911 996 C4S Buying Advice (2004) Please Help!!

Hi All, After many years of playing about with Evo's, Type R's etc I have decided I want a 996 C4S. The particular one I have seen is a 2004 Manual with 70K and backed up with FSH (50% Porsche and 50% specialist). Is there any thing that I will need to look out for mechanically? This will be my first Porsche and really need some advice. With regards to bodywork I'll be fine and know what to look for but mechanically What will I need to know? Are there any common problems with these or known issues? All help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi Trawling through the forum is the way to go with this one, although there will be someone who can list the common ones. From what I can tell most of the serious issues are engine related as long as you buy one that is not crashed/stolen etc. Maybe speak to someone like Hartech? Berni

Well I've had mine 18 months now are no major issues. The expensive parts are the main concerns and at 6 years old they might be going or gone! RMS or rear main seal, these all leak, have a look at the condition and see how much oil is on the centre of the engine. You might be lucky and it will be as dry as a bone. Brakes - these are off the turbo and discs are expensive to replace when worn out. Tyres as above Front radiators are prone to go as exposed through the large air grills. Suspension will need a check at 70k Obviously full a full service history, don't be put off by specialist. Remember to maintain a full Porsche warranty i think it's now £2k a year and i'd seriously doubt it's worth. But then again it all depends if you have to make a claim. PM me id you have any other questions. I'm considering puting mine up for sale and may be of interest to you? its a very good example and been featured in Total911 mag. where abouts are you in the country?

Hi, I got my 2003 C4S when she was 3 years old. Into my 5th year of ownership. All in all no major issues. I read about the dreaded RMS and catastrophic engine failure so much so I bought the extended warranty for 3 years. In that time the rads and condensors were replaced. Basically in the 3 years of taking the warranty I was out of pocket by £2,000 plus. So I stopped the warranty and now into second year of living on the edge!!! But I am pragmatic if there is a major engine failure will give the girl the RUF treatment! First service £250 and the last one with MOT £422 not bad and all done at my local OPC. Turbo brakes are solid, had the rear discs skimmed for £120 all in at the OPC . As they are wide plenty of skimming available! You can never predict what may happen, as with all cars there will be issues. No doubt you have had some with your Evo's and Type R's, all about risk and finances at the end of the day. One thing is for sure, once you get one, (i.e a 911) you will not regret it. Enjoy the search. Regards Alan.

Thanks for the advice! Cant wait to get one now, its just a matter of finding the right one within my budget. Been to veiw a couple and one was very nice but the guy wanted way to much purely down to the fact he still had a large amount of finance left on it and the other was a bit of a nail but HPI clear! So the hunt continues............... :thumbs: I am based in Staffodshire!

Welcome to the forum! My C4S story is very similar to Alan Sweeney's above, although I'm into 3 years of ownership. I also (but nervously) allowed my Porsche Warranty to lapse but I manage to sleep ok at night! For the mileage I cover in the 4S I decided to opt out of the waranty and OPC servicing. The car goes to a good indy for all service work now, as they are the nearest service centre to me. My coolant radiators were replaced under waranty just before I bought the car. The large grille apertures allow crud to get in and corrode the rads, and the air con rads too for that matter, so look out for dampness around the front/side rads. Also as mentioned, the RMS leak issue. Mine has been replaced twice, it is currently "damp" around the centre of the engine. It's certainly not "bone" dry, but it does not drop oil onto the floor at all or use oil at a disproportionate rate so I'm actually happy to live with that. One concern here is the oil could mist onto the clutch friction material, so long as you're aware of this and can recognise that the clutch is going "west" by its lack of smoothness then just drive the car as normal. On the topic of clutches, out of the cars I test drove, most clutches seemed to be a tad on the heavy side - but maybe that's me comparing them with my manual A6 Audi. Likewise, the brakes can seem a tad under-assisted on your first drive, but once used to them, they're superb. I got the go ahead from Mrs B to trade in for a 996 TT this year. So far I've not looked at any, I think this is testament to the C4S, I really like the car, how it drives/looks/sounds etc I think she'll being staying a few more years yet. Should I ever buy another C4S, it would have to be fitted with PSE (Porsche Sports Exhaust) or some kind of Sports Exhaust. For me they add so much more to the overall driving experience, no gain in BHP but they sound great throughout the rev range. Good luck in you search :thumb: