gerry100

Of course, the 06 BoxsterS I'm considering has a July05 build date. That's a sub clause of Murphys' law.

I assume or hope your contacts mean 06MY cars which would mean a good many cars built in 05.

Sandiegan

So is the 986S from 04 as likely to have IMS issues as an 05 987S? Or is one better than the other.

THXBABE

Did you straight up laugh at the mechanic when he said ALL pre-2005 IMS' fail eventually???? What the heck kind of statement is that.

As Macster how many miles his Box has on it and how many IMS failures he has had.

This IMS thing is certainly an issue. A known weakness in the car that Porsche should have corrected.

But I also think a lot of the rhetoric surrounding the issue borders on the ridiculous.

The fact is NO ONE knows what the failure rate is and which cars are more likely to fail.

Pick a car you like, buy it, drive the snot out of it and enjoy the heck out of it

racer

No bearing will ever last "a lifetime".. They all wear out eventually.. some wear out sooner than others. A friends 2000S with 64K miles just failed.

Some say higher mileage cars are less of a concern because the car has been subjected to constant usage.. that a lower mile car that has been sitting, more than driving, is more at risk. I am inclined to agree, but untill I can afford a Gen II (DFI) 987 or 997, I am staying out of it

Macster

Just about to roll over to 230K miles and still on original engine, IMS bearing, and even clutch.

However, more than one Porsche tech has told me that engine failure is almost a given with these engines. They are taken aback a bit when I mention the miles I've put on the car and its engine with no serious (thankfully) engine troubles (just AOSs (2), water pump (1) with some 02 sensors and one MAF in there somewhere) but the techs still insist it is not a question of IF but only WHEN the engine wil let go, I guess from IMS bearing or possibly some other area.

However, this is true of any engine. Rarely if ever does an engine just slowly reach a point where it no longer runs, where it reaches a point where it dies a quiet death.

At some point a mechanical component will likely fail. Could be an IMS bearing, in the case of the Boxster engine. But it could be a rod bearing or a main bearing, or a rod bolt, or a piston pin, or a chain guide, a cam chain link, a valve spring, a valve or valve retainer, or any one of the countless critical components that make up an engine.

The hope is though that this "sudden" death occurs at some ripe old age. I do so hope my Boxster's engine keeps on running without any troubles but should it fail tomorrow I'd not feel to put out. I've owned other cars and while the engines have not failed, I've had to rebuild them way before they reached 230K miles.

Regardless, I have had good luck with my Boxster and it has been the best car ever I have owned. The service I have received from the the majority of Porsche dealerships I have used over the years has been the best service ever. (I could tell you horror stories about the service I've received from other car brand dealers...)

While I can't promise anyone his experience with his Boxster will be as good as mine getting a car in good condition and giving it good and regular service (mainly oil/filter services -- my cars get their oil/filter changed every 5K miles) and just driving the car regularly should see the car last as long as you want it to.

Sincerely,

Macster.

00r101

Does either car have a documented service history? Given that they are close in mileage and year, I would decide on the following:
1 if one has been in an accident
2 Give both cars a thorough test drive. If either dealer balks at letting you drive the car, walk away.
3 How many owners
4 Service history
5 Is it begin sold by the same dealer it was sold and serviced it?