C4S or a Turbo
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Gordon Attar
New member
Similar car with 37k on the clock and 2003 model available from Oakfields for a few k less http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270835951186?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_2273wt_1054
Try Northways near Reading he has 4 * C4S for sale from under £20k (not on site yet) to £24k and an immaculate Turbo.
Try Northways near Reading he has 4 * C4S for sale from under £20k (not on site yet) to £24k and an immaculate Turbo.
Classic!! [
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]Having just stumbled on this thread, and as C4S owner I thought I would add my thoughts.
I'm sure a turbo is wonderful and the extra power fun to have. However how often can full use of that extra power be made, in the real world and on ordinary roads? The turbo is more money to buy and will be more expensive/difficult to insure.
Yes the C4S may risk an IMS failure; but an upgrade will prevent. Turbos can also fail.
And don't forget the 4 in the title stands for something useful!
I'm sure a turbo is wonderful and the extra power fun to have. However how often can full use of that extra power be made, in the real world and on ordinary roads? The turbo is more money to buy and will be more expensive/difficult to insure.
Yes the C4S may risk an IMS failure; but an upgrade will prevent. Turbos can also fail.
And don't forget the 4 in the title stands for something useful!
jonc4s
New member
SIB - I'm a previous C4S owner, loved it and sort of shared your thoughts when choosing the C4S over the Turbo in the first instance.
Personally I think the power can be used on the road but you do tend do be on the brakes quite a bit! I think in standard form they are at the top of whats possible to use on the road, much more than 500bhp and they are insane. Will still remap mine tho!!! The torque however is a different story, the pull from low down in the rev range in every gear is superb and makes life easier most of the time. In terms of purchase price, not massively more expensive to buy and still one of the cheapest 'super-car' performance options available on the used market. I've heard of people getting similar quotes on Turbo compared to NA 911s so not too sure on this. Luckily the Turbo is also 4WD so a perfect ownership proposition through the winter months, one of the main reasons I switched from my Vantage coming into the colder months. MPG is similar on them too if your not boosting the turbos, it's very easy to drive off-turbo when coasting about.
Now I have had a Turbo I wouldn't turn back, next car will most probably be a 997TT when depreciation/funds allow. I thought much of the same when choosing the C4S a couple of years back but knowing what I know and having the same decision to make again it would be TT all the way. All IMO of course
Personally I think the power can be used on the road but you do tend do be on the brakes quite a bit! I think in standard form they are at the top of whats possible to use on the road, much more than 500bhp and they are insane. Will still remap mine tho!!! The torque however is a different story, the pull from low down in the rev range in every gear is superb and makes life easier most of the time. In terms of purchase price, not massively more expensive to buy and still one of the cheapest 'super-car' performance options available on the used market. I've heard of people getting similar quotes on Turbo compared to NA 911s so not too sure on this. Luckily the Turbo is also 4WD so a perfect ownership proposition through the winter months, one of the main reasons I switched from my Vantage coming into the colder months. MPG is similar on them too if your not boosting the turbos, it's very easy to drive off-turbo when coasting about.
Now I have had a Turbo I wouldn't turn back, next car will most probably be a 997TT when depreciation/funds allow. I thought much of the same when choosing the C4S a couple of years back but knowing what I know and having the same decision to make again it would be TT all the way. All IMO of course
boggie
New member
I was in the same place you are when I was trying to decide about six months ago. I drove a couple of examples of both to help me decide.
Now this is purely subjective but I drove the 997 C4S first and really liked it it is a great car and respectfully fast, feels really planted and safe. However, then I drove a turbo and what a difference! The power and delivery were in a different league. I drove another C4S a few days later and it seemed tame by comparison. A week or so after that I drove a Turbo S and my mind was made up so after some time searching I bought my turbo from RSJ.
I really like forced induction, more than half of the cars I have owned over the past decade have been and I was coming from a 500BHP blown 5.7 Monaro when I was looking for the Porsche. I like supercharged for the more linear power delivery but I must say that the Porsche turbo is brutal. I love the floor the throttle and hang on for dear life experience. Admittedly it takes a more predictive and proactive driver to get the best out of a turbo, especially the slight lag of the S, X50 and GT2 variants with the bigger turbos, eg floor the throttle just before you need full boost etc. However when you get it right it is a very rewarding experience. What's more, with a Tubi exhaust and a BRC filter you can add a genuine 50bhp to the car without compromising reliability.
Just writing this makes me want to go for a drive. I have the day off and nothing to do. If only I had not agreed to let my wife take it out for the day........
Now this is purely subjective but I drove the 997 C4S first and really liked it it is a great car and respectfully fast, feels really planted and safe. However, then I drove a turbo and what a difference! The power and delivery were in a different league. I drove another C4S a few days later and it seemed tame by comparison. A week or so after that I drove a Turbo S and my mind was made up so after some time searching I bought my turbo from RSJ.
I really like forced induction, more than half of the cars I have owned over the past decade have been and I was coming from a 500BHP blown 5.7 Monaro when I was looking for the Porsche. I like supercharged for the more linear power delivery but I must say that the Porsche turbo is brutal. I love the floor the throttle and hang on for dear life experience. Admittedly it takes a more predictive and proactive driver to get the best out of a turbo, especially the slight lag of the S, X50 and GT2 variants with the bigger turbos, eg floor the throttle just before you need full boost etc. However when you get it right it is a very rewarding experience. What's more, with a Tubi exhaust and a BRC filter you can add a genuine 50bhp to the car without compromising reliability.
Just writing this makes me want to go for a drive. I have the day off and nothing to do. If only I had not agreed to let my wife take it out for the day........
unclewinks
New member
+1 to all the above
Previous to the 997TT we had a C4S X51 great car but not a patch on the turbo[]
Previous to the 997TT we had a C4S X51 great car but not a patch on the turbo[
]
I am not sure about insurance costs but I would guess there is not much in it between the two. Use one of the online insurance comparison sites to compare.
As for running costs, I don't think they will be far apart. Apart from servicing which might be a couple of hundred more than a C4S for the Major (24k) Services, the main costly wear and tear parts on these cars such as tyres, brakes, rads etc are the same on both cars.
Insurance on a Turbo is usually cheaper than a Carrera. The only major difference in servicing is spark plugs. 24000 intervals on a Turbo, and it is a 5 hour job to change them. Other than that, and a slightly higher fuel consumption, there isn't much difference in running costs.
boggie
New member
Insurance was about 20% more for me because my insurance company loaded me due to the X50 option. My average MPG is the same as one of my guy's 997 C2 but if I drive it hard I am sure I will be using more fuel than him. Big plus for me is the fact that the 996 Turbo uses a different engine than the non-turbo cars. It is based upom the GT1 LeMans engine which is effectively the air cooled motor with a water jacket so no IMS issues! Compare how many reports you can find non-turbo engines destroying themselves against turbos. I did a quick search and found countless 996 and 997 C2/C4 engine threads on various forums, I only saw one Turbo demise and that was due to abuse. That was the clincher for me (apart from driving the Turbo of course) as I plan to keep it a while and didnt have a spare £12K+ to put aside just in case.
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Gordon Attar
New member
Regarding servicing, std 24k 996 service at Northways is £285+v. Turbo is £425 +v which is about 2 hours extra labour allowing £20 for the plugs.
I believe the book time is 4-5 hours, but I'll look it up when I get to my PC tomorrow. You have to remove the rear PU and the intercoolers, to get to the coil packs and plugs. Definitely more than two hours, so I suspect that Northway subsidise it to an extent. My indy charges £265/£425 for Carrera/Turbo for a 24k.
Edit: Book time is 350 Porsche Time Units, or 3 1/2 hours, in English:
Edit: Book time is 350 Porsche Time Units, or 3 1/2 hours, in English:
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