1992 Porsche 911 (964) Carrera 4

Picture the scene. A summer’s day in 1992. One very lucky person, excitedly making their way to Porsche dealer AFN in Guilford Surrey, there to pick up their shiny new Carrera 4 Cabriolet.

We like the spec they chose. Moody black paint, a manual gearbox and all-wheel drive, so much better for all year round use.

Fast forward to 2001, the car having passed through the hands of four other individuals, and our seller became the car’s long-term custodian.

He and his wife have enjoyed the car, but over the last few years the car has not been getting used a great deal, so the time has come for it to find a new home. It will be sorely missed.

The car has been properly maintained during our seller’s ownership and has been subject to much recent expense, thus (hopefully) ensuring many trouble-free miles for the car’s new owner.

The 87,000 miles covered is modest for a car that is almost 30 years old, and it undoubtedly now ready for exciting new adventures.

Black cars never go out of fashion, and we think the colour rather suits the 911 Cabrio.

A matching black roof is fitted, powered of course, so no excuse for not dropping the roof as soon as the sun shines. We suspect the roof may well be the original and if so, it has worn rather well. The Perspex rear screen is reasonably uncreased too.

Black is a notoriously unforgiving colour, marking easily and showing up any imperfections. There are a few we should mention. The front end sports the usual collection of stone chips, almost unavoidable in a performance car.

The rear bumper has some areas of crazing and a few scratches but respraying this area would not be a difficult task.

We also note a rust spot, just forward of the windscreen close to the windscreen wiper arms. This warrants some attention.

On the whole though, the paint still has a deep lustre to it, thanks in no small part to the car being garaged and protected from the elements when not in use.

Porsche builds their cars properly and therefore it is no surprise to see neat shut lines and hear doors that sound with a reassuring thunk!

The five spoke alloy wheels fill the arches rather well. Continentals Sport Contact tyres are fitted, all with plenty of tread. We always like to see premium tyres fitted to performance cars, as to our mind this shows careful and considered ownership.

If we are totally honest, we do come across some rather lurid Porsche interiors. Not so here as our seller chose to fully retrim the 911’s some four years ago.

A professional trimmer was charged with redoing all the seats, the door panels and central console amongst other things and what a lovely job he made of it.

Now sumptuous black leather adorns the pews, with red piping adding just a splash of colour to what would otherwise be a rather sombre interior. Up front electric power ensures a perfectly comfortable driving position and let’s not forget the 911 is a four-seater. Well, when we say that, the rear seats are best suited to children or as an overflow area for luggage.

As one would therefore expect, all the retrimmed areas are in excellent condition, the car having been little used since the work was carried out.

The carpets were also replaced at the same time. The total bill for all the work, money well spent in our opinion, was a heady £6,400.

We do note that the underside of the hood is worn in places and the face of the oil pressure gauge is in poor condition. Time to trawl eBay for a replacement.

The front boot is nicely carpeted and houses a space-saver spare and a simple tool kit. It is more spacious than it looks.

We always include a raft of photographs of a car’s underside and that is exactly the case here. Other than the expected surface dirt, we are mightily impressed. As is so often the case with convertible cars, they are often put away into winter hibernation which saves them from the ravages of salty and wet roads.

The engine compartment too looks to be in decent nick with no signs of anything untoward. History here is paramount as these engines do need proper care and maintenance to function properly. From what we can tell, this motor has been cared for and when the roof is down, the roads empty, that wonderful flat six sound can be really enjoyed.

The C4 Cabriolet covered most of its miles in its earlier life, doing just 10,000 miles in our seller’s hands.

The service book therefore contains a multitude of dealer stamps and then some from specialists.

What should concern the would-be buyer is the car’s recent history and here we have much to report, our seller always wanting to make sure the car was in tip top order.

A recurrent advisory mark on the MoT history was for a small oil leak and so in June of this year our seller bit the bullet and had the work carried out. As he suspected, this was no easy job as the engine and gearbox had to come out.

The leak was fixed and when reassembling, new gaskets, bolts etc were of course used. The cost of the work, around £3,600. Worth doing though.

More work was carried out in August by the Porsche main dealers in Tonbridge, a problem with the ABS pump having reared its head. This was replaced at a cost of £3,384.

The car was MoTed at the same time and there is a raft of old certificates in the paperwork which confirm the car’s mileage.

With the car also is the car’s manual and original warranty and maintenance books.

This is a properly cared for and cherished 911, one that has been subject to much recent expense. Presented in an attractive colour combination and with an excellent specification, this is a car to buy with both the head and the heart.

Lower the roof, fire up that sonorous motor and go! Head-turning looks, an excellent turn of speed and reasonable mid-20s economy are the order of the day.

The manual gearbox is undoubtedly the enthusiast’s choice and with all wheel drive, this 911 need not be confined to the garage in the winter, excellent traction being available whatever the weather.

So, if you want to catch the last rays of sunshine in appreciating classic, then may we suggest placing a bid without delay.

We estimate the car will sell for between £40,000 and £60,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.