The Affordable 996 Thread

[Rot 911]

Hal, that is a very good deal on your car! I too think it will sell quickly.

[dtw]

Hal - please post/PM pics and price of your seats? You never know, you might be able to weasel out of having to ship those things...

[Halm]

Originally Posted by dtw

Hal - please post/PM pics and price of your seats? You never know, you might be able to weasel out of having to ship those things...

Hi Dave! Will do, but let's see if the car sells and the buyer wants them first. Plus Matt has put in a request a head of you.

[porsche4life]

That's a ton of car for the money Hal! Wish I was in a position to buy right now!

[Halm]

Thanks Sidney, I appreciate that. It is a great car and if I was not deep into serious retirement planning / actual downsizing, it would not be going anywhere.

My plan is price it fairly and more that accurately represent it. It is not a concours winner but a great driver that will bring the next owner a lot of satisfaction.

[Halm]

Well, I was pleasantly surprised last night. I sold the 996 and all its goodies to a long time Porsche enthusiast who had done his homework. Assuming the PPI doesn't find something about which I am unaware, the car will be heading to a new home next week.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Halm

Well, I was pleasantly surprised last night. I sold the 996 and all its goodies to a long time Porsche enthusiast who had done his homework. Assuming the PPI doesn't find something about which I am unaware, the car will be heading to a new home next week.

Congrats Hal! Perfect evidence that good cars sell quick. Somebody got a lot for their money.

Just curious, did you go straight from stock to the PSS9 or was there a middle step in there? I'm waffling between going the conventional springs/sways/shocks route or just biting the bullet and going to coilovers. I can go either RoW M030 or Eibach springs/sways & Bilstein Sports for about $1400, vs close to $3k for decent coilovers. I know that coilovers give you far more setup options, but it might be overkill for a daily driven car.

[1990C4S]

Hey, this is about affordable 996's!

And Boxsters. And turbos. And maybe 997's. And up-fixin. Etc.

[Halm]

Matt, When I bought the car at 90k miles, the original suspension, bushing and drop links in particular, were done. I knew the car would see a few track days per year. I seriously considered M030 but based on a 993 I had a few years ago with the equivalent, I ruled that out. I found a smoking deal on the PSS9's and just went that way without looking back. I set them at full stiff for track and the 6 in front and 4 in rear for the street. Very comfortable. Even the wife thought it rode well.

If you are going to do any track, I would suggest PSS's. They ride great and as you said, highly adjustable. Otherwise, save the money and go ROW M030.

[1990C4S]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/798631-fs-1999-996-carrera-2-tons-upgrade-street-track-hpde.html

A bit overpriced, but if you could knock him down a bit more this looks like a really nice car.

Too nice for me to drive year round....

[landrover88]

I would love to trade up to a 996 I will be in Hershey but they never have many cars for sale.

[911boost]

Matt, while not "exactly" comparable, my 92 Turbo had PSSx's (the weren't adjustable) on it and the ride was good.

Bill

[1990C4S]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/799721-sale-1999-996-grey-beige-80k-miles.html

$19k, a bit sparse on detail...

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Halm

Matt, When I bought the car at 90k miles, the original suspension, bushing and drop links in particular, were done. I knew the car would see a few track days per year. I seriously considered M030 but based on a 993 I had a few years ago with the equivalent, I ruled that out. I found a smoking deal on the PSS9's and just went that way without looking back. I set them at full stiff for track and the 6 in front and 4 in rear for the street. Very comfortable. Even the wife thought it rode well.

If you are going to do any track, I would suggest PSS's. They ride great and as you said, highly adjustable. Otherwise, save the money and go ROW M030.

Originally Posted by BSiple

Matt, while not "exactly" comparable, my 92 Turbo had PSSx's (the weren't adjustable) on it and the ride was good.

Bill

Thanks guys. I'd love to make the leap, I just struggle with paying 2x the money and still not getting sway bars. No track time yet, I aspire to it but also don't have much free time. I'm a cheapskate at heart.....

[JavaBrewer]

If the car is a DD what benefits do coilovers provide vs ROW M030?

1999 996 $14K w/recent motor

1999 996 - looks nice

[1990C4S]

The second car looks nice. $20k for a decent 4 with the aero kit is a deal....I think.

[porsche4life]

Uhhhh... Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they only do the 4s in the 996, and wasn't it all after 2000? Something's off about that car.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Uhhhh... Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they only do the 4s in the 996, and wasn't it all after 2000? Something's off about that car.

C4 was out first year....

The Ultimate Preowned 996 Buying guide. - Rennlist Discussion Forums

^^^This is a useful thread for people thinking of buying a 996...Right - in the world of 996 only the C4 came in normal and S versions. The C2 came only as a C2. Unlike the 993 that came before and the 997 that followed, there is no 996 C2S.

The difference between the C4 and the C4S is that the C4S is a turbo in most every way except it doesn't have the turbo motor.

OK it doesn't have the gaping holes in the fenders or the turbo tail, but it has the brakes, suspension and fat fenders from the turbo, as well as the 4 wheel drive (of course) and the luxury doodads. You can liken it to the old M491 "turbo look" 3.2 Carrera back in the day.

It's the same 320 hp M96 motor between the C2, C4 and C4S though....as you've discovered already. It was the same with the 993. The S versions had the same motor pushing around more iron. I'd complain that Porsche was cashing in some of their legacy goodwill, but they sold the farm already (in my opinion) when the normal 911 became known as the Carrera back in 1984...but that's another rant.

[dtw]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Uhhhh... Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they only do the 4s in the 996, and wasn't it all after 2000? Something's off about that car.

You mean C4S? No, there was a regular 996.1 C4 starting in '99. A friend of mine has one, and it is a great car. The handling is scary good, especially after he installed the ROW M030 kit on it.

The 996 C4S is a lot like the M491 of the 3.2 Carrera days - Same body and running gear as the Turbo, but with the N/A drivetrain. A 996 C4S has the same body as the 996tt (minus the rear spoiler), along with the suspension and brakes (PCCBs were even an option on the C4S, though I can't say I've ever seen one that had them). It also includes uprated 'standard options' like PSM and full leather, for example.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

The second car looks nice. $20k for a decent 4 with the aero kit is a deal....I think.

Looks pretty good to me. It also has the 3-spoke wheel, better shift knob and e-brake handle, and the highly desirable GT3 hard back sport seats. Nice car.