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The 996 Porsche 911 C4S generated a healthy discussion a few weeks ago when I looked at a very nice 2002 in Miami that surprisingly is still for sale. Wouldn’t you know it, another 2002 happened to pop up for sale and as you can see, this one has a splash of color on it. However, this example for sale in California isn’t as nice as the silver car from a few weeks back. This Speed Yellow C4S has almost 160,000 miles on it and by the looks of it, they were very hard miles. Still, Speed Yellow with matching hard back seats and a painted center console? Tough to overlook. And what if I told you that you could buy this car for under $20,000?
In my opinion, in terms of dollar for dollar value, there is no better Porsche 911 than the 996 Carrera 4S. It has all the looks of the 996 Turbo, but for about half the price. In terms of reliability, as long as you take care of the boogie man IMS bearing, these cars are solid. Inside, you can go as tame or as crazy as you want, as the “special requests” just started to gain traction with the rise of the interior in the early 2000s. Today’s car, a 2002 up for sale in Miami, is just about perfect in terms of the whole package. Arctic Silver over black, full carbon fiber trim, and some H&R lowering springs to get rid of the pesky wheel gap. Sign me up.
I don’t know about you, but I love white cars. Not cream, not pearl, but as white as the giant glaciers in the Swiss alps. Well wouldn’t you know, I just happened to stumble across a 1997 Porsche 911 CS2 painted in none other than Glacier White. It has everything has everything to that made the 993 so great and then some. Widebody rear end, 18″ Turbo Twists, painted hardback sport seats, matching white gauges, and more. Even better, this example has just 58,000 miles. Everything is perfect then, right? To a lot of people, not so much. Let me explain.
Between 1974 and 1977, Porsche produced 1,633 of its Carrera 2.7 MFI models. This was a follow-up to the legendary 911RS model and carried over much of the look and suspension, along with the punch of the 911/83 2.7 flat-6 rated at 210 horsepower into the G-Body impact bumper models. Though not as valuable as the original 911RS (a good example of which will set you back about $700,000 today), the equally limited ‘Euro Carrera’ MFI cars aren’t exactly cheap. You’re still looking at ponying up between $150,000 and $200,000 for a decent example. Cheap compared to the 911RS, yes, but firmly in wish-land for most.
But there’s a solution for the enthusiast. Ryan Snodgrass has produced an extensive history of the model in his work Carrera 2.7. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the Limited Edition version of the book as an early Christmas present. And opening the box was just like it was that gift-giving holiday morning; a let out an audible ‘whoa’ as I lifted the hefty tome from its packaging. The presentation is outstanding; a stark black cover with immediately recognizable bright shades of the early Porsches underscoring that iconic silhouette.
A few months back I went over the pro and cons of a wood inside a modern Porsche 911 when I took a look at a 2006 Carrera S with the rare Makassar Package. What that meant is there was a significant amount of wood trim on much of the interior. Personally, I loved it as it was a nice change from the usual amount of leather covering almost everything. I even really embrace the wood because as long as it doesn’t crack, it wears much better than leather and isn’t subject to showing dirt nearly as easily. I must not be the only one who feels this way as the wood inserts didn’t stop when transitioning to the 991 chassis.
This 2013 C4S up for sale in New Jersey is finished in a lovely shade of Dark Blue Metallic with the factory aero kit. Inside, Yachting Blue leather, yes, Yachting Blue, covers almost everything and the car is also equipped with the Mahogany interior package. Porsche, Yachting, and Mahogany wood. Nothing like playing to your demographic.
