Thinking about an early 996 C4 with, gulp....Tip

Hi folks - been off the 'list for a while - had couple 993's now getting a hankerin' for a P-car again and I it's going to be an early 996. Since we have crappy weather here in the Fall & Winter + I'd like to drive it during stop & go commute, I'm considering a C4 + Tip (wife can drive a Tip too). Cars I'm looking at: - Very Red 99 C4/Tip with 70-some K miles, black interior, usual radio & seat options, no Litronics getting PPI tomorrow, seller wants 22K. Clean Carfax. - Local very Red 99 C4 with Tip, usual options + Litronics, 54K miles, black interior, engine replaced at local dealer, but the front hood has a slightly larger than what I consider 'normal' gap between the front edge of the hood and rear edge of the bumper skin. Also the hood dips a little from the fender edge on the right side, up towards the windshield - other than that is appears perfect. I absolutely cannot find any evidence of collision damage and of course, the Carfax is clean. He wants bigger bucks - asking 29K (you gotta' be kidding me). Understand the 'engine' issues (I think)) on the 99's. My thinking is that the 70+K mile car will likely be ok since it has lasted to this point??? Is that faulty, wishful reasoning??? I want a 'color' car, probably red over black (maybe tan) or a black over tan car. The 54K mile car is likely going to be overpriced and that may explain why it has sat in the showroom for over a year now - or, there is something else up with the car that I cannot see?? I would get them both PPI'd of course. It does have Litronics tho. Thoughts on an early C4 and TIPs pls - I would love and do love a 6-spd, but in stop & go commuting from hell, I just don't wanna do it. Not sure the Tip zero - 60 in 6 sec versus 6-spd zero - 60 in 5.4 sec is a big deal for me. I'm an old guy

You should be able to do better than that with the price. $20K or less should be a fair price for the tip. Litronics are $1K new for the pair. Its plug and play although it will not have auto leveling ability.

I'd go with the one with the reman engine but I wouldn't pay what he's asking. Also, I thought I needed the Litronics but realized that the halogens worked very well, so I didn't sweat it.

lots of happy Tip owners... we don't discriminate MUCH

If you are going to drive the car year rouund in traffic every day, you cannot beat a 996 C4 with a Tip. The 996 tip is a completely different trans than the 993 tip, and is a ton of fun to drive. I live in the Chicago area and did a 70 mile round trip commute for years in my 996 tip. In the traffic around here, I would have been replacing clutches faster than RMS's!

My first Porsche was a 99 C2 tiptronic. Attached is a picture of my former (vesuvio) and current (iris blue) Porsches. I love my current 6-speed car; however, my wife and I both miss the tiptronic car. For a while we owned both. If you drive in heavy traffic, you will love the tiptronic. In the manual mode, it doesn't always do what you tell it to do. In the automatic mode, it works fantastic. 99% of the time on the street, it did a better job of shifting than I can with the 6-speed car. Take your time and enjoy shopping...it is a buyer's market. Don't worry about "settling" for a tiptronic. When you are sitting in traffic and don't smell a burning clutch, you will really appreciate it.

Very happy with my tip - which was a lesson learned from a Miata I used to have... I'm reminded of what a great idea tip is every time I run it through the Orange County on this coast... Rudy

Love my tip as well. They are solid trannys. Also, like you said, GULP, you also need not worry about the dreaded RMS as much..

The reman C4 with lower miles would be my suggestion...esp. if you could reduce the asking price by a couple of g's.GL

Marlon, A Tip in the traffic we have here in Fairfax is not a bad thing. My average speed over a one week commute period is less than 20 mph. When I had my 911SC as a daily driver, I had to replace the clutch cable about every 2 years. Beltway traffic is brutal on clutches. Once I counted the times I depressed the clutch while coming home from work at the inner harbor to Fairfax...I quit counting at 300!

Quotes source post: 6638571

I am looking at the car again tonight - we'll see what the final negotiated price is hopefully. ASG thinks the 99' GR car w/crate engine is pretty good since I get the 2 year warranty, the 3 big updates and replaced reservoir. I use Fairfax Cty Pkwy every morning and evening and sometimes 395, so the commute is terrible. Although I like the 6-spd for spirited driving - I had two 993's with manuals, but I spend a lot of time 'sitting' and poking along.

have an 02 tip and love it... (also live and drive in NYC) I read that 02+ tips are same as the tip in the turbo and are much better both mechanically and electronically. I am SURE you can find an 02 tip for less then 29k!

Quotes source post: 6639335

I have been going to ASG for service since 1996. We probably have crossed paths several times over the years. They have servicing my 996 since 2001 and know these cars very well.

Quotes source post: 6641397

I talk to Ed and Jeff frequently - they have been very helpful on my 996 purchase issue regarding things to look for, questions to ask, etc. They will certainly get my business on the 996 - when I get one.

if you buy a tip, 02+ is a very very good unit, mercedes built fully electronic 5 speed, excellent in all cars I've had with it from Benz/AMG and Porsche. The version in C2/C4S is not the same exact unit that's in the turbo, it's a variation of the same unit from the same manufacturer but rated for less torque, and in the case of the C2 lacking output to the front diff. I personally like the unit much, much more than the earlier tip, it's night and day for me, even though I don't have as much seat time in the older unit as I've only actually owned the newer one. Whether or not you'll like it depends on how you drive. Above 2.5 - 3K rpm it feels fully locked up, the most manual like of all automatics I've driven, but below 3k it'll lag a little, still has a torque converter after all. It shifts very smoothly, and is a dream in heavy heavy LA or NYC traffic, especially because it will hold and "creep" in 2nd gear to and from stops, so its smooth and saves on gas, and is also handy in wet weather. This same feature can also get annoying since the car is not fast starting in 2nd and sounds awful starting in 2nd, so if you're into a more spirited experience, you'll need to grab first manually, which is not exactly a chore since 02+ are all Tiptronic "S", meaning the steering wheel shift controls work even when the shifter is in fully automatic mode. On the plus side, 1st is good for like 45 mph, but expect MPG in the high single digits driving around like that. It will not hold a gear at redline and bounce off the limiter in manual mode though, it will shift up instead. Meaning you have to have a pretty good understanding of weight transfer and throttle application in large radius turns, and be able to plan accordingly. It's a non-issue around town, but if you plan on any HPDE events, make sure you look at the course from the perspective of 5 speed gearing. It's a great option for heavy urban traffic, and for those of us who are stuck in those types of areas. One word of advice, if you live in a big city with awful roads like I do, don't buy 19 inch wheels, stick with 18s, and a stock suspension.

Quotes source post: 6641990

Awesome info - thx!!!