New 996 C4S Owner

Just wanted to drop by and send many thanks to everyone that posts on the board. Thanks to all the information, I was able to make an (I believe) informed decision on 2003 C4S today. The car has 20,000 miles on it and seems to be in very good condition. Am buying from a Porsche dealership in San Diego and she comes with a clean bill of health. For piece of mind, I did decide to go with a Fidelity Warranty Services 3 year "Platinum" warranty that should cover the IMS/RMS issue if it should ever come up. I'm traveling out to SD on Friday to purchase and plan on taking my much deserved first cross country drive back to ATL. One quick question - Have I missed anything ...and before I get attacked, here's a photo P1020149.jpg

Great looking car. I should be making my first trip in a few weeks, subject to a clean PPI. Enjoy your new C4S.

congrats... thats some trip back for you - take pics of the c4s in interesting spots!

Congrats!! Welcome to Rennlist!

Wow, what a beautiful C4S....you should really enjoy your ride back to Ga. Congrats!! And thanks for the pic with your first post.

Quotes source post: 7274902

Show up at dealer early in work day, not at very end of day, to pick up car. Verify vital fluids all good before you leave. Get an extra bottle or two of the proper oil stored in car before you leave. Check tire pressures, including spare, if car fitted with one. If car equipped with inflatable spare, be sure tool kit and air pump and bottle of tire goop present and bottle of goop not used up. Be sure lug bolt key fits *ALL* locking lug bolts! Every chance you get check oil level and other vital fluid levels. It is a new car and an unknown. Chances are car's just fine and will remain so for many years of ownership but treat it with a bit of cautious intelligent suspicion. Better to spot a low fluid condition for instance while in a major city vs. out in the middle of nowhere on I-40. Nearest Porsche dealer could be hundreds of miles away if car develops any trouble. Mind your speed. While when you get out on the open highway it looks deserted you can bet your driver's license there'll be one or more bear traps just waiting for an unspecting new Porsche owner. You will be driving on summer tires and even at highway speeds in cold temps they'll not heat up much, enough anyway to deliver full grip. Keep sharp eye out for road debris. Tires, animal carcasses, etc. Hitting a frozen deer carcass can ruin your car. Watch for ice on roadways everywhere. On bridges, in shaded areas of road behind hills, mountains, even sections of roadway shaded by bare tree limbs. Enjoy the drive. You'll love bonding with the car on the open road. I take my cars out several times a year and cover sometimes 5000 miles in a week on the road. I love it! Sincerely, Macster.

beatiful! word of caution.... dont tailgate, in fact stay 10 car length behind if you can, or drive past other cars, dont stay where they can toss rocks at you. Its a long trip and many roads have seen winter traffic / debris. keep it under 4000 rpms till its up to operating temp. If you run it a little hard, it might smell a little "hot" its normal (unless it is seriously stinking!) Use only Premium fuel from national chains like Chevron/Shell ect... Take a spare quart of oil along, and check at fill ups... dont overfill... a little low is better than a little too full. There are no cup holders... The rear wing can be raised to hold egg McMuffins have fun!!!

Love that boxster red interior.

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. I'm definitely looking forward to the trip and should provide several photo opps. Will try to post pics from the road.

Some day I am going to buy a car at a distance just so I can have a long drive back When I was 996 shopping I almost bought an 01 on the west coast but just as I was about to pull the trigger I stumbled across my 02 at a Long Island Porsche dealer at what was a really good price 2+ years ago. I probably missed out on a great drive.... someday Maybe I will find a nice TT or better yet GT3

I've always wanted to take a true cross country trip and its unbelievable how things worked out on this car. I had found several others a little closer, but, they were all compromises to me - wrong color combo, not the right equipment, so I expanded the search out to unlimited distance from my home and this one popped up. I am still a little worried about buying a car with the boxster red interior, but, it really is a classic. The trip should be spectacular. I'm pulling my 12 year old daughter out of school and we should have some great bonding time on the open road. The chance to travel along some of the old Route 66 is a real plus as well.

Beautiful car. Enjoy the trip back. I remember my trip (although only KY to NY) just under 2 years ago.

PLAN YOUR ROUTE CAREFULLY!.... you might never get a chance again to drive through the blue ridge mountain or the tail of the dragon or through Newark NJ.....

Just make sure the HRE wheels are good. They're known to leak at the beads and a dealer will be rather insouciant about it. Three-piece wheels. I'd hate for you to drive to find out they're out of balance or don't hold air pressure consistently. Drive safely and enjoy the experience!

ROK, thanks for the head's up on the HRE's. This may be "ignorant", but, how do I check to see if they are good? The wheel balance thing, I get, but, not really sure how to check if they hold air pressure. Any hints?

Beautiful car! You are going to have many great memories from the drive home. My wife and I picked up my 996 in LA, enjoyed CA for a few days and then drove it home (1600mi/2days) Suggestion I can offer- is to stop at a Walmart and get a cheap styrofoam cooler, ice, bottled water. Also the $3 cup holders. You will keep hydrated and save money. Also sun screens for the windows are nice. Have fun!

Enjoy the drive. Take a camera. take a few extra stops, photograph things that are interesting to you. Have good music on board. Be willing to detour. Look up an old friend on the way. Talk to a stranger in some weird diner. Try to make it a great week, crossing the country. Nice car! John

Quotes source post: 7275493

You'll have to get someone who is mindful enough to track the air pressure for ya or have them dunk it in a tank. It's kind of a pain in the ****. It should be fine, but given you're driving cross-country, I just wanted to make sure your bases are covered because little things like this can ruin the experience. Don't ask me how I know.

On the plan a route watch out for desert storms that sand blast.

Congratulations. Wish you have fun and safe on the road. Cross country with a Porsche is my dream. Do you think about getting a nose bra for your new car to protect its front end form road rock and debris?

Welcome, and have fun on the road trip. I bought mine in San Bernardino, CA and drove it home to Fort Wayne, Indiana. It took me 2-1/2 days. I enjoyed every minute of it (except the Oklahoma part... really crappy roads). Bring a radar detector!

Take an extra towel with you...you'll be drooling on your steering wheel the whole trip. No doubt you and your daughter will have a great experience together, have fun, be safe.

I bought my car in Chicago and took 2 days driving it back. It was a great experience learning about the car. I would go to Walmart and buy a tire pressure guage and $7 electric air pump that runs off the lighter socket instead of going crazy to see if there is a leak for your HREs.

Everyone, thanks so much for the comments and tips. Honestly, this being my first Porsche, I would never have thought about some of the things (oil, tire pressure gauge, sand storms) you have pointed out. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the car on the open road, where Porsche's are meant to be!

Congrats on the new ride. It does have cup holders, of a sort...

great looking car. best of luck and have a safe trip. i once drove albany, NY to SD. great trip once i got west of Mississippi. Surfer161

yeah, one more thing. stop by Golfworld or Golfsmith and get left and right golf gloves. on a long drive, keeps your hands from being sticking to the wheel. Surfer161