shyamvenky

Happy friday everyone! I'm a current 996 owner looking to upgrade to a 997.
I happen to have come across a 2005 997 that has had an IMS failure at 65k miles. Is that a possibility? I have heard of IMS failures in lower mileage cars, but not at ones >50k miles.

Anyways, the dealer claims that the IMS broke down at 65k miles, and the engine had to be rebuilt. This job was done by bodymotion - who seem to have good reputation up in the Northeast.

The car hasn't done much miles after the rebuild. Its still under 66k miles currently. The dealer is quoting $40k for this car, which I think is very high - even considering that its a Guards Red 6speed, full leather (tan), Bose audio car. Performance-wise, there are no upgrades.

The CARFAX report seems to show no record of the rebuild - does this kind of work get recorded? That said, there are no accidents reported and cosmetically the car looks good (in pictures). I might go down to the dealership (Chevy dealership by the way) tomorrow and take a look at it.

All said and done, after a satisfactory PPI (clean one hopefully), how much do you think the car is worth? Here's the link to their posting:
http://www.myburlingtonchevy.com/Veh...-NJ/2092533733

Linnm

I would like to have a list of the parts and work done on the rebuild. Was it a total reseal?

marriotm

You should be able to do better on a low mileage, no story 997.1

Jaws1

To me, that is a no-story car. I'd perfer one that has been properly rebuilt to one that could potentially grenade.

If the OP thinks the price is fine and the PPI checks out, he should go for it.

shyamvenky

That's what I'm thinking as well. I wouldn't have to bother with addressing the IMS with this car, and with the engine being rebuilt, it certainly will not take the mileage back to 0, but at least some significant extension in the lifetime.

I will try to gather copies of the receipts of the work done on the car when I go down to see it. From a price standpoint, I think the car is worth ~$35k - what do you think? I am planning to sell my 996 and keep the 997 long term - so the rebuild is just going to save me the IMS expense mainly.

PasPar2

my 996 IMSed at 80k miles.... FYI

PhilD

For that money I would expect it to be in excellent condition, but 35k would be a fair price in my view. I see '05s with lower mileage going for low 40s around here.

Carfax is hit and miss. I bought a XK8 with a clean Carfax, but it turned out to have had some major work done on it. I sold another vehicle that had two $10k+ claims on it, neither showed up on Carfax.

Jaws1

I can't comment on the price since it's region-dependent, and while I've been to NJ (to watch my beloved Oilers kick the crap out of the Devils), I'm on the other side of the continent. GL

Spiffyjiff

yeah, i would get a list of exactly what was done to "rebuild". also, i would insist on warranty/CPO. in any case, let's assume it was a new crate motor - $40k is a pretty good price for a good condition car, new motor. so it all depends on exactly how the engine was rebuilt + some kind of warranty.

shyamvenky

Sorry to hear that. It does sound surprising that the issue manifests at higher mileages. I'm now thankful that I got the IMS addressed as soon as I bought the 996.

I'll have to ask for the receipts to comment on that. But a "$16k rebuild" as quoted by the dealer might not have a new crate engine I assume. A new engine itself would be almost that much. (right?)

Macster

IMS bearing failure can occur at any time. There's nothing magical about 50K miles other than a number of 997s are below that due to limited use but as more reach and cross that number, and 51K miles, and then 52K miles and so on can develop IMSB issues. The only 997 that doesn't run this risk (whatever risk level there is) will be one that isn't driven. At all.

Anyhow, that's a stories car. These are generally to be avoided.

Engine rebuild at 65K miles. Car still under 66K miles. The new engine has essentially no run time.

I do not know the rep of the rebuild shop. But if you do and are comfortable with it...

That said I'd still like to see the paperwork to know what was done and when and at what miles, and what (if any) warranty remains on the engine rebuild.

I'd not worry about the rebuild not showing up on a CarFax report. More serious incidents have managed to avoid showing up in the databases CarFax and other similar services use so that a rebuild didn't show up is nothing one way or the other. Might mention you do not want to focus only on the rebuild if you seriously consider the car. Likewise a rebuild can fail to show up so too can other serious things. Be sure you consider the entire car and its condition.

I'd want to see paperwork from the rebuild.

If the rebuild thorough -- have I mentioned you should get a copy of the paperwork? -- and if the shop a reputable shop and if there is a good warranty behind the rebuild -- the car might be worth looking at.

Can't help you with the price.

But I'd put as much or more time/energy to find a similar but with no stories car around you.

zirrah

To me that's too much. There is a mint '06 with 20k miles that is $40ish right now. Guards/beige. :-)

sy308

I picked up my '05 with a factory new engine (IMS failure) and 18K miles total (mint no scratch condition) two years ago for $37K. The car you mention is worth only as much as someone is going to pay for it. I would suggest a long period of research and information gathering about the rebuild and bearing parts used. There is plenty of info on the web about the bearings. I somewhat disagree with other postings that consider the engine a plus. I don't know enough about the rebuild or the shop that did it, I wonder if you do either? My daughter's car had a class action warranty repair. It took the dealer TWO tries to rebuild the engine satisfactorily before the car was returned to proper driving condition and it was out of service for 6 weeks. This is not an aircraft where the engine is rated in hours between break down or since new and the value of the sale is affected by the number of hours on the engine. I would not pay more than low 30's for the car, if I was desperate. I bet it goes unsold for a long period of time. This is not a bargain.

JW911

It seems you have a fear of IMSB failure based on your knowledge of the problem and how you upgraded your 996 bearing. And you are looking at this rebuilt motor as an positive and not a negative for that reason.

If this were a Porsche factory rebuilt motor with the remainder of the full Porsche warranty then it could be perceived as a positive. But a rebuild by a local shop would not inspire confidence for me if it was me shelling out the bucks. And the price they are asking for a car with a story is ridiculous. $35K is absolute tops for that car and that is being generous.

PasPar2

JW - Totally agree. factory crate engine is a plus, anything else and I would walk away.