2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4

‘It’s only had three owners and we understand it’s been garaged all its life,’ Says the owner. ‘We bought it off the last owner. He’d had it two years and only done 200 miles in it.’ The ‘we’ he talks about are himself and other members of the family who have a small collection of cars and run a garage business - so they’re well placed to know which cars they like and how good they are. ‘I really love it, it’s a great car to drive,’ he adds with a tell-tale smile; ‘but we’re just not using it that much, so we’ve decided to let it go.’

Just you remind you - the ‘4’ in Carrera 4 is of course four wheel-drive. Handy if you’re going be using on tricky roads - or in bad weather (though this has largely been a dry weather car). It’s also a six-speed manual - how a ‘911’ should be.

As well as being generally fettled at the garage, the Porsche was treated to a new power steering pump and attendant hoses as there was a leak on the original one. It also has new Pirelli P Zeros on the back wheels. The private plate P11 DRF stays with the car.

This is a good-looking car in a great colour combination - black over grey - and the paintwork stands up well to close inspection. The metallic black retains a good shine over the whole of the car; there is no evidence of touch-ups or respraying and the finish remains consistent across all panels and materials. What’s more, that deep gloss is maintained all the way to the bottom of the sills and under the doors, where the metal is corrosion-free and the rubber/plastic trim still very much intact. The nose is gravel rash-free.

Although a relatively low mileage car, a near two-decade lifespan offer plenty of chances for a car to deteriorate - not least in the accumulation of dirt in hidden-away places. That has not happened here. Peering into door cavities (with their attendant ducting and hinges) or under the rear spoiler when raised, you will find clean spaces, showing no signs of corrosion, nor creaking when moved. (By the way; that tail fin raises and lowers as it should, either automatically, or at your bidding via a switch in the cabin).

Further inspecting the doors - and that tail fin - you’ll notice that everything fits very snugly back into place when closed, and that all those quite complex curves still run smoothly panel to panel. The gaps between surfaces and still consistent and narrow. Also very satisfying is the close fit of different materials - front apron to body panels to window frames to glass - everything retaining that architectural and colour cohesion. There has been no serious degradation in materials, nor the way they bond.

There are of course, small imperfections - the edge of the metal in front of the plastic sill cover on the passenger door footwell, and another edge just inside the bonnet on the driver’s side (very tiny points), and the car may not have a concours finish if you look close, but it is very solid and very presentable.

he Porsche’s light grey interior gives a good overall impression. The lighter ones are not always the easiest to maintain in terms of fading/discolouration but this one is doing very well. Of course, stains would show up easily too, but both the leather and the carpets are free of any serious blemishes, and the headlining too is very clean.

The leather itself feels supple. There is some little creasing to the outer seat bolsters, but nothing that detracts from the overall look of the cabin. The perforated/ribbed centre panels are similarly good, with one or two small ‘impressions’ in the back of the passenger seat. Stitching is very good.

There are some chips to the grey plastic here and there - through to the black beneath - on the driver’s side of the transmission tunnel, likely where the seatbelt buckle has hit it, and around the seat controls on the passenger side. There are also a couple of scuffs around the lock barrel and a couple around the 12v power socket (cigarette lighter), but all other switches on the centre console are very tidy. The steering wheel shows some slight visible colour difference (if you look long enough) - inner to outer rim - but no scratches or ragged stitching. Likewise, the gear stick shows no scuffs from rings or fingernails, and sits in a tightly stitched leather gaiter that is free of debris and dirt.

As mentioned, the carpets bordering the tunnel and down into the foot wells (and on the door bottoms too) show a good pile and are very neat - a good vacuum will help. Looking into the driver’s footwell, the panel that houses the battery cover and rear spoiler switch is a little warped. The mats are quite presentable.

The leather and carpets of the rear bucket seats are in excellent condition (does anyone ever sit in 911 rear seats?) They fold down easily and the carpets on the resulting luggage platform are likewise very tidy.

With only 40,000 driven over its 17-year life, the Porsche is reassuringly very straight underneath. The underside has taken a light sandblasting over the years, and there is surface rust on some parts - ostensibly the exhaust. The alloy suspension parts look to be in good shape - all arms and wishbones straight - and everything looking like it could easily be tweaked or replaced without breaking out the gas torch and sledgehammer. Brakes look very decent - from both sides - and the alloy wheels look very good, with only one or two small blemishes. The Pirelli P-Zeros have a lot of life in them. (Back ones are very new). Floor pans obscure (and protect) much of the underside from view. These are themselves in good order, mounted squarely on good bolts, and showing no gouges or worrying scrapes. Understandably, the underside of the chin spoiler has a few scrapes - speed bumps are hard to avoid in these cars. The underside of the engine is clearly visible, and there are no signs of any leaks dripping down.

Moving round into the engine bay itself, everything looks very clean and tidy. There is more black plastic than there used to be on 911s, but this remains the deepest black, with no cracks or evidence of warping or fatigue. That goes for the fan cowlings too and the undertray of the engine cover/rear spoiler.

All hoses, wires and cable ducting is supple and clean. There is a light covering of dust, but nooks and crannies (there are plenty of those in a Porsche’s engine bay) haven’t been allowed to collect grease and grime. This could easily be the engine bay of a five year-old car.

Both the engine cover and the front lid raise and shut smoothly, and the battery compartment and luggage space in the nose are clean and tidy.

Much of the available history comes from early in the car’s life. (The stamped service book remains with the car but wasn’t available to view at the time of photographing.) The car appears to have been serviced within the Porsche Dealer network through to 2009. The MOT history appears very clean and there appears to be a comprehensive handbook pack with the car.

It’s worth bearing in mind that recently the car has been part of a small collection owned by a garage-owning family, most of whom are pretty competent mechanics. ‘It’s had what its needed, when it needed it,’ sums up the vendor.

This one presents a slightly tricky case, mainly in the fact that most potential Porsche owners would like to see more history. That said, it has been owned by mechanics, and a walk around the car suggests it’s a solid, well cared-for example (note that the writer of this listing was also the photographer of the car). Also on its side of course is the colour scheme, relatively low mileage and Carrera 4 potency.

So we’re balancing all that to come up with a value somewhere between £16,000 and £20,000.

Someone wanting a perfect Sunday car (to polish) may find a few too many niggles mainly on the inside, but someone looking for a very tidy ‘working’ sports car will be pleased - especially after they’ve driven it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Also, localized paint repairs are common with collectable and classic cars and if they have been professionally carried out then they may be impossible to detect, even if we see the car in person. So, unless we state otherwise, please assume that any vehicle could have had remedial bodywork at some point in its life.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.