996 Buying Advice

gsmiller · 03-22-2016, 03:07 PM

I'm looking for some opinions on a 996 purchase decision I'm trying to make. I realize this is highly subjective, but general thoughts are appreciated.

I've owned a 2002 986 S for about five years now and am looking to get into a 996. I've had pretty much every minor to medium size 986 issue possible, so I'm pretty well versed in what goes wrong on these cars, which is pretty much the same on the 996 as I understand given all the part overlap.

I'm currently debating between a 2002 base model with ~56k miles and a 2004 C4S with ~95k miles. The base model has little service history that I'm aware of. It's not clear if it has the IMS retrofit, etc. The 2004 is fully loaded in terms of options and has been owned by an enthusiast for the past seven years. It has the IMS retrofit as well as lots of service history. The clutch was recently done with the IMS. Prices between the two are pretty much the same.

So my question is, would you folks opt for the lower milage example with less service history? Maybe spend the cash for the IMS retrofit if unsure, etc.? Or would you feel confident in the C4S? My 986 has ~110k miles on it at this point and I've gotten to the point where engine failure doesn't worry me on a regular basis. Maybe it should? Would 95k miles overly concern you guys?

Thanks for reading and any opinions you all have.

tonythetarga · 03-22-2016, 03:14 PM

From my standpoint service history always trumps mileage.
What is the intended use for the car? daily driver? Sunny day car? Track and /or autocross?
A DD you might want to consider lower mileage but risk the IMS issues. They both have the single row, worst possible bearing of all the variations. Lower mileage and infrequent (or unknown frequency) of oil changes raises the risk of failure significantly. At least the C4S has had the bearing replaced. I'd lean that way, plus I also like the more aggressive widebody look of the C4S over the base 996.

gsmiller · 03-22-2016, 04:19 PM

Thanks Tony--appreciate the reply. The car will be a fairly infrequent daily driver with fun weekend drives on occasion (i.e. I only commute by car once or twice a week). FWIW, it will be driven about the same as my current 986, which saw ~20k miles in the past five years. No track days planned at this point, but who knows in the future I suppose.

I agree with the looks of the C4S. That style was a bit of a dream car for me back when it came out. This one even has the factory aerokit, which looks pretty amazing.

Thanks again.

gsmiller · 03-24-2016, 07:46 PM

Well, I pulled the trigger on the C4S. Hopefully the high milage won't come back to hurt me. Here's the beauty...

Now... anyone want to buy a 2002 Boxster S? :P

tonythetarga · 03-25-2016, 02:59 AM

That's a beauty!

Rusty Heap · Rusty Heap's Garage

you'll love the C4S and AWD the way it pulls you out of a corner.

good choice, but I'm biased with my 2003 C4S

gsmiller · 03-28-2016, 01:47 PM

Thanks Dave! I'm absolutely loving the car so far. Had it out on some back roads yesterday... what a machine! Loving my choice so far. Hopefully this motor has lots of life left in it, but I'll be driving the hell out of it in the meantime