smackboy1

I'm starting to tire of the topless experience and 2005 997 prices are starting to come down a bit so I'm moving up to a 997 Carrera or Carrera S coupe. I've driven a base 997 on the track and I like the fit and feel.

Was there a quality difference or build difference for the 1st year 997 cars? You know how conventional wisdom is to avoid the first MY so they can work out the bugs. Kind of like how the 1st generation 3.4 L 996 engines had more problems than the 2nd generation 3.6 L engines, and the earlier 3.4s were more problematic than the later ones.

Edgy01

If you hunt around a little in the 997 forum you can find some discussion on that. There were just a few little issues on the 05 models that some have taken exception to. Things to me that the early models missed were some rear suspension issues (caused by an error in assembly but possibly corrected the first time the car goes to the dealership). Also, the very early 05 PCMs lacked certain capabilities,--one of them being the ability to read CDs with MP3 encoding. (It can greatly expand the amount of music that you can listen to on a long cruise). For the most part, Porsche did very well on the 997 launch,--using the 996 to learn on. They are quite similar.

ECS

Go with the '06. Tons of discussion about rear bushing issues on the '05 997. I drove both and felt the difference. Bought an '06 coupe 997S, track it, and have never looked back. Great combo car.

smackboy1

Rear bushing eh? I seem to recall reading about some rear end porpoising issues with the 2005 in one of the Euro 911 magazines (a Chris Harris article perhaps) but I couldn't remember what it was specifically. That must be it.

AP997S

I've got a early 05 997S (#337) and it's been rock solid.

Early PCM's can't handle MP3's (mentioned earlier) but I managed that by installing a Dension/IPOD. Although I don't track mine I do run AX events and to be honest haven't 'felt' any rear end issues.

Crazy Canuck

I've got a March build 2005 and it's been a great car. No major issues.

It's been at the track, on the street and on the highway, including a trip down to Daytona last Nov. for Rennsport Reunion III.

Sadiq

if the bushing issue is a huge deal - get them replaced?

Crazy Canuck

I've never really noticed to be honest and my car has been tracked. I notice some movement of my rear suspension in the GT3 as well but being a firmer car it's less noticable. I notice the squirm in the treadblocks of the tires more.

adfsouth

Only a very small % of the 05 cars had the bushings installed wrong. You would know if you had the issue as soon as you took a fast sweeping turn in the car as the rear would "twitch" and immmediately make you feel uncomfortable.

I have a November 04 build 2005 C2S and it has been rock solid on both the street and track. No bearing issues and it plays MP3s just fine. If you find a nice 05 and can save a little coin, I would not hesitate....just make sure to test drive it and take a close look at the car (as should be done with any used car purchase). Good luck.

machina

I was under the impression that the 2006 MY had an improved intermediate shaft bearing design. With the motor failures I have read about, I had ruled out 2005 MY cars.

Pretty sure this improvement is why the powerkit is not available for 2005 3.8's.

Alan Smithee

Couple of things:

The rear bushings are hardly major enough to be considered an 'issue' and rule out 2005 cars. As mentioned by others, not all cars are affected, and those that were may have had them changed in the last four years.

Also, this only comes up on cars with PASM. The OP is considering a 3.6, so he needn't worry if the car he finds doesn't have the PASM option.

Bottom line is that there is no reason to avoid the 2005 model year. There were a lot of 2005s sold with many now coming off of 3- and 4- year leases, so for a used buyer the 2005 models will provide the best selection of colors/options/etc.