About to buy 2002 996 C4S - views?

First of all, this is a great forum - I have been lurking/searching around the boards for a month or so and I've been really impressed, so thanks to all who contribute. Enough back-patting now and on to business. After much thought, I have decided to get rid of my 1988 Peugeot 205 Cti and go for something broadly similar (a 2002 jet black 996 C4S with privacy glass, :wink: ). Yesterday, my girlfriend and I test drove two C4S's at Paragon Porsche in East Sussex - one manual and one tiptronic - and I have decided that I want the tiptronic (if it doesn't go before I get my a*se in gear): http://www.paragon.gb.com/sales/vehicle-details.asp?ID=27342 Basically, I can sum up my feelings for this car (which I tried, probably not very well, to hide from Paragon) by saying that my fantastic, beautiful girlfriend now has a serious rival for my affection. Obviously, this is a "bit" of a step up from my current car (I've found answers to most of my questions in this forum). The asking price is £60k. Comes with 1-year warranty (thinking of another 2 years for £895) and has PCM, PSM (standard?), Litronics, Bose, CD Changer, Park Assist, FSH, heated seats and Tracker. In black and with the privacy glass it looks like something a well-off pimp would drive, but that's the look I like - after all, I am a barrister . I would really appreciate views on the following: 1. Price - the car is in mint condition and has sub-15k miles, but it seems fairly fully priced (i.e. at the top end). Does anyone agree? As long as the price isn't stupid (which is my current view), I am thinking that it's time to get rid of what used to be called "the drive of your life". 2. Warranty - is a 2 years' extended warranty worth it? Obviously, it doesn't cover wear and tear, but is otherwise pretty comprehensive ... 3. Sports Exhaust - sadly lacking at present. Worth getting? (Paragon say £1400 - 1500 for installation). 4. PPI - I am definitely going to have a PPI done - choice is between ABS, Adspeed and JZ Machtech - my feeling is that I won't go wrong with any of these guys. Any views? 5. Paragon - I really liked the Paragon set-up and they were very friendly (Russ picked us up from the train station in a Turbo (!)), helpful, open and not at all pushy, but they point blank will not budge on the price (cash purchase). Has anyone heard anything bad about them? The cars I looked at were the first C4S's I have driven, which make me wary. My strong gut feeling is that I should get the "right" car when I find it, rather than wait for another to come along, and this one seems the right one (model, colour, spec - save for exhaust, options), but any answers/advice would be greatly appreciated. I would like to put the deposit down tomorrow (subject to PPI), so that I am in a good mood before I have to go to Court ... Thanks very much in advance. Migration info. Legacy thread was 16053

No problem ;-) For £60k you can get a 2000 or 2001 turbo... Migration info. Legacy thread was 16058

My pleasure. I knew I was going to get at least one response along those lines! To be honest, I have (in my own mind, and because I am a big girl's blouse) decided that I don't need a Turbo (I suspect that I will "need" one in a couple of years, but not at the moment). Plus, since I have not had my poor old 205 insured for ages (I have been out of the country a lot on work), and despite the fact that I have had a totally clean licence for 14 years and have never made a claim, you would not believe the insurance quotes I have been getting on the C4S. Think large. Very large. Any thoughts on my suggested C4S-based :wink: plan of action Noony? Migration info. Legacy thread was 16066

Have you tried Liverpool Victoria for insurance ? I'm willing to bet once you drive a turbo you will need one ;-) But I'll be obedient. The C4S has held its value incredibly well. The list price of this car would have been roughly £63k plus options when new. I don't know why this is, maybe because it looks very nice, especially in black. But you will need to clean it a lot. Sports exhaust is nigh on essential. If you get the car I would recommend getting the warranty. You never know when a rear main seal(RMS) leak could occur. And this may result in needing a new engine(BTW this won't happen in turbos because the engine design is different-what more reasons do you need? ;-)) so a warranty is a comfort. However check what the warranty will cover. HTH Migration info. Legacy thread was 16068

1. Price. High but not taking the piss. If you like the car don't worry about it. (Personally, like Noony, I think an older Turbo is a better bet) 2. Warantee's are expensive but worth the peace of mind. 3. Exhaust - yes worth. Makes the 996 sound like it should, it but you can always add it later 4. All would do a decent PPI. JZ has probably the best repuation of any specialist in the country 5. Paragon are known as being expensive but having good cars. They are as close to an OPC as a specialist can get. Hope that helps a little Migration info. Legacy thread was 16069

Thanks Noony & James - that's all very helpful. I agree about the colour & cleaning but it just looks so very gorgeous in black. The warranty and sports exhaust are beginning to sound like good ideas. Liverpool & Victoria are on my list of insurers yet to try. I need to know for sure that it isn't going to cost £7791.79 to insure (!) (and thanks to www.quoteacar.co.uk for giving me a giggle) before I can go ahead (do I win a prize for that quote?). More mainstream people like Tesco, etc are point blank refusing to insure (even at the "bargain" price of nearly 8 grand). Migration info. Legacy thread was 16074

Very nice car - slightly on the high side price wise - but paragon do have very high standard as far as quality goes. PPI worth while especially if they turn something up that needs doing Might be worth trying to get the first service FOC instead of discount. Not sure I would bother with warrenty as very difficult to get them to pay and £1K will go a long way to getting the car sorted. Migration info. Legacy thread was 16076

Thanks for the advice Johnny - much appreciated. Migration info. Legacy thread was 16077

read my thread on warranties.... http://www.911uk.com/forum/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=12&TopicID=1837&PagePosition=2 in the "problems" section, realise that 2001-onwards porsches have serious problems with engine oil seals\intermediate shafts and general quality control. the number of people reporting these issues, and the various locations i've heard about it from do indicate a bit of a manufacturing defect. get a porsche warranty if possible - if not check the hourly rate your warranty will cover (porsche charge barrister-like rates for their spanner jockies... £95per hour is standard). get a feel for the warranties company's pay out record - when they wrote the policy they had in mind a new alternator for a rover for about £120, not £6000 worth or suspension, engine or other malfunctions that the porsche will - perhaps - produce!!. as to the C4S - its a nice motor!! ps - Johnny - 1k won't get you a set of replacement halogen headlights, let alone fix a serious problem!! Migration info. Legacy thread was 16081

oh yeah.... tescos gave me a quote of £1300 which was just about half what "quote me happy" wanted for my C2 which was is OK. £1300 is actually not bad for central london with 4 yrs no claims. Migration info. Legacy thread was 16082

Thanks Jono - I have had a read of your warranty thread and it sounds like you had an absolute nightmare. I am giving Paragon's warranty a serious read over lunch. Migration info. Legacy thread was 16086

Great car, loved my 4s to bits, very safe as well, i'm not the greatest driver so opted for the added security the 4s gave, especially in the wet. The main decision you have is if you intend to keep the car long term, over 3 years, if yes then spend every last penny you can to get the best low millage example, do not worry about shaving off a £1000 by getting the car from an unreputable source, If you are gonna keep it long term buy from an opc, get the warranty and make sure that the car has the sports exhaust as it transforms it and leave you with a smile that most cosmetic surgeons couldn't create! Migration info. Legacy thread was 16087

That's good to hear - I'm not the greatest driver either (safe, but no Schumacher). The one I am after is, superficially, in great condition (pending the PPI result of course). I hear what you say about OPC's, but vaguely similar ones (before any discount you might be able to get) available after having looked through the results of a Porsche Approved Used Car seem to be on sale for at least £3 - 4k more. Migration info. Legacy thread was 16091

Saw a black c4s today at porsche centre sheffield for 60k with 8k miles on the clock. Migration info. Legacy thread was 16112

deeps: i do drive like a schumacher, the only problem is its more ralf than michael.... :wink: actually after being scared silly by the rear-end horror stories i have to say i've never come close to losing my C2 anywhere wet or dry, the lateral grip is trully astonishing - and with a C2 you are 70kg lighter and have a (slightly) useful boot... Migration info. Legacy thread was 16129