2005 SC430 or 2004 Porsche 911 (996) C2 Carrera Cabriolet
09-21-09, 10:06 PM
#16
few more pics...my buddy in houston says the interior is a 7.5/10 and the leather is no where near perfect, which doesn't scare me. I plan on adding the chrono package (red guages, red center console around shifter), red seat belts and get the seats reconditioned, so the interior will have a makeover.
What is really WHACK is that this car in 2004 has cd trays that you push a button to eject and you can store your cd in the dashboard!!!! WTF?
Also, the old school cd changer in the trunk is always fun when you are listening to Milli Vanilli CD and you have to get out of the car, pop the trunk and eject to change CD! The only thing better is if you were wearing your PEPE Jeans that day and combing your mullet with your big long comb you wear in your back pocket, he he he.
What is really WHACK is that this car in 2004 has cd trays that you push a button to eject and you can store your cd in the dashboard!!!! WTF?
Also, the old school cd changer in the trunk is always fun when you are listening to Milli Vanilli CD and you have to get out of the car, pop the trunk and eject to change CD! The only thing better is if you were wearing your PEPE Jeans that day and combing your mullet with your big long comb you wear in your back pocket, he he he.
09-22-09, 05:40 AM
#18
Intermediate
I bought my Por$che new so I didn't experience very many problems. Tires last 20K, brakes 35K. I just did brakes (New drilled rotors and pads F&R) for $330 on the SC430 plus my labor. I did it on my 911 for about $800 so you are going to see a big increase in maintenance. At 60K miles you had better have the clutch checked ($3,000 to replace, Flywheel,clutch and pressure plate). Check the convertible top for any wear or cuts ($3,000 to replace)
If you ever damage the convertible frame ($9,000 just for parts)!
Go talk to your insurance agent and get a quote first. Some agencies won't insure a Por$che. My insurance dropped by half going to the SC430.
The Por$che is a wonderful car. The problem is there are so few places to enjoy driving it. Driving it at 7/10ths or 8/10ths any SC430 can easily keep up with you. Top down 70MPH you can't hear the radio. Top up 70 MPH you can hear the radio but it will be so loud you can't talk to your passenger.
I would wonder about how the car was maintained to have the interior not at 10/10ths. They use very good leather in a Por$che. It doesn't usually fade or crack. If someone wasn't in love with their car and cleaned the interior and the leather every week, do you think they maintained the engine?
People drive their SC430's every day as a daily driver. You see them for sale with 100K plus miles on them and people that buy them would have no problem driving them across the country and back. Por$che's with 60K plus miles become garage queens. The maintenance is so high that the owners only take them out on sunny weekends. Very seldom are they used as daily drivers.
My best advice is you had better be able to set aside at least $300 a month each and every month to maintain this car. If it doesn't grab the $300 one month it will have grabbed all of the $3,600 by the end of the year.
A lot of the SC430 Parts are just Toyota parts. You , me and everyone else can afford to buy them. Por$che parts are just like BMW parts, made just for that specific car. That is why they can charge $1K for a replacement wheel if you bend one, $500 for the starter, $1K for the air-conditioning compressor. Don't spend the kids college fund just to have a Por$che. If you have $30K to spend I would just lease one for $1K a month and enjoy it for 3 years and walk away happy with no heartache.
If you ever damage the convertible frame ($9,000 just for parts)!
Go talk to your insurance agent and get a quote first. Some agencies won't insure a Por$che. My insurance dropped by half going to the SC430.
The Por$che is a wonderful car. The problem is there are so few places to enjoy driving it. Driving it at 7/10ths or 8/10ths any SC430 can easily keep up with you. Top down 70MPH you can't hear the radio. Top up 70 MPH you can hear the radio but it will be so loud you can't talk to your passenger.
I would wonder about how the car was maintained to have the interior not at 10/10ths. They use very good leather in a Por$che. It doesn't usually fade or crack. If someone wasn't in love with their car and cleaned the interior and the leather every week, do you think they maintained the engine?
People drive their SC430's every day as a daily driver. You see them for sale with 100K plus miles on them and people that buy them would have no problem driving them across the country and back. Por$che's with 60K plus miles become garage queens. The maintenance is so high that the owners only take them out on sunny weekends. Very seldom are they used as daily drivers.
My best advice is you had better be able to set aside at least $300 a month each and every month to maintain this car. If it doesn't grab the $300 one month it will have grabbed all of the $3,600 by the end of the year.
A lot of the SC430 Parts are just Toyota parts. You , me and everyone else can afford to buy them. Por$che parts are just like BMW parts, made just for that specific car. That is why they can charge $1K for a replacement wheel if you bend one, $500 for the starter, $1K for the air-conditioning compressor. Don't spend the kids college fund just to have a Por$che. If you have $30K to spend I would just lease one for $1K a month and enjoy it for 3 years and walk away happy with no heartache.
09-22-09, 06:14 AM
#19
Lead Lap
scdroptop, yep, the dealer is in Houston, SW area. They also have the 02 sc430 blue/tan 78kmi for $21k. I initially went there to check out the 02 sc430 before bought this 07 sc430. They have lots of high end cars there.
For the 04 Porsche, the tech is old school compare to the sc.
For the 04 Porsche, the tech is old school compare to the sc.
09-22-09, 07:48 AM
#20
Instructor
Insurance - I was stunned thwe '03 SC was more expensive to insure than the '09 Boxster. Difference was about $100 cheaper on the Boxster. Couldn't believe it.
09-22-09, 07:51 AM
#21
Instructor
few more pics...my buddy in houston says the interior is a 7.5/10 and the leather is no where near perfect, which doesn't scare me. I plan on adding the chrono package (red guages, red center console around shifter), red seat belts and get the seats reconditioned, so the interior will have a makeover.
What is really WHACK is that this car in 2004 has cd trays that you push a button to eject and you can store your cd in the dashboard!!!! WTF?
Also, the old school cd changer in the trunk is always fun when you are listening to Milli Vanilli CD and you have to get out of the car, pop the trunk and eject to change CD! The only thing better is if you were wearing your PEPE Jeans that day and combing your mullet with your big long comb you wear in your back pocket, he he he.
What is really WHACK is that this car in 2004 has cd trays that you push a button to eject and you can store your cd in the dashboard!!!! WTF?
Also, the old school cd changer in the trunk is always fun when you are listening to Milli Vanilli CD and you have to get out of the car, pop the trunk and eject to change CD! The only thing better is if you were wearing your PEPE Jeans that day and combing your mullet with your big long comb you wear in your back pocket, he he he.
09-22-09, 12:20 PM
#23
Intermediate
Yes an inspection at a dealership should be mandatory. There are too many high dollar things to repair that just don't show if you don't no where to look.
That could be the best money he ever spent.
That could be the best money he ever spent.
09-22-09, 02:36 PM
#24
Driver School Candidate
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H Norman52, by any chance have you had any over heating problem with that Jag ?
Im also amazed your tires lasted 20k miles, mine were gone by 12k, i guess its just the way the car is driven ,but that car holds the road so well you tend to wear out tires fairly quick..
i pretty much enjoyed driving the ones i've had hard
Im also amazed your tires lasted 20k miles, mine were gone by 12k, i guess its just the way the car is driven ,but that car holds the road so well you tend to wear out tires fairly quick..
i pretty much enjoyed driving the ones i've had hard
Last edited by mpx; 09-22-09 at 02:44 PM.
09-22-09, 04:49 PM
#25
Intermediate
LOL, I live in Seattle. Very seldom does it get warm enough to cause any kind of problems! But honestly no I have had very few problems. I maintain it and change the antifreeze every other year. It does have a coolant recovery tank which the early models didn't and I think that is the biggest feature that helps stop over heating. I put an electric fan on the TR4 and it doesn't have any problems either.
09-22-09, 04:51 PM
#26
Intermediate
PS: my hard driving days are long gone. Too many Officer Friendly's with Radar, laser, bears in the air. I just cruise and listen to tunes. I do miss the good old days of Seattle to Reno in 11 1/2 hours.
09-23-09, 03:14 PM
#27
Driver
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I was fortunate to own both the SC430 and a 00' 996 cab at the same time. I can tell you that the cab never gave me any problems during ownership but the thought of the motor blowing up scared the hell out of me. I sold the 911 and kept the SC430. Never had any regrets.
09-23-09, 10:55 PM
#28
wow, amazing. I could only dream to have both cars at the same time. Some of you guys really have it great, you know?
Yeah, the dependability, maint costs, insurance costs and rough ride are all major considerations along with the lack of tech.
Not to disrespect the 911's but this 2004 has worse tech and ergonomics than my 1992 SC400! I can't believe the cd changer is in the trunk and the cd holders in the dash!
I saw someone modded that whole entire ugly section of the porsche into a really sweet clarion CD/DVD/NAV unit that took up all of that space and looked somewhat OEM. Very very nice.
I also know of some nice mods that they typically had in what's called the "chrono" package which adds nice red guages, red seat belts and red center console that I would do to dress it up.
No doubt that this car is going to be more expensive to own than a SC, but for the price compared to a 2005 with low miles SC430...it's a steal. Might be a reason, though.
The rear main seal issue scares me too on porsches, Eddie.
The top is perfect. They put it up for him. The interior has lots of scratches on the interior door panel and it appears that perhaps a female getting in/out with heels might have caused that. Might explain the seat too...my wife would never consider cleaning her leather seats! LOL if it wasn't for me, they would have cracked a long time ago
Yeah, the dependability, maint costs, insurance costs and rough ride are all major considerations along with the lack of tech.
Not to disrespect the 911's but this 2004 has worse tech and ergonomics than my 1992 SC400! I can't believe the cd changer is in the trunk and the cd holders in the dash!
I saw someone modded that whole entire ugly section of the porsche into a really sweet clarion CD/DVD/NAV unit that took up all of that space and looked somewhat OEM. Very very nice.
I also know of some nice mods that they typically had in what's called the "chrono" package which adds nice red guages, red seat belts and red center console that I would do to dress it up.
No doubt that this car is going to be more expensive to own than a SC, but for the price compared to a 2005 with low miles SC430...it's a steal. Might be a reason, though.
The rear main seal issue scares me too on porsches, Eddie.
The top is perfect. They put it up for him. The interior has lots of scratches on the interior door panel and it appears that perhaps a female getting in/out with heels might have caused that. Might explain the seat too...my wife would never consider cleaning her leather seats! LOL if it wasn't for me, they would have cracked a long time ago
09-24-09, 11:57 AM
#29
I have neither an SC430 or a 911, but have been seriously considering a used SC430 for some time now (price range between $25k and $30k). Recently, however, I have been looking at Corvettes.
I was wondering if you had considered a C6 Corvette? They are faster than the 911, and, subjectively, they look awesome. A friend of mine recently bought a 2008 C6 with the Z51 handling package, and it is a really fast car (0-60 in somewhere around 4.3 secs; older C6s are around 4.5 0-60). The Corvette is also cheaper on maintenance, and likely more reliable than a 911. The interior on the C6 has been vastly improved over the C5. All in all, other than the snob factor (not being rude, just honest), I'm wondering what functionality a 2004 911 has over a 2005+ Corvette?
I mean, the SC430 is an altogether different car than the 911- basically, it's luxury/refinement/reliability vs speed. But when you compare a $29k 2004 911 to a $29k 2005+ Corvette, the functional differences are less obvious. The Corvette does almost everything better for the same price or less, including speed (which is one main purpose of a sports car).
I don't work for Chevy or anything; just wanted to point out another very capable car that may fit what you are looking for. And the stereotype of old bald men driving Corvettes applies equally to Porches, where I live anyway.
To answer your original question (kind of), I think it really depends on what you want- no one here really knows what you truly want. As mentioned above, and as others have posted, it's luxury/reliability vs speed. For me, I would choose the SC430 out of your two choices, mostly because of reliability/refinement and potentially ridiculous maintenance costs for the 911. But I may end up choosing a C6 over an SC430, probably for the fun factor (while the SC430 is more reliable, Corvettes are also very reliable).
I was wondering if you had considered a C6 Corvette? They are faster than the 911, and, subjectively, they look awesome. A friend of mine recently bought a 2008 C6 with the Z51 handling package, and it is a really fast car (0-60 in somewhere around 4.3 secs; older C6s are around 4.5 0-60). The Corvette is also cheaper on maintenance, and likely more reliable than a 911. The interior on the C6 has been vastly improved over the C5. All in all, other than the snob factor (not being rude, just honest), I'm wondering what functionality a 2004 911 has over a 2005+ Corvette?
I mean, the SC430 is an altogether different car than the 911- basically, it's luxury/refinement/reliability vs speed. But when you compare a $29k 2004 911 to a $29k 2005+ Corvette, the functional differences are less obvious. The Corvette does almost everything better for the same price or less, including speed (which is one main purpose of a sports car).
I don't work for Chevy or anything; just wanted to point out another very capable car that may fit what you are looking for. And the stereotype of old bald men driving Corvettes applies equally to Porches, where I live anyway.
To answer your original question (kind of), I think it really depends on what you want- no one here really knows what you truly want. As mentioned above, and as others have posted, it's luxury/reliability vs speed. For me, I would choose the SC430 out of your two choices, mostly because of reliability/refinement and potentially ridiculous maintenance costs for the 911. But I may end up choosing a C6 over an SC430, probably for the fun factor (while the SC430 is more reliable, Corvettes are also very reliable).
Last edited by nkx1; 09-24-09 at 12:12 PM.
09-24-09, 12:03 PM
#30
Intermediate
Trouble with Corvettes is the interior sucks. Chevrolet uses the cheapest, thinnest leather they can find. Go try and find a Corvette with 100K on it and the seats will either be completely trashed or will have been redone. Same goes for the carpet.
Don't get me wrong, they are a great car but when you aren't driving them like a sports car and you are just cruising the squeaks, rattles and just lack of luxury will start to disappoint. The Por$che isn't any more luxurious but the interior just doesn't fall apart.
Don't get me wrong, they are a great car but when you aren't driving them like a sports car and you are just cruising the squeaks, rattles and just lack of luxury will start to disappoint. The Por$che isn't any more luxurious but the interior just doesn't fall apart.