Advise on buying a 997.1 C4s

[Nev911Tvr]

Morning Boys and girls,
this is my first post on here so be nice. I’ve been a TVR owner for the last 5 years and with a bit of luck I’ll be a 911 owner this week too. (for now I have a very lenient wife ??) I’m just looking at if the car I’m going to look at is a good price or not and who better to ask then some owners. I won’t mention what price being advertised at but it’s a 08 C4S, it’s got a little over 90k on the clock but it’s not long had a full engine rebuild with all 6 liners and pistons replaced with genuine OE parts, as well as a few other bits being replace, costs in the circa of £14-15k spent On it.
it’s in good condition with a few scratches here and there, possibly both rear arches will need repainting Due to deep scratches. It’s certainly had some money put into it and the owner seams quite gutted to have to let it go but needs must. any ideas what a fair price should be? all advice is appreciated on anything else I should look out for too. ??
many thanks
Nev

 

[CBschnell]

Hi Nev,
Welcome to the club. Here are a few thoughts to consider for your purchase.
I bought my 06 C4S in June. It had 35K miles and was in excellent condition with FSH. Top end spec including Sports Chrono. The negative for a lot of people was that it was a Cat D back in 2011, but I have had the car checked out and no issues. It is suspected to have been a front-end incident because it now has a GT3 front. I bought from Porsche independent for £23K.
Take a look at Portiacraft for their list of similar models, they always have a decent stock and that will give you a reference. Also go to https://collectingcars.com/ and do a search on past sales - a 997.2 just went for £33K + premium, which was a good deal. Also PCGB will give you a free valuation on the car, so that is worth doing.
Make sure you have the full details of the rebuild. If you read the forums like 911uk, which I recommend, there is an awful lot of discussion about rebuilds and Hartech being the gold standard, and a preference over OE. That said, there are many threads on 997.1 owners doing incredible mileage on original engines, so with a recent rebuild, you should have many miles of enjoyment ahead of you.
Get a PPI for peace of mind - it's worth getting the full picture of what might need doing over the initial period of ownership. I could have kept using the tyres (2 x 1-year old and 2 x 6-years old) but I have just bought a new set to bring them all up to the same age (£820). I had geometry done at Center Gravity (£350 and worth every penny) which has led to some recommended (optional) suspension replacements. I had wheels refurbed at Exel Wheels - look better than new (£520). Added Mr12volt Bluetooth option for PCM which allows streaming and phone through system - £125 DIY. There's more and I'm now keeping a spreadsheet on what I have spent
I have already changed the oil and filter, and had the oil analysed - all good. I plan to change oil every 5K miles, and staying on top of preventative maintenance. I'm about to add stainless steel brake lines and replace brake fluid, plus gearbox oil. The car is 15 years old regardless of the mileage so I would rather start with a known benchmark.
I wasn't buying an investment and thinking about resale, I'm looking to keep it (unless a great deal on a Turbo comes up!). It is important to be happy with your choice, so make sure you are. I smile every time I look at the car and driving it is pure pleasure - I have driven 5K since buying it - these cars like to be driven.
Good luck with your purchase.

 

[C4Silver]

I too have a 4S. bit of a Unicorn spec. Probably the exact car that I would have specced from the factory. As it stands it’s had about every option ticked, and unticked as it has no sunroof or rear wiper. Factory aero kit and GT Silver. Manual factory SSK.


its a Dec 06 Car. IMS bearing upgrade, as for bore scoring, personally I couldn’t care less about it. I didn’t have it checked when I bought it but my Indy insisted he diagnose this for me. I’m happy to report there was no sign of cylinder wall scuffing. He was shocked but that’s another story.

back to your car, it sounds like it’s been done properly. there are some halo’s adorning certain engine builders so expect some talk about how it’s not worth anything dependant on who’s done the work. If it has had a rebuild then I’d expect as its a late .1 and a 4S to be £37:5 - £40:0k

personally I like the .1 over the .2 and the Aero bodied car is my ideal, the front bumper alone is stand out from the plain boring looking standard bumper, i’d wanted the rear deck lid to lift at 60 so it was a surprise to me when I bought one with a wing on ? Also having liked every wide bodied variant over the decades it had to be the wide body. It was 20k. Healer than the equivalent .2 so if the engine goes pop tmrw I’m 5K up, an odd way to look at things I know but I bought a B5 RS4 when the B7 emerged, I waited for the the Discovery 5 and then bought a D4, cars are very personal.


It if you’ve found the one you want and you’ve got the benefit of a re build then I’d Buy it.