Educate me on 2004 C4S

[wcb]

Hello All. I'm new and in need of help.

Husband and I are shopping for 2nd car. Came across a 2004 CS4 with 15K mileage (am getting full details from dealer tomorrow). We just decided to consider Carreras and I haven't shopped for Porsche since buying our '05 Cayenne S... so I'm feeling very rusty with Porsche lingo and info. For example, I think 996 refers to MY03 and older and 997 to MY04 and more recent, correct?

The car under consideration is from Georgia and we'd buy it through a broker in Vancouver, Canada for import into Vancouver. Would deeply appreciate any advice, tips, suggestions on what to look out for on this particular car or any late model C4S.

Our goal is to find a 2-3 yr old car still under warranty. This is my first experience buying used. And my previous Porsches were never kept beyond warranty period. But alas, the cost of raising a young toddler (**** diapers are expensive!) keeps us away from new Porsche pricing. I'm nervous about getting into used.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

[mglobe]

Hello All. I'm new and in need of help.

Husband and I are shopping for 2nd car. Came across a 2004 CS4 with 15K mileage (am getting full details from dealer tomorrow). We just decided to consider Carreras and I haven't shopped for Porsche since buying our '05 Cayenne S... so I'm feeling very rusty with Porsche lingo and info. For example, I think 996 refers to MY03 and older and 997 to MY04 and more recent, correct?

The car under consideration is from Georgia and we'd buy it through a broker in Vancouver, Canada for import into Vancouver. Would deeply appreciate any advice, tips, suggestions on what to look out for on this particular car or any late model C4S.

Our goal is to find a 2-3 yr old car still under warranty. This is my first experience buying used. And my previous Porsches were never kept beyond warranty period. But alas, the cost of raising a young toddler (**** diapers are expensive!) keeps us away from new Porsche pricing. I'm nervous about getting into used.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

I can't help you with the issue of how to buy a C4S, but I can wrt the model. The 996 was built through model year 2004. The first 997 was introduced in 2005, so the car you are considering must be a 996. The two are easy to distinguish by looking at the headlights. The 996 shared the same "flattened oval" headlights with the Boxster. The 997 has more upright and round headlights, much more similar to the old 911 design. If you are going to buy a 996, do some research on rear main seal failures (RMS). Again, I don't know that much about the 996, but I do know that they had some problems with this. I'm pretty sure that by my 2004 they had it sorted out, but you might want to educate yourself on it.

Good luck.

[eben]

996 C4S s were made from 02 to 05 with not too much difference between the years. The C4 makes it AWD the S makes it a wide body. The C4S doesn't have any more HP than the regular C2s and C4s but it has the brakes and body and interior leather of the Turbo model. The suspension is stiffer than the non S cars and this is good if you like the feel of a really tight car but it is annoying on long hiway runs as you can feel every line or expansion joint in the rod as you bump bump over it. I like working on my cars but these cars are so high tech that there isn't that much I could repair ( especially if there was a major failure ). Because of this , I bought a 3 year extended warranty when the 4 year factory one ran out. That way you don't have to worry about leaks or other issues. I don't think I could buy one sight unseen but I know people who have done this and got good cars.

Good Luck!

[rfedele]

an 04 or even 05 C4S is a 996. C2 & C2S 997s came out in 05 but a year later for the awd models.

[wcb]

That's great info for me to start with. Thanks! I will do more research but at least I now know the right numbers to google! Already I feel a tad more comfortable for dealing with the broker tomorrow. Today he mentioned something about this car having more horsepower... which made me think it has a slight HP boost vs the C2. Obviously not. His company specializes in importing Porsches from the USA and I believe he (and the firm) is overall reputable. Nonetheless, he's a FAST talker and I wouldn't consider putting down CA$80k+ without feeling like I know what I'm doing! I'll post the specs on the car when I get them tomorrow!

Edited April 12, 2007 by wcb

[geza]

More power may be coming from the optional X51 Powerkit - which adds about 25 - 30HP over the stock 320HP engine. Ask if this option is part of the car.

[rfedele]

incorrect. x51 is a power upgrade on the S model only and takes it from 355 hp to 381

[geza]

It's a 2004 C4S = 996 = no 3.8 liter option at that time.

[rfedele]

It's a 2004 C4S = 996 = no 3.8 liter option at that time.

Yes you are right. When I said "incorrect" I was talking about the comment I was about to type. :notworthy:

[denisoreilly]

Such confusion, shouldn't this be on the 996 board!

However in responce to the original question, most important issue to be looking into is to see if the car has its mileage clocked....., whats with the broker?, can you talk to the previous owner and or vendor direct, without the broker being the translator? I'm sure it goes without saying but the mileage is easy to change on all digital odometers in all cars, however you can get a read out from the on board computer of the running hours, this is discussed on the 996 board, and most owners find an average figure of 33 miles for each hour give or take, so if the computer says the engine ran for 1000 hours (as is the case on my car) the mileage should be 33 thousand - ish, (mine is 31K), but this is only an average, its NOT gospel!

A main dealer will need to acces this information, but if its been sold from a main dealer then I'm sure your safe.

Why not buy from a main dealer in Canada you if your so concerned?

[Izzy]

From my experience, I would recommend shopping through the internet for the deals, but buy a certified used car from a dealer for the warranty and piece of mind. I know the "certified" may not mean much, but the warranty does since any problems are handled by a dealer. But make sure the warranty can be transferred to Canada.

[Loren]

Such confusion, shouldn't this be on the 996 board!

I just noticed this - it has been moved.

[therecklesswanderer]

Hello All. I'm new and in need of help.

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Many thanks in advance for your help!

Here is a word of warning...

I was in a Dealership in Toronto for service. (I know, Toronto, but I'll bet it applies everywhere).

The sales manager was on the phone with someone else and the part of the call I heard went something like this.

...yes we repair all Porsches, but ones purchased in the US have a 7 week wait period for repairs. Yes that is our policy...

Basically, the dealer was punishing the customer because he bought the car in the US and not in Canada, where they are much more expensive.

Take it with a grain of salt, I didn't hear the entire conversation, don't know the history, but I know the part that I heard.

[DaveMo]

One thing to be aware of when buying a Porsche is that these cars are option driven. Virtually nothing is standard and everything is an option. Make sure that you understand what options are important for you to have on the car so that you find the right one. As an example, the base cost of my car was $83K, but as delivered was $103K - $20K in options. There should be a white sticker under the front hood that lists the options that the car has.

[tweety]

For my money and if I had waited longer for it to show up for sale, I would spend the money on a 2004 40th anniversary edition. Many non-porsche shops that take these in on trade think that it's just badging on the car and have no clue that the motor is not standard. So in some cases you can get even more car for the money.