About to purchase C4S...but confused?!!?!?

Hi All, This is my first post on this forum, as i will soon be joining the world of porsche owners, and i cant wait!!!!! But i am confused a little. There are two cars i have seen and need to your wise wisdom on which would be the best. Both are 2003 C4S 27k on the clock, yet one is Seal grey, and the other Basalt Black. Both great colours, and on that alone i dont mind either one. Both have a great sec, but the black one has PSE, sunroof, and Bose. The Seal Grey one does not, it has no PSE, no Sunroof, and Soundpack. Now by reading this it a very easy choice? wrong! the black one has had three owners, and the grey one owner. So my question is is the one owner from new car batter, than the three owners from new, although it has higher spec???? Need help, as my mate who is a great help, (he recently purcased a 997 CS) tells me the one owner car is better, as more residual value! HELP!!!!!!! :?:

Welcome. 3 owners on a 2003 car is absolutely fine and should not make any real difference to its desirability over the 1 owner car. The PSE and BOSE however make a huge difference to its desirability. A no-brainer in my opinion.

Hi Humback, and welcome! On Porsches it's not unusual to have more owners than found on run-of-the-mill normal cars. Three owners is not a lot, especially on a car that's 5+ years old, so ignore your mate, he doesn't know what he's talking about Just remember to buy on condition, make sure it comes with a Porsche Warranty and if not buying from a Official Porsche dealer it might be wise to invest in an inspection.....come to think of it get it inspected anyway! Damian

Hi and welcome, as you will read from various posts on here a higher spec car usually sells quicker than a similar with same price but lower spec. Yes the owner thing will probably mean the resisual will be higher BUT... Is that really why you're buying a 911? Have you driven both? IMHO a PSE is a must for a 911, especially a C4S. To retro fit that you're looking at £1500+, have you factored that in? How quickly are you looking to move on? Others with greater resale and residual knowledge will nodoubt chime in soon. If you really want something to hold it's value I think you're looking at the wrong 911, go aircooled :thumb:

Agree with above.... No Brainer... PSE is fantastic, it's the one option imho that makes all the difference - it is obviously available as a retro fit, but its there, and you dont have to pay for it... 3 owners wouldnt put me off for a second. Whichever you go for - ENJOY!

Spot on!

Thanks guys! Sod my mate! youve helped me make my mind up! Basalt black it is! Im not worried about the owners thing also, as the mileage is low. Apart from the insepction, is the 111 point check good enough if the seller agrees to rectify all faults that appear on this? that way enabling me to get the porsche warranty, which by reading the posts on this forum is a must.

The 111-point check (if passed) will allow it to be warrantied. It's no substitute for a proper inspection but more than sufficient for most!

Hi Humback, and welcome! Not trying to controversial, but I bought my first 911 a month ago - 2004 C4S in Seal Grey, 26k on clock. No sunroof or PSE, but did have Bose. Also only had 1 owner. Might by psychological more than anything, but I'm glad the car had only 1 owner from new, who clearly looked after the car rather well with maintenance and lots of TLC (plus treated it to nice body kit). Regarding spec, sunroof wouldn't have been an issue to me in car like the 911 - it's got air con, and subroof only adds weight! The lack of PSE was a pain (why didn't the original owner spec this?!). I have of course looked at getting PSE fitted, although know that for similar fitted cost, can get full stainless system which will give performance and noise rather than just noise.......... As for colour, I came from a black E46 M3. Looked amazing when cleaned and polished! At least for the first 5 minutes anyway, then dirty again..... Grey looks fab IMHO! Again, either way you go - you will seriously enjoy......

....and no value come resale, the PSE (when switchable) is one of those options that adds value. Don't overlook that fact Nothing on a 996 comes close to offering the PSE sound!!!!!!

Ditto that... I went the performance route and whilst extremely happy with my choice when my mate comes round with his PSE enhanced growl I go green, very very GREEN At the end of the day go on condition, both cars sound really good, seal grey or black look great but can confirm black is a b!tch to keep looking good, especially with the crappy English weather!

Thanks guys, will post pics once i have made my purchase, i think the one with PSE is the more attractive purchase! Thanks for the advice! Humair

Too true. Number of owners is way down the list for this choice. C4S is a great car and assuming we are talking 996, the best of the range IMHO. Newer cars prices are very colour sensitive but Seal greay and Black are popular colours. I'd suggest provenance, condition, specification and colour should be your considerations. Number of owners is fairly irrelevant. One owner could have spent all his time hammering the car on a track whilst all the others kept it in a garage. Like others, a C4S in black with a good spec seems a no brainer to me. Should be a great car.

Agree with Damian. 111 point check will give you peace of mind. I took a flier and it's paid off so far. the only thing I've had to change is the aircon condensers. If you look throught the two bumper grills with a torch and the condensers have oil stains they're shot and will need changing. Costs range from £400 - £1100 depending on who does the job. Good luck Ray :thumb: