Happy Easter All_Opinion Requested from C4S owners especially

First off, Happy Easter to All! I am not yet a 911 996 owner but hopefully soon. I have been reading around the forums and can not believe how much valuable resources are in here. I am currently debating whether to move forward with a 2002 911 C4S. It has ~ 50k miles and firm price at $29k (before taxes and others). I checked the car out and it is in good condition. I may be taking for a PPI soon but wanted to see if you guys think in terms of pricing. The car is sold by a Porsche dealer and they claim that the IMS bearing was repaired and they inspected before taking the trade in (I am not sure if this can be inspected without quite a bit of work). With that said, I know this is probably at the high end of the pricing. Nada shows $28k while KBB shows high end of $25k. This dealer is relatively close to me and I don't have too much time to fly to other states to drive back the car. I also checked the 2017 996 pricing thread but didn't see too many c4s sold. Do you guys think the dealer is not telling the truth saying that they inspected the IMS and that they know its a ceramic bearing. Is the price way too high or still acceptable based on what you have seen sold in the past. Thanks for reading and looking to hear from you all. Thanks in advance. Eddy

Have you checked Autotrader or CarGurus for price comps? Checked the service history of the car? Do we think dealer is being truthful...let me check my crystal ball!

hm, the price is within the asking price for many of similar condition vehicles (at least in cars.com) but I have no clue if the transactions were executed at these prices. I think that is a good starting point for me to see where my price stands. Also, sounds like I should budget $5k or so to replace the IMS bearing if I do purchase it. Thanks for your input 808Bill.

Can you post a link to the ad, or list the option codes? Hard to give you feedback without either of those. Unless the dealer has paperwork showing the IMSB was "repaired," their word is worth nothing. The fact that they say is was inspected is laughable, as that is an engine-out task. Clutch/RMS/IMSB should run you $3k, not $5k. That said, IMO, $29k for a C4S in great condition with 50k miles is about middle of the road pricing. Not bad, not great. Keep in mind there is a value to buying a local car that you can see and inspect personally.

Thanks Gbug, The link is below. It seems the only issues that I was able to spot are couple dings and small paint chips. The moon roof switch is also loose but hoping the PPI will spot other issues. http://www.porschemonmouth.com/detai...-16171130.html On another note, I noticed that when the car first started up, there is a slight valve noise but goes away after 30 second or so. The dealer said that the car sat for so long and that is why that made the noise. I also searched for this issue and it seems the info that I found is in line with what the dealer mentioned.

Very nice car. Don't focus on cosmetics, rather more on mechanical. Good luck! Should it pass PPI and you pursue it, make the dealer fix the loose switch. It concerns me when they offer something for sale leaving a switch loose like that...

Guys get pretty wound up about these cars buying them. Keep in mind your buying a sub 30,000 used car. Be honest with your expectations. If you were buying a used 30k SUV what would you overlook etc... no used car is ever perfect they all have little things here and there heck even some brand new ones do. Most dealers will give you a 30 day warranty of some sort at least here in Ontario if there reputable. If it were me I would buy the car if it checks out after a test drive. Then proceed to drive the wheels off it for the warranty period to see if anything pops up. Plan an oil change after 15 days of heavy use and see what that tells you.

Quotes source posts: 14115368, 14115460

I sent a note to my friends at Porsche Monmouth asking them to provide evidence/documentation about the IMS replacement, so let's see what happens. I have had great experiences with that dealership. Good luck!

eddy: Interesting that it looks like a C4S but the listing shows as "rear wheel drive". Wonder if someone has converted it to 2 wheel drive or just listing mistake? I haven't run the VIN. IMS done? Paperwork proof or it didn't happen. If paperwork shows done also of interest is how long ago. There have been reports of change IMS and dump because of junk in oil. You do not want one of those! Inspection requires pulling the transmission doubt if dealer did that. PPI necessary somewhere reliable. Use findings for negotiating price down if not a disqualifying defect. It is spring so price expected to be near top of range. I love my C4S, hope this works out for you they are nice cars.

You guys rock. can I ask them to check if It's all wheel drive during the ppi? i am guessing that is a listing mistake. thanks again all!

Quotes source post: 14115888

yep? Just make sure it still has the front diff, all the related shafts and drive disk. It's not horrible if removed just not all wheel drive anymore. Only 5% go to front wheels until "pushed" hard. In addition, not terribly useful in snow either. It is more for cornering ability on a track. Some people like the weight reduction and handling changes and still have the better looking wide body.

Quotes source post: 14115708

Thanks so much for your help.

Here's what I posted in the pricing thread. I'd say the asking price for this car is average to highish. Looks nice though. ------------------------------ Model: Carrera 4s Model Year: 2005 Color: Seal Grey Interior Color: Graphite Grey Milage: 42,000 miles Transmission: 6 speed Notable Options: Sport Techno wheels, supple leather, memory & heated seats, PSM (standard on C4S), Bose sound package, litronic headlights, twin exhaust tips Notable Upgrades: not much really... aftermarket Kenwood double DIN stereo with nav & Blutooth Service History/Manuals (Complete, Partial, None): Partial, through service center Condition of vehicle: pristine! PPI: none Recommended maintenance: 3 months after purchase: IMSB, RMS, clutch, flywheel IMS Bearing Status: replaced Asking Price: $31,500 USD Purchase Price: $30,000 USD Purchase Date: August 2016 Where Purchased: Ontario Private Party or Dealer: Dealer General Notes: This is a car that was imported from the US (Florida) to Canada. I don't have the service history prior to the car being imported in 2010-2011.

You do want the perfect 911, right? Only a couple of comments. I got my C4S about 2 months ago, $25k but with higher miles and in SoCal and there are plenty of 996s to choose from so I believe the prices may be lower around here. Certainly agree with those who questioned the dealer's claim about the IMSB inspected. Only way to do that is via paperwork or some past records. But there must be something to the story, Porsche dealers don't mess around with their reputation. And I think a Porsche dealer would perform some repairs and reconditioning before offering a used car -- so see if they have a list of repairs or touch-up work they did.

Quotes source post: 14117286

Slight threadjack... Syncro, would you be able to post the article in the positive 996 articles thread ( https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-articles.html )? I know it's 15 years old but I'd be interested in reading it. Thanks!

Quotes source post: 14117330

Oh yeah, I see that now, excitement got the better of me. I will post that article and another (I assume it is allowed, since there are other forums that don't allow the posting of commercially published stuff).

lol - it's me who's threadjacking, not you. Didn't mean to imply that you shouldn't have posted that here, I just want to read the article.

I paid 30.5k for my 2003 C4S 66k miles on it in January 2017, Porsche dealer replaced the imsb with Ln eng in 2014 with 50k miles

Eddie, email me if you are near San Diego...

[email removed]

Its not a bad price. One of the motors mounts is deff gone (on the drivers side)

Keep in mind that it has the standard audio system. Not the Bose system upgrade option. This means that not only will the sound quality be barely tolerable by any modern standards, but upgrading it is not a simple plug and go solution (read MOST). It does have the heated seats option. Do youself a favor and check all tire dates too. Without paperwork or other verification. The IMS was never touched. There is a history of these cars having leaky RMS problems. A lot of them were fixed under CPO or normal warranty. When this happened, they would also change the cover/flange for the IMS bearing. I have heard dealers 'say' the IMS was done. When they really only replaced the outer cover.

Vin Decoder says it is a C4S.

This is just for your information as a comparison. I purchased my 2002 C4S just last month with 76K miles, full documentation of IMS replacement with LN and new clutch at 64K, new transmission housing, serviced front differential, new plugs and coils, new motor and trans mounts, lightweight flywheel, new coolant tank, new water pump, EVO cold air intake, milltek headers, PSE, H&R coilovers, GT3 front and rear swaybars, 19" 3 piece forged wheels, new toyo tires, GT2 rear wing, porsche logo aluminum pedals, alcantara accents and headliner, alcantara and leather steering wheel, bose sound system, hidden radar system (pretty worthless since it over 14yrs old), porsche crested sport seats, aluminum 4S sills and few other minor odds and ends.....in the last 2-3 years over $10K in routine service and repairs and over $14K in existing and recent upgrades....... all for $25K. It did have few needed repairs... noisy starter, seller didn't replace cause it still started just fine and dealer was wanting over $1K to replace. Early signs of AOS failure but no CEL and since it hadn't been replaced i was figuring it needed the work. "rear spoiler deployment failure warning light" due to recent GT2 wing install. Rear brakes needed servicing. Sloppy and loose shifter. Left turn signal very irratic and handfull of burnt out bulbs. Anyway used this as part of the negociation to talk seller down to the $25K. I ended up doing all the work myself, cost me $300 in parts and spent a good full Saturday taking my time doing the AOS, Starter, rear brake job and doing some research on correcting the spoiler wiring to clear the warning light. Replaced burnt out bulbs and new turn signal solenoid took care of lighting issues. Besides the repairs gave me extra time to bond with the Porsche. It did take me over 3 months to finally find the right color and price point i was wanting to spend...... my budget was $25K. Good luck on your hunt for your Porsche!

Motor mounts may be in order, but that's an easy DIY. Left rear tip looks a tad low. Otherwise, the c4s is the best looking 996 IMHO. PPI and paperwork on IMSB if you want to avoid buyers remorse, and possible nightmares. I do think you can find a better deal, but local in person accounts for a lot.

Quotes source post: 14126478

Just goes to show great deals can be had if you know what to look for and are a competent DIY mechanic (which I am not). Nice work!

Quotes source post: 14116576

Contact Monmouth's GM, Gary. He will tell you everything you need to know about the car. He was eying it for himself, so that should say something about it. (He sent me a long note about it after I inquired and I am waiting for him to let me know I can share the note or its contents. Sounds like a good buy to me.) Let me know if I can be helpful in anyway. Good luck...and enjoy your new ride!

Just got word car was sold, so I hope it went to Eddy_911.

Thanks for your help. The one at Monmouth didn't go to me. I found a similar car, 1 owner car, in another state. i would have to buy it sight unseen and it's a little bit nerve wrecking. The ppi was done by autometrics in South Carolina and they seem to have a good reputation here. I hope the car drives good when i finally get it. Wish me luck and thanks all for the help.