996 C4S Test Drive Report

[Kirk]

Went to the dealer this weekend and test drove both a 2004 and 2005 996 C4S.

WARNING - Do NOT do a test drive like this unless you are willing to fall completely in love/lust with another car. I was completely content with the 250 Hp of my 2000 986 S and figured the 30% more power of the C4S wouldn't really matter. I was wrong...

One of the cars also had the PSE. WOW!!! Now I finally understand what everyone raves about with this exhaust. Plus the button on the dash to quiet it down is way cool. My girl was with me too and she loved the exhaust and asked me why my Gemballa exhaust was so quiet!

One car had a short throw shifter and I didn't care for that. The standard shifter was ultra smooth though. Now that's raised questions in my mind because I've got a similar transmission in my S and it's not nearly as smooth as what I tried in the '04 C4S. I'm wondering now if I have a problem or if there are just more significant mechanical differences than what I'm guessing. I mean the AWD of the C4S must mean the transmission is certainly different, but I guess it's probably more different than similar to the 6 speed in the 986 S and 996 C2. I should try a C2 to compare, but the dealer had no 996 C2's on the lot. Their used car inventory was actually pretty low.

Well, bottom line I was pretty impressed with the car and was smiling from ear to ear. I think I'm going to find one in my garage (along with my Box) before too long here. I've been on the used car hunt for a while and this test drive pretty much made up my mind as to what I'm looking for.

Kirk

[jjanari]

I had the pleasure of having an '03 C4s for 3 days a couple of summers ago. It is an outstanding car. It did seem to have noticeably more power/torque than the last boxster S i drove. You also can't beat the looks of the C4s.

The other nice thing about the 996s is that they've all come down considerably in price over the past year. It looks like you can get a nice c4 with decent mileage in the mid 30s.

[jmatta]

On a different note, as a DE instructor, I drive a lot of 996s and 997s. Though the cars will have more power, the weight balance and driver's aids don't make for as nimble of driving experience when compared with a Boxster or Cayman.

No matter how you look at it, they are big heavy cars and are better suited to grand touring (which they do very well). I prefer GT3s to the other variants.

You want a real kick in the pants? Drive a pre 1974 911. I sold a very well equipped RS America to get into my '73 lightweight; nothing like the feel of an early 911 (though I do enjoy my Box S).

[blinkwatt]

Dude Kirk your phones call confused the heck out of my Dad and I(he's also named Robert). My Dad also has a friend at work named Kirk so we were stumped on those calls....'Dad why are your coworkers calling my phone instead of yours?' Lol.

Enjoy the ride man!

[Perfectlap]

This close--a wisker-- from buying a guards red/tan C4S late summer in 2007 when the credit crisis was first starting to rear its head. This was to be my winter mobile or as my lady friend called it your "minivan". Mileage was low, all options were present, paint was perfect, Arizona car. But the dealer was holding firm on a final price despite there be very few visitors to his lot. I was arranging the PPI when my gut started telling "this car will be way cheaper in 12 months...bad time to buy". So I backed out the dealer called a few weeks later to tell me the car was still available. If the economy hadn't started falling fast at that point I would have pounded him on price and driven home in my new mini van. Had I pulled the trigger I would have missed out on buying the car for $12K in less in under a year. I doubt I would have put more than 5K miles on it in that time.
Now anybody can buy a C4$ even the pizza man drives one now.

as for the car itself I think its the nicest looking 911 ever in my opinion. The flared fenders and Turbo aero are pretty sweet. Too bad its not the GT1 dry sump like the TT. That would make it a no brainer.....Now as for the way the car drives, that really didn't blow me away. The added torque/hp is nice but its heavy and the understeer is too much for me to regard it as a nimble car. But its a GT so its supposed to be big, plush, kind of numb and disconnected like a TT. And of course you've got the whole pendulus cornering 911 thing...some people love that some people hate it, I don't dislike it enough to not buy a used one but I would definitely prefer a front or mid engine AWD.

For some reason everyone seems to order one as a cabriolet which really destroys the whole point for me. 911's Cabriolet's look like a bath tub with a big butt to me. It's a looker alright and at these prices it makes for a great year round car up here in the Northeast.

[Kirk]

All good points about this car. Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm going to have my cake and eat it too. I've got my Box setup for the twisties and autocross - JRZ coilovers, GT3 front sway bar, soon a Tarett rear sway bar, end links, and front camber plates. Of course I have the lower stress bars too and no added extra weight. I'm going to keep my Box and enjoy it for years to come.

However............... I put a deposit down on an '03 C4S and will have the loan check from the bank tomorrow. I go to pick it up this weekend. Bad economy be damned. I'm not selling my house (so I don't care what it's depreciated too), I have no debt, and my job is relatively stable and good. I'm going to buy a C4S while the prices are so depressed. Yeah it won't be the Boxster, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want a more comfortable GT car for longer trips and maybe the daily grind. The one I picked has coilovers though, but I'm also getting the stock suspension with the car and may swap that back in if I need the ground clearance. I may also just adjust it to a better ride height if the TechArt coilovers aren't too harsh. I think my JRZ's aren't too bad and those are a full racing setup with remote reservoirs.

Here's a pic of what I'm getting....