wwinter

Hi everyone,

New to the Rennlist forum.

I am thinking of buying my first Porsche but I have a couple questions I hope your collective wisdom might shed some light on.

I'm thinking of buying a '99 - '03 911 C4 or C4s. Tending toward the C4s at the moment.

Normally, there would be no hitch. No question. Buy the car. Drive it. Love it. Simple. Not quite so here. I may need to drive it 25,000ish miles per year. 80% of it would be on a twisty 2 lane highway (damn it all to hell, I know....).

Question 1- How will it hold up, both mechanically and in terms of resale value if I buy an '03 C4s with 75,000 miles on it? What should I look out for?

Question 2- How well, and be honest now...., does the AWD handle snow conditions? Like I said, lots of twisty two lane highways so please be honest.

Thanks again... very much looking forward to your replies.

redridge

First of all... you are in the wrong forum... close but not quite. 99 c4 is a 911 but its code name is a 996... you are better off posting these questions there....

To ans your questions...

The watercooled 911 are perfect tor daily drivers... especially the 996, it likes yo be driven and driven hard.... like all 911 Kt has its issues though.... 25km/yr is not one of the issues.

The c4 has the qualities of a c2.... both are great cars in the snow because of the weight in the rear. The c4 has advantages of slipping rear tires, which the front wheels partly take over max 40% of power via viscouse coupling... so it is not strictly an awd. Go to the 996 section and all your questions will be answered.

Dennis C

I drive my 2002 C4S every day, including snowy conditions. I've got 112K miles on it now. The car handles great in the snow as long as it's not deeper than 4 - 5 inches. Deeper than that causes bottoming out in the snow. As for handling, I think the AWD system helps, but I believe proper winter tires make a bigger difference. I'd take a C2 with winter tires in the snow over a C4 with all-seasons every time.

These cars are great daily drivers, just make sure you do a little research here to understand the cost of routine maintenance before you take the plunge.

Good luck and enjoy the search!

wwinter

Gentlemen. Thank you for your replies and my apologies for my rookie mistake on posting this originally to the 911 forum.

So what are the annual costs of maintenance if I drive it 25,000 miles per year?

And as for c2 with snow tires versus the c4 with all-season... then I assume a c4 with snow tires would be pretty damn grippy in wet/snow conditions.

Thanks again. Your input is much appreciated.

tooloud10

I run a '99 C4 all year round. Winter is not a problem as long as you have winter tires and the snow is not too deep. 25k miles a year is not a problem either. Maintenance has not been bad for my car at all. Brakes and tires are more expensive than a "normal" car and you'll want to keep the cooling and brake systems with fresh juices, but I've never found any reason for people to say that maintenance will kill you on a car like this. Good luck with your decision!

Dennis C

I can provide you with my exact spend by year if you would like. Obviously these aren't new cars anymore, and maintenance costs rise with age and use. This would be true for any car. It's not necessarily the routine maintenance that adds up but rather the cost of replacing parts that wear out on a ten year old car. An example would be worn bushings or strut mounts. Another would be a water pump, which some people would argue is a normal maintenance item on a 996.

With AWD and winter tires, these cars do very well in the snow. The things that contribute to their wonderful handling dynamics apply in all conditions.

Hurdigurdiman

Read these forums. If you are a gambling man and would like a nice win for your outlay, then go for it. If you cant stand to loose then the Porsche 996 may not be the car you are looking for as not all are winners. After saying that, probably 9 out of 10 are winners so I think those are pretty dam healthy odds. I would say that the Porsche 996 can handle any road conditions as good as, if not better than, any other car out there. If you are looking for good gas milage, cheap parts or cheap maintenance. Don't look at the 996. If you dont mind thinking about Porsche from morning to night and maybe falling in love with a car then you are probanly on the right lines being here. Good luck with your choice of 996 if you 'go for it'......

vange_c4s

i took the plunge. 15 months in. 22k new miles. well behaved. new rear tires. four oil/filter changes (look for leaks every time). way fun.

Ubermensch

Dennis C. summed up my experience better than I could have. My only addition is that a C4 with winter tires is essentially unstoppable. I've driven through nor'easters, pulling around SUVs and only stopped to help push other people's cars to the side of the road do I could keep going.

S.