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Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCH4S prices skyrocketing?
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major
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Reported cause
The "smallish" problem turned out to be major, but TS, fix it anyway.
Leading evidence: 'major' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'major' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Adjust $' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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I knew "some" existing problems and adjusted $, so it seemed OK.
Replace many parts and have been daily visiting this forum
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I have replaced many parts and have been daily visiting this forum.
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Suggestion
Now sitting at 248.6k on the odometer (actually higher due to running 19� wheels for over 100k miles) with the COMPLETELY original drivetrain and it runs and drives phenomenally!
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34 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Seems about right for a nice car with some solid service records.
If it is a low option, silver car without a 30 page binder of service, you can do better.
Fwiw, it all depends on whats been done for service. $20k over 22 years is nothing. Its less than $1k a year.
If the IMS hasn't been done, then the previous owner(s) had no clue as to what should have been serviced and upgraded. Or they knew what should have been done but were not willing to spend the money. Very common.
If it was my money, i would be very diligent with having an in depth invasive PPI performed on a 140k 996. Test the oil to see whats in it, drop the sump to see whats in it, and scope the bores to assess their condition. Review the service records to identify what service was done and when. Make sure the shop is a Porsche specialist, not a generalist, so they know what they are looking for.
But in reality, I would probably look for another C4S. There are plenty out there that have been serviced properly.
Nothing better to own and drive than a well maintained 996.
I don�t really think one or the other would really affect price accept x51, but you�re not finding a decent mile, good condition, good service history C4S in the $40ks I don�t think.
if you had PSE, sport seats, and aero together then that�d probably be a big price differential as well.
Thats what happens when you read this stuff at 4 am.
$20k is a much better price. Something to think about. Assuming the engine is in viable shape, you will still have costs associated with refreshing a 22 year old car. So be prepared.
1. ~$8-10k of engine service items to do.
2. ~$8-10K of suspension items
3. ~$8-10k of exhaust items
None of this includes exterior and interior refresh/upgrade items which could be another ~$2-10k plus depending on how pretty you want to make the car.
Nor does it include a factory short block swap or engine rebuild if the engine is not in viable shape. Which will run an additional ~25-45k depending on swap versus rebuild.
For sure, if you are a skilled DIY guy, you can cut your costs in half. Or, you can find a 996 that is already well sorted.
Many ways to approach it. No right or wrong answer. Just options. My job as a 996 enthusiast on RL is to just help frame the options.
Yeah, the exhaust price is headers, cats and mufflers plus minimal labor assuming the headers bolts dont snap off. Unfortunately, prices have shot up in 2025 and are still in the stratosphere presently.
For sure. Being a 23 year owner of the same 996 and a huge enthusiast, you learn a thing or two. Just trying to help everybody out. Any new car that you are trying to get to know is like drinking from a fire hose. Good news is it's pretty easy to keep the 996 running in top form once you understand the game.
If it was up to me, everybody woukd have the chance to drive and experience it. Just a great car.
Just one. All I need.
Bought my 2002 over 23 years ago. Been tracking it since 2004 and have spent over TWICE what I originally paid for it on service, maintenence, upgrades and refreshing of parts. Its a constant refresh and upgrade process.
Same engine, no bore scoring, great oil tests, way over 110 track days and have never been stranded on the street or track in 23 years.
The key is to understand what it takes to keep the M96 running safely on the track. If you do, its pretty easy to keep it running on the street!
I have had 3 996 NA and 2 996 turbo's! ALWAYS did maintenance myself. I know these cars pretty damn well. Had 95 993 before I bought a 2001 c4 cab new! Sold it after 5 years due to kids. Bought another a few years later after divorce, then got the turbo itch. Got 2005 turboS tippy. HATED the tip! Sold it and got a 6 speed. Daily. drivers all. Considering a 991 4S cab now but I miss the NA 996 with sport exhaust. the turbos just did not sound the same and Im not big on aftermarket mods.
Welcome back to the 996 NA club. Your DIY skills cut your costs in half! Good luck with finding the right 996 C4S. Are you looking for a coupe or convertible?
Having paid for those upgrades myself (I�m more of a checkbook mechanic), those price ranges look pretty accurate � and honestly, they can be even higher in big cities like NYC where I�m located.
No offense, but if you've only bought one 996, you cant say with any sort of authority or experience that someone is going to have to put $25k-$30k in repairs and maintenance in a used 996, carte blanche. What you have spent on your car is but one data point. And considering you track your car, that requires a higher level of maintenance and repairs than most owners. I would also bet that you dont ascribe to the "If it aint broke, dont fix it" philosophy, as some do. That combined with the track time and I would venture to say you fall on the extreme end of the scale for how much money you have to put into a 996.
I purchased a 2000 C4 with 155k miles a year ago and Ive spent $6700 at my Porsche indy in repairs and maintenance since then, and Ive been driving it every day. Now sure, I probably COULD spend another $20k right now, if I really looked for every possible thing to replace, but I dont HAVE to. My ABS pump is out, and thats about $800 to replace, but I dont have to have ABS, so Ive been driving without it for 6 months. Ill get to it, in the meantime, I just enjoy driving it. My driver side leather seat bottom is a in bad shape, and Im going to recover it, but I havent yet. That doesnt mean I cant drive it.
I see people all over the place making broad statements like "you cant buy a well sorted 996 for under $40k" and "get ready to spend another $25k on top of the purchase price" without knowing anything about that particular car. No two used cars are the same, and no two owners are the same. Different people have different requirements, levels of OCD, levels of comfort with risk, etc...and so just because some people have to replace everything immediately, doesnt mean everyone does. One persons definition of "well-sorted" may not be the same as another persons. Every used car is a project to some degree. It ranges from a full blown body off restoration, to just putting gas in it when its empty. There are certain things a used car needs and requires, and there are certain things that the owner just wants to do to it to make it better or make them feel better. What you want to do to it, and what time period you want to do it in varies.
Some people act like any 996 you buy has to go straight to the shop and every possible thing has to be fixed, flushed, replaced, painted or recovered immediately and I just dont get it.
I wouldn�t discount GC996�s perspective just because he�s maintained one 996. If anything, the fact that he tracks his car and has addressed everything firsthand gives his input weight. I find his posts some of the most thoughtful here, and I wish I had paid closer attention to voices like his before buying mine.
I didn�t read his comments as saying everyone has to spend $25�30k or bring a car to his personal standard. My takeaway was simply that when you�re buying a 20+ year old 911, you should be financially prepared for the possibility of meaningful expenses on critical components.
Every owner and every car is different � it ultimately comes down to expectations and risk tolerance.
I hope it skyrockets and doubles soon so I can break even. LOL
Look at it this way...
When someone asks a question like what should I look for, or what should I replace, or what else should I do, we are going to give them an answer.
When they ask what its going to cost, we give them an answer.
From there its up to the 996 owner to make a decision based on their objectives and bank account.
But to your point, the information i provide is from actual experience. I have done everything we have talked about 2-3x over the past 23 years. Been there, done that.
As a C4S owner/enthusiast, here�s my 2 cents on the subject� you�ll break even on one of these cars only if you NEVER drive it, so what�s the freaking point in that. I bought in 10 years ago at $21.5K on a car at 105k miles. Now sitting at 248.6k on the odometer (actually higher due to running 19� wheels for over 100k miles) with the COMPLETELY original drivetrain and it runs and drives phenomenally! Last used oil analysis was clean. 4� file folder bursting at the seams of records and receipts since it was new. Probably another $15k+ worth of maintenance and upgrades under my ownership, but no one turns a wrench on my car but me, except for wheel alignments. With a fresh oil change I wouldn�t hesitate to drive it from coast to coast and back.
All that said, it�s still only worth maybe $12-13K today as a whole car and I couldn�t care less. My kids will have a great car to enjoy someday with their kids.
If you can�t troubleshoot and turn the wrenches yourself, then the I think the stated costs listed in this thread are pretty accurate IMO.
Im sorry but this statement is so broad, general and ambiguous thats its just nonsense. You are assuming that no 22 year old car has had any "refreshing" done by any previous owners. "$8k-$10k in exhaust items"?? Again, Im sorry, but what?
Nobody asked that question. You're telling everyone that every 996 out there is going to need tens of thousand of dollars to make road-worthy and its just nonsense. You're experience is on exactly 1, one, 996. If you had owned, say, a half dozen or more, and had to do the same thing to all of them, then maybe you can start telling people what they are
likely
to encounter, based on the mileage,
assuming it hasnt already been done
.
BaT results don't show much change in the general trend. It does appear as though excellent examples are commanding higher prices lately.
https://bringatrailer.com/porsche/996-911-carrera-4s/
No worries either way. Broad, absolute, narrow, you are gonna get it all here on Rennlist.
You know how this works. Questions are asked, multiple conversations start, info and perspective are provided. Then it all comes down to what decisions you want to make and when.
Everybody has different objectives, willingness and pricepoints for their 996. If it doesnt make sense to you, then don't do it.
Regardless, I wish you the best.
I think it is always doing a favor to provide enough information so that people go into a 996 purchase with eyes wide open and a full understanding of the best and worst case scenarios.
I purchased a used 996, fixed a few items myself that i knew NEEDED to be addressed and were within my limited shadetree skillset.
5 years down the line, I brought it to a trusted, very skilled indy for a couple routine maintenance issues and I learned what SHOULD be addressed.
I agree these may be two very different $'s but the costs of ownership discussed on this and other threads are consistent with my experience as well. Folks should know going in.
I bought a 1974 2.7 911 in 1986 (when no one wanted one) for $5500. I still have it.
I have never added up my receipts, because like it's gas mileage, it doesn't matter.
It is what it is.
Today, those "unloved" 2.7 G body 911's are becoming desirable (not as much as the pre 74's or post 77's, but still are...)
I didn't buy any of the Porsches that I have owned as "investments" , I bought them because I wanted to drive them
(and realize that most vehicles are depreciating assets...).
Paul
FWIW- There were about 170,000 996s built in ~6 years. There were only 17000 C4Ss built. In the realm of "desire/worth" a 996 GT3 tops the list, then 40AE, then C4S. Turbos are a different story. Had a fully mod-930, don't want another "turbo". For whatever reason Cabs and Tips are at the bottom of list, perhaps because of appearance, difficult top components, bad knees, or whatever. Personally, I prefer a coupe, not a cab, but so what? Each can choose what they like. I do know that C4S cars are getting more scarce. It took me over 2 years to find one as a "buy candidate".
I eventually bought it. Was it perfect, all the boxes of maintenance checked? Nope. Color? Not what I wanted, but close enough. Color has "grown on me". I knew "some" existing problems and adjusted $, so it seemed OK. The "smallish" problem turned out to be major, but TS, fix it anyway. It also had good things like new brakes and rotors. Plus and minus. I am in BFE, zero P-techs around here, I "get" to turn my own wrenches. I had A/C P-cars for 35-40 years and my own shop, so grin & bear it, no big deal.
My point is, if you want a C4S, whatever flavor, there are not many of them. Prices are all over the chart and the shark-frenzy last minute bidding on auctions is ridiculous. I turned down a good offer on a 997, but in the end, I STILL wanted a C4S. No other 996 has that look, the gorgeous back end, bigger brakes & rads, the look. Is it worth it? Dunno, for me, yes. Sure, I have to spend money to make it better, but it isn't rocket science. A big issue of an engine failure would mean a rebuild by someone, and maybe even B4 anything breaks.
So, whatever @Dranon decides, it's up to him. Overall, I won't sell my C4S, I'll keep it, maintain or fix it, but it stays here. I get compliments and questions about it wherever I go. Even nose-bleed high 4WD pickup guys at Wallmart compliment and ask questions. People do not know what it is, they just recognize it is something different, special, and probably expensive. Works for me.
YMMV
I own a 996 for the past 2 years. I have replaced many parts and have been daily visiting this forum. US prices are 2x European prices. Sorry for this to my US friends, but if you look at it this way, GC996 comments make sense.
Moreover in forums, you expect people following the Orthodox way of doing things. I used a bremi MAF, everyone else in here prefers the Bosch one and happy to pay the higher premium. For example a Porsche specialist in Eastern Europe will replace a short block for 15k eur. It is what it is, lower prices.
Ship your car to Europe, fix it, do your holidays over here and then send it back; All that will be cheaper than fixing it in the US and you get to drive it to another continent!!!
PS: Even Mike Brewer sent his 911 from the UK to Poland to fix it... Porsche tax is Porsche tax
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