pickles

I know it was the first model year for the C2 and C2S, is there anything that Porsche "fixed" or improved in subsequent years that don't show up as true model changes and that I should be weary of? I seem to recall some issue with clutches dropping very early on, not sure if that was true. Anything at all I should be concerned with?

HeyNowwww

Pickles,

I've owned a 2005 C2 for about 1.5 years and I've put on about 15k miles. It currently has 44k. I've had no issues with the car.

Also, I've been following post on Rennlist for the last 2 years or so and have not seen/heard of a pattern of any problems with the 2005 model year.

Hope this helps,
Rick

JEllis

The IMS was re-designed sometime during the 05 production run. Some have the newer design and others do not. I dont have specific information on this.

Like rick said, the M96/97 are still very reliable if taken care of and well driven.

Jason

Fahrer

An article I read in Excellence indicated that the IMS shaft and bearing were strengthened in mid 2006. Would this mean 2007 and later had the improvement? I also read that Porsche slightly modified the suspension bushings starting in 2006.

Fahrer

I am not sure any of the above is a reason to avoid a particular year. Each model year always brings some changes ( should I wait another year..or another?, etc.)

MLindgren

The IMS fix was made mid-year 2005. I personally wouldn't not buy an early car if it was the car I wanted. The IMS failures aren't as prevalent as the RMS failures that occurred on the early 996 run.

pickles

What is IMS? Sorry I know a fair amount about the car but haven't hit that acronym yet.

pickles

And let me ask this another way. Would an 05 C2S drive any differently than a later year, presuming it didn't have the changes described above? Or were these changes meant to increase long term reliability or breaks, as opposed to the character of the car? I have owned an 08 C2S, will I notice a difference?

Seal

yes, there are some things to look out for in the 2005 cars, especially the S:

1. RMS/IMS (already mentioned), do a search and you will find loads on info on the subject.
2. "wiggle" issue: certain early S PASM cars seem to wiggle in fast sweepers, in particular under acceleration. This is caused by incorrectly mounted bushing in rear lower control arms. I've drivven 2 2005S that had it and opted for a 2006S
3. control switches of the AC unit can peel. warranty issue.

That is pretty much it. 2006 and later have some other minor advantags as wel, I think you can play MP3's in a 2006, nav is a little better etc.

MLindgren

Do a Google search on "Intermediate Shaft Failure" and you'll likely come up with paes of failures however when I did the search two years ago most (99+%) happened on Boxsters. It is a very expensive fix if out of warranty however I still think chances are remote of having the issue.

The wiggle issue happened on early cars-there was a TSB to correct the issue. Can't believe whoever owned the cars you drove weren't smart enough to go have the issue corrected.

buckwheat987

The IMS went on my CPO'ed 05 997. I just had a new engine installed at no cost to me. The dealer manager and service manager both let me know the new engine had the improved IMS shaft which they felt makes a big difference in reliability.

I would not own an early 05 without a warranty.

pickles

Is there a way to know based on the VIN whether the car has these issues and then to check if it needs the TSB?

Speed

Yes. A dealer can look up the VIN and ascertain if recall and/or TSB work was performed. I have a 2005 S cabriolet with 60,000 miles and no issues.

Gerg

As the owner of one of the C2Ses referenced, may I say, you sound just like my wife, and I don't need another one of those. For the record, the dealership (Park Place) informed me that all service bulletins relating to my vehicle were done. I'll speak with them again about it.

JEllis

Good advice but also keep in mind that the M97 is more reliable than the M96 and even in the M96 IMS issues were few and far between and appeard to be relugated mostly to the smaller dispacement M96 engines that were in the early Boxters. Things tend to get blown out of proportion on the internet. IMS problems have probably krept up in less than 5% of all M96 engines and even less in M97 engines. So everything else being equal we are talking about something that might effect 5 out of 100 2005 997's and that is probably even on the high side.

-time to buy a lottery ticket Buckwheat

RMS issues on the other hand are much more prevelant and appear to effect all Porsche engines including the famed GT1 based engines in the GT3's and TT's. but keep in mind its just a leaky seal and in many cases your mechanic will tell you its nothing to worry about unless you see dramatic rise the amount of oil you burn.

Bottom line, a 2005 997S can be a solid car and good check into the cars maintenance history and a good PPI should be able to tell you all you need to know. You might also want to ask whoever does your PPI, how many IMS failures in 997's he has actually seen.

I am going to see if I can find an article Excellence (it may have been GT Porsche) published about the M96/97 engine and reliability. Lots of good info in the article and it dispells a lot of the rumors and exaggerations that appear to propagate in internet chat rooms/forums.

Jason