tsaint117

I see there’s no need for me to give my $.02 as the decision has been made, but the 40th is superb. I have #405 and couldn’t be happier with the car. GLWS!

2mAn

Lets see it when you finally have it

Atgani

I don’t buy cars for what other people may or may not think of them. I buy a car for the driving experience.
The C4S is a fatter, heavier, dynamically inferior, less powerful 911, and put in those stark terms, the 40th Anniversary wins hands down.

cqhall

Counterpoint:

I don't push any of my vehicles to their limits. I do admire how they look even they are not moving. So, for me, I prefer a car that looks better but is marginally inferior in performance.

Real talk, let's not act like how these cars look isn't a major reason why we have them. Hell, if it was about performance, everyone in this forum could take the money spent and get a better-performing car and have money left over.

I think the 996 C4S is one of the best looking 911's ever...especially from the rear.

Atgani

Real talk :

What exactly does "you and other people will respond to the widebody" mean ? You'll forgive me for saying, but you seem to be somewhat hung up on what other people's reactions will be to your car. Why ? Because you're trying to impress them ?

So the 40 Jahre requires you to explain that it's special, but the C4S doesn't ? How have you arrived at that conclusion ? But also why would you feel the need to explain why your car is "special" ?

I've owned several 996.1 GT3's, a 996 GT3 RS and a couple of 996 GT2's, and not once have I felt the need to explain to anyone why they're "special". Whether other people like or dislike my car/s, or think they're "special" doesn't concern me. Why would it ?

996 C4S rear one of the best looking 911's ever. Bold statement when Porsche have produced so many fantastic looking cars over the years.

cqhall

Dude, I'm not about to argue with you about opinions.

GC996

If I was a trust fund kid, I would have one of every 996 derivation. I like them all. But my preference is the narrow body 996. To me, the athletic look of the 996 NB with 15mm spacers looks damn good from behind. But I married a brunette. Some of you may have married blondes or red heads.

911Syncro

Perhaps this reference would have been more useful earlier in the discussion. Here is an in-depth article on the C4S when it first came out. It reveals a lot of details that aren't always widely known. Keep in mind these were published before the 40 AE became available.

S Stands for Schnell
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...l#post14125769

and a report from the magazine editors putting one through the paces.

Porsche's Carerra 4S - The Perfect 911?
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...l#post14125785

GC996

They are great articles.

No question. how it looks to you, the bells and whistles it comes with, what you are going to use it for (purpose), how it handles in relation to your intended purpose, all come into play. The 996 that you end up with has to be the right fit for you.

Quite frankly, I jump up and down when someone buys a 996. Don't care which one as long as it's the right 996 for the owner. These cars are to great of a sports car not to have expetienced owning and driving one.

peterp

The thing that (in my experience) is unique to the 996 is the fact that they drive very very differently based upon options (most significantly Tip/6sp and C2/C4). My first 2001 996.1 Tip C4 Coupe (bought for my wife when 996's were new CPO with 6k miles) felt totally different than the 2000 996.1 6-speed, C2, Coupe we have now. They didn't feel like the same cars at all -- it's not even a little bit subtle. Look at @connect_yvr 's post #43 -- the differences are not subtle. It's easy to think these are "shades of gray" differences -- that's certainly the case regarding options for 99% of other brands and models of cars, but for the 996, options/models make a huge difference.

It's best to drive all the variations you can and find what works for you -- but don't think the differences between them are subtle -- they are not.

connect_yvr

Totally agree that the c4s is one of the best looking rear ends ever however I would say the performance difference between that and the 40J isn't what I would call marginal. I've never been to a track day nor have I ever really pushed any car hard for more than a few seconds at a time, but even on a 10 minute test drive I would say the performance difference (road feel, handling, and acceleration) was better described as 'dramatic'.

I had been quite torn before the test drives but after, there was no question what to go for.

Atgani

Dude, I was hoping for some well-reasoned responses to your somewhat opinionated comments, not an argument.

Because ultimately your comment that the 40 Jahre needs explaining, and thus it fails when it comes to impressing others, could also be applied to the C4S.

Impressed onlooker on seeing a C4S (who doesn’t know a lot about Porsches) : “Nice car, is it the Turbo ?”

C4S owner : “No, it looks like a Turbo, has Turbo brakes, and Turbo suspension, but isn’t a Turbo”

Confused onlooker : “So it’s a 911 Turbo without the Turbo engine ? A de-Turbo’ed Turbo then … ?”

C4S owner : “Errr, yes you could say that.”

Confused onlooker : “Why would you buy a de-Turbo’ed Turbo ?”

Like you said, if you have to explain it …

Compare and contrast with the impressed onlooker on seeing a 40 Jahre : “ Nice car, what is it ?”

40 Jahre owner : “ It’s a limited edition car Porsche built to celebrate 40 years of 911 production, it’s highly specified, utilises the same paint colour used on the Carrera GT supercar, and has a more powerful engine and upgraded suspension when compared to a standard 911”

Impressed onlooker : “Lovely, sounds very special” …

frederik

So the owner of the 40J only did oil changes since 2015? Do budget in a major service and if you can, make sure to scope the engine for bore scoring BEFORE you purchase. Have it tested with for cam deviations etc with Durametric / PIWIS. I think it's a little bit of a red flag and there's definitely some service overdue. Also, you don't know what was done to the IMS bearing so it would be wise to budget a replacement in as well.

connect_yvr

Yup. Thanks for the cautionary advice. All of that has been discussed and budgeted. It was a big part of negotiating the price down and I'm scheduled for a PPI on Wednesday that starts with a borescope through the sump.

If the scope is good then I'm prepared for a full major service to get everything ship shape assuming no other major faults are seen on the rest of the PPI.

frederik

Awesome, good move!