996 - 997 Seal Grey - Page 1 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Hello, Can someone tell me if the Seal Grey colour stopped at the 997.1 or was it an option on the 997.2? Also has anyone gone from a 997 back to a 996 C4S? Was you glad you did it, or regretted the choice? Cheers, Phil

..I believe seal grey was a 996 colour, the 997 went to meteor grey, I went 997 GT3 to 996 C4S (in seal grey as it happens), lovely colour, it's my daily driver, and it's excellent for just that, go anywhere, park anywhere, shopping, 23-24 mpg overall or 30 on a run, just use it as it's supposed to be used, pour miles on it and don't worry about it, the '3', I loved driving but it was hard work, it's not a daily despite what anyone else has to say on it..!, it's a track focused car, harsh, heavy clutch, low ride height, and doesn't exactly blend in to a car park if you want to leave it somewhere, but each to their own, glad I owned it, but happy to see it go too..! the 6 isn't as quick, nor does it shake you fillings out either, but they are plenty quick enough for a road car, and sound lovely with the PSE, the brakes are not great, but again plenty good enough, they do go off if you get them smoking hot, but that's a rarity TBH. I wasn't sure about my decision at the time and only expected to keep the 996 for 12 months, I've had it 32 months now and like it a lot, so je regrette rien..! Edited by RatBoy M3CSL on Monday 28th October 23:04

Think Seal is a nice colour but would prefer it if it were a darker shade of grey. Here's one I polished earlier:

Thank you for the replies. RatBoy M3CSL - Funny you should say that as the GT3 is the other option. Are the 2 cars miles apart in term of speed? What sort of running costs ( if any ) have you had with the C4S? Cheers, Phil

..Well the cars are the best part of 100bhp and 150kg apart yes, no escaping that, but the 6 is plenty fast enough to lose your licence on the public road, and for the most part I only ever gave the '3' full beans in 2nd,3rd some of 4th on the local bypass I know where the Rozzers hang out, you just can't use it as it's so harsh on most roads. On 'B' roads the 6 would pull away, whereas the 3 would be in the hedge..! it's a track car really, the 996 is 1/3 the price and is a daily driver, which is why I got it. Costs, my 996 I've had 32 months and it's cost me about £5K total, so about £2 a year + insurance and fuel. I was a bit unlucky with having to do all the rads, a set of brakes, all the usual stuff that breaks, and I had to put an alternator on it as well, plugs/coil packs and a big service was best part of £1K this year but that's par for the course on a 9 year old car. The 6 sounds like a Mezger '3', just not as loud inside the car, but it's a nice noise none the less. Other benefits are £265 road tax instead of £440 as it's pre March 2006, and pretty much all the depreciation has been taken out of it by now. I was apprehensive at first, and it took me a few months to gel with the 6, but I haven't looked back since, as I can use it everyday, instead of waiting for the weekend to find a nice road to play on.. Many would argue that the 6-4S is 1 of the best looking ones made too, I tend to agree now..! Some will also argue that a '3' can be used as a daily, but not IMO, the ride height makes it a pain, the clutch is too heavy for traffic, it's too bumpy, and just wears you out, each to their own, but that's how I found it, fantastic car don't get me wrong, but not a daily driver. I ended up buying a diesel Golf as well that was hassle free and easy to go around in, then sold both for the 6 and change (plenty of change..!) Edited by RatBoy M3CSL on Tuesday 29th October 11:48

Thank you for the reply again. All sounds good, just need to find one to test drive i think! I also agree the looks and sound of the C4S are very good! I think owning a couple of 997s, the interior may bug me a bit but i guess i could always restore this. Getting a good one for 20k-25k shouldn't loose me much in depreciation either (hopefully) Phil

Think that maybe hard to find. I am guessing you went to a Indy, rather then Porsche to have all your work done... Oh, what head unit did you install? Phil

philnotts said: Thank you for the reply again. All sounds good, just need to find one to test drive i think! I also agree the looks and sound of the C4S are very good! I think owning a couple of 997s, the interior may bug me a bit but i guess i could always restore this. Getting a good one for 20k-25k shouldn't loose me much in depreciation either (hopefully) Phil The interior of a 6 is not as good, I can't deny that, but it's fine really, I don't look at the seats when I'm sat in them..!, get one that has had a clutch, a set of brakes, RMS done, all the cooling rads + A/C rads and an alternator/starter motor and a big service or knock £5K off the asking price..! Are you cash ready..? I could be tempted... Edited by RatBoy M3CSL on Tuesday 29th October 12:18

philnotts said: Think that maybe hard to find. I am guessing you went to a Indy, rather then Porsche to have all your work done... Oh, what head unit did you install? Phil Mines got a nice Kenwood Bluetooth/Ipod/Nav in that works, and yes all Indie maintained there's no logic to throwing OPC prices at an older car.

When you say get the RMS done, or find one with it been done, what do you mean by this? Is this a common issue with the 996? Phil

When you say get the RMS done, or find one with it been done, what do you mean by this? Is this a common issue with the 996? Phil

Very common Phil, it's the crankshaft rear main oil seal (RMS), typically this is done if it's had a clutch while it's all in bits.., it's 8 hours work to split the engine and gearbox so makes sense to do it at a clutch swap. You will also read about IMS, this is the intermediate shaft bearing, this is a sealed bearing which dries out and can fail, so sometimes this is done @ a clutch swap too. Edited by RatBoy M3CSL on Tuesday 29th October 14:51