First 911: 2002 996 C4 Cab

Hi All, I've been lurking for several months as I searched for a 996 to replace my 1999 Boxster, and a couple of months ago I found one on Craigslist which I thought I'd share. It's a 2002 C4 Cab with 40K miles, Arctic Silver with Metropole Blue interior, Advanced Technical Package, Short Shift added, Fabspeed "Level 1" sport exhaust (about which Ive been unable to find any info online), Fabspeed cold air intake, Roock Modular 18" alloy wheels, factory carbon fiber/aluminum steering wheel/shifter/parking brake handle, Pioneer Avic-z110bt head unit and amp, 3m clear bra, new tires, water pump etc.., good service history since 2005, and in near perfect condition in and out. A PPI which I had done at Irvine European in Lake Forest CA found one missing exhaust bracket bolt and one running light out, but otherwise no issues (including looking for evidence of IMS issues). Based on advice from a knowledgeable friend, I had them run a compression check and leakdown test; the compression check showed 190 on all cylinders, and the leak down test showed 2% on all cylinders. I paid $27,000, which I understand might be a bit high. However, the options, excellent, low miles, condition and service records were much better than the others I saw in my price range. Also, I owned the Boxster for 12 years and plan to own this one for quite awhile, so I figured a few extra grand wasn�t a big deal. The car was advertised as having "Euro Sport suspension", but I�ve yet to see any records or other indication of it. My local Porsche mechanic said that the shocks are Bilsteins and the black springs could be stock. Springs have a few painted dots on them which I assume were used for calibration(?). Again this car replaced my 1999 Boxster with 65K miles. The differences were more profound than I expected: the Boxster feels like a very light and nimble go-kart in comparison as others have noted. The C4 by comparison feels heavier, fully planted, brutally powerful and torquey, solid, and dead serious. The word "beast" comes to mind often when driving it. The increase in power actually scared me a few times during the first few weeks of driving it, and of course now I�m addicted to it. Arctic silver wasn�t my first choice (same color as my Boxster was); I like it fine but Seal Grey would have been my first choice. Metro[pole Blue wasn�t my first choice of interior color (Savannah or brown would have been preferable), but Its grown on my and I like it now. Sure beats the hell out of the light grey interior which I had in the Boxster and which I don�t think works. I was a bit disappointed by the faded-looking carpet which you can see in one of the photos. The car was claimed to always have been garaged (and the condition definitely bears this out), so I�m curious if this carpet fading is a common issue. The Roock wheels are fine (and good quality from what I understand), but I�d prefer good 18� OEM wheels (although not twists). I�m open to trades if anyone�s interested. Regarding the IMS, after endless researching, this seems to affect a very small minority of cars, with the vast majority of replacements seemingly unnecessary judging from the condition of the factory bearing. I may consider it when it's time to replace the clutch, but then again I may not. After owning the car for a couple of months now, I like it more than ever, far more than any car I�ve owned. I think the refined and well-proportioned body design looks far better than anything in it�s class, especially overwrought and unnecessarily-complicated designs such as the Corvette and even some BMWs. The performance is pretty staggering � big grins and elevated heart rates all around. I read this forum compulsively every night, and have learned a lot from you folks. Looking forward to enjoying my 996 for years to come, and reading about all your experiences. Cheers, Brad

Sounds like you did your homework, congrats on that beauty!

Sweet, love the wheels !........congratulations and enjoy !!

The blue carpet in my 944 cab has faded like that. I don't think blue or red fare well over time.

Brad - Was that picture taken on one of the roads leading to Mt. Soledad? Are you in San Diego. Great looking cab. Congrats!

Thanks! Nope, the photo was taken in Laguna Beach...

I really like the look of your wheels too. Sport suspension on the 996 usually means option M030, and Euro usually means ROW (rest of the world) - which lowers the car. Your car doesn't look lowered though. Funny, I also thought of the 996 as a "beast" when comparing it to my Boxster. It's a great car. Enjoy it! Hope you have lots of trouble free adventures.

I don't think $27k is over paying for a well sorted lower mileage 2nd gen. 996. But for that money it should have come with a upgraded IMS. Yes I know your chances of an issue are around 8-10% but if someone handed you a revolver that holds ten rounds and only one of them had a bullet in it. You wouldn't put it to your temple and squeeze the trigger. Get that IMS taken care of ASAP.

Beautiful car to enjoy in CA, cruising with the top down. I'll second that you may want to think about addressing your IMS in the not too distant future, perhaps with a clutch service. If nothing else, I just considered it a wear item and it is worth the peace of mind to have it investigated. My car is Midnight Blue Metallic on Savannah Beige but also has Metropole Blue carpet and soft top. My carpet appears much darker blue so perhaps some significant fading has occurred with yours over the years. Not sure what materials are used in Porsche carpet but nylon can be re-dyed quite successfully if that's what it's made of. Enjoy your ride and I'll nod as I pass you in a week or so when we drive south to San Diego and work our way back up the coast to Vancouver.

Great looking car. Was just at the Sawdust festival and drove PCH all the way home to the So Bay. I have 99 C4 Cab triple black. Its a great ride enjoy the heck out of it.

Very nice car. Have fun and post up more!

Nicely done. Looks tasty, and you'll enjoy no top in SoCal. 1. Did you get the hardtop for it? 2. Yes, those paint dots on the springs are for the tuned suspension. 3. Open the frunk, look on the lid near the latch at the front and find your option sticker. There are three digit codes at the bottom that tell you what options you have. Check for 030 which is sport suspension and 20mm lower ride. Post or pic them here, and we'll let you know. 4. Since this is an 'all electric' version, make sure you know how to get into the engine bay, and frunk in the case of a complete batt failure. I think the instructions are in your owners book.

Hey Brad, Beautiful car! I don't think you got a bad deal for a low miles 996 cabriolet. Heck, the last owner probably spent $1500 - $2000 alone upgrading the sound system to the double DIN HU that offers navigation, Bluetooth phone, Sat radio, etc etc Don't sweat the carpet fade, happens to most cabs over time, but I'd probably look for some OEM style wheels like the five spoke Carrera II or III... Or even some modern Turbo Twists. IMHO As far as the IMS, I'd make plans for replacement during the next clutch change. Again, IMHO. Go out and enjoy it! And, don't drink "it's going to die any minute" Kool Aid.

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. A few notes: On the fading carpet, I'm wondering if it came from the factory that way (much lighter than the leather etc..), or if the carpet originally more closely matched the rest of the dark blue interior. If it's the latter, I may consider getting the carpet dyed if it can be done well. b3freak, Good point about the value of the stereo, not to mention the other upgrades. I'm a music junkie, so no doubt I would have spent a few bucks on a great stereo if one hadn't already been installed. Also totally agree on the Carrera II or III wheels. At some point I will probably replace the existing Roock Competitions with an OEM product. I usually figure that Stuttgart knows better than I do, so I�m into keeping the car OEM. If the intake and exhaust hadn't already been modified when I got the car, I probably would have left them alone. docmirror: It did not come with the hardtop, which is only a minor disappointment as the weather here tends to be pretty sunny. As my mechanic put it "if you put the hardtop on, you'll never put the top down" which sounds valid. I don't have the original sale documents so I'm not sure whether the original owner specifically ordered it without the hardtop. docmirror: I've attached a couple of pics I just snapped of a front spring and shock; I wonder if you or anyone can tell if this looks stock or modified� Docmirror: Here�s a copy of the option code sticker. I�ve already decoded nearly everything as follows: L92u Arctic Silver Metallic ew Metropol Blue Leather Comfort Seats 226 Internal production code related to tyres 265 Automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror and rain sensor 266 Automatic anti-dazzle door mirrors 288 Headlamp washer 340 Seat heating, right 411 18" Carrera 5-spoke wheels 424 CD compartment 437 8-way electrical seat, left 438 8-way electrical seat, right 490 Sound system Harmann analog 537 Seat memory, left 551 Wind deflector 601 Litronic (xenon) headlamps 696 CD-radio Becker Porsche CDR-220 762 Market launch dealer car (from a batch of similarly configured 936 Leather rear seats 983 Leather front seats 9991 Exclusive Manufacture - special (usually handmade) options, "the car was ordered by the customer, he could pick anything he wanted and the order is sent to Germany to be filled." [I hear that this 9991 code may also mean "end of codes", any thoughts on this?] C02 USA (not California) Car or Catalytic Converter xpd Carbon 3-spoke steering wheel x47 Carbon gear lever **** x58 Carbon handbrake lever 139 Seat heating, left 162 #N/A 162-0264 USM Importer Code or Sort Code 996 610 Carrera 4 Cabriolet m9603-682 Engine Type G9631-10 Transmission Number / Gearbox Code 162 #N/A 264 #N/A Judging from this it looks like it was delivered with stock suspension. Any comments are welcome, thanks again for the kind words. Even while snapping those pics right now, it was tough to resist going for a drive in the beast. Brad

Welcome aboard. When you get ready to rip out the FWD components, let me know.

You should change out those orange side markers. The orange ones are stupid. (Not really, but I figured I had a good chance of pissing Hurdi off by posting that before he added his two cents about leaving them orange. ) Congrats on the car. I also came from a 986 (in my case, an '3) - and my biggest regret is not keeping the 986 as well. Since your 996 is a cab, you probably don't have that same regret. Enjoy the car. If you haven't joined PCA, you might want to consider it - the San Diego Region does quite a few driving events every year, and they're almost always awesome. If you live further north, I'm pretty sure the OC region does their AXes @ some abandoned airfield (El Toro, maybe?) - which looks killer.

5CHN3LL : Interesting, I was going to make a different comment until I saw that you have essentially converted your Carrera 4 to a 2. I've read quite a bit about the pros and cons between the two, and for now I'm happy with the 4 (and PSM). What was your experience with the conversion, what are the differences in the car now (both positive and negative)?

Haha I think I'll leave them the side markers orange for now; in Stuttgart I trust. Interesting that you talk about regretting selling your Boxster. Part of me wishes I kept mine, especially considering it was in great condition, 65,000 miles, needed nothing, and I got $8000 for it. As good of value as the 996s are, 986s are crazy good value. What the hell else even remotely comparable can you get for $8000? At the end of the day though, I think within a month I would never have wanted to drive the Boxster because of the dramatic difference in HP and torque compared with the 911.