Iceter

My observations:
Road noise is almost completely dictated by tires in these cars. They are not inherently noisy cars. High performance tires tend to get noisy with age and wear. Without knowing the type and age of tires on the car you drove, you can't really make a conclusion on ALL 997s.

19" wheels ride harder than 18". There is more sidewall on a tire on a base 18" wheel. S models come with 19" wheels.

My car is a 2009 C2 cabriolet. I have a couple rattles. There are a few noises that are common on these cars. The one you described doesn't sound typical. Common ones are rattles in the dash around the A pillars and the glove box. Those are not dependent on mileage. The seat latches rattle occasionally with age. My car has the glove box rattle and a quiet rattle in the passenger side door.

My car is a daily driver. I have a 10 mile commute to work every day on roads with a lot of construction. I am 50 and in good shape but I do appreciate a comfortable car. These cars are definitely reliable and comfortable enough to run as daily drivers. I have had very little trouble with my car. I bought it 7 years ago with 19k miles and I now have 81k miles on it.

I've done a brake job, put 2 batteries in it (these cars are hard on batteries) and had a door latch break ($25 part).

I do have some serious maintenance due now at 80k miles. I need new brakes, new shocks and a major service. I intend to keep this car for a long time.

As far as the IMS is concerned, you are probably ok with an '06.

Good luck in your search.

Vince Vincent

I was in a similar position, 2006 911 S. Great condition w/ 90k miles however only drive it 2-3 days a week (fun/weekend car). When I first drove I hated it, road noise a few interior quirks. But knew it just needed some love to make it "mine". Within the first month (I am 31 and enjoy changing a few things to my cars initially) I switched out some interior items (shift ****/boot/ebrake) and actually went to a more aggressive wheel/tire setup than stock. And it quieted the car down 10x as well as rode/handled better. I'm not a fan of 19's or the 35/30 serires tires but it looks great and rides well (Continental Summer tires, OZ Leggera HLT wheels) and for a pure sports car with 19's and 305/30's its quite comfortable. I actually find that driving with windows up, A/C on and in civilian mode to be quiet boring but really comforting, heated seats for the wife and we can roadtrip through most weather. But Im almost always windows down, sport mode on so yeah

KLS

What was it that quieted it down so much?

Vince Vincent

I assume it was the tires, mounting and balancing (original wheels, old tires). Once I installed the new OZ wheels (19x9 19x11) with new Continental tires and had it professionally rotated/mounted/balanced it rode 10x better, smoother, quieter and overall sharper...I also removed some aftermarket interior pieces and installed OEM Porsche stuff (GT3/997) parts and that helped the interior feel more crisp/comforting

rap

It took three tries. I was told that there was a suggestion of a new fix which included tape and lube. Service at your local dealer should be able to be more specific. This was not a home remedy.