car both interior and exterior design and quality, but didn't give me much excitement in PDK spec. In current traffic the 991 does not come into its own, or at least speeds where it becomes more fun.

Now back to notchy short shift gearbox, less bhp, if you release the throttle there is decent engine break. Slightly smaller and more cosy cabin gives more of a 911 feel. And C4S is by far best looking 996 i think. Future values are difficult to call, 996 models are getting more popular, i did pay fair amount for it, but has all the stamps and is in very nice condition. If I had a daily commute 991 anytime.

[Maldini35]

As had been said already.
This may not be the winning lottery ticket but values should stay solid.
It looks good and sounds great and it's a 911.
If there is a 'correction' to the market you probably won't be affected much.
If you enjoy the car I'd hang onto it.

[m444ttb]

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.

[Mario149]

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.

Hmmm...not sure I agree with this. Although it may be dependent on what condition the cars you're comparing are. I have a mechanically spot on manual 993 with new shocks/springs/top mounts etc, brake overhaul, custom geo and a remap by Wayne Schofield giving 296bhp. I also have a minty unmolested manual 997 GTS with 15k miles on.

I've in the past had a 996 C4S and have driven my mate's 996.1 manual C2 not too long ago, and in my memory both of those 996s feel much closer to the 997 GTS than my 993, let alone a 964.

993 feels decidedly much more rear engined towards the limit, sounds waaaaay different. 996s are also way more torquey than a 993 which puts them closer to the 997 IMO. Also, you don't "roll" (that's my way of describing the feeling of the throw) through the gearbox like you do on the 996/997 which feel like a "straight" throw. Steering on the 993 has the most info (but mine may be a little hyper due to the geo), whereas the steering on my 997 GTS doesn't have as much as you might expect (think it's due to tyre size). Pedal weights are similar on all 993/996/997s that I've owned/driven lots, but the 993 requires more challenging foot movement/placements overall, although heel and toeing on it is the easiest of all the 911s I've driven (might just be that I've had the most practice on the 993). In terms of interior, 996 and 997 are noticeably related if only for volume inside ambience, whereas the 993 feels oooold.

To be clear, each of the models has its merits and I love them all (993 is the longest i've ever owned a car: 4 years which is a record!), I'm not contrasting them to find a winner. But when I categorise the driving experience of each, 996 and 997 broadly fall into the same category of "modern-ish", 993 does not even come close to that and bears faaaaar more resemblance to the couple of 964s I've driven (one an RS )

[Mario149]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

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.