I bought a similar one when it was five years old with 9,000 miles. Since it was the "RED HAIRED STEP CHILD" of the marque and probably never going to be worth that much I decided to drive it and enjoy it! I drove it every day in whatever weather. The first couple of years it accumulated over 20,000 miles a year. Always maintained it well and at 90,000 miles I had the IMs bearing done and today it has 211,000 Mi on it. I even transport my two German Shepherds in it and people get mad at me saying I'm decreasing its value and I shouldn't do that to a Porsche but then again I could drop dead tomorrow and why would I want to leave a low mileage Mint Condition trailer "Garage Princess" behind and never have enjoyed it?
As a 996 owner, I haven't "needed" others to approve of my car. I bought it because it was the generation which held the most person sentimental value. As people have come around on what it is, and what it isn't, it's obvious the tide is changing. I wish more 996 owners were honest about the flaws, and I also hope more enthusiasts will give the car a shot. They aren't perfect (no generation is), but they have ALL the Porsche 911 magic of any other generation, just with a slightly different face . . .
I bought my first Porsche - a 996 C4 - back in May. I bought the least expensive one I could find that was accident-free, coupe, with a stick. I would have loved to have bought a C4S but it wasn’t in the budget. In any event, when I got it home I spent quite a bit of money on preventative maintenance, doing the IMS, RMS, clutch, fuel filter, spark plug tubes, coil packs, plugs, thermostat and a total rebuild of the Variocam actuators. Not cheap, but it should now be trouble-free for many miles. After these first months I can say that it’s my favourite car ever. I absolutely love it.
You’ll love it! I thoroughly enjoy my 4.0 C4S. Easy to work on; I built the 4.0 engine, replaced all the suspension parts, tiptronic to manual swap, even repainted. Shout if you’re ever near Raleigh.
I own and daily drive a 996 C4S and really enjoy it. Thanks for sharing this content. Great you found and X51 - rare and sounds like you pulled off a decent deal.
03 C4S owner here, fun car and nice score on finding one with some nice options, sport seats, power pack etc. For the suspension you want to keep it fun and not scraping - I went factory M030 springs w/Koni’s from Carnewal, great setup - tight handling , mild lowering and not jarring at all. I use Porsche’s own classic oil for the 996, so far so good.
I did the opposite road trip a few weeks ago. I flew to NC bought and brought a 2018 Camaro Hotwheels edition back to Wisconsin. Filmed the same blue/yellow bridges but from the opposite direction! To everyone complaining there are no good cars to buy in your area, this is a good and fun solution! 😊
I recently purchased 2002 996 4S on stock suspension with 100,000 miles and it has hardly any body roll. I was surprised. I have noticed the front end is a little floaty and I think I would prefer it to be only rear wheel drive. But as a whole I am very happy with the car. The first thing I did was have the IMS and RMS replaced, and also went through the clutch. Fantastic car.
Congrats on your purchase! Some things I’ve learned from four years of 996 ownership to keep stress-free: 1. Use Mobil 1, 5w-40 with a few quarts of 5w-50 mixed in to protect the bores at operating temp (and switch to 5w-50 after 120k miles). 2. Keep the revs under 3k until coolant reaches 180 degrees to protect the bores. 3. Replace motor mounts for better turn-in and shifting! 4. Consider adding ceratec in with an oil change every year (I’ve had very good results) 5. Drive the crap out of it!
I love the 996 generation, the one I grew up with. I got a 4CS. With low miles. I lived the dream. BUT, whatever everyone who owns it says. It's way too sensitive, you have to think about that, and that, etc. The fun of the car disappeared. Then allways on my mind everything with what can happen. I started listening for ticking noises on coldstarts… checked the exhaust pipe for soot, etc. Unfortunately, the car is too much to think about before you start driving it as it should be driven. Check oil levels, dont rev it, fuel gauge show empty, though you just filled her, Then it is too sluggish because of its weight…
@@callelindstrom4789 put in a full tank of fuel then you tight git hahaha and its not all about the acceleration, its how it makes you feel on those long motorways and tight bends . Maybe you should get a fiesta st ;P
You can see the your front end bouncing around as you drove. Haha. The long drive home was good for the engine. I’d say, by the time you get the suspension dialed in you’ll be very pleased with the handling around the curves. I’ve had my 04 C4s for over five years and I have yet been disappointed and its handling around corners is surprisingly good. Best.
Your assessment of the suspension is bang on. Throw some Bilstein B6 dampers with some lowering springs of your preference, refresh the worn bushing components and dial in as much negative camber on the front end. With the fixed ratio steering especially, this will sharpen it up measurably. Nice buy!
Insane price for that car, that was a great deal especially for something wth x51 engine package. Also, I just replaced my suspension on my 996.1 with Ohlins coilovers, new tie rods, front control arms, new top mounts, Elephant racing sway bar endlinks, and slight more aggressive street alignment and the car is a completely different animal. Either way, a suspension refresh will make a hige difference. If you dont want to go too too aggressive check out the ROW M030 OEM set up. Make sure you get the ROW and not the US version M030 suspension.
I am glad you took the plunge into the 996 ownership. I am looking forward to see a lot of content with this beautiful car. I realized that not all 996s are created equal. And of course the low mileage will make it way more expensive than what I would be able to afford. I will probably will be looking at sub $20K cars instead of that price point. Hopefully will be able to find something that it’s not the complete opposite from this car. But definitely a stick. CONGRATS!!! And keep those great videos coming!!
Such a great video Will. I’ve been honing in on a Porsche purchase and am still considering a 993 despite the negative remarks it gets. It will be my first 911 and foe someone who can’t really get into something that’s over 50/60k I think it’s a good sweet spot. I want air cooled of course but the cost and age is what draws me away. I might look to a C2. Just relocated to to Southern Pines area so just want a little weekend driver or a date night away from kids or an occasional VIR track day.
My 99 996 was black and it made me realize how much I hate black with a passion. To me, black and other dark colors hide the body lines. Plus, mine had the Savanah Beige interior which also added to the negative. I know most say silver is boring, but it's my favorite.
“Suspension is shit” 🤣 so spot on. Put a KW or Olins kit on that thing and have fun! Flat 6 Motorsports have an inexpensive intake mod that removes the resonator and improves intake sound in a nice way without impacting performance and durability, I recommend that one.
The suspension is over 20 years old and is well past the point it needs replacement. You can’t comment on the car’s driving dynamics without a refresh.
@@juryca Stock 996 suspension sucks for my taste, even with new parts. Same for exhaust without PSE. But it’s a personal taste thing, I don’t like it, too numb and soft. Might be good enough for other folks, that’s the beauty of “cheap 911s”, you can just make them your own. Like people did air cooled cars before they got crazy expensive and precious.
Congratulations, and great spec! I put H&R Street Performance coilovers on my 996 Turbo, and they had the perfect amount of performance and compliance for road use. I hope this helps ✌️
Purchased my 99C4 back in January 2024. Loving ownership of these under appreciated 911s. Great cars to “RIP” on. Full suspension refresh due this month (October) inc coil overs based on cost.
Well done on your new purchase. I know you love “modifying/ personalising “ your cars, the only thing I would do is colour match the over riders you have on the rear bumper. We don’t have those on our European/ UK spec ones but I think it would clean it up a tad. Keep up the great work 🙏
$32k ??!!! The seller left like 10k on the table! That is a RIDICULOUSLY good deal. I was thinking $45k as I watched. Didn't get the feeling you liked the car very much in the video though. Looking forward to more content nonetheless.
@@richb9267 I checked some recently sold 996 C4S prices on BAT to see if the market had changed. Nope, saw several TIP's with this mileage sell for low 30's. Most of the nice six speed cars were in the 50's. Hint: this car falls into the NICE category. 89,000 miles is not high for a 20 year old car, nor is it high for a Porsche. Trust me, if you put this car up for $32k on PCA, Pelican, Rennlist, etc, it would be gone in hours every time.
Very nicely done video. It looks like you got a really good deal on the car. I did same thing as you when it comes to buying a car (a very low mile Lexus IS) and having to fly in a plane to get it. Except I went from NC to right outside of Chicago and then I drove it back. I saw some of the same landscape that you saw as well. Looking forward to new content with the Porsche.
Wow that 996 C4S is pristine! The light gray interior is also great to hide the creases of the leather seats. Congrats on that beutifull blue 992 John 💙
Looks like a "win-win" situation! You'll be a lot more reassured with your purchase once suspension is addressed, don't think bore scoring will be an issue based on upgrades and pre-inspection. Also, price seems fair. Congrats to both on the new additions!!
I had a 2003 996 C2 Cab, about 38k miles on it (this was 12 years ago) it burned a quart about every 1200-1600 miles and that never changed for me, sold it around 55k miles. I miss it. Congrats on the C4S, she’s a beautiful example
Well bought. Excellent video and the car looks to be in great shape and looking beautiful. Looking forward to see what you end up doing as far as suspension upgrades. I sold my 99/996 and got a low mileage 987.2 cayman 2009 and considering upgrading the suspension as well. Great content. Thanks.
I had a 996 Turbo and absolutely loved it, only problem was the maintenance was just too much to handle. I have a 2019 Audi S4 with only 33k miles on it but thinking about a 996 C4S. Thanks for the video!
That was a great deal ! an X51 car and all , rare. IMS bearing changed, what do you want already? You seem a little jaded if you don't mind me saying so. I have had 2 996 cabs and currently own a 04 911 Turbo with X50 package. Also a 68 912. The Turbo is a Tiptronic , great in traffic but not as much fun. I am sure that's why a manual brings a premium. This air cooled thing is getting out of hand ! Sure I like them but the 996 is a far better car, dare I say than a 993 ? I think if you drove my Turbo you might want to trade up. Enjoy your 996 sir.
How to prevent bore scoring: Replace the old fuel injectors with new Porsche oe (NOT rebuilt) injectors, change the oil every 6 months regardless of mileage and DO NOT let your car sit and idle to warm up after a cold start. Looks like you got a great deal on a solid 996. Personally I prefer the simplicity of the early C2s but you can’t argue about the looks of the C4S with the wide body and heckblende. Looking forward to more content on your 996 journey 👍
The perfect blend of old and new - don’t get frustrated with sorting process - have fun with it moding and fixing to make it your own - a 996 is the perfect gen to do that IMHO - enjoy !!
I’m on my 4th C4S, and like it’s driving dynamics more than a C2. But yea, on a C4S when you power out of a turn the front wheels dig in and pull you through.
Thanks for doing these videos, ive been contemplating selling my c6 z06 for a 996 and look forward to your insights after you refresh the suspension. Viewing from near hickory nc
Thanks for bringing us along for the ride back to the great state of N.C. My 06 c4 is also a bit more “wallowy” than I’d like so I’ll be curious what you do and how it turns out, brother.
Sounds like a good deal, Will! You probably still have some spare change to revamp the suspension and bushings, and add a few more touches and still probably not break 40k. I've had a 997.2 and 911 3.2 Carrera...and seeing as most of your content has been air-cooled it will be interesting to see what you make of this 996 series. I feel like it's comfortable but not quite the sporty feel I am looking for so I'm happy going with the older car, but I may feel differently when I've had more experience dailying the 3.2. I like having to put the effort in!
Original owner 99 996c4 manual. Daily driver all weather. At 200,000 I did the first clutch, flywheel, exhaust radiators. Also did imsb even though didn’t need it. 100% reliable. Over the years, Stuff wore out normally, shocks, water pump, starter, windshield. Now, my daughter drives it every day. Also put 200 on a pan turbo 100% reliable. My son drives it now. And 100 on a 997.1 c4 - 100% reliable.😂 sold. And 100 on a 964 c4 before I stuck a 3.6 turbo motor in it. 100 reliable and then with the turbo, nutty fun. Back in a 996 again, now a turbo s. 996 cars are legit. Only thing I don’t like about my 99 is that it is a little sketchy in crosswinds over 100. The turbo s is not, so it’s probably the narrow body aerodynamics.
This video aaaaaalmost had me flying up to get the one I purchased, but I just couldn't make the schedule work out between work and family obligations. It's funny, aside from color mine is almost the same car, just a couple thousand fewer miles and no PSE.
i owned a 95 C2 and a 96 C4S, both AZ cars mint with history - left the C2 in Scottsdale and the C4S up in Vancouver BC for the wet weather - perfect! (C2 + a 03 M3 Convertible and 97 Jimmy in AZ) (C4S + Suburban for the kids in BC)
I had a 996 and I liked it. I get trying new old things. I just bout a one owner 1999 Mercedes E430. Does it drive like a new car. No. Does it have any tech. No. Do I enjoy divining it. Yes. Old school V8. Good fun. Congrats on the new car.
For suspension i think Bilstein B4/B6's are hard to beat for value and unless you are hung up on OEM parts rather than just replace bushings in old control/coffin arms have a look at Meyle replacements. Enjoy the Ride!!
Concerning oil consumption, I went from a Cayman R with the newer DFI engine to a 997.1 4S in mint condition. I was concerned with the fact I had put a couple of litres oil top up over about 2400 miles, which I never had to do with the R. This is normal, just had it serviced at the garage that's looked after it for 6 years. He said it's normal to be adding a litre of oil per 1000 miles that's from a Porsche Specialist garage that also races them.
Regarding bore scoring: if that car has nearly 90,000 miles on the original engine, and it is not burning any oil, then your cylinder bores and piston rings are sealed up nice and tight. At this point, all you have to do is keep quality, high moly content motor oil in it, never romp on the engine until the oil has reached 150°F; and always do a fresh oil and filter change the night before a track day. Do these three things, and that engine will probably last several hundred thousand miles.
You made me pause for thought there..intuitively that sounds perfect, fresh oil just before hitting the track. I tend to take the opposite approach, get it out of there straight after. During track use, with its constant high loads, you will have more blow by, therefore more fuel dilution. And higher temps also means higher wear of the additives like the VI improvers (I imagine). Plus I immediately want to inspect the oil filter afterwards for scary stuff. Of course you could also do both, just before and straight after, but since the ‘in between’ does not amount to much in our case, that’s a bridge too far for me. I use Mobil 1 FS X2 5W-50 btw, at the recommendation of my Porsche specialist. Here in Europe we have the German brand Liqui Moly, but not many people seem to believe in the stuff.
@@brembopollypor9965 the reason I prefer to have fresh oil at the beginning of a track day is for the very reasons you mention: to make sure that all the VI and wear inhibitors are “fresh”. that is an interesting comment you made about Liqui-moly motor oil. Some guys over here in the US love that brand. Jake Raby, the Porsche engine and bore scoring guru recommends Driven DT motor oil for all water cooled Porsche engines. For my own cars, I agree with you: I use A40 euro spec mobile1 racing oils, And I also add one can of Ceratec additive with each oil change. I also fully agree with your practice of cutting open and inspecting the oil filter at each oil change. This is a great way of monitoring your engine’s internal condition, especially for IMS-equipped cars. I believe that many IMS bearing failures could have been prevented if owners had monitored the metal debris content in their oil filter.
@@moore_rb I was putting Molykote (from Du Pont) additive in my Honda CX500 in the early 80’s already, (after it threw a rod bearing 😅), somehow moved away from it, maybe because I somehow couldn’t justify to myself second guessing the major oil companies. Never added anything to my race bikes either, couldn’t really, as they all ran wet clutches (Jap 4-strokes, with engine and gearbox sharing the same oil), so frequent changes was the only way to go. I’d never even heard of Ceratec, will look into it. Meanwhile, happy tracking!
800 to 1200 miles per quart of oil in a 993? Wow. Being a long time Boxer engine guy in Subarus, I keyed right in on that. With Subarus, if you go 1200 miles and use 1/3 of a quart, they give you a new short block.
I can't speak for the M96 motors, but for the M97 (987.1/997.1) motors, 1L oil per 1,000mi was within spec as per the owner's manual. I had a 997.1 S that ate a liter of oil every 1000-1200mi or so. Currently have a 987.1 Cayman S that doesn't eat any oil. Neither car has/had bore scoring.
I think that was a great price for that car. Just for point of comparison, my 99 base C2, (only options were sunroof and autodimming mirrors) was totaled last year with 113,000 miles on it and insurance paid out $28k. It was in good condition for what it was but for $5k more you got a much nicer car, that interior is in excellent condition with higher quality materials.
I bought a 60K mile 1999 C4 from the original owner, a dentist in Ann Arbor. Great car but "heavy" for a Porsche 356 guy:>). A grand tourer in my opinion. I ended up selling it a year later to help pay for a wedding.
How someone like you, with all of your posted content about PPI, and all the horror stories, did not drop the pan and scope the cylinders from the bottom, is beyond me. Good luck. I hope she’s a good one.
Having owned an 82, 89,95 911 variants, the 99 996 was my first and last Porsche. Mine was a C2. The slab sides of the vehicle really hurt the esthetics. My other problem was the mass production feel compared to my previous cars. I think a normal suspension should take care of your cornering issues. Mine cornered like it was on rails and it handled anything that I had the nerve to throw at it. That price is crazy good. I can see why you went for it. The mass produced feel really turned me off and I have not another Porsche since. My last 2 have been Aston Martins which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Looking forward to your opinions. Larry
Great video and story! Curious how you will like the 996 ownership experience. Thinking of your previous cars... when are you going to change the seats?😊
Our regional vice president at the time had a beautiful silver one back in the day and he'd drive it into work sometimes... wouldn't want his job but sure coveted his car.
