I have not seen the car in person, but it's a 2005 6 speed, white exterior, black interior.

$30K

It would be a drive for me to get to the dealership, but from what I've gathered online, this is a fine price if the car doesn't have any major flaws.

 

How many miles?

 

Sorry...56K miles. 3 total owners. Autocheck score is 87.

 

Not if the IMS/RMS/Clutch needs doing. I got mine for 27.5k private sales and then did the IMS/RMS/Clutch. Work them down if it needs the work otherwise if its clean then not bad.

 

From what I have gathered the cheapest Porsche is always the most expensive Porsche. If it really is a great deal it will be gone within 48 hours. You need to see it in person and you must get an independent PPI.

 

C2, C4, C2S, or C4S? $30k at 56k miles can be good or bad, really depends on the inspection and what it needs (if anything).

 

Here is the car: https://www.kenvance.com/vehicle-det...wi-id-30276156

They are replacing the tires and brake pads/rotors. I can only assume the IMS bearing is original. They've sent me pix of the interior, which looks to be in excellent condition.

 

Post the interior pics. We can tell you a lot of the options with a view of the dash and interior.

 

Here you go...

2005 Porsche Carrera Coupe

Division:
PCNA
Commission #:
546549




Prod Month:
2005-02-01
VIN:
WP0AA29945S717494
Price:
$76,965.00 (When New)

Exterior:
Carrara White
Interior:
Sea Blue Standard Leather
Warranty Start:
September 06, 2005

Additional Equipment

BASE
Porsche Base Model
342
Heated Front Seats
407
19" Sport Design Wheel
446
Wheel Caps with Colored Crest
640
Sport Chrono Package Plus
680
Bose High End Sound Package
B4
Carrara White Top
FB
Sea Blue Standard Leather
M6B
Sea Blue Floor Mats
P74
Bi-Xenon Headlamp Package
X54
Stainless Steel Exhaust Pipes

 

I think the big question with this car is which IMS bearing it has. The early small one or the later "improved" bigger one? The early small one had a higher failure rate than the later bigger one but is much easier and cheaper to upgrade to what may not be fail proof but far better than Porsche's own improved version based on what I've read here and elsewhere. Problem with Porsche's bigger improved IMS is that although few and far between, there are still failures reported and with the big bearing failure you're basically left with a roller since the engine has to be split to fix it. With the car you're looking at, failure of the bigger bearing if that's what it has would result in repair costs approaching the value of the car.

Should be added that between all the polls I've seen (and there's been plenty of them) the total IMS failure rate for 997's is only around 6%, most of them in early 2005's so no matter what, the odds are on your side. Here's a current longstanding one on RL with a 6.34% failure rate: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...re-mode-8.html

Probably comes down to risk tolerance all said.

 

Thanks for the info.

Sometime in the last few days, I came across either a web page or a forum thread where the different types of IMS bearings were described over the years, the failure rates of each (obviously an estimate), and how/if the bearing could be replaced and the cost to do it.

Was that on rennlist somewhere?

What I'd really like to know - which years would have the bearing that would cost a small fortune to replace?

 

Mid 2005 to 2098 have the larger bearing that should be considered not replaceable.

Find the thread The Bruce started about us making an ultimate 997.1 buyers guide as most everything you'll want to keno w us in there even though it hasn't been organized yet and made into a sticky.

I didn't see full leather in the options list, which is a deal breaker for me personally.

 

So, what is the general consensus on the preferred IMS type? Better to have the small bearing (pre-05) that has a higher failure rate but can be replaced, or the large bearing that fails less often, but if it does means a new engine?

 

Personally, I think the smaller, replaceable bearing is the best strategy, and change it when you buy the car to The IMS Solution, but both my 05s are late builds and have the larger bearing.

 

At 56k miles you are going to need a clutch soon so budget $2500 for the clutch and IMS. If they knock it down by that much it would be a good buy.

What concerns me is the yellowed rock guards. That means the car has sat outside for considerable time so I would check the paint closely. I also question the maintenance history if the prior owner let those go like that on a white car. They are only $100 to change.

And @Petza914 yea I will get some time on that guide this week over the next week.