996 turbo or 997C4S or 997 CS.
02-08-2014, 04:49 PM
#16
Not sure where the $30K comes from. Friend is having a '99 engine rebuilt right now--from a broken crank. (He's our BMWCCA Chief Instructor, ex Club Racer, and original owner of this car that's seen ~15 years of not-terribly hard track use). Going to run him $15K, retail from a shop that really isn't doing him any favors.
Anyway, haven't heard of anything even remotely catastrophic in the 9A1 engines. Have one good friend with a Porsche specialty shop, and another racer friend is lead mechanic at a Bay Area dealer + just came off of being PCA Tech Chair. Neither seems to be worried as these cars age.
Anyway, haven't heard of anything even remotely catastrophic in the 9A1 engines. Have one good friend with a Porsche specialty shop, and another racer friend is lead mechanic at a Bay Area dealer + just came off of being PCA Tech Chair. Neither seems to be worried as these cars age.
I went through this a millions times looking to build a 996-based track car, and ultimately backed off, as putting $15K into a $20K car just felt like jamming 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5 pound sack. Didn't make sense to me personally, but that's just me.
Neither here nor there...
The cars in question here are a 997 or a 996 turbo.
I think we are on the same track here, just on different trains... I'm just doing a "what-if" financial risk analysis to help a buying decision.
The $30K was pulled out of my rear-end as a worst-case scenario. The 10% failure rate on IMS was a documented worst-case scenario.
Taking these two, the expected risk of a worst-case engine failure on an out-of-warranty car is less than $3K.
IMHO, an immaterial risk when compared to a guaranteed loss of $50K of depreciation on a new car.
Disclaimer:....that said, anybody who buys a high-end car that is not under warranty has to be prepared to absorb a worst-case expense, however slight that risk may be.
But, personally, if I were looking to buy a nice road car for $50-60K, I'd buy a 997 Carrara S all day long and sleep like a baby.
02-09-2014, 12:13 AM
#18
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Why not buy the car you really want, say a 996/997.1 C4S and then spend another $1500 to replace the IMS bearing. I just bought a 2000 Boxster S as a track car for ridiculous money, did the IMS and now do not have to worry about the engine self destructing. It seems to me that since the IMS issue i.e. the major cause of engine failures in 996 and 997 is so well documented just spend the money to get it done and enjoy the car.
BTW I owned a 2002 996 turbo which is a great road car, but not really well suited to the track. A C4 or C4S would be all the HP one needs on the street or track.
BTW I owned a 2002 996 turbo which is a great road car, but not really well suited to the track. A C4 or C4S would be all the HP one needs on the street or track.
02-09-2014, 06:14 PM
#19
Why not buy the car you really want, say a 996/997.1 C4S and then spend another $1500 to replace the IMS bearing. I just bought a 2000 Boxster S as a track car for ridiculous money, did the IMS and now do not have to worry about the engine self destructing. It seems to me that since the IMS issue i.e. the major cause of engine failures in 996 and 997 is so well documented just spend the money to get it done and enjoy the car.
BTW I owned a 2002 996 turbo which is a great road car, but not really well suited to the track. A C4 or C4S would be all the HP one needs on the street or track.
BTW I owned a 2002 996 turbo which is a great road car, but not really well suited to the track. A C4 or C4S would be all the HP one needs on the street or track.
Since this is 911 Forum, not 996 Turbo Forum, I can say that having driven one on the track, I am not a fan of the 996 Turbo. Sure it's a great street car, but, honestly, who needs a 450hp 180MPH+ street car?
If you can find a nice 997 CS for similar money, IMHO it is a far superior car in almost every respect.