Greetings all,

I just purchased my first Porsche, an 2003 996 C4S. I spent a while searching for a decent air cooled 911 that I could afford, only to come to the conclusion that a nice 996 was the way to go.

Instead of a project car that would take years and $10k+ to put right, I found a great car that my family and I can enjoy immediately. (My 7 year old fits great in the back.)

I've owned three BMWs including an E34 M5 and an E36 M3. With the M5 I realized that it was always going to be four door sedan despite my efforts to turn it from a nice driver to a concours garage queen.

I then picked up an Estoril blue E36 M3 coupe with 100k miles for only $10k to use for daily driver duty. It was superior to the M5 in nearly every respect, so the garage queen was sold and the M3 gave me six years and 110k miles of enjoyment including four track days at nearby Laguna Seca. I performed every single service except tire work to the that car, including complete overhauls of the cooling system and suspension. I was sold on high mileage German cars, and it was finally time to scratch the lifelong 911 itch.

A coworker with a 996TT and 74 911 encouraged me to go with the 996.

I found a nearly flawless seal grey 2003 Carrera 4S in the bay area. The shocking 150k miles meant most buyers immediately continued their search for something better. The photos on Craigslist didn't do the car justice. It was originally delivered to TN where it was leased for two years and about 12k miles. Then it was purchased by a Bay Area racehorse trainer who drove it 18k miles/year. At 120k miles, he sold it on to friends who enjoyed it for another 30k miles over 4 years. He had trouble getting in and out, so his wife drove it most of the time, until they bought an IS350 a year ago and the 911 only got about 1500 miles since. Both owners could afford to pay the dealer or specialist to fix any issues that came up, as confirmed by the stack of very expensive receipts. I would prefer a black interior, but the grey has held up extremely well with no tears or bolster wear on the drivers seat. Best of all, the IMS/RMS/clutch/air-oil separator were all replaced within the last 10k miles. My feeling was that I would rather have a C4S with these issues taken care of at 150k miles, than a 996.1 C2 with half the miles and without these matters sorted. We agreed on $20k price including delivery to Monterey.

I've put about 1500 miles on the car and everything checks out. The engine burns 1 quart of oil per 1200 miles. Falken tires have good tread and the brake pads and rotors show plenty of meat. Interior cleaned up nicely. Clutch works great and the shifter is a perfect combination of short throws, light effort, and rifle precision. Steering is light and feelsome, but the PSM activates surprisingly frequently, particularly when encountering bumps mid-turn. (My coworker with the 996TT says it happens to him all the time, and scares him every time.)

The C4S turns heads, particularly mine. It's a gorgeous car with a surprising amount of quirkiness - I thought quirks went away with the water cooled cars.

Even with 212k miles, I got $6700 for the M3 thanks to a massive history of DIY repairs with OE parts. I'm pretty pleased with my $13k upgrade. Don't worry - I have a sweet 525iT wagon with 120k miles to handle my 400 mile/week commute. (I bought the wagon with 93k miles for $10k also.)

I look forward to learning more and becoming a part of the community. Here are the issues I have found so far:

- really, no adjustable tilt to the steering column?!?

- options to add AUX input and/or bluetooth streaming (CRD23 + Bose hifi - CD changer)

- my first attempt at restoring the headlights (came out pretty good, but I'll attempt to do even better in the future)

- error code / oil change code reset tool

- engine oil / transmission oil / diff oil suggestions and tips.

- LED lighting upgrades - Do I need to buy error-free LED bulbs for the front fog lights?

- how to avoid radio problems when replacing the battery

I'll start separate threads on some of these, but if anyone can point me to an existing thread that would be helpful.

CHECK OUT MY PHOTO ALBUM!

Cheers and happy new year everyone!

 

Welcome! Great story, much of which, I can relate to myself! I also came from the BMW world and enjoyed an E39 M5 for many years and came to the same conclusions, while a tremendous car in its own right, it will always be a sedan. I have two kids and they enjoy the 996 immensely! For me, I will always need the extra seating and while I have one in a booster, the 911 does a tremendous job

I offer this option for bluetooth and streaming, as explained in my post, I had specific goals, I'm not sure how they align with yours, but it's a year later and I am still happy with the path I took. Here you go and have fun! KH

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...tock-pcm1.html

 

Welcome!

Very nice choice! I got my 996 C4 Cab with 108k miles in the same color and love it. I love the looks of the C4S. I'm jealous! I have the CDR23 with the Bose M.O.S.T. system and it does not have a code to deal with if the battery is disconnected. For a bluetooth solution, I went with this:


My shop mounted the microphone and the function buttons in the blanks below the PSM button. It looks factory and the sound quality is very good.

After you get all the other issues sorted, I highly recommend having the mufflers modified by Fister. It's an intoxicating aural experience!

 

+1 on this suggestion. I did this mod to my last 996 and loved it, 100% ZERO downsides - It also is a good excuse for a drive, schedule a 1/2 day and head over there, Darren is a great guy and does the work while you wait. Fun time, KH

 

I actually bought them and had them shipped to me here in the Northeast. I had them swapped out and shipped my originals back to them. Darin is a great guy and a lot of fun to talk to.

 

I agree there should be no issues with the radio in a 2003 if you disconnect the battery. You can buy a 9V device that plugs into the cigarette lighter outlet and retains all the memory functions while the battery is disconnected if you are concerned about losing some presets.

I used the Sylvania headlight kit on my 2004, which I chose because it includes a finish clear coat. Turned out very well.

Best of luck with your hi-miler; sounds like the perfect candidate for a long life.

 

LSC4S, thanks for a great intro and welcome to the C4S Club. I too have been a huge fan of the high milage German car club for a long time with great success. There's nothing like letting the other guy take the hit for all the depreciation, lol. I bought my 04 C4S Cab with 106,000 and now have 126,000 in less than a little over a year. I to do most of my own maintenance. It's a great car, gets a lot of looks and most people can't tell what year it is. When they ask, I tell them too guess. When they say a an 09 or 12, I just laugh and say " Oh, you know your Porsche's". Welcome to the club and post up some pics.

 

no radio code so your fine
no oil reset but you can buy a durametric for all codes

 

Car looks great! Congrats

 

Congrat's on your car! I might be a little bias but you picked a great car and color! Its only a matter of time and you looking at other 4s's until you start modding your ride..

 

you are my hi mileage hero. helping to dispel the 996 badrap one sale at a time. sounds like a great car.

i just replaced the factory unit with a kenwood that has hd radio etc and bluetooth. had it installed at best buy. ca auto answer so I dont have to touch anything to use phone etc.

fr pictures of it, see the cars for sale thread mine is the yellow C4 Gt3 look