I just joined the club. 2003 C4S.

Just got back from flying to New Hampshire to pick up my 03 C4S and driving it home (almost 900 miles). I definitely didn't anticipate/appreciate how incredible these cars are and how deeply passionate the community is. I bought the car from Nashua Porsche, it was a trade in, and dealing with them was really a fantastic experience. Flying out to buy a car is a pretty big leap of faith and I was not disappointed - the car is in even better condition than they described. I worked primarily with Paul and then with Jamie since I missed my initial flight and Paul had to leave town. Both were extremely friendly and passionate about the brand. I received multiple texts/calls from both of them during the drive home to check in and see how everything was. I also didn't expect it, but other Porsche owners seem to love to come up at the gas station and parking lots to talk about the cars and share pictures. Very cool, it makes me even more excited to own one. Cheers Charlie

Welcome aboard Charlie... truly a beautiful wide body C4S! Tell us you didn't drive it 900 miles with flip-flops! (snicker)

Congrats! My fly/drive experience was very similar-- the Exchange (Northfield IL) sent a driver to O'Hare for me, had the service records avail for inspection, and seemed almost-- ok, 51%-- as excited about the next day's road trip as I was. Two years later, the grin attached to my 996 still has pieces of that first run, Chicagoland to NoVA, embedded in it. Enjoy!

Welcome to the family, always glad to see a new owner of the best car ever

Couldn't help but be nosey! Again, great car! What did they offer you in warranty and did they service the car at all??? https://porschenashua.com/inventory/...+Silver+638675

Congrats. Those 19" Lobster Fork's look a lot better on the C4S. Just need to get 10-15mm spacers out on the rears.

Quotes source post: 13443033

Actually that was the only footwear that I took - overslept for my flight so I had to make a mad dash out the door and still missed the plane by 7 minutes. When wearing sandals I always take them off and just drive barefoot though. That's the car. After some discussion we agreed on a lower price without a warranty. Then, because of general fear related to IMS bearing I paid $500 on top of the purchase price to get a 1000 mile warranty that covers the power train. The thought being that it will get me home and then I can put in IMS solution and never think about it again. They did some service to the car prior to the sale - new rear shock and replaced an interior light that was burnt out. I haven't gotten under the car yet (I will shortly) but everything so far tells me the car was very well cared for and the dealer checked/replaced anything of significance that wasn't in proper working condition. Out the door with the extra warranty and after dealer fees (not including tax/title/etc that will be done here in Ohio) I paid 22,299. Cheers Charlie

Quotes source post: 13443172

Thanks. I actually had never seen them before and was a bit disappointed that it didn't have the turbo twists - but these are really starting to grow on me now. What year/models did they come on? Is there a chance this one came from the factory with these wheels or did someone swap them?

^^ came on the 997 and Boxster 2005 and later. If you take one off, you'll notice the "997" in the part#. The OEM 18" Turbo Twists were: Fronts - 8" x 18" ET50 Rears - 10" x 18" ET47 And so it looks like the 19" Lobsters are more like 51mm or 67mm (depending on what p-car they were made for) on the rear and so Alpine is right, you'll need some spacers to make it look right. Check the rear offset of your rims first before ordering the spacers.

Quotes source post: 13443201

Alright, so I'm not completely sure I understand. Is the issue the width of the wheel or the offset from where it connects to the axel? Are you saying they should be sticking out further in the rear? Cheers Charlie

Quotes source post: 13443182

Sounds like a great deal - congratulations and enjoy!

Congrats. Enjoy if you going to drive in winter let me know if you need winter wheels and tire suggestions. I bought some extra sets and need to get rid of them but haven't put them in sale forum.

+1 on the Lobster Forks - never liked them but they look really good here! Congrats!

Welcome to the club. Great looking C4S, including the lobster claws.

Very nice! Welcome to this site.

Great-looking car, congrats!

Quotes source post: 13443349

Alpine was speaking about the offset. The fronts look right, but the rear wheels look like they need to come out a bit. It's really based on if they look and perform to your taste. I really like the look of the lobster forks. Again, if you're concerned, then remove one of the rear wheels and look on the back of the mount and you'll see the BBS ET figures.

Quotes source post: 13444144

What ever happened to your situation and KK? I never heard a follow up to your problem. Fix the car and move on? or what?

Sounds like a nice price. How many miles?

^^94,216 mi + 900 miles driving it back to Ohio.

Quotes source post: 13445074

Perfect, thank you. I'll remove the wheels and check and order appropriate spacers if needed. Definitely want it to look 'right'.

Quotes source post: 13445085

If you do add spacers, make sure you get longer lugs too; if not, it could be dangerous.

Spacers are mostly for looks these days if your wheels already clear brake/suspension components. I recommend the ECS tuning spacers which come with the appropriate longer bolts. They are black so everything is understated and hidden. Personally I'd do the front and rears and have it as close to the fenders as possible without rolling or rubbing on them.

Fwiw as an uniformed Porsche enthusiast I think your car looks awesome just as it is...with those wheels. Best of luck with that beautiful car and congratulations on your new Porsche. It's a looker for sure! Thanks for sharing the details of the deal and I'd like to hear more of your impressions on the ride home. What were you coming from and how is the Porsche better... Is it the handling or the acceleration or braking or all three that you are enjoying...? How is the ride? The gas mileage? Really very good looking new sports car. Good to see a handsome young man such as yourself taking ownership.

Quotes source post: 13446110

Yikes!!!!

Nice car Charlieaf92, and nice to hear you drove from NH to Cincy with your new Porsche.

Congrats and welcome to the C4S mafia ! Nashua is a great dealership so I'm pretty sure you did fine. Even though I'm moving on to a GTS, I enjoyed every mile with my C4S.

Thanks everyone - I'm really excited. Not going out and driving it constantly is taking quite a bit of restraint, but I'm patiently waiting for my IMS Solution to arrive (ships today) and keeping it under the 1,000 mile mark so that its under warranty. I've noticed a small leak toward the front of the car (maybe differential) so I want to be sure I don't go over the mileage before I have a chance to get underneath and really check things out. I've also noticed a strange noise from the rear of the car when starting from a stop. It almost sounds like an old phone ringing (electronic pur). It doesn't happen every time. I've done some cursory searching and haven't found much so far. Hopefully once I get under the car it will be a bit more clear what is going on. One other thing that happened on the drive home after the car sat outside at the hotel overnight - I wanted to stretch my legs a bit and did a wide open throttle run through 3rd and part of 4th. Right around 100mph my dash lit up with ABS and PSM errors. I pulled off at a rest stop, shut the car down and restarted and the errors were cleared - didn't come back again either. I am thinking/hoping this was a function of some condensation on the sensors from sitting out overnight. Anyone else experience this? It hasn't happened again but I haven't done any high speed runs since. To answer some of your questions JBsZ06 What were you coming from and how is the Porsche better... - My car evolution has been: 85 Fiero GT, 94 TT RX-7, 98 Audi A4 quattro, 03 Z4 3.0i with sport package. I pulled and replaced the engines on the first two and haven't really had to do much with the latter two. The Porsche definitely has a heavier, more planted feel than any of the above with the exception of maybe the Audi - but from a body roll standpoint it isn't even close. Everything from the doors, to door handles, steering just have a heavy/solid purposeful feel that I quite like. The BMW actually had quite a bit more creature comforts (auto wipers, auto lights, dimming mirrors, etc) so the biggest surprise was just how raw the 911 is. From the exhaust note to the way it idles it just feels more like a race car than a luxury car. Little things like a noticeable blip in RPM when the a/c kicks on are just a little less refined - which I prefer. It reminds me more of my Fiero and RX7 (which were both modified) in that respect. After driving the Porsche back, my BMW felt very light almost like a toy or a gokart. Is it the handling or the acceleration or braking or all three that you are enjoying...? - The handling is awesome. I've yet to really push it but going around corners really feels like the car is on rails. Traction is obviously pretty incredible due to the AWD and massive tires. Acceleration is quite nice, but without getting out on the highway its hard to appreciate just how fast it is. The combination of the two really gives it the feeling that it can slice through traffic on the highway like a knife. No need to downshift, no turbo lag, and plenty of torque. Just give it a little gas, turn the wheel and you can cut right around with no effort. Braking seems to take more effort than my BMW - possibly due to the weigh difference or maybe its just the design. I haven't done any high speed or emergency braking so I can't really say how they truly compare in stopping distance or fade. How is the ride? - The ride is great. I love it. Bumpy, but absolutely rock solid. On the highway at 85-90mph the steering wheel is rock solid, can take my hands off the wheel and it just drives straight. It feels like the car is glued to the road. The gas mileage? - Tough to say, I've been driving almost exclusively highway and it definitely went through some gas. I think maybe 2 tanks pushing 3 for close to 1000 miles? I'm really not too concerned about the figure so I don't bother tracking it. Typically I'll put under 10k miles a year on my car because I work from a home office and primarily drive for fun or to go out for lunch/dinner. Its really hard to put it all into words but the car just has a much more solid and raw feel. Reminds me of a race car and I can definitely see it being a fantastic track car. I didn't fully appreciate it until I had a chance to drive it and now I really see it as something special. Cheers Charlie

As a fellow 2003 C4S owner congrats on a fine car. I wish mine was the same colour as it really brings out the lines of the car but unfortunately mine is black.

Awesome description. Congrats!

Congrads!! Welcome to the C4S club - C4S is a great car!!

I have yet to break my c4s loose or activate the the psm but I have a track suspension setup. Car has a visceral feel that I love and I suspect it specific to the 996 c4s. Definitely planted so watch the speeds. It's feels easy to go fast and you won't even realize how fast you're going because how stable it feels. I've driven 944, 944 turbos, 73 911, 83 sc 911, 993 c4s. My favorite so far is the 996 C4s. Perfect combo of fun driving with updated feel. Love the curves too. I'm new to this too but the noise you hear can be a bunch of things. Some of the easy items are chain noise (more audible if it's 0w oil, switch to 5w) or broken baffles in mufflers. The codes apparently can happen if there is moisture on the ignition coils? Was there a lot of dew or condensation that morning? This forum is helpful but a bit dysfunctional. Some first timer things. Research front to rear tire ratios wrt to your front diff fluid and make a choice. Always lock with alarm to save battery. Clean front radiators once a year (easy). Watch out for really cold starts in winter and keep below 3k until warm to be safe.

Thanks everyone. The entire drive back was on and off rain so I'm sure there was some condensation everywhere. I took a short drive today and noticed the strange 'phone' noise I heard seems to be tied to clutch pedal actuation so now I'm thinking its the throw-out bearing. My IMS Solution and toolkits were all delivered today so I'll have a chance to check it out soon enough. Cheers Charlie

Awesome car, looks great with the lobster claws on it. Congrats!

I'm new to this forum also and may be on the wrong thread. I just bought a 2003 Carrera Cab (2WD) 81K miles so you AWD guys may not care to comment. But appreciate any feedback and suggestions. Charlie - you mentioned receiving your IMS (bearing) solution directly after returning home with your new car - sounds like you did extensive research on this issue before purchasing a 996 . Which IMS solution did you get and will you be installing it yourself? If so, you obviously have serious skills. I'm not a mechanic but have read up on the IMS issue for our class of cars and am wondering what to do (I also was aware of the IMS issue before purchasing a 996). My car seems to drive fine, but I just got it. On some of the IMS threads, some experienced posters have suggested that "the cure" (installing the IMSB solution) if not done exactly right may be worse than the potential of catching a cold to begin with. Newbie here, so appreciate any comments/referrals to the proper threads, if this has been covered elsewhere. Congrat's again!

Quotes source post: 13449606

Hey - congrats on the purchase! I'm not an expert so I'm sure some other people here can answer more accurately to a few of your questions. I am doing the IMS bearing myself and I chose to go with the 'solution' which is the solid (non roller) oil fed variant. Again, I'm brand new to Porsche but I'm quite comfortable pulling cars apart and reassembling. Ive found that 95% of it comes down to patience and thorough research. Ive watched some videos related to the ims replacement process and just finished reading the extremely well put together instructions that came with the kit. Honestly it seems pretty easy - but I've worked on enough cars to know that sometime as simple as removing a bolt can quickly turn into a weekend long project. Based on my understanding there is about a 10 step pre install engine check that is required prior to installing. If the engine isn't within spec or has any faults then installing the bearing won't help and the result is a ruined engine and bearing. I'm guessing that's what you've seen people discuss. As far as what to do, I can't help you there. Ive done extensive reading and it's a fact that they can fail, buts it's not necessarily a certainty. for me it was simply a matter of comparing the cost of doing the solution vs. the potential cost of not doing it. On top of that I get the added benefit of getting familiar with the car, and have a great excuse to replace the clutch. I'll post some updates once I get started. Still doing some research on miscellaneous things such as best jacking techniques and trying to determine if the flywheel can be resurfaced. By the way if you or anyone else decides to tackle it yourself, I'll have an ims pro and supplemental toolkits for sale soon once I'm finished. Cheers Charlie

Welcome to the C4S club.

Quotes source post: 13449670

Charlie, we wish you the best and please PLEASE post pictures and description throughout the process. We'd really love to know the condition of the IMS bearing that is removed from the vehicle. I'm assuming it's an OEM bearing correct? Anyway, takes lots of photos. It's really helps other in the Rennlist family. Thanks!!!

Thanks for the advice on the IMS issue, Charlie. I made the mistake of reading several of the multipage threads on this issue last night, then couldn't sleep, thinking I had bought a time-bomb. However, as I said, I was (already) fully versed about the IMS problem before my emotional alter-ego jumped in and bought the car. In fact I had print-outs on IMS 101 and other IMS stat's that I presented to the (VW) dealer who had the car to try to drive down the price. It only worked to a limited extent. And yet I bought the car anyway, when I noticed other people looking at it! Go figure, what these cars do to us! Regarding the IMS however, my rational side, usually predominant though definitely not in this case, says since the car has 81,000 miles, the problem would likely, though not necessarily, have surfaced by now; the problem effects roughly just one out of 12 cars (some say one out of 10); just change the oil a lot and inspect the old oil and filter. And drive the heck out of it. Many 996 owners have done the bearing change out and found perfectly good bearings. In some of those cases, if the procedure (and engine qualification/prep) is not performed flawlessly, they'll actually make the situation worse, with the Kafka-esque potential of compromising or contaminating a perfectly good bearing (the 90%) with shoddy work. All this is rationalization, of course. I have a Tiptronic in my 2003 Carrera Cab which makes the change out more expensive. I have a quote from the "certified" shop in Seattle for $3300 (no new clutch obviously, maybe an RMS). So, a hefty price to drop the Tip and get in there for what ultimately appears to be a fairly straightforward procedure. Though this isn't the right thread on this topic...I'm still learning the ropes on this site....any comments welcome including what would you do in my situation (I still don't have the car but its paid for and I'm not getting my money back! the (VW) dealer is putting on new tires and brakes, and detailing it) I'm impressed with all the knowledge & collaboration on this board, you have a tremendous, mutually supportive community!

Quotes source post: 13450386

Sure thing, I'll start a thread regarding the project. As far as I know it is the factory bearing - but I don't have service records to confirm.

Charlie - You mentioned qualifying the engine prior to beginning the "IMS surgery." Are those 10? preparatory steps listed somewhere? I'd be interested in how you were going to jack up the car, also. Also, this is off subject, is your center console covering (the thin, soft touch material that is prone to flaking off) scratched up? Do you have a plan to address it or did dealer perhaps fix that for you prior to purchase? Thanks, Steve "giese639" 2003 Carrera Cab Tip

Congrats! Great looking car. Nice folks at Porsche of Nashua. I got a used hard top from them for a steal. Welcome to the family! I've only had mine for a little over a year, but I still get giddy every time I grab the keys.

Newbs - check this out: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/996_tech.htm I removed my engine and disassembled it following the Pelican Tech articles in the link above. Everything from jacking up the car to how to set timing is there an ready for you with pictures and everything.

Here is the pre-install inspection that I mentioned: http://imsretrofit.com/pre-procedure-qualification/ Thanks AWDGuy - I've been finding quite a bit of great stuff on Pelican's website so far via google. They've done an excellent job documenting and breaking down key steps. Giese - if you're talking about the area around the shifter that has the ebrake and window switches, I believe mine is just normal plastic. I do plan on ordering a painted one to match the exterior from BumperPlugs, as they look amazing.

Don't want to hijack the thread, but.....I am flying out tomorrow with the intent of purchasing an '03 C4. Pulled the Carfax and there is a ton of detail on service and I have made an appt with an independent shop to conduct the PPI so I'm all set there. The thing is that I don't have the time to drive it home. I want to lay eyes on the car, get it checked out, and I have to leave due to work travel on Sunday. Having said that, can someone let me know what company(ies) are best for shipping vehicles? I'd like to have all of the info already set so that if the PPI comes back clean I'm already have it ready to go. Comments welcome, please!!!

I just picked up my first Porsche and I drove it home up the East Coast this past weekend. Personally, I was astounded by how inconsiderate people were to me the whole way. Tailgating, cutting in front of me, dangerous maneuvers, etc. I have a '13 A6 and traded a 5 series bimmer 18 months ago and I have never experienced this in any one of those vehicles. wtf?!?!

Quotes source post: 13466435

Hey Tim - post some pics! Congratulations. I found that people generally drove the same during my long haul home - however I do think they tend to get out of the way more quickly... of course, seeing someone coming up really fast behind them may have been the cause. I did have just one issue, a dumb*** truck driver decided he just couldn't wait to get around another truck and cut out in front of me, I immediately backed off the throttle to fall back but not before a fairly large (I could see it) rock was thrown up and hit somewhere around the roofline and/or top of the windshield