2000 Porsche 911 (996) Carrera 4

Jon, the current owner of this Carrera 4 Cabriolet Tiptronic, was hoping to keep it in his fleet along with the handsome silver Jaguar XKR that you can also see up for sale on The Market right now, but it’s time for a shakeout. His loss could be your gain. 

The car presents very smartly in its Arctic Silver metallic paint, red leather interior and (recently renewed) black hood. The mileage of 96,000 is supported by a healthy parcel of paperwork.  

On a very nippy January day the cold-engine idle was bang on for this model at around 750rpm and the battery was charging correctly. 

This 996 proudly wears the personal registration G11 MRL, which you might be pleased to hear, is included with the sale of the car.

As always we encourage potential bidders to view the car themselves, by clicking the "Contact Seller" button.

Overall the silver paintwork presents itself exceedingly well, and the current owner has had the front and rear bumpers resprayed due to inevitable stonechips. Unfortunately the front bumper does have a handful of microblisters - please see photos in the gallery section. The sides and rear of the car are silky smooth and ripple-free, a credit not just to Porsche but also to the previous owners for managing to keep the 911 away from one-to-one contact with other vehicles. 

The Turbo alloy wheels are in good condition, but if you are very particular, one has light bubbling and another a light scuff on the rim. The Bridgestone Potenza tyres look to have plenty of life left in them.  

This Cab’s roof was replaced around five or six years ago by a good quality hood featuring the desirable heated glass rear window rather than the standard (and easily creased) plastic item. Jon assures us that the roof fabric is unmarked, and that any marks you may think you may be seeing in the pics are down to the damp British weather on the day of photography. As you’d expect, the electric lowering and raising function operates perfectly.

The vendor tells us that everything works and generally the inside of this 996 presents itself beautifully - a testament to German quality materials and finish. Please also note that the colour in the photographs is more strongly 'red' than it is in reality - the 'real' colour is more akin to an old-fashioned baseball glove.

Although the steering wheel would benefit from some recolouring to bring it back to the original factory look, the leather on the door cards and electrically adjustable seats has worn itself in well with no visible cracks or nicks. 

The factory overmats have done a good job of protecting the carpets too, and one unexpected bonus of the Tiptronic automatic transmission is that the driver’s heelpad has come through nearly two decades of use with only minimal scuffing.

Even the best German convertibles can suffer from cabin damp, but we saw no obvious evidence of any of that here when taking the photos.

Scrabbling around on the ground may seem like an undignified sort of pursuit to some, but it’s pretty much essential for anyone considering the purchase of a 10-year old car, let alone this near-20 year old one. 

Fortunately, in this case you’ll be rewarded for your knee-dampening exploits as the underside of this 996 is heartwarmingly clean, with just a few of the panel fixing and exhaust hanger bolts showing some signs of perfectly acceptable oxidisation. 

The days of being able to view Porsche’s classic boxer engine in all its glory are long gone, but the parts you can see are dry and tidy and you can hear the engine running in a reassuringly healthy-sounding fashion in our video. The engine bay is clean, as is the surprisingly useful front luggage area, beneath which is an unused space saver wheel/tyre. 

We have visited the car for photography, the only criticism we spotted was a weak gas strut failing to hold up the engine bay lid.

In anticipation of your questions, we can see no evidence that the renowned IMS bearing issue has been addressed here, but the vendor assures us no symptoms are evident with the car.

This car comes with a satisfyingly large wodge of paperwork, which suggests that a goodly amount of care has been put in by previous owners. The service book has nine stamps from Porsche main dealers or marque specialists, and from a local garage who did some brake pipe work and replaced two cooling radiators and two airconditioning radiators. They also serviced the car last July, when the MOT fell due.

Having checked the car's consistent registration and "very appropriate" VIN No, we fail to understand why MOT testers have seen fit to move the car model around - indicating that they may want to book themselves in at Specsavers (other High Street opticians are available). The only advisory note was for a worn nearside front tyre, which may have been renewed since then. 

In 2015 the aircon was regassed, the airflow meter was replaced, the cam actuator stripped and cleaned and an alarm fault rectified. Many parts were replaced in 2016, including a window regulator and a CV gaiter. The exhaust/cat system was split and resealed, and a water leak was traced back to the water pump, which was replaced. Some surging and poor gearchanging was noted in 2016. This was tracked down to a fluid leak and was properly put right. 

Chassis work in 2017 included a new lower suspension arm, track rod ends and tie rods and a four-wheel alignment. A dropping window was fixed in that same year. 

There’s a 2006 £31,995 bill of sale for the car, when it had recorded 49,000 miles, and another one from 2015 when the price was £13,000. Porsche’s leather document wallet is present, as are the driver’s manual and warranty book. 

Please don't let this lengthy list of work scare you off - it should mean this car's previous owners have cared for the car and carried the necessary work needed to keep it running at its best and should be the type of buyer you'd want to buy a car from.

Built on an engineering proposition of the highest standards, the 911 has always delivered characterful, accessible and fuel-efficient performance, and the 996 model represents a significant milestone in 911 history as the company’s first liquid-cooled multivalve car. 

In its latest 2019 iteration, the 911 has been given the once-optional wide-body look as a default style. Some may find that will reduce the car’s usability in tight urban environments. It’s popular to criticise the 996 for its Marmite front-end look, but our prediction is that smaller 911s like this will gain favour the the passage of time. As 996 numbers inevitably dwindle, it’s also entirely possible that the values of sorted examples will be tugged upwards towards the air-cooled 993 models. 

In terms of affordability, the 993 train left the station some time ago, but 996s like this Carrera 4 can still be picked up for sensible money. This Tip Cab could be your first step on the 911 ladder, with an estimate of only £10,000 - £13,000: the 996 really is the performance car bargain of the current time. But for the bargain to become real, you always need to buy one which has received considerable care and good service history....

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Worcester; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.