myw

you should be able to find a few here if not on the 'other forum' via a simple search.

it does/has happened with the larger (post feb/march'05 stronger ims) bearing... but from the forums its indeed much more rare.

only time will tell unfortunately.

Ynot

Please provide me a link? From my knowledge, only one person failed, the rest were all my friend's uncle's mom's gf's grandson's 2007 had an IMS issue. It was proven those who clicked on the poll don't even own 997s.

Back to the OP, I think it's a great deal, get an extended warranty that covers the IMS issue to make you sleep better at night. If not, hope you have $20K laying around to replace an engine if it does happen.

Para82

I'd recommend an early 2005 model so you can actually replace the bearing with a LN ceramic version. The later models bearing cannot be replaced. Funny how many people on the internet overlook that important aspect and tell people to avoid 2005. I would avoid 06+

MuffinMan

Thanks for the offer! I'll PM you and will take you up on the offer to check out your 997 of you're in the general area. It would be very helpful.

nathan1

I sell pre-owned Porsche's and have sold two 2006+ cars that have had motor replacements under warranty through Porsche due to IMS failure. Both failed prior to 20k miles and luckily while both were within the original warranty period. One of these cars belonged to a good customer of mine during the failure while another I discovered when the service advisor at the selling dealership gave me the history. While I agree the failure rate seems to be lower with the latest/greatest bearing its not zero. I have probably sold ~50 2006-2008 997, 9876 etc. So that failure rate seems about on par, low single digits.

alexb76

You basically answered your own question, do it, and post pics when you receive the car.

myw

hmm, interesting way to think about it.

remember that the M96/M97 does have some other issues as well, oil starvation/d-chunk failure, scored cylinders etc etc. i dunno what the stats are and ive heard/read on the forums how common (or rare) it is, but there indeed are some issues that do happen to a %age of the owners.

my buddy 07 c2s 4xxxx miles is going through an engine replacement right now due to scored cylinders (warranty replacement)

another friend of mine 06 base M96 almost 7xxxx miles had some other form of catastrohpic engine failure (cant recall exact issue but not ims). 30 something days out of warranty .. OUCH.

user 72902

These seem pretty minor to me:

Alternator $350 to $425 and accessible - should be an easy DIY.

Alternator Cable $100 and about 4 to 5 hours DIY.

Motor Mounts - $350 done by my dealer and they are usually on the upper end of pricing.

Plus with an accessible IMS bearing you can have the IMS Solution installed and have a permanent fix.

MuffinMan

The dealer said $1600 for the alternator, perhaps he had something more involved in mind?

Are there any other '05 only issues I should watch out for?

Thanks,
Rob

wheeler

You probably came to the wrong place if you're looking for a one-sided opinion to talk you off the ledge! LOL!

I waited...and waited for my turn to get the right car and definitely am the one that talks myself up to the next level with nearly everything I buy...provided I can afford it and I see merit in it. I just bought my 09 a few weeks ago. Looking back I wish I would have made a good buy on a regular C2 .1 car a LONG time ago instead of waiting. Just recently a local dealer had an 06 C2, low options, silver with gray interior (my two least favorite choices), it had 67k miles, manual, was in FAIR condition at best. But it probably could be bought for 28k or so. All that said, when you drive it, shift into 2nd and mash the go pedal...all that $hit goes away and you're suddenly driving a 911! In the end I could not be happier with my car and glad I held out for an S, as I probably avoided a car swap just so I could know and let it go. IF $10,000 in cash outlay or a higher payment is not going to kill you, then I would say search out an 06 or newer S car. It's not money spent, just differed, as you'll certainly recoop on trade or resale....you know...when you get that GT3! I think the S is worth the money no question, especially if you end up with a few more options...electric seats were a must on my list. Like others have mentioned, the IMS deal is real and repetitive in some cases.

Little Green

I have an 05 Base with PASM, Bose, heated/programmable seats(both) and CPO for 2 years(bought it last july). I looked for my car for a while and wanted Atlas grey with Black. This one came up at my dealer and he called me the day before it came in on a 991 trade. Local doctor, never seen rain, perfect interior 16k miles.
Was it more than it should have been and more than an 06 S with 40K miles, yes but this was the car. I drive it hard, I track it, are there a few times when I wish I had just a bit more oomph, sure who doesn't. I absolutely love my car but If I had an S I would want GT3 or Turbo power.
I added Gundo hack, Aluminum pedals, wing, front spoiler, carbon fiber on the inside, SSK and Dension. It's perfect for me. Go drive your car and I bet you will fall in love. Get an extended warranty and drive the tires off the thing.

Petrvspetrvs

my opinion? don't settle ... wait for what you really want.

utkinpol

I get a pretty solid impression that most of IMS failures are indeed attributed to a problem during assembly so bearing gets either over torqued or either way damaged when pushed into place.

I really wonder if this picture where most known IMS failures occurred on cars under 30k miles will change significantly as most 997.1 cars age up and get into 60k+ miles territory.

I will for sure will keep driving mine no matter what. I like this car and honestly can afford new motor if needed, still, it would be interesting to know for sure if it is now a good strategy to think about preemptive repairs for IMS thing before it potentially ruins an entire block.

utkinpol

it is not that simple unfortunately, 06+ cars have quite a number of important internal fixes to their motors and it is well worth the new problem of 'permanent' IMS bearing. Plus it is yet to be seen for those bearings to fall apart yet at rate of 996 and '05 cars.
06+ motors are much rarely suffer from D-chunk, they have slightly better circulation, so less overheat of 6th cylinder and other rather small multiple things but it all adds up. talk to good engine builders, you will learn a lot of interesting things.

997_rich

I think you should get a slight discount for '05 C2 and I would take it. Low risk and put an LN bearing in when you do the first clutch. I think an '05 C2 with a manual should be between 35-40k depending upon options.

Caveats might be if you do a lot of track time (then I think you'll want PASM option and potentially the few extra HP that come with an S). If not tracking, I think S doesn't offer that much more.