Looking at 996: 2001 Turbo or 2003 4S

[laalves]

Hi all,

As the realisation of a kid's dream :clapping:, I want to enter into the Porsche club, via a second hand sample, albeit purchased through a Porsche Zentrum and with Porsche warranty. The idea is to get an everyday runner, capable of doing long and short stretches alike, totalling a short 10,000 miles per year on average, including dropping kids at school and the quick grocery run.

The low annual mileage makes gas mileage efficiency a non-concern.

I'm looking into getting cruise control, parking assistance, xenon, tiptronic and adding an aftermarket satnav/bt phone.

Looking around the prices, I will be able to stretch to a 2001 Turbo or a 2003 4S, or anything below that, like any simpler C2.

So, given the usage profile, what would your thoughts be? Would a Turbo show itself prone to compressor unreliability due to the short hops?

Further, I have read a lot of horror stories about the 3.4L and 3.6L (non-turbo) but none about the 3.6L Turbo. Are there any horror stories about them?

Another notable advantage about the Turbo versions is that they come fully loaded with accessories.

Luis

Edited May 27, 2007 by laalves

[laalves]

Mmmmm.... nobody replied but I finally figured out that in the forum parlance, TT means Turbo, which means there are threads here about the Turbo already and going through them, I convinced myself (not too difficult a task :rolleyes: ), that a '01 or '02 996 Turbo is the way to go, both due to reliability, performance and standard configuration.

Actually, since I'll only be able to fund this in a year's time, I'll be chasing '02/'03 MY.

Happy Porsche motoring, to those who can already! For me it's Audi A4 Avant diesel motoring only, while I don't reach motoring nirvana....

Luis

Edited May 28, 2007 by laalves

[C4S al]

Hi,

I will gladly give you my 2 penneth. I have driven most things Porsche in my search for my car and since then Porsche loan cars when mine is in for service or work.

I will be critical and objective so please do not take this the wrong way.

I am however going to probably open up a can of worms from other readers!!!

I think on reading your post the decision is really around the TT and the C4S.

Two different animals. Normally aspirated verses turbo. Clearly down to you on how you like the power delivered. Many people like myself prefer the linear delivery of normally aspirated engines. Having driven and been in a GT3 there is nothing like it.

The TT is more refined and does not really give the GT3 experience if you want the raw powerexperience. The lag in the 996TT there, nearly non existent in the 997TT and the being thrown back in the seat is no great shakes when compared to driving the C4S hard. I can certainly create the thrown back experience for my passengers in my C4S!!!

The C4S is the vehical I went for having been in your situation 15 months ago. The car is awesome nice linear power and responsive across the rev range.

Here is the controversial bit, not sure why any one would want cruise control or the parking sensors or sun roof for that matter !!

Regarding the cruise contorl in my opinion the car is to enjoy and even on the straight open roads enjoy the accelerating. Cruise control is for mercs and cruisers not the best vehical in the world!!!

Any way each to his own. But the fact you have mentioned this steers me to the C4S. My intuition is that you will not use the power band of the TT big assumption but like I said just my 2 penneth.

A lot of people buy the turbo for the iconic status and not really take advantage of the power band. In the UK there are may GT3's for sale with low milage. This tends to be people not fully taking on board the car and it is a handful and not an every day driver as such.

Both the TT and the C4S are everyday drivers but I think you will probably get more out of the C4S. It also has cleaner lines not having 2 holes in its sides!!!

Essential to have the litronic head lights. After market sat/nav is better than stock. But with 2003 plus cars there is the MOSTbus optic connections. This is a night mare for adding aftermarket. Easier if you do not get a car with pcm2, BOSE and CD changer. The C4S has the upgraded sound pack anyway which is just as good as the BOSE.

Anyway just enjoy the search and get some test drives to make comparisons but buy for the right reasons.

Regards Alan.

Edited May 29, 2007 by C4S al

[911h20]

Turbo - More reliable ... I don't think you'll get much debate about that.

[laalves]

Hi,

Thank your for your comments! I haven't driven any of the C4S or TT, so I don't have any real idea, but I would fully expect to have a much more involving driving experience with a TT. Test drives are indeed a (great fun!) must.

BTW, let me just explain my choice of accessories:

1 - cruise control: pragmatism, there are some long stretches of highway here that are patrolled by radar-gun-trigger-happy-cops, which in practical terms means that getting your speedo locked under 150 km/h is a must, otherwise, BIG ticket;

2 - parking assistance: beautiful for a lazy guy like me... In my area, parking spaces are extremely rare and tight, so one has to be creative, and the "toot-tooooot-toooooooooooooooot" is a time saver. I love it in my Audi, wanna keep that;

3 - sunroof: I live in Portugal. We have sun. I totally understand your point, living in the UK, particularly in Scotland. Sorry about that, mate... ;)

4 - tip: getting lazy over the years, particularly during city jams. Equally important, getting a 2nd hand car, this is also added insurance. It's not everyone who knows how to properly drive a 420hp manual shift and not erode both your engine and tranny, thus passing a potential timebomb to the next owner.

From what I've seen, in terms of accessories, 996TTs are usually loaded, whereas C4S are not necessarily so, and the price diff is not that big.

As to aesthetics, I'm totally with you, the C4S beats the TT hands down: don't like the ducktail nor the intercooler intakes, but they are needed.

Either way, this is pretty much academic for this next year, until I have the necessary dough...

Luis

[slaaw]

Not having owned or driven the TT for an extended period of time, I can provide my feedback on the C4S. I have owned an '03 C4S for about 1.5 years now. Coming from a modified C5 Corvette, the C4S initially seemed lacking in the power department but not in quickness. Having become used to the car, I now find the power to be more than adequate, and it provides reasonable MPG's as well (about 22 combined). It has great creature comfort for everyday driving as you suggested, and I still find the looks stunning. The only negative I have is that the suspension is somewhat harsh for long freeway driving. Based on your requirements, I'm sure the C4S will meet your expectations.