Hi all, if all goes according to plan i'll be picking up an 02 c2 with 100k miles on it. The current owner doesnt have proof the ims bearing has been replaced so at the moment the assumption is that will need to get done. I'm in the Los angeles area and hoping someone can recommend an affordable/reputable shop with lots of ims jobs successfully completed.

Also any things i should look out for when test driving the car?

any recommended mods? Initial plans are gundo exhaust mod, then wheels/seats and look into gt3 suspension parts. Buying as a canyon carver/occasional track car.

 

Pre-purchase inspection for bore scoring!!!!

 

is there any other way to detect this apart from a scope?

 

Yes definitely get a PPI from a legit porsche mechanic/shop. The couple hundred dollars to inspect with bore scope may save you 10s of thousands later. Or it will give you the confident and peace of mind to purchase it. Hopefully they have service records and you get an idea of how well maintained it was and can plan for what will need to be done in the future.
For the test drive, listen real closely for engine and suspension noise. Take a close look at the engine bay to make sure you don't see any leaks. Look under the car for any fluid or moisture. Run through all the gears to make sure it's smooth. Run the ac and heater.

But most importantly, get the PPI and trust the mechanic.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

Best to have the pan dropped and bore scope from behind the pistons. This is more expensive, but a much, much better way to determine the cylinder wall condition.

As for mods, I would keep that cash in the bank for now until you fully understand what you have. Things go wrong on a 20 year old car and you can't expect even a thorough inspection to find everything that can possibly happen in the future. Keep a slush fund and expect the unexpected.

 

is it really that unreliable? I had a 997.2 for a year without issue. But this is truly a weekend car. We're talking 1-2k miles a year

 

I would have 8k sitting around for the first few months of ownership. PPI wont find everything. You'll hear a weird sound and realize you have a throw out bearing thats shot or a flywheel wearing out, youll have a coolant leak somewhere, AOS will crap out. expansion tank will crack.

I wouldnt call them inherently unreliable, but if its 20 years old, and NONE of the usual big ticket items have been hit (IMS, RMS, Coolant tank, AOS) then I might.

 

the funniest part about pcar ownership is that in a lot of ways it's cheaper to own a f-car from the same era.
even more funny is how people have normalized the idea of spending 30-40k on a M96.0 rebuild

 

Huh?

 

It's a 20-year old car with 100K miles with previous owners you don't know.

It won't matter to the car if it's driven on a Saturday or a Sunday. You can still have a major failure with the engine and a potential a $30K bill. It happens more often than you would like to think. Not every car, but go roll the dice.

I am simply suggesting a comprehensive PPI to minimize the risk and never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

 

On a 3.6, I would definitely get a borescope inspection. If only for peace of mind. Ideally from the bottom end.

 

is there anything that can be done for the bore scoring issue? Is it the result of overrevs? Sorry, was aware the ims was more or less a must, this is the first time i'm hearing about bore scoring. I'll read up on this a bit more.

 

the tl.dr about bore scoring is that it tends to cluster with poor maintenance habits (long oil intervals) and environment/behavior (short trips in cold weather for example).

only remedy is rebuild

 

I'm halfway across the country, but I know where I would take mine if I were paying to have someone replace my IMS bearing.
They're well known in the Porsche world, including the 996.

https://www.callasrennsport.com/

Callas Rennsport
19080 Hawthorne Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90503
310-370-7038

 

Yes, check out the "stickies" in the 996 forum.

They can be excellent cars when sorted out, but you don't want to go into this blind.