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I am the new owner of a 99 c4. It's a well optioned 1 owner car with 101,000 miles. The previous owner was meticulous and proactive when it came to maintenance and documentation. After test driving dozens of cars over the last few months, unsure of what I wanted, I knew within minutes of driving it that this was the car for me.
So, some background about my car history - I currently own a '97 E36 M3 that I've had for 7 years, and a '99 Miata that I've had for 10. When I was younger I drove a few other cars from this era, including a '98 jeep grand Cherokee, a '01 Acura RL, and a '01 ford Taurus (blech). Besides the Taurus and the horrid state of automatic transmissions in general, I absolutely love everything about this era of cars. I love the styling, I love the analog feel, and I'm especially a sucker for ****ty glossy wood trim. The '99 911 is the peak of what this era has to offer.
I'll be sad to list my Miata to make space in the garage, but having both of Pinky Lai's designs will make me forget all about that. It's interesting seeing the e36 m3 and 996 side by side, and just how many styling similarities exist between these two cars.
Anyways back to the Porsche. The previous owner had good taste and I likely would have ordered a very similar spec. Some highlights from the options sheet:
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Aerokit
Turbo twists
Slate gray metallic
Black supple leather interior and dashboard package
Heated/Power seats w/ lumbar support
Litronic headlights
Onboard computer
3 spoke steering wheel
Aluminum dials, shifter, brake handle
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IMS was done in 2017 at ~70k miles, its a 6 year 60k/75k(?) ceramic bearing, so that's due for a replacement based on age. While the engine was dropped the clutch was done along with some other things. PCCM+ was very recently installed, and in 2021 the owner had replaced the shocks, control arms, and other suspension components.
During my inspection the only things that came up were a slow oil seep on the left side of the engine - most likely from the spark plugs or valve cover, - and a bunch of gunk in the front radiator that needs thoroughly cleaned. Those are first on my list to take care of. I'm still figuring out the lay of the land - vendors, parts, common problems, common improvements, etc. for these cars. Lots of reading to do. For now I'm going to take it slow, tackle those issues, and think about what's next. I think this car is significantly different than my Miata and M3 in that its already really really good out of the box, whereas these other cars are good chassis to use as a starting point. So I'd like to approach this car with an OEM/OEM+ perspective, appreciating what Porsche has built and improving it where I can.
My first drive with the car blessed me with a beautiful sunset Family photo Bonus M3 picture - 911's new sibling. Previous owner also had a m3/911 combo so they'll feel right at home.
Sweet ride. What's crazy to me is that this was a $187,000 car (inflation adjusted) in 1999. And you're still enjoying it, purchased at a fraction of the original price. Win win.
Something quick I just did - I was left a new badge in the box of parts that came with the car, so I swapped them. After installing the new badge I wiped the area with detailing spray - you can see the paint is pretty good but not perfect - I think I might purchase a paint depth gauge and see what options I have
Last edited by cameronc56; 08-20-2023 at 05:10 AM.
Sweet ride. What's crazy to me is that this was a $187,000 car (inflation adjusted) in 1999. And you're still enjoying it, purchased at a fraction of the original price. Win win.
Plus tax! Both of these cars are seriously underrated and huge value/smiles per dollar, as long as you don't mind taking out a wrench once in a while. I have no doubt these two will appreciate further as people realize their value - case in point, 7 years ago I purchased the m3 with 100k miles on it for only $7000.
Last edited by cameronc56; 08-19-2023 at 09:52 PM.
Wasted no time and got out to my first event with the porsche. It survived 200 miles and an autocross today, and took it like a champ. Maintaining balance was difficult with the engine behind me, especially through slaloms, and I have a lot to learn to get faster. The car is extremely capable though and I'm excited to see what she can do with summer tires.
Wasted no time and got out to my first event with the porsche. It survived 200 miles and an autocross today, and took it like a champ. Maintaining balance was difficult with the engine behind me, especially through slaloms, and I have a lot to learn to get faster. The car is extremely capable though and I'm excited to see what she can do with summer tires.
Nice, i find my car is better at hdpe then autox but its still fun.
Nice, i find my car is better at hdpe then autox but its still fun.
True, and I couldn't help but think that my miata is way better at this.. but if I cared so much about raw time I would have gotten a cayman instead. Theres still plenty of time left in the season to take it to pacific raceways and learn the car where the platform really shines and I intend to do that after gaining some confidence in the reliability of the car.
I found a really good deal on these.. $124 for the set, brand new. Probably wont get to install them for a few weeks though, and ill take the opportunity to inspect all of the brake components and order new pads/rotors/lines if needed. Will there be issues lowering 1 inch from stock springs on billstein b6?
Last edited by cameronc56; 08-22-2023 at 03:25 PM.
Another goodie arrived today- the **** comes with an optional adapter to grab onto the shift boot, which needs replacing. I was trying to find something similar to the joyfast shift *****, and this doesnt dissapoint. I might try to polish it at some point too. Stock shifters not bad especially with the aluminum upgrade, but it just wasnt doing it for me.
Interesting start to your 996 journey... i applaud your enthusiasm.
If you plan on some track days or even just some HPDE i would suggest you read up on the M96 engine and its oil fluctuation issues with certain types of track driving, i hate to sound alarmist but in the interest of saving you a potential expensive repair, there are some really knowledgeable folks on this forum who can advise on how to make you engine more robust for track type work.
Also there has been a recent debate on the Aerokit you have on your car, i can see from your sticker it was not put on at the factory, it could have been dealer installed, that apparently was not uncommon, or it could have be installed outside the dealer network, regardless of any of that it looks good on the car.
Finally back from vacation... big week planned for the 996. In my jet-lag fueled boredom, I've been tackling some projects at 3am...
First I took the front bumper off and cleaned the gunk off the radiators..
Next I started sanding/polishing the front headlights
Still got a ways to go but I had to order more sanding pads
And finally I started taking the suspension apart to fit the H&R Springs.. and the numeric shifter+cables I ordered should come this week! There's an autox this weekend and a PCA tour the weekend after that, so I'm hoping to have everything wrapped up soon
08-19-2023, 08:55 PM
Cam's 99 build/documentation thread
