Five Ways A £25,000 Porsche 996 C4S is Better Than The New 992 GT3 (And One It Really Isn't) 

Porsche 996 C4S are great, I have owned mine now for over 2 years now, but I have used big $ on my car. All work done at Porsche Classic center, rebuild engine to 3.9L, AOS, IMS, RMS every possible upgrade to engine, radiators +++ Suspension to öhlins + every bushings + balljoints. Full Kline exhaust system, upgraded interior with hardback sport seats, new OEM red seat belts, Porsche PCCM, repaint brake calipers, all brake line new + brake disc + pads +++ I was considering to buy new Porsche 992, but I think its cooler to own 996 C4S I love the look of this car :) Cant understand why people dont like the headlights + the rear of C4S are very nice. + newer Porsche looks too big

Great to see the 996 get some appreciation! I have a Turbo: bulletproof engine, bonkers fast but civilised at regular speeds. Thoroughly recommend one, or any 996 in good condition👍

I'm sad I didn't get one... It was extremely affordable, but I thought it would keep depreciating... But yall youtubers ruined it, lolololol

Buying a low mileage one owner 986S, a Boxster, when prices were absolutely bottomed out in 2016 continues to be my biggest car coup. I have got to have some of those sport technic wheels.

The rear reflector makes it actually look like the traditional Porsche. Air cooled cars all have it and that's a big part of their appeal. This version is the best looking 996 hands down. Air cooled prices are already out of reach from most car enthusiasts but the 996 prices are ridiculously low. These are seriously undervalued. Amazing sports car bargains.

I think you've highlighted an issue I have with todays supercars in general. I genuinely think fun drivers cars reached their peak in the 2000s. After you get beyond 500-600bhp, it's much harder to enjoy one fully on public roads. Can't beat an old fashioned un-strangled lump with a manual gearbox. This car is from a time when turbos were only there for one purpose, to give you a kick in the back. Btw, this is the best far channel full stop, thank you!

This car was done by Friends Green Porsche for the customer. Anyone thinking the bill is excessive needs to watch the video, or all of their videos, to see why customers choose them to service cars like this. The work performed was obviously done to meticulous perfection and, as a result, the owner will enjoy many stress-free miles. The work included the PCCM, exhaust bits, interior package, etc. Not just a "mechanical refresh." If I were in Europe they'd be doing mine too. Great video as always, Jay. Spot on closing remarks.

"So from that point on I realised that I really was, a Porsche person" *currently owns 3 Ferraris and 0 Porsches* 😂

Scratched a very big itch last year and obtained a 996 40 Jahre. Appreciate all comments about C4S and the 996 in general. The ‘I don’t like the 996 because of…’ brigade are just going to miss out on the greatest sports car bargain of our times. My 40 Jahre: not silly money, looks fantastic but, big but, with X51, LSD and M030 is a fabulous drive. Just fabulous - especially on UK ‘B’roads. Also, it’s my daily driver.

Call yourself everybody’s 3rd favourite but your intro music certainly is my favourite 🤣. Look forward to it every time

GT 1 inspired headlights, wide body, perfect rear end. Best looking 911 - just a great design

The GT3 will cost you 7-8x the price of the 996, but I don't think it delivers 7-8x the fun. So get the 996 and still have buckets of cash for other fun things. (Full disclosure: I am a 996 owner.) :)

“Car Obsessed, flamboyant, fat man”, this is one of the reasons I enjoy watching you videos so much. You make fun of yourself and don’t care what other think. More power to you Sir! Keep up the great work, enjoying the videos.

this was the one i was waiting for .....Cracking Video for Easter. I have a C4S silver over black and many owners of pre and post 996's have said to me that its the only one of the 996 era they would own. Everyone seems to like the C4S. I think its because most people see it from the back and its the best rear 3/4 of any Porsche - hands down.

The 996 a great drivers Porsche all weather long distance sports tank. Love the sleek racing style take lights over the Cod eyes. Go the raw analogue 996. A Pinky Lai artform Icon !

Interesting comparing this car with the 992. I can agree with what you said about Porsche often being less expensive for parts. Not always, sometimes their pricing leaves me scratching my head it’s so ludicrous.

I owned a gorgeous midnight blue/gray 996 C4S (6 speed manual, Sport Techno wheels, white gauge faces) for about 6 years. The only 'modification' I made was replacing the air-box with a large K&N cone filter. Yes, the interior was far too plasticky for the price-point, but it was always wonderful to drive and nearly bulletproof.

8:50 After having so much money spent, the amount of smoke at high revs is a concern.

The 996 was the current Porsche when I was a teenager, so I’ll always consider it the blueprint 911. Glad to hear it finally getting some love!

I always loved those C4S of the 996 generation, the rear flanks are feminine but agressive. That and a 987.2 are genuine future classics of good value now. Greetings from Portugal! Keep the good reviews

That 996 C4S really suits that yellow paint job

Great vid. Thank you. The 996 is a great car and for some the ONLY affordable 911.

For those watching from outside the uk. Dont be too discouraged if you find a version you like with m030. I will agree that the suspension is too harsh but that is more an indictment of road quality in the uk. It would be perfect for Spain for instance. Oh...also consider installing the 997.2 gt3rs gearshift (not the ssk). It made a world of difference to mine and is a 1:1 replacement; easy install)

Great points in there, I’m doing the same with my 997, bringing it back to life and enhancing where I can. Videos like this inspire me when I’m skint and loosing faith! Hopefully I’ll get you in it when it’s done.

Great review: real world. Very easy for journalists that don’t buy or live with a GT3 to say that it’s miles better in engine and sound.

I’ve had one of these for 4 months and I’m in love with it. I haven’t driven the 992 I just go by the car I drive and it’s bloody magnificent. I had brackets installed which have given me about 5-6 inches extra legroom, So it’s now absolutely perfect.

Stunning, so few cars can pull off yellow but that C4S looks epic! Brilliant video 👍

does this guy have a twin? because he's putting out more videos than about 20 other automobile channels i'm subscribed to, combined! if not, bravo!, if so, bravo! bravo!

i do like the way this 996 sounds

5:55 "Speed Yellow" adds 10mph to your speed when getting pulled over...

A pretty good measure of whether a car is beautiful is whether one had a Bburago scale model in one’s bedroom as a schoolboy - and my silver 996 was between the F40 and the E-Type.

Just traded my R129 SL500 for one of these , manual in Arctic silver. Absolutely stunning drive, perfect combo of analogue, involving drive whilst being practical and comfy enough to use regularly.

Great video. Miss my C4s to this day. Had one a few years ago. Did some serious miles in it. Fun to drive, great noise and plenty quick enough. The rise in revs and urgency at 5500+ rpm was missed in your video. Almost like a second cam. That was the bit of the Rev range I loved the most. 996 C4s encourages you to drive and the harder you push the more reward you’d get. Never had any issues with it, solid and dependable. I loved my car. 👍🏽

Great video Jay and very honest (as usual) pointing out worts and all without rise coloured glasses. The bit at the end when you said what you'd really like in a 911 if you could spec it - I bought a 964 C4 Manual about 15yrs ago which had been Supercharged. It was great....the power delivery was unique, in a good way. Don't have the car any longer though. It was featured in a 911/Porsche World magazine article when the one of previous owners told the story of the tuning journey. Well known guys in Warrington did the job - Ninemeister.

I'm a Porsche person as well. My dad had a 924 way back in the 80s and while other kids loved the Countach or the Testarossa, I always preferred the whale tail and wide hips of the 930. My love for the brand only increased as I learned more about cars and the fact that Ferraris are fragile things, Lambos aren't always the best driving experience, but you could actually use Porsches and they were generally user friendly cars, save for my favorite 930 and it's snap oversteer. Porsches tend to be more understated as well. They're still beautiful cars, but pulling up in a Diablo or a Gallardo is an event. Driving a 430 or a 355 and you'll have plenty of attention on the road. That's ok sometimes but I'd rather not always be the center of attention when driving.

Just hammered my 996 160 miles across the country yesterday, sunny , dry day, even my aircon works! It’s light, nimble, can rev it out without being too illegal. Just thinking, I don’t want to change it for a new one as my wife keeps telling me to. I have replaced most things on it mind, but still cheap to run. It handles a lot better on fresh tyres, as the old ones went hard due to little use.

FGP video on this very car was good, detailed the extensive work carried out to bring it up to an exceptional example

Thanks for this video, Jay. Currently cross shopping these with a narrow body 996 or a 997.1. Havent had the opportunity to drive either yet. Living vicariously through you lol

Really want a 996 C4S or Turbo , the price has rocketed so much I’m the last couple of years. Not sure I can bring myself to part with that much cash now.

My favourite 996! Love the bigger rear lights on these and the Turbo style body...

I was going to sell my 997.1 S because they command so much right now, but I have reconsidered and are now in the process of refurbishment and improvement instead. I think these older, non electronic, Porsche’s will be the cars to own in the future.

im sat here and its like listening to mozart, that exhaust makes a gorgeous noise.

9964S - There is no substitute. Pure automotive art.

Saw one fly past me that looked just like this the other day and it still looks timeless

You're really dialling up these intros. Love it

Am so excited watching this… sold my e46 m3 and am picking up my ‘04 c4s this Saturday coming!😊

I had a 996 C4S in Polar silver with metropole blue leather interior and completely agree it had a great rear. I had no issues with the car over many years and miles use and like so many cars I’ve had I wish I had kept it - but I’d need a large car park for them all.

Yes, I've got a C4 996. Granted, I'm trying to move on to something else, but after nearly 10 years of enjoyment (and a Hartech rebuild), I've loved the thing :) Won't be my last Porsche either.

Frankly, if he spent £18K on redoing that car, he got TOTALLY screwed over. To take a car to a garage and just say "make it great", you get what you deserve. Give it a bit of thought yourself and I bet you could have done exactly the same for £5-6K.

We love you the way you are, JayEmm!

My good man, I have been subscribed to you for quite awhile, and I just want to say that if EVO or Carfection doesn't pick you up soon, I'm going to be really upset. You deserve all the success coming your way!

Thanks J, enjoyed that!

Bought my Speed Yellow 996 about a week after watching this. An absolutely fantastic car!

Your synopsis is spot on for cost of ownership and purchase. I know from experience as well . Good vid.

Looks great in the speed yellow. Sounds fantastic too. I wouldn't be willing to spend the best part of £15-20k bringing it up to standard though.

Fantastic video. Love the colour of the car. Keep up the good work.

Im off to Eslöv in Sweden to pick one up, thanks for this review mate👍

My first ever Porsche c4s - need to get back in one again soon!

That’s a beautiful car. I really want to drive a C4S eventually to compare to my early C2, hopefully I’ll get to soon!

Man, I'm owning a Z3 3.0 and C4S and thats exacly the cars that you are speaking of!

What a beautiful car, love the yellow against the black outside, superb, thanks for sharing.

Probably the best intro on a RU-vid video ever!

Good review. I had a C4s with the X51 Carrera power pack and that is prob the ultimate non GT3 N/A 996. Dog ownership meant moving it on but I would have another. One thing I noticed is that the yellow car in your video does seem to smoke out of the left bank of cylinders (right exhaust) and the exhaust tailpipe was oily. Constructive comment to the owner - Deffo worth checking this NOW!

I own both a Touring ( 991 ) and a 996 C4S , both superb. But 996 so much easier to have fun in.

Agreed fantastic colour

Nice vid, James. My 981 Cayman is roughly half the age of this but I’m starting to see some big bills, too. Not £18k, admittedly, but definitely chunky enough to remind me it’s a Porsche. Will always happen sooner or later I guess.

lol that opening… he’s such a relatable chap, makes me want to grab a beer with him to talk cars. By the way, 996 C4S owner here so I’m tremendously biased when I watched the video.

Looks great in yellow. I had a speed yellow 996.1 GT3 for 12 years. Those seats imo are up there with best seats ever put in a road car.

I did the Palmer Sport day 11 years ago when it was hosted by Martin Brundle. Brilliant day

I needed to see this one. Thanks

You are more than welcome to drive my 996 turbo anytime you want.

Some interesting comments and thoughts. You are fortunate to be able to compare back to back like this and pick up on some things that (I think) just become a non issue in isolation. 992 feels tiny to me for example, versus the day to day car. Slightly apples with oranges too. How about reviewing a 996 GT3?

I' getting the feeling that even if you reviewed a lawnmower, it would be a "great review". I appreciate your sense of humor and wit with the detailed eye on the subject at hand. At this pace, hitting another 100K subscribers should not be a problem.

The front of this is perfection

Best modern Porsche by far is that c4s however for me personally a c2s is the one 👌👌

Litera driving my dream car, speed yellow 996 c4s. Oter one is 991 gt3 touring.

Porsche centres are definitely worth a call. The guy in the parts dept at Bristol has done me some great prices on oem brembo discs & pads for my 996 🏆👏🏻

Saw a nice job on a black one where the parking light on the fried egg headlamp was covered with black wrap. Made it look like a more modern model.

There is video of this car being prepared on utube, it was a very extensive list

Love your channel I’m Porsche obsessed!

I don't know what it is about the Turbo engine you don't like sir, I mean it's a twin turbo'd Mezger unit and they're incredible, torque from low down is so strong and when it hits 4k they just take off and rev out super quick, but you can also drive it very gently and it's very compliant and smooth. It's an amazing engine in a wonderful car , I think you should drive another , mine is an 05 manual with 9k miles and I live in the Scottish Borders , you're welcome to come and give it a shot.

Absolutely love that spec

something about that color makes the 996 look goood

Seems like all the comparison pros of the 996 would be even more applicable for the 997.2 vs 992. 996 is a good car, but imo it’s become more popular, and prices have risen, is a lot to do with the price gap that existed between the 996 and 997, that just the fact the 996 was the most affordable to get into during the Porsche boom in the last 2 years. Also, I went to Cranfield Uni! (Saw the sign on the roundabout).

I don't like how the C4S looks, but by gum, it sounds superb.

Love it. Loved YOUR 996's exhaust sound even better than the Gundo Hacks I've heard. What is the "RSR mod" you did?? I want it on my c4s :)

997.1 Carrera S with a Hartech 4.3L conversion, 6 pot front caliper swaps, 350mm rears and the bigger 4 pot calipers. You can purchase carbon ceramic aftermarket rotors that are far cheaper but just as good if not better quality so pop in some Pagid RS pads to match 👌🏻 I'd lower it by 25mm (in total not in addition) with some Eibach springs and keeps PASM dampers. Weld the PSE flaps open (lol sorry I just can't help myself!). Would consider the aftermarket "pepperpot" 19" alloys as they look superb on 997's. But I do have the 19" Carrera Sport multi-spokes optional wheels that were selected on the build sheet. Those rear 305's have monumental grip! Even the 295's on my winter wheels do too! Defies the laws of physics! So these are a couple of things I'd consider to do but it's a 1 owner, built to order car with an outstanding selection of options selected when the first owner was kitting his car out. I got it at 27k miles @ just under 12 years old. So it was brand new. Kept in a heated garage it's entire life. Immaculate history for both servicing and maintenance. Scoped once a year too. Great content as per, keep up the good work chap. 👏

12:22 not positive but I think if the car came with belts you can’t remove them or it wouldn’t be road legal. Even if you remove the seats. Laws are often written oddly. Anyway they come in handy for locking down packages.

@2:04 noticed the unmatching wheel hub covers. the coloured emblem ones are damn expensive, and like to fall off. I get it.

I’m loving my C4S! Random question, where do you set up your mic for recording the exhaust. I tried the rear bumper and it was just too loud, I also tried the camera on the door and couldn’t hear the engine/exhaust at all. I was going to try mounting on the rear window next, but thought you could point me in the right direction. Great video, keep up the great work!

As a fried egg lover a 996 is devine.

Sounds like that specialist saw him coming. there was absolutely no need to spend £18k at all. A full Hartech rebuild is cheaper than that.

Beautiful car, hate the short plate, but that's the owners choice I suppose and easily changed. Good review.

Similar trans ro my 2014 Passat with tiptronic? Bought new, has 166,213 miles. Most reliable car Ive owed in my 66 years. ZERO squeaks or rattles still

Had one of these. The brakes were horrible. Nothing unless you pressed to floor and even then always felt it wasn’t going to stop. No one could figure it out. Also too stiff for my injured back. On the plus side had the best steering feel of any car I’ve owned. In colder weather you could feel road line paint. In silver and loved the look of it. Preferred driving my boxster.

The only reason an M96 will not feel alive up top in the rev range is if tha Vario cam system is faulty. If functional they all make peak power at 6800 rpm,and given that it rev limit is circa 7300 , you do get the best performance ( and pleasure/ by revving it out). They do not feel weak up top up at all. But yes it does have great torque between 2500-4500 rpm too.

Great video, always like the 993,996 4S

For me, that CSR snakebite 997.2 would be the one...but put the radio back in it 👍

I need one of these

I like the original headlights much more. They pay honest tribute to the gt1. The second gen are sharp and look forced into the design