My New Arrival - 2004 C4S Cab

For those of you who followed my saga with this 2004 C4S Cabriolet, all I can say is that it was worth every frustrating moment. Thanks to everyone who helped me with my search either by taking time out of their own life or just in messages/emails. This is truly an amazing community of enthusiasts and I hope that I can pay back the community in kind in the future! For those of you haven't followed my saga...you're probably better off. lol For everyone, here are some iPhone shots of the car that my wife took today while we were at a friend's house (and one from the other night after we picked her up). I spent a few hours getting her cleaned up this morning before we took the family out for a long drive. The weather was absolutely amazing -- 80 degrees and sunny. First night at home before removing her hard top: -Eric P.S. Here is a shot of Mario Andretti in the car...and a picture of what he left behind.

Very Nice!! Enjoy in good health!

Pretty cool to have Mario's stamp of approval. Congrat's!

Great car!! I missed the Mario connection ... was it his?

That's too cool, glad it all worked out. Congrats and enjoy

Congratulations on your new baby!

Well worth the effort and patience! I love the Mario connection - he and his family are local to me and I have a Mario connection as well, but not as cool as this one! About 40 years ago the guys at the shop offered me the honor of magna fluxing the wheels and suspension parts on Mario's car, complete with getting to apply the USAC stamps of approval. They had a good laugh as I suffered in the booth - but I was young and dumb enough to still feel proud.

Wow that is kick *** if that was his car. She looks great.

Don't armoral that wheel! Good job!

Beautiful C4S cab! one of my favorites...

Nice cab, looks very sharp. Glad it's all behind you now, congrats.

Beautiful car! Enjoy in good health.

Beautiful car... welcome to club.

Eric, was this the one in Cali where the owner was out of the country? BEAUTIFUL !!

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Eric, Have you checked the engine to make sure it's not a corvette V8?

Very nice. My 8 yr old son and I just met Mario and got a picture with him at Mid Ohio a couple of weeks ago. He was very nice considering I stopped him while walking. I was elated considering I watched him race indy cars for years, then his son, and now of course his grandson. Was this C4S his car?

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Thanks everyone!! The prior owner's friend knew Mario. The PO met him while they were up at the mutual friend's vineyard. He said everyone was asking Mario to sign something and so he couldn't pass up the opportunity. Mario was not the owner but I guess you could call the autograph a "Mario was here" stamp of approval. Yes, the very same! LOL Yes, although it does have a Fabspeed exhaust, EvoMS headers and air intake and a Sharkwerks tune good for 22hp/18tq (according to Alex). It's kind of the power equivalent to the x51 package. -Eric

that's awesome - cool buying experience and goes to show...not all ads that read like a scam are a scam !!

Any interior shots?

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Yes, but I'd also suggest that people proceed with a lot of caution around these ads. Even though my prior owner was on the up and up he did throw more than a few caution flags my way, which is one of the reasons it took as long to close as it did. The funny thing was that he was paranoid that I was trying to scam him! Ultimately, what gave me the confidence to move forward was his willingness to use an attorney as an escrow agent and even that was fraught with risk in that it was someone he knew personally. I did a lot of diligence around the owner and the attorney to confirm as much as I could about everyone involved. In the end, we signed an escrow agreement that adequately protected each of us in the event something went wrong and, thankfully, everything went through without a hitch. Despite this, I still had nightmares of me wiring the payment to the UK and him taking the car from the dealership afterward (even though I had protection in the agreement around that happening). Stevens Creek Porsche was also very helpful in communicating with both of us and agreeing not to allow anyone to move it without authorization from the escrow agent and, of course, the fact that I knew the car was real and it was sitting at the dealership being PPI'd helped quite a bit in terms of my level of comfort. -Eric

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They all came out very dark for some reason. I'll try taking some this evening and posting them. The interior is graphite grey. It has NAV and a few interior trim upgrades. I also picked up some Lloyds Mats for the front since the driver's mat was missing. -Eric

Very nice 996, looks great. Let me know if you decide to put a nice sport exhaust on it, to improve the sound and power a little, and to wake up the Porsche in it. I can make you a nice member deal, if you decide to do it. Let me know if you have any questions. thanks,

Very nice ! Glad it all pan out fine with this out of state deal. The car is just a beauty! Thanks for sharing this ... another success story

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Mine is the same Graphite Grey interior. That's why I'm interested to see how it looks... Little subtle things help brighten up the interior. Pedals, aluminum bezels, trip peices..... nice mats. I wish I had the NAV too...

It wouldn't have been my first choice of interior color but it is also equipped with option packages Y06 (Alum/Lthr Shifter/Brake Handle) and Y29 (Aluminum/Chrome X71,X70,X54). X71 = Aluminum Painted Instrument dials, X70 = Door sills in steel with model insignia and X54 = Stainless steel exhaust pipes. I think they help add some flair to the grey. The original owner must have been a real Graphite Grey enthusiast, too, because it also has a Graphite Grey soft top which I haven't seen before; most are black. If someone was describing it to me without pictures I'd probably think it was overkill but it really looks awesome. I really couldn't be happier. -Eric

Black would have been nicer for sure, but I'm dealing with the dealt hand... Here is a pic of my interior. Might get the handbrake in aluminum and put a NAV.

Congrats, "Sue," you've got yourself a beautiful car! Go out and enjoy! q

Nice, glad to see you finally got it.

It's a beaut! Nice find ... and nerves of steel!

Wow you went through a ton of hurdles to get the car enjoy it and welcome to the Porsche Club! The best kind of club there is. My name is also Eric ha ha.

Congratulations! Hope to run into you one of these days on a nice drive down the merritt!

Nice!

That came out wrong. I didn't mean to literally run into you of course! Couldn't be happier for you as it was a frustrating search for you. Enjoy your new toy and drive her like there's no tomorrow.

Yep, that car looks very familiar... Eric, glad to see the transaction went smooth... also glad to see my guys at Stevens Creek Porsche took care of you (was it Jeremy?). I am sure you will really enjoy that car for many years. By the way, there are ways to spice up the graphite grey interior... carbon fiber is one but very expensive, I decided to just have some pieces painted Meteor Grey Metallic and it turned out very nice. Accents the graphite grey well. Pics below... David

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I knew what you meant. I drive a stretch of the Merritt every day. Thanks again for everything! And, yes, Jeremy was a great help. I'd recommend him and Stevens Creek to anyone based on the way we were treated. Neil, the prior owner, was impressed with them as well. The pics of the Meteor Grey accents look great! I still have to take some pictures of the interior. The brushed aluminum trim pieces also help quite a bit. -Eric

Hey Eric congrats on the car, she looks great! Not aware of the story behind it but the Mario Andretti stuff certainly is cool! Enjoy Sid.

She's awesome....although I am starting to have serious issues with the radio. I keep finding myself turning it off just to listen to the exhaust note. My kids really love hearing her wind up (even if just within speed limits). "Do blast off again!!" -Eric

Well done indeed!

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Cabs can have that effect. I haven't used my radio/CD since I got the sports exhaust... which is 3 days after I bought the car As to the kids "do blast of again..." put a smile to my face Yes boys will be boys... what do you wanna be when ya grow up... Cheers Sid.