996 C4S vs 997 C4S (gen 1)

[Osh]

The 996 is obviously the (far) better looking car..

Just saying...

 

[Alex]

The 996 is obviously the (far) better looking car..

Just saying...

The 996 C4S definitely stands out from the rest of the 996 range, unlike with the 997 variants.

 

[Manabana]

I am edging towards a 997 C4S, as people said unless you really want a 996 C4S, then the 997 is newer, more comfortable, great value and looks stunning as well, especially in the right colour.
I do think its a buyers market, the 997 may not slip in price too much more but I have seen dealers knocking off a couple of thousand on their adverts.

When 996's dipped to below £15k, the younger single guy in his 20's got in on them but the running costs/Insurance probably crippled them so they were not maintained. Now theres a bit of excitement over them becoming desirable, prices have spiked back up. But what drove the excitement in the first place? maybe because they went so cheap, they were seen as bargains for the amount of car you get, but if they are no longer bargains then whats fundamentally maintaining that excitement and supporting further price rises? ':?:'

Bottom line is theres a lot of choice out there if you've got £20k-£25k budget in your pocket and for men who would have traditionally bought into these cars (not being sexist but I'm sure the vast majority are male), will have other family priorities and hence different cars on their radars, such as high spec/performance SUV's, Electric cars like Tesla's and what not, that they probably didn't have in years gone by.

The 996 C4S is probably stabilised, but since buyers have so many options with other models, only low milers will increase in value in the next year.
Theres just too many readily available and more to come, and the 991 will eventually become a used option for many.

What about the 996/997 becoming a classic argument?

Generally once something is labelled a future classic its pretty much not going to be a future classic because people will start hoarding them and thus prevent the very reason cars become sought after classics, i.e their rarity.

For me, buying into a 911 is to own and drive a car that represents the pinnacle of motoring engineering and driving experience.

I'm edging towards a 997 C4S, going to see one tomorrow am.

 

[Alex]

May I suggest you drive both before making a decision.

 

[Magic919]

I think you'll be ok for driving experience, but I'm not sure they are the pinnacle of motor engineering.

 

[bludger]

@phill 997, from your handle I take it you have a 997?

Thats quite an interesting prediction you making there.

What will happen for sure is more 997's will continue to appear on the market, as you said gen 2's eventually will put pressure on the gen 1's, the same thing is happening in the M3 market, its flooding with E92's, causing the E46 buyer to think twice.
Its a case of waiting it out and seeing if the 997 gen 1 C4S drops into my price bracket, I'm not willing to pay a premium amount for a 996 C4S, if I could buy a decent 997 C4S for not much more.
It looks like theres been a bit of a spike last year in prices, people may through the media felt a perception that the 996 is undervalued and started asking more for their cars. The problem is there is a lot of 996's around and the 997 supply is already outstripping demand, somewhere there is a correction on the cards, I'll take your advice, keep my powder dry, wait and see how things pan out.
javascript:emoticon(':bandit:')

:floor: yes had a 997.1 for 4.5 years and now a 997.2 . I think your right to take your time and watch the market , the used car market is quite flat at the moment ,it usually has a little spike in the spring as the weather gets better but this may this year be affected by that thing thats happening between us and the EU as there so much uncertainty about it.
But your well placed and have a pretty clear idea of what you want , to be able to move swiftly if the right priced spec car appears or if the market suddenly gets a positive move on it and prices start to go up.

I would still have a think about the 997.1 C4 3.6 its basically an up powered version of whats in the 996.2 3.6 but in a wide bodied 997.1 and still more car than most of us can handle . but will be closer to your budget :thumb: :thumb:

I'm hoping at some stage to buy either a late 997.2 or maybe a 991.1.

I think that Porsche prices have reflectedto some extent( emphasis) the low rates we've had for years now. Whilst I don't see rates going up I do see a financial crash and probably a recession at some stage which will bring prices down.

I'm waiting.

 

[Manabana]

I have narrowed my search down to a choice of two 911 997 C4S.

One is Slate Grey, the other is Atlas Grey

(my wife likes slate, I like Atlas)

The specs:

Slate Grey
-----------
81K miles
Full Porsche Dealer History
Heated seat option
Parking sensors
19 inch wheels
PSE - It has an exhaust switch, which I believes is the PSE option, makes the exhaust really loud, nice if you like that kind of thing.
Generally good condition. Seller is a part time dealer looking to sell on for a quick buck. The car shows some signs of wear, interior wise. body is excellent (to my eye).
No invoices of major work to show, 7 stamps in the service history.


Atlas Grey
-----------
89k miles
Part Porsche dealership, part independent service history, very comprehensive detailed history with lots of invoices of work done
Electric, not heated seats
No parking sensors
Lowered on coils, I think he said H&R
19 inch wheels
Tyres brand new all round
Excellent condition, the owner has had the car 4 years and has put plenty of love into it, £5k spent during his ownership, nothing left wanting

Both cars are within the same price bracket, both willing to take an offer.

This will be a weekend car for me and maybe a few days in the week my wife may drive it. It won't get more than 3k miles per year.

I test drove the Slate grey, not the Atlas, in which I was happy to be a passenger.
The Atlas overall felt smoother, in better condition, certainly has been cared for better and felt a better place to be.

The Slate Grey gear shift seemed clunky, this wasn't just from experiencing driving it, it seemed even when I sat in the passenger seat before I test drove it, (the seller drove it first), the gear shift seemed clunkier than the gear shift in the Atlas Grey, just from observation of both sellers driving their own cars.

Theres the choices, both good cars, the Slate grey has lower mileage and full Porsche dealer service history, on paper it seems the better buy.
The Atlas grey has been loved and cared for, better condition, smoother drive but higher mileage.

I expect to keep any car I buy for at least 3 years minimum.

Any pointers, thoughts..???

 

[T8]

Both cars are of a mileage where the extra few doesn't make much difference.

The interior of cars is normally more difficult to get looking good than the exterior when they've been let go a bit.

If one feels generally feels better than the other it probably is.

If the price is similar I'd go for the one you feel best in.

Good luck. :thumb:

 

[tom_nieto]

Always buy on condition rather than mileage. If one car has been cherished and had money spent on it recently and the other has turned up at a dealer's trying for a quick sale, I know which I'd choose. Saying that, the first one looks to have a better options list.

 

[Manabana]

*** BREAKING NEWS *** BREAKING NEWS *****

I've done it... 6 years after I first posted on this forum, I've finally gone and bought a Porsche 911 !!!

Picking it up on the weekend

More details to follow....

 

[HSC911]

*** BREAKING NEWS *** BREAKING NEWS *****

I've done it... 6 years after I first posted on this forum, I've finally gone and bought a Porsche 911 !!!....

:grin:

:congrats:

 

[Osh]

More details and piccies please.

Piccies are MANDATORY!!!!

Well done m8
:thumb:


Osh

 

[Riccardo]

Coming from a 997 C4S owner, well done!

When I bought mine 7 years ago some of the 997s that I test drove before mine also felt "clunky" as you say. I instantly knew when I drove mine that that was "the one", it felt smooth and right.

Looking forward to pics!

 

[Manabana]

Coming from a 997 C4S owner, well done!

When I bought mine 7 years ago some of the 997s that I test drove before mine also felt "clunky" as you say. I instantly knew when I drove mine that that was "the one", it felt smooth and right.

Looking forward to pics!

Hey man...didn't say it was the 997 I went for in the end.. waiting for some decent pictures from the seller, all will be revealed shortly...

 

[Riccardo]

Hey man...didn't say it was the 997 I went for in the end.. waiting for some decent pictures from the seller, all will be revealed shortly...

The plot thickens... :?: