996 C4 3.4 Purchasing decisions!

Hello all Thanks for creating a very informative forum. As a potential Porsche owning newbie I hope some members here could help me out. I am looking to purchase my neighbour's c4. As described above it is a 2001 (y reg) model 3.4 pre-facelift. It has covered approx 33k miles and is in seal grey with black leather. It is in immaculate as new condition with a full maindealer service history with invoices and receipts. It has 17" alloys and minimal extras ie no sat nav or phone but comes with sunroof a 10 disc cd and psm. It has one previous owner. Is £19k a reasonable price for this vehicle. Thanks in advance for your responses. Yaba

To achieve £19k for a pre-facelift most if not all boxes must be ticked. From what you have said it seems spot on. Seal Grey is one of the most desired colours & with Black leather it is the icing on the cake. Low miles another tick, I am sure it has the history to prove this. If it is showroom condition, no kerbed alloys, no scratches, never damaged etc then go for it. You can get them much cheaper but the miles will be much higher and the colours may not be so nice. Got any photos?

HI Lloyd Six Many thanks for your response, photos attached! Now what do you think? Regards Y

You can tell from the seats that it's a genuinely low mileage car (and not one that has done the time sat in traffic - just not the miles). It also looks like it has the genuine Porsche park assist (which I don't like personally, as it makes the bumper look a bit warty). I think 19k for a 2001 with low mileage is a reasonable price personally - have a look around and see what else you can see, but the fact that it has only 2 owners would suggest that it's been reasonably reliable and well looked after. It does look a very tidy car IMO. If you think the interior looks a bit dated, it's relatively easy to update the steering wheel (to a three spoke) and gear knob. The only thing I'd add is get a PPI done it - not because I believe there's anything wrong with it, just to understand how soon large costs will be coming up - eg. disc+pads, radiators, drop links, engine health (from a look only, eg. oil/water mix), RMS (not that this is a major issue), tyres, 4WD system. Also, consider when was the last service and what type was it - did it include spark plugs, fluids etc. If not, expect your next one to be £1k +. The good news about the 17" wheels is that they are much cheaper for tyres!!! Cheers, GD Cheers.

PS I'd also add that it has the CD storage unit in the front (although I'd get this replaced with a standard cubby hole - £30) and it has a small outside colour pack as well (centre console, under the glove box etc) and a sunroof, so on a 4WD car (which has PSM) which already has a reasonable specification - the only thing it's really missing is a satnav + phone. Seeing that this was a £1k option and it's quite dated anyway, I think this car is quite reasonably specified, so it's worth a consideration. Get the PPI done and seeing what comes up, factor that into the price. The best news is that seeing that it's your neighbour (who I hope you know reasonably well), it's a fairly safe private purchase! Cheers, GD

with the little details provided looks a good buy, still get a ppc and try and get a warranty for piece of mind, low mileage cars do have engine issues too, budget 5k ish for a rebuild. next on my list would be a nice 3 spoke steering wheel, £500-600ish and some nicer rims. good luck with it

Looks a very honest stunning car. As said you can tell by the seat it is vey low miles. Wheels & steering wheel need to be upgraded. Carrera 18s and a 3 spoke she will look amazing. G O F O R I T !

Certainly looks well cared for! Tricky situation as it's a neighbour, but how does he drive it? May sound an odd question, but if the low mileage is lots and lots of short trips this isn't good - especially if driven at all hard before it is fully warm (5-10 miles summer-winter)... M96 engines are building a bit of a reputation for what seem like fatigue failures and it is the low mileage, occasional use, ones that seem to be most affected. If however, he has used it as a weekend toy for longer trips and warmed it up properly before giving it the beans it will probably be OK. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to tell whether an engine is at risk or not (without taking the whole thing apart). Up to you, but unless I was very sure the car had been used regularly and with mechanical sympathy every time, I would actually avoid a very low mileage 996 or 997 personally. As for the price - I think that is too dear: Spec is poor (especially the wheels) and if you decide to sell it any time soon you will lose a lot of money. And if you are unlucky and suffer IMS or cylinder liner failure, you will have a bill for £8,000 plus to get it back on the road. Sorry to be a little negative, but I would do a bit of searching on this forum and consider a Porsche warranty (you would be OK for one year and that could be critical - as any problems are more likely to be triggered by a change in driving style). Finally, have a look at others first... I think you can better value out there for your £19,000.

good advice from wattie, but you will get a good engine rebuild or replacement for 5k, speak with hartech for good advise (abit cheaper than 8K) but if you get a warranty then no worries. As wattie says the 3.4 failures seem to occur on low mileage cars and 80K cars upward. To be honest it looks a good buy, 19K's not alot, I would buy it pending a ppi, chuck 2K on new wheels and steering wheel = sorted!

The only think I'd say is that 19k is just on the cusp of getting a facelift 3.6 car... For an extra grand you could probably find a nice facelift, albeit with a few more miles on the clock.

All Thanks very much for the informed feedback it's very much appreciated, Wattie, with regard driving style his wife was the main driver and she certainly knows how to drive! I will quiz them on the type of journeys they did however I believe it was mainly used as a weekend treat! With regard your other comment does anyone know the engine failure rate to date? I will probably take your advise and look at some others first before committing and get a PPI carried out. Still a very tempting buy though given its condition. Can you get a warranty once it is over ten years old? Cheers Yaba

Bought It! Well after all the advise everyone offered I am now the proud new owner of the aforementioned car. Having owned it or just under a week I am left pondering....why have I never had a Porsche before. Oh well lots of catching up to do. Once again many thanks to everybody's posts. :thumbs:

Congrats and Welcome!