Thinking of buying my first Porsche - Carrera 4 Cabrio

Hi everyone, Could you please point me to some specific threads where I can read more on the Carrera 4 ? The model in particular is from 2002, so its the Facelift, with Automatic transmission. You can find the listing here - https://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cg...16167820605370 (the car is in Europe, as am I) Speaking of Europe, as I see there are mostly people from the US here, does anyone know how the Europe Emission zones in big cities will affect 991 ownership ? Is it possible to convert a 996 into a emission-compliant car, or are we going to be banned from entering cities across Europe ? I'd like more information about the general reliability of the 996 Carrera 4 from 2002 with the Automatic Transmission. Is the manual more desirable ? Thank you for your time !

You should check your local emission zone rules. But generally, most emission zones in Europe are concerned with diesel cars and accept any gasoline car if it has at least a Euro 0 rating (all cars sold from 1990 or so). So all 996s should be OK.

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Options on the 996 really affect driving feel. Having owned a C4 Tip coupe and a C2 6-speed coupe (both 996.1's), the driving difference couldn't be more different. Unless you really need auto, get the 6-speed (although the Tip is improved on the .2 over the Tip in my .1). Unless you really need awd, get 2wd. I'd add, unless you really need a cab, get a coupe (although I haven't driven coupe vs cab of the same car, the coupe is lighter). A C4/Tip/Cab 996.2 is 338 lbs heavier (3297 lbs) than a C2/6-sp/coupe (2959 lbs). Not sure if that weight difference includes the removable hardtop -- if it does, then subtract 70lbs from the Cab when the hardtop is off. Value-wise, 6-speed will definitely have more value than a Tip. Less clearly, but probably still the case, coupe > cab (because of looks & weight) and 2wd > 4wd (because of driving feel & weight). That said, there is always a portion of buyers that specifically want Tip, Cab, or AWD.

Thank you for the inputs! My dream car is 911 convertible that is my only "must have". The 4wd or auto is not that important to me. Actually it snows here where I live, but not sure how wise it is to drive such car in the winter. What are the main things I should be on the lookout for 996.2 cars. I know that options matter a lot, so the lookouts might be completely different between a 2wd manual and 4wd auto. I really appreciate how helpful you guys are!

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Bore scoring. You Tube

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We drove our C4 Tip 996.1, with winter tires, in the snow and it did great (that's the main reason I bought a C4 (and Tip because it was my wife's car)). What I am told, but have not tried, is that the C2 with winter tires is also great in the snow because so much of the weight is over the rear tires -- I believe this is true -- wish I'd known that before I bought my first C4. Options-wise, full leather is a huge upgrade in interior feel, as is 3-spoke steering wheel (for many at least, some prefer the period look of the 4-spoke). To me, those are the only "must have" options. Deviated carpet is nice to bring some variation to the interior to avoid the "sea of beige" or "sea of gray" look. Reliability-wise, 2wd is simpler than awd, 6-speed is simpler than tip (except of course for clutch changes not required on Tip), coupe is simpler than cab. Other options don't make much of a difference for reliability. Without something like the IMS solution installed, the earliest 996.1's that have the dual row IMS bearing (roughly through mid-2000) might be a safer bet than a 996.2 (that has a slightly larger engine and smaller IMS).

You got a lot of great info here from the guys. Take a look on YouTube for a video from Doug Demuro on the 996 C4S. He is a detail guy that gives you a good overview. From the standpoint of what things to look for, here are a few thoughts. 1. Get a PPI done from a good Porsche shop including a Bore Scope and Oil Test. While it may seem like overkill, one of the biggest issues to look out for is Bore Scoring. 2. Get all of the service records. What may hurt the car as it pertains to engine longevity is lack of servicing the car whereas certain parts are recommended to be replaced including: RMS/IMS seals, water pump, aos, fuel injectors, ignition coils, spark plugs, sensors, etc.. Not to mention that you want a car with frequent oil changes. All of these items help to prevent bore scoring and add to engine longevity. 3. IMS replacement is critical. The risk of an IMS implosion can be mitigated pretty quickly with an LN IMS Retro kit or the IMS solution. I am sure you have European manufacturers as well that produce dependable kits. There are a lot of great 996 C4S and 996 cars out there in coupe and convertible form. Just make sure you do your homework to find one. Once you do, it will be worth it.

Thanks to everyone for the replies! I will watch the mentioned videos to better educate myself. It is kind of scary and intimidating to get a 20 year old Porsche without knowing much. I am not even sure if we have a reputable Porsche shop in my country, besides the official Porsche dealer, who has one showroom for the whole country. So I hope that I can find a shop that can do the initial checks and do the servicing.

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Definitely find the local shop first -- dealers today are ill prepared to service older 996's unless they happen to still have mechanics that were around 20 years ago -- even then, they mostly only saw them when they were new. A local tech that has been servicing 996's for 20 years will be a much better bet for knowing what peculiarities there are with the them.

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Definitely - you've got plenty of time. Hang out on Rennlist and cruise through some of the more recent "Help Purchasing" threads. There are probably 3-4 per month that pop up, so start reading backwards. Lots of good info that gets recycled and repeated often in those threads. The #1 piece of advice I can give that I give to almost everybody who is new to this is practice being unemotional. Be ready to walk away from a car if it doesn't meet your standards. Lots of people in the position of buying their dream car find ways to talk themselves into it - you want to achieve the opposite. You'll find the one, just be patient!

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For sure, I do believe I have the discipline to walk away from a car if I don't like it. One possible problem is that my local market here is not that "Porsche 996 rich", so cars pop up few and far between. I am going to visit the dealer for the car in my original post. I am not sure what exactly to look for, but the dealer is literally 15 minutes away from me. My main goal now is to find some sort of an independent Porsche shop in my city, as, sadly, I am not that mechanically inclined so I can't work on the car myself.

Hoping the limit in supply ends up being a blessing in disguise for you in the sense that scarcity = better care. Some of the 996's in the States look like they've been left to rot by their previous owners..

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Definitely exhaust the independent search first, but if you don't find any, it may be that your dealer has more ongoing experience with the 996 than in is typical elsewhere simply because they are "the only game in town" for Porsche repair for your area. It's worth driving a distance for a good tech with deep experience, so look a little farther out for an independent if you need to. When you are at the dealer, ask them how many 996's they regularly service. Also, ask them if they know of any independent techs, and how they think their own dealer service for older cars compares to the independents. The 996 is a pretty simple car and fairly easy to work on, so you might want to "dip your toe in the water" to start with simple things like an oil change. There is a wealth of knowledge and "how to's" on RL, not to mention YouTube, so you don't need a lot of prior knowledge to work on them. It's also pretty satisfying to do your own work and no tech will take the time to be as thorough as you will probably be. If you have no desire to work on them -- I get that -- I have same feeling about my daily driver. If you just think you can't do it, you will likely be very surprised what you can do (and how rewarding it can be).

Ok this is not directly related to the topic, but don't you need very specific set of tools to be able to work on cars ? I have heard you need some sort of wrenches that put specific amount of torque to nut-like components in the car to meet factory specifications. By the way, the car from the main post is available for test drive. Is there something i can hear or "feel" that might be wrong or needs servicing ?

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You will need a torque wrench, but they are pretty inexpensive. "Needle" based torque wrenches are very accurate and are inexpensive ($20-ish). The "clicker" socket torque wrenches aren't that much more, but it's probably a good idea to pay up for a better quality one to be sure it's accurate. I have a Craftsman clicker 1/2" inch and 3/8" torque wrenches that I paid something like $60 and $50 for 20 years ago, they are still like new (and always stored with torque set to 0 so they don't lose calibration). You will need a special socket for the oil filter, but also a one time expense ($20-ish) expense. You pick up tools as you need them. For staples like jack and jack stands, you want to invest in quality (still doesn't need to be that expensive), for some weird "star" socket that you are going to only use once, buying a cheap tool is fine.

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Any potential new to Porsche buyers that read too much about IMS ans Bore Scoring will eventually settle on a Honda. There�s some basic due diligence needed when buying a P car, but don�t get hung up on these things.

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Kelly is right. You can be scared away quickly on any car on any forum. But once you understand the issues, and the solutions which are easy to have implemented, you will buy a 996. I have had my 2002 C2 for 19 years. Love it and won't get rid of it. Not certain what country you are in, but they must have a PCA region. Find it and get involved with any events they may have. You don't have to be a PCA member to participate in most of the events and if you explain to the decision makers that you are looking to buy a 996, I suspect they will welcome you with open arms. Then start asking questions on the best Porsche shops locally, not to mention if they know of any for sale. From a sourcing of cars standpoint, I have a business associate that purchased a 993 in Belgium and had it shipped to the USA. He spent what sounds like 2 years sourcing the "right one". But there are not as many good quality 993s as there are 996s, and in Europe, you are loaded with 996s. You will find the right one.

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Don't disagree with you, but the dude did ask "What are the main things I should look out for?" And I told him. IMSB I think is a horse beaten to death, resurrected, resurr-beaten-to-death, ad nauseum. So I figured I'd just bring up the topic du jour.

I do appreciate all the information. You can imagine, for someone new, the amount of information here can be very intimidating. I am fully aware that cars like the 996 will require their due diligence and proper maintaining. I am still trying to find a Porsche mechanic here, though. So far it is a dead end. Someone suggested to look for "Porsche Club" kind of venture here, and I found one, it even is linked to the official Porsche website. Problem is, it seems to be dead, last post is from 2009... It might turn out that the official dealership is my only option, but still not sure how well they can take care of an older car.

If it's a Porsche dealership, they will be able to take care of a 996. They may or may not be willing to use non-aum aftermarket parts. But you can ask.