Opinions on this car

Noob here looking for a 996 or 997 - I would appreciate any opinions on this 996 C4S. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306208753639 . I have seen the car - it is a little scruffy with some surface rust on front arches and a bit on the edge of the door where paint has been rubbed off. I don't think the Aircon worked . On the plus side it has a recent full Hartech rebuild. Any thoughts are appreciated. Andy

No one has any idea to be honest mate. We have photos and that is it. The things that need doing on these if not done already can come to another £10-12,000 if you're not doing them yourself. Brake lines. £1500 Coolant Lines. £1500 Suspension arms. £1500 Dampers, tops mounts, bump stops and new hardware. £2000. Engine mounts, subframe bushes, transmission bush etc. another £1000-1500. Rust on arches (depends, twin layer, could be coming up from inside.) Just done mine. Bteween £600-1200 corner depending on where you are and who you use. Brakes good? Allow £600 for fonts and £500 for rears. Clutch nice and light? Or is it going to need a new one soon? If so, how is the flywheel? Wile in there may as well replace that at 21 years old, another £1500 or so. See what I am getting at? Then you have the every day things like coil packs, AOS, water pump, coolant tank, back boxes, pulleys and tensioners, starter motor, alternator, air con pump, gear selector, gear cable ends, detent spring, blah blah blah, that all need constant attention on these as they age. Climate? Can be condensers which can be done for £300 including regas. But the main line down the sill is known for leaking at the joint or worse, getting pin holes in that pipe which is a pain to swap out. This can be £5 for a new o ring or if you need a new line looking at another £5-600. Has the gearbox been rebuilt yet? At 130k miles I would suspect it has, if not put another £3-4k to one side. Did it feel tight but compliant? Did it feel like a new car to drive? It should if it has truly been looked after. Cosmetics, which everyone looks at, are the cheap bits, getting it mechanically sound is where they cost you. Make sure you drive a few, also, go and drive a ow mileage, new as possible 997.2 to see how they should feel. They all feel very similar when new, there is no reason for them not to as they age if looked after. Anyway, welcome to the forum, sorry if it is not the answer you wanted to hear, but you need to go through the service history and see what has been done already and get an idea of what you might have to do in the short term. I have done all that on mine, 140k mile C4, and even I have thoughts of should I swap it now for a Kia with 7 years warranty while it is right before I start to go through it all again. Haha If you want to see a bit of a ownership history of a 996, 997 will be the same, I started a web page as a place to keep an update of all the works I have had done. There is a bit of info about my car, the 'service history' and then extra works carried out in the blog page. Guy's 996 ownership blog Good luck! If you are anywhere near Norfolk, you're more than welcome to come and have a drive of mine if you want to get a base idea of what one that has had loads done feels like.

Thanks, makes total sense. The gearbox has been rebuilt yes. I didn't drive the car as I wasn't insured but was a passenger - I would say the suspension was ok but not like new, it felt a bit soft. At this price for a C4S with the Hartech rebuild I wouldn't expect it to be perfect but totally get your point about all the work really mounting up. In a way I don't mind a slightly scruffy car as I would be keeping the car outside all year round and am not big on cleaning my cars - I am more interested in big mechanical issues that stop you driving it and cost a bomb to fix. I have replaced brakes and all suspension on my 1996 BMW M3 so could tackle some work myself depending on how easy these are to DIY - not getting any younger though!

I posted that car on here a couple of months ago. If it stacks up it's a bargain.

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This post should be automatically be posted on any new ‘am looking at this 996/997’ thread. Mods make it happen! There are many dogs out there, as you’d expect for a car whose values were in the doldrums for a decade. What differentiates them from the good cars isn’t just the cosmetics, it’s all of this. You want to see invoices for £15k minimum (not including engine/gearbox work) over the last ten years. If there aren’t, and you want to drive a car that isn’t a dog - then you should be factoring the difference (ie £1 - £15,000) into what you might need to be spending after purchase. I’m in NW London and finally have a sorted 996 - like @gizlaroc happy to take you out in it if you want a reference point! It’s a pity that we’re not at the point yet where a sorted car carries the appropriate premium - the market isn’t mature or elastic enough for that. But what it does mean is that you can pick up an incredible bargain if you can find a car that’s had all the work done. It might only be a few grand more than a hound, but oh my god is it worth spending that money up front. My gf has just bought an R107 SL - they say with those “buy expensive, run cheap” and I’d argue the same applies to 996/997s. (Assuming the ‘expensive’ car isn’t just overpriced because cosmetics are good etc)

that car lost me at the tatty interior

Hmmm

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There is a little more to it than that though. I had a C4 for over 3 years and loved it but there's always been a premium to pay for the wide bodied version. Nowadays that seems to be around 15% 'like-for-like' against narrow bodied cars.

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Has it had a Hartech engine rebuild though?

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It's the Hartech rebuild that makes it a bargain. You have a chocolate engine.......that doesn't!

At 24k a car with a full Hartech 6-cylinder rebuild could be very attractive, assuming this is indeed what was done.

There’s got be something that doesn’t add up with this car for it to still be for sale…

?

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In the car desription "No rust like the usual badly kept examples". Don't like it .. smells.

Adverts can be all over the show. Only way to tell is to view the car. If it's local, I'd be all over it......otherside of the country - probably not bother.