I am looking at purchasing my first 911. I'm considering both 2005 and 2006 models. Those are the only two years for the 997 that are within my budget. I have spent hours browsing various forums regarding IMS issues and the difference in the IMS design on the 2005 models w/ M96 engines and the 2006 models with the M97 engines. If I get a 2005 model, I will get the LN Engineering retrofit. From what I have gathered,

2005: There have been first hand reports on forums of the IMS failing. IMS is replaceable. LN Engineering has a retrofit kit available. Many people on the forums say to avoid 2005 models.

2006: Updated, larger IMS. Not as many report of IMS failures yet, but it might be because these cars are just getting out of warranty. Charles Navarro (LN Engineering) and Jake Raby (Flat 6 Innovations) have stated that Porsche's fix was not the correct one, and that it actually makes the problem worse.
See here: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...s-bearing.html

QUESTIONS:
1. If purchase price was not a factor, would you get a 2005 997 and do the LN Engineering IMS Retrofit or a 2006 997 w/ a larger, non-serviceable IMS?

2. Please discuss any pros and cons of a 2005 (M96) vs 2006 (M97) 997 that I have missed in terms of reliability and operating cost.

 

Buy the better car.
There's a lot of to-do about the IMS issues and if you can afford the rework, probably a good idea, BUT the actual % occurrence is probably less than 5%, very likely less than 1%.

For two cars that are equal, buy the newer one.

 

Hi Eric,
Forget for a moment about IMS issue and focus on what options would you like in your new 997.
Silver vs Red,
Sport seats vs power seats,
Navigation vs Sport Chrono,
PASM vs No PASM,
Sport Exhaust vs nice present for your GF,
See the point?
It probably makes sense to have some CPO warranty left on it and do a decent independent inspection with someone you trust before spending $$$.
Oh, one more: check for over-revs with Durametric or some other tool of that kind.
Amazing that a lot of hype came from that one web site, IMS, oil issue, etc.
My two cents.

 

Clearly the only rational solution is to buy a GT3 or a Turbo.

 

That's right Nugget,
Let's discuss options how to bring a 997 to GT3 level of HP.
Headers, X51 aribox, Softronic reflash, what else did I miss?

And then we can discuss which oil is "the best"

 

Don't sweat over IMS, WHY would you *upgrade* a 2005, if there's nothing wrong with it? It makes absolutely NO SENSE to me!

Get the newer car with the best options you can find within your budget, and just be mindful that there's a 5% chance (or even less) you may have IMS failure!

If you're REALLY that stretched that you cannot possibly afford an IMS failure in the future (albeit very unlikely), I think you are looking at a wrong car financially and should wait until you can truly afford it. It's not just IMS, tires are expensive (every 10K for rear, 15K front), all other mainteancne/service are expensive, parts are expensive, etc...

 

I'm very familiar with the options and have done research on the operating cost of Porsches. My question is assuming that all other variables (mileage, condition, options, color etc) are the same, thus isolating the 2005 vs. 2006 as the single variable.

 

having the LNE IMS retrofit will add some $ to the price. At that point you could have gotten into an 06 or maybe even an 07.

 

Honestly, it took me close to four years to find what I really liked and wanted. I walked away from a number of deals for sometimes minor reasons. It just didn't feel right. I would not honestly bias your decision entirely on IMS issue which is mostly blown out of proportion. Look for late 05 it may already have updated bearings just like 06. Is it to your advantage to have non serviceable IMS bearing? Nobody can answer that. Only time could tell.
Good luck and trust your instincts. Have someone to be a bad cop around you so you keep your cool and don't dive head first into something you may regret later.

 

It's not about HP. If a shopper is paralyzed by fear over concern about the IMS, then the only way to be truly sure is to buy a GT3, a Turbo, or hold out for a 997.2.

Whether that's rational is up to the buyer.

(Full disclosure: I've owned Porsches at risk of the IMS failure and didn't lose a moment's sleep over it)

 

For whats its worth I have an 05 C2S and doing the IMS retrofit kit and replacing the clutch at the same time. IMS retrofit for an 05 about $500 for the kit. labor $1,250.. Sleep at night.. priceless. I hope this helps you on the one issue you seem to be stuck on. I got my 05 with a little bit of a CPO left on it and was able to dodge the alternator letting go that was about $500-600 is saved me so I am taking that cash and putting it into the the IMS and other *upgrades* heheheh

 

Purchased an 05 2 yrs ago and thought that it was a great car until the Death Rattle appeared. Porsche wanted to replace the engine for 13,500. I had my local indie do it for about 7k with the L&N new chains gaskets Etc. Chances are it will not happen but would you be overly concerned with every little odd sound that may crop up? Peace of mind, do the retro-fi and drive it like you stole it.

 

I have one of those infamous '05s since new. The car has been absolutely rock-solid. In fact, it has been one of the most reliable cars I've owned. I got an extended warranty more for peace of mind. Rather that spend the money on pre-RMS fixes, you might want to consider an extended warranty. Cheers.

 

I bought an '05. I had not intended to get the LN IMS bearing until the car needed a clutch, but the pedal was quite stiff as long as I've owned it (evidently the former owner didn't know how to treat it) and my ankle was killing me, so I had a new clutch put in...and the LN bearing. $2600 for everything.

I purchased a comprehensive (exclusionary aka "bumper to bumper" aka covers everything except a short list of wear-out items) warranty when the CPO ran out. It cost me around $4600 for 6 (six) more years. There are a lot of other expensive things that go wrong other than IMS. One stinking little starter cable already needed replacement and the warranty already paid me back $900 of its cost.

PS, I should mention that the tech who did the IMS and clutch (they build Porsche race engines) showed my my old bearing and said it was absolutely perfect, no signs of wear to the seal, still packed with grease, basically just like it left the factory. Car has just over 30K.

 

for an early 997,

is there any way to determine if the engine has the serviceable ims vs one that doesn't?

or at what moving forward from 2006, are ims issues much less of a concern, then not at all?

the reason I'm asking is I want one with a manual trans.