Possibly New 996 Carrera 4S Owner

Hello fellow friends, currently a 928 S4 owner but looking into a 2003 Carrera 4S with 30,000 miles. Being sold for $31,000. Which seems to be a good deal. IMS bearing and clutch have been replaced. I've seen other cars with miles on them for the same price. So my question is what issues can a 996 also have for that price? I'd prefer not to mention an names for dealer or person I'm talking to for the sake of getting countered with wrong info. I've been looking at cars online, carsforsale.com mostly. Any good recommendations on purchasing a C4S else where or what to look for? R 928 S4

You could certainly start by getting all receipts/maintenance records/paperwork and have a proper PPI done prior to any purchase. There is a ton of info on this site alone concerning what to watch out for and the like. You can find informative buying guides on YouTube , also. Good luck in your search, to me that's part of the fun.

If a) overall condition matches the odo b) documents show thoughtful, consistent care and C) you really dig the car, then Ignore the fountain of second-guessing that is the 996 Internet and post pics of your kick-*** new car.

If it's in great condition and IMS and clutch have been replaced, that is a fair price. You could find a higher mileage one for 5-10k less and then spend that much doing the IMS and clutch + a few other things you come across along the way. Have the car looked over. Things like CV boots are easy to check and not super cheap to fix. Same with engine mounts. As far as other places to search - it sounds like you've got the bases covered. Definitely keep an eye on the classifieds here, and check eBay too. Oh and Autotrader.

Pic's are a must! Best of luck with your purchase.

it seems high, but good mileage, go by blue book values and only pay the lower values 04 changed and improved alot, that isnt the only car out there

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KBB is 27.5-32.5K. If you have cash and really like the car I would show up with a check made out for 26K and see if he/they bite. I went to a dealer with a check made out for 29K and they were asking 35K for a 04' C4S. We finally agreed at 30K.

Price seems a little high, but it is a low mileage car. Check service records, get a PPI done, then if it passes, start haggling. The C4S is the best looking 996, and is the best performing NA 996 next to the GT3. Good luck!!

Just my $0.02 is that this sounds like a fair deal considered the IMS is all ready addressed. If you have the VIN check out https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Porsche . It will give the build information, MRRP and initial date of service. A 18 months ago I picked my C4S Cab for $26k at Chattanooga Porsche with 87k on the clock. They did some repairs after taking it from a local on trade - ball joints, front CV boots, tie rod end and some other stuff. No knowledge if IMS has been addressed. I will probably get Jake's Solution in the future. Good luck with search.

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Be careful. Often the claim is the IMS *bearing* has been done when just the end flange has been replaced. You want to see paperwork that clearly shows the IMSB was replaced and what style was used and ideally the tech noted he did the proper pre-installation qualification check out. Some replacement IMS bearings have a limited life and may need periodic replacement if one covers enough miles. For the clutch you want to see paperwork as to what was done and when. The car is just a used car so a thorough used car check out will go along way to helping you decide if the car is worth owning at all. I'm late for work but briefly you want to visit the car cold and be sure the warning lights all come on then go off when you start the engine from cold. Let the cold engine idle while you walk around the car but keep an ear tuned to the engine for any noises. Be sure body panel finishes/gaps are all good. Check tires for condition and age. Unevenly worn tires suggest an alignment problem. Check the brakes. A 1mm lip on the rotor is a sign the rotor's worn out and that means new rotors and pads and other brake hardware. A brake fluid flush/bleed along with a clutch fluid flush/bleed is called for after any brake work. Radiator ducts full of trash will have to have the bumper cover off and the trash removed. Full radiator ducts probably mean the body water drain basins are full of trash too and these should be inspected and if you buy the car cleaned out pronto. After some idle time have the seller take you on a test ride. The route wants to be around 15 miles in length and selected so the car can be driven as you intend to drive it. A mix of city, boulevard and highway driving. Back at the starting point switch seats and drive the car over the same route and drive the car the same way. After the test ride/drive then check that every system works ok. Headlights, tail lights, moon roof, spoiler, A/C and heater, seats, everything. Ideally after all of the above if you still like the car and believe you can buy it for a reasonable sum of money arrange for a PPI. Among other things this has the car in the air so a check can be made for any issues. Mainly leaks. Every gasket, seal, o-ring, hose, hose fitting, hydraulic line, line fitting, dust boot is checked for any issues. For price I recommend using the online sites to obtain some idea of what the car should whole sale for and use that as a price negotiation starting point.

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Everything Macster wrote is spot-on - but we tend to be a worrisome bunch. I hope Macster doesn't mind me tempering some of his comments with...more comments. I can't help you with price, but as far as some of the other warnings/advice you get around here, much of it can seem far more dire than reality. Now for $30K, you should get a problem-free car - but in the event that it's not problem free, remember that it's a 21 year old used car; one or two little things are not necessarily deal killers, but everything should be considered when you're settling on a purchase price. True - but if the documentation is nebulous enough that you can't tell which was done, move along anyway. As long as your reading skills are adequate, you'll be able to differentiate between "bearing" and "imsb flange." Easily resolved with tires and an alignment, assuming no accident damage. 996 brakes are stupid easy to work on. Very DIYable if you have an iota of handiness. Both are DIYable and simple with ordinary tools. As cars get close to 20 years old, each of those fittings is a potential leaker. Your Indy can tell you if any of them are anything to be worked up about. If you elect to purchase this (or any other) without an independent PPI (which I think is inadvisable, but it's what I did...*shrug*), you still want to get the car checked out after you take delivery so an impartial third party can keep an eye out for safety issues.

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That's nice if the car is local. I'm looking at a '03 C4S that's about 1000 miles away. The best I can do is arrange a PPI and hope for an honest, thorough assessment. I'll ask for additional paperwork and photos, and a facetime walk-around, but not much more I can do from Chicago. If it passes all the tests and we can agree on a price, all things considered, I'll fly down and make the deal.

Hey Ricardo, IMHO, $30k is low for a good, low mileage car. I was just at a shop where someone bought in a low mileage 996 (paid more than what you are being presented) and shortly sold it for $15k after it started smoking (dropped valve guide). This was after the suspected AOS was changed. He couldn't fix it himself and no telling what else was wrong. Unless you can rebuild a 996 engine yourself, sooner or later the cost will test how much you love the car. I'd buy the car after the next owner blows the engine, pay $15k and have the engine rebuilt - you'd be $30-35k and a higher probability of some reliable years.

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Good plan, go for it. I would.

Thank you all for feedback, awesome support from you guys. I'll keep lurking and see what interesing specimens I find. I find the rennlist classifieds rather difficult to filter a specific car, any suggestions on how to just get Carrera's or Targas to pop out? RV