BlueE30

Hey guys and gals, just signed up, going to check out a 997 tomorrow and want to know what to look for now and what might come up as a weak point in the future.

From everything I've read, they are great cars and the 06+ don't have the IMS issue.

The car I'm checking out tomorrow is a 2007 with 43,000 kms and apparently has been serviced quite well. It's currently the owners of a local Mitsubishi dealership.

The plan with the car is to hopefully add forced induction to it in the near future, what do people choose for that and are these engines robust enough to handle forced induction for the long haul? Looking at the VF supercharge kit but also like the turbo kits out there.

Thank you for the help!

onsickm

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alwayswantedone

If I were you I'd just get a 997 turbo. I predict a lot of frustration, tons of $$$, and disappointing end result by going down the line of bastardizing an NA into something it wasn't intended to be. And, the market will be tiny or nonexistent if you ever want to resell and do the next thing.

BlueE30

Hmm that is what our local Porsche tuning shop said. The problem lies in the the fact that turbo's are next to impossible to find in Vancouver and cost about $40k more than the NA. Will look into the turbo's and if I can find one.

Thank you!

zaccers

Send me a PM and I can help you find a nice car here in Vancouver

BlueE30

PM sent! Thanks

ddhleigh

I'm having the same issue in Vancouver. I started looking nationwide. Got a quote for shipping from Ontario for $3k in an enclosed trailer recently. Incase you were interested and started to also look out east.

BlueE30

Thank you! May start looking down south though and driving one up. There ones turbo for sale now but it's $100k, can't justify that. They do come up locally but tough to find... reading more about forced induction for the 997 NA.

sandwedge

RL member Petza914 has a RUF Kompressor on his -05 997S. I can't recall reading any negative comments from him on that setup and he's had it for some time now.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...l#post11463137

Definitive Porsche Guides

I get the tuning thing, but personally would recommend spending the large extra stash of $$$ you would spend on a turbo upgrade (which you won't get back come resale) on getting a 2009+ gen-2 car

gtvr6

My $0.02 - After '06 (generally), the engine came with the larger bearing, which is sturdier and not known to fail as much as the smaller one (although there has been stories of the larger one failing too). The other difference is the larger bearing cannot be easily replaced without opening the case (as opposed to the smaller bearing which can be replaced as part of a clutch install).

I've attached a link that discusses when the switch over took place and some more stories: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...e-and-ims.html

Personally, if you're looking to add a turbo kit anyway, I'd consider just starting with a Turbo - that would eliminate any risk of the IMS bearing.

Just a thought.

alwayswantedone

Yeah, I hear ya. It takes some time to find a car sometimes. Took me more than 6 months to find my '07 S, a very common car, in a geography that has tons of them. Finally found the right one for me 1500 miles away. I don't know what's involved with import into Canada, but you might look in the Portland and Seattle areas...even LA... to greatly expand your base of cars if the regulations are not too ominous. The 997 turbos have kinda been considered a good "value" in terms of what you get for the $. As such, they seem to be in pretty high demand and the market has maintained commensurate values. As for the Porsche tuning shop's advice, I'd consider that a good source since they would stand to make you part with stacks of cash in your original scenario.

I'd never tell folks not to have fun and modify their car if that's their cup of tea. I just don't think the equation closes on this one in a fun way!

BlueE30

Yes I do hear you. Currently on the radar is a turbo 2007 that was just posted. It has 29,000 km and is just under $100k CDN. It appears mint, service records from the local Porsche dealership. Will update on the outcome.

alwayswantedone

That sounds about market ask to me ($80Kish USD) for that mileage in great condition. FWIW, there are a few for sale in that asking price ballpark here in Dallas at a well-known Porsche indy shop. The shop is generally pretty proud of their cars and ask prices are somewhat higher than what one might find on their own from a private sale search effort. However, most of them are cherry and need nothing. Worth it to some. Just a reference for ya!

BlueE30

That's great to hear and I appreciate you giving your opinion on pricing on it. There's only one other turbo around that is listed for the same price with 66,000 km (about 42k miles) and hasn't sold for months so I'm not really sure what market pricing on these is right now for a perfect one.

What's the name of the Indy shop? I'm located like 10 mins from the border, Bellingham airport is about a 20 minute drive for me and flights to the west(ish) area are easy and cheap cheap, wouldn't mind travelling for a mint one.