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New To Me 997.1 Purchase Experience, Work So Far, and a Few Questions
Hello Rennlist!
I'm a new forum member, but not technically new to the brand. I had a 944 Turbo back in the 90s. I switched vehicles and didn't buy back into Porsche until recently.
A little about me:
I consider myself handy when it comes to cars. I recently built a 408 stroker motor for my (former) daily driver '88 Bronco. Due to a faulty distributor gear a chunk of metal got caught in the cam gear and cracked my block. I'll be rebuilding that motor over the next few months so I needed a car. I tend to keep my vehicles for a long time, so I wanted something fun, reliable, and easy enough to work on. I've always been a fan of the 911, but I was never in a position to purchase one until recently. I did some homework and began my search. I finally landed on an early 997.1.
The Purchase:
I had looked at several vehicles but none of them were quite what I wanted. They either had spotty service records, leaks, or were overall rough. When I found this car it was listed at a major Infinit dealership as a trade. I drove over and spoke with a sales rep who I ended up getting along with quite well. I drove the car, inspected the records, put it on a lift and had a look at it. Overall I was pretty happy with it, but there were some gaps in the service records I wasn't thrilled with. It looked like the car's original owner took maintenance quite seriously and had done everything at the dealership by the book, on the mile. The second owner moved it into a metropolitan area where it's pretty tough to drive (traffic is simply too thick to put many miles on a car). It also appeared that he didn't do a ton of maintenance from what I could tell. I told the sales rep that I needed to think it over, and that with the lack of recent records, and no record of a replaced IMS bearing that they were going to have to work with me on pricing.
I contacted a friend at Porsche and asked him to draft me a quote for replacing the IMS bearing. It came in around $9k. I sent it over to the sales rep and used it as leverage for negotiating. Meanwhile I had the rep draft up a bill of sale which reflected the VIN number. I took that around to the 3 major Porsche specialists in my area and discovered some good news. The IMS bearing had in fact been replaced in 2017, which is about 25K miles ago. The clutch and throw out bearing were done at the same time. I found another shop that had serviced the vehicle and done a bunch of routine maintenance, but they do not report to CarFax, so none of it was listed. Things were looking pretty good.
After chatting with the sales rep I found out that the car had been on the lot for roughly 100 days and would be auctioned soon. According to him nobody wanted to purchase it because of the threat of the IMS bearing and potential bore scoring. I told him that I was willing to pay out of pocket for some significant repairs if they were willing to do a couple of things for me. I asked them to reduce the price, allow me time to perform a PPI, and give me a short warranty period in the event there was some kind of hidden damage. They ended up dropping the price of the car by almost $10K. They were not willing to let me take the car overnight for a PPI, but they were willing to give me a 10 day return window in the event it failed, or I wasn't happy with the PPI results. At this point I ended up getting them to come down to what I believed to be an extremely low price. That worked for me. I bought the car and took it directly from the lot to the Porsche service center.
PPI Results -
I scheduled 2 PPIs, one with the dealership and one with an independent tech. The dealership wanted a small fortune to do the bore scoring insepction.
Dealership results:
Dealership stated that I had minor weeping from my front struts, the slide tabs for the AC center vent were broken, the frunk struts were weak, the idler pulley was rusted, it needed a new belt, it was due for major service, and the brakes were at 50%. They gave me a quote for just over $15,000 for the work. I had them replace the pulley and the belt ($1,500) and took it directly to the independent for the second PPI and bore scope inspection.
Independent results:
The independent went over everything on the car. He noted that the window squeaked a bit when you roll it down, that's how detailed this guy is. He noted that the suspension was probably ready to be replaced, but it wasn't an emergency. He found a hairline crack in my expansion tank, noted that the water pump was original, the coil packs had been replaced, but were an outdated style, the shifter cables were slightly loose, and a few minor things, dings, paint chips, etc. He strongly suggested that I perform the major service, flush all fluids, change plugs and coils and start thinking about doing the water pump and expansion tank. He said there was no scoring present in the cylinders. There were normal wear patterns which he noted as "minimal" and told me that he "would drive the hell out of this car". I took a look at the pictures, and I agreed with his assessment. Obviously, he has a ton more experience than I do, but as far as I could tell, he was dead on. I had him do the service, it was about $1900 for parts and labor, all new fluids, plugs, coils, filters. I also booked the water pump and expansion tank service. The car goes in next week for that. I'll likely do the Bilstein b6 suspension components next month, and brakes in July or August.
Thoughts so far:
The car is a blast to drive. It's so much different than what I'm used to. I've been basically driving a diesel-powered wheelbarrow for the last 20 years. The 911 is definitely not that. I look forward to driving it every day, and so far, even with the maintenance expense I have zero regrets.
Next steps for me:
Major - replace brakes and suspension
Expensive but not major - replace stereo to PCCM+
Inexpensive but fun - detail, PDR, and replace stone guards
The Spec -
This car is a weird one. Whoever ordered it knew what they wanted. This thing is stripped down. There is no PASM, no TPMS, the seats are manual with an electric back, there's no PDC, the computer only does MPG and distance until empty. The stereo and headlights are upgraded, it has the full leather, 19 inch wheels, and an upgraded steering wheel. It's the 6 speed coupe with lobster fork wheels. It appears that the original owner was either trying to save a few bucks by eliminating gadgets, or he actually wanted a stripped down, raw driving experience. Either way, I love it. Everything is manual. I find myself being engaged with driving the car, and not getting distracted by crap like the radio, or your phone or anything else for that matter. You've got to pay attention and actually drive the car. It's fantastic. I never thought about having something so sparse on amenities being so engaging.
Questions -
How does everyone feel about the Bilstein B6s? The indy seems to really like them and he's been spot on so far, so I'll likely take his recommendation unless there is something I'm missing. I'll likely also add Eibach lowering springs.
I only have one key. I've looked at a bunch of threads on replacement keys, so I reached out to keysinthpost but I haven't heard back yet. Is he still in business?
iCarsoft POR 2, or Durametric? I'd like to be able to dig into the vehicles systems and see if there are features that are turned off, for example a beep or sound when you set the alarm.
I need to replace the stone guards, mine are probably original. I was looking at the magnetic ones, but I saw some folks a few years ago mentioned they come off at speed. Is that still an issue, or have they improved?
What have I missed? Anything else I should do/think about/be aware of?
Hey everyone,
Small update for anyone who's following along.
I ended up leaning forward on some of the maintenance items. I wanted to have a baseline (so did my tech) so we knew exactly what was done and could keep good track of things.
We replaced all of the fluids. New water pump, thermostat and expansion tank. New coils, plugs, filters all the way around. New belt and idler pullets. Replaced the engine mounts today. The car is purring like a kitten.
I ordered a Sprint Booster based on recommendations I saw here. That should arrive Monday.
Next major service items are replacing the suspension and brakes. I'll likely do the brakes on my own and have the shop do the suspension. I'm thinking Bilstein B8s with Eibach springs. The only other thing that the shop noted was a slight occasional squeak from the alternator clutch. He's suggesting keeping an eye on it and budgeting for an eventual replacement.
Anything beyond that is "nice to have" not "need to have". The car is running extremely well and it's a joy to drive. I've had it for less than a month and dropped around $6,500 in repairs, but for the price I paid for it it's absolutely worth it.
Good barebones spec....my Aero that I kept is similar but with Sport chrono.
Great job taking care of the maintenance side of things. (These cars are very reliable as long as you keep up with maintenance, as with most German cars.)
Ive been doing a hell of a lot of work on my car recently so have some answers for ya, you can check out my thread as well:
How does everyone feel about the Bilstein B6s? The indy seems to really like them and he's been spot on so far, so I'll likely take his recommendation unless there is something I'm missing. I'll likely also add Eibach lowering springs.
I have B6+Eibach and love them. If you have PASM a DSC controller is, in my opinion, a must.
I only have one key. I've looked at a bunch of threads on replacement keys, so I reached out to keysinthpost but I haven't heard back yet. Is he still in business?
I got a new key coded at Porsche, and converted my old key to a 997.2.
iCarsoft POR 2, or Durametric? I'd like to be able to dig into the vehicles systems and see if there are features that are turned off, for example a beep or sound when you set the alarm.
I went for the durametric pro, couldn’t be happier with its capabilities.
I need to replace the stone guards, mine are probably original. I was looking at the magnetic ones, but I saw some folks a few years ago mentioned they come off at speed. Is that still an issue, or have they improved?
Ive tracked my car at great speed with magnetic stone guards and haven’t had any issues.
What have I missed? Anything else I should do/think about/be aware of?
Not sure where the car came from but there are a few parts known to corrode and i’ve replaced them as i went. One to note was the vac/tandem pump’s cover was very rusted.
If you don’t have Quickjacks or a lift, i highly recommend liftbars - they’re enthusiast made and have made my life a lot easier.
Of all the mods i’ve done to my car, handling and suspension mods have been the most beneficial - control arms, end links, sway bars etc as well as a good set of tires and a light set of wheels.
I'm a huge fan of the bare bones. I have had much more tech loaded cars in the past and something *always* breaks, it's *always* expensive, and eventually it ends up looking dated. None of that to worry about here.
@CarreraAlex Thanks a ton for the hints/feedback. Suspension is next, I ended up finding a local locksmith who can do a key for $450, and I'll dig into getting the Durametric. Do you have thoughts on the enthusiast vs. pro version? Will I be missing out on something essential?
Did you get photos of each cylinder when you had the Bore Scope Inspection performed?
There have been 1 or 2 buyers lately who have been told by the Indy shop that Bore Scope looked good however photos revealed significant scoring.
Did you get photos of each cylinder when you had the Bore Scope Inspection performed?
There have been 1 or 2 buyers lately who have been told by the Indy shop that Bore Scope looked good however photos revealed significant scoring.
Yes. He and I went over all of them together. I don't have them on hand, I need him to email them to me, otherwise I'd post them. I honestly couldn't see anything in the vast majority of the pics, he pointed out a couple spots of wear. Cylinder two was "the worst", but still nothing of note. My wife was with me when we were going over the photos. I had a million questions the indy finally turned to her and said "tell him the car is fine and to go drive the **** out of it".
I'm a huge fan of the bare bones. I have had much more tech loaded cars in the past and something *always* breaks, it's *always* expensive, and eventually it ends up looking dated. None of that to worry about here.
@CarreraAlex Thanks a ton for the hints/feedback. Suspension is next, I ended up finding a local locksmith who can do a key for $450, and I'll dig into getting the Durametric. Do you have thoughts on the enthusiast vs. pro version? Will I be missing out on something essential?
Make sure that the new key opens the physical door lock and unlocks via keyfob button.
Looks like a nice car and congratulations. We cant assess/opine whether it was a good deal or not taking into account all the maintenance items unless you tell us the mileage and what you paid the dealer for the car before any repairs.
FWIW I have a basically stripped 2005 C2 (heated seats) since new and some tasteful, subtle mods (Short shifter, Dallas custom steering wheel, Eibachs lowered, sprint booster, gundo hack ,zunnsport grills, fake fuchs, LED headlights). 20years later I still love getting in it and redlining it; driven newer ones- no thanks.
I'm a huge fan of the bare bones. I have had much more tech loaded cars in the past and something *always* breaks, it's *always* expensive, and eventually it ends up looking dated. None of that to worry about here.
@CarreraAlex Thanks a ton for the hints/feedback. Suspension is next, I ended up finding a local locksmith who can do a key for $450, and I'll dig into getting the Durametric. Do you have thoughts on the enthusiast vs. pro version? Will I be missing out on something essential?
I went with the pro since i’m a buy it for life and figure i can always use it to help out anyone local without the vin restrictions.
The coding option on the pro is nice too - was able to do a few things - there’s a google sheet i’ll dig up with all the functions listed
Looks like a nice car and congratulations. We cant assess/opine whether it was a good deal or not taking into account all the maintenance items unless you tell us the mileage and what you paid the dealer for the car before any repairs.
FWIW I have a basically stripped 2005 C2 (heated seats) since new and some tasteful, subtle mods (Short shifter, Dallas custom steering wheel, Eibachs lowered, sprint booster, gundo hack ,zunnsport grills, fake fuchs, LED headlights). 20years later I still love getting in it and redlining it; driven newer ones- no thanks.
Didn't realize I didn't post the mileage and cost. I guess that's important, huh? 110k, picked it up for $25k. All in I'm at around $31k. I'll likely go a similar route to you. Couple small upgrades, nothing crazy, and be incredibly happy with it.
Yes. He and I went over all of them together. I don't have them on hand, I need him to email them to me, otherwise I'd post them. I honestly couldn't see anything in the vast majority of the pics, he pointed out a couple spots of wear. Cylinder two was "the worst", but still nothing of note. My wife was with me when we were going over the photos. I had a million questions the indy finally turned to her and said "tell him the car is fine and to go drive the **** out of it".
Good job looking over the Bore Scope photos----> Also you can determine whther a 2005 or early 2006 production engine has the smaller IMS Bearing by using the engine designation chart.
The larger more robust IMS Bearing was in the cars produced after approx May of 2005. Some 2006 cars were actually produced in 2005 so the engine chart is great tool.
"The larger more robust IMS Bearing was in the cars produced after approx May of 2005. Some 2006 cars were actually produced in 2005 so the engine chart is great tool."
The initial date could be as early as Feb 2005 I believe, but for sure March 2005 as that is what I confirmed with mine (build date 3/2005, visually confirmed larger bearing 2005 C2)
Note ,this not absolute but a general guideline. Check the listed affected engine numbers in the class action suit to be more certain short of visual inspection.
Good job looking over the Bore Scope photos----> Also you can determine whther a 2005 or early 2006 production engine has the smaller IMS Bearing by using the engine designation chart.
The larger more robust IMS Bearing was in the cars produced after approx May of 2005. Some 2006 cars were actually produced in 2005 so the engine chart is great tool.
Have fun with your new toy!
IMS, clutch, and RMS were replaced 20k miles ago. My tech suspects it's the LN double row ceramic bearing system, but doesn't know for sure since we haven't pulled the trans. He suggested waiting to look at it until I need a new clutch. Hopefully it holds for a while 👍
05-10-2024, 03:48 PM
New To Me 997.1 Purchase Experience, Work So Far, and a Few Questions
