Para82

I prefer the early build 05's because they are easy access for the LN ceramic upgrade. Later years are not, though they do have a larger bearing. If it's a clean car I would pull the trigger.

BTW I've put 50,000 miles on my 2005 launch edition 997S with 0 issues.

Also for a data point I had my IMS upgraded at 47,000 miles. Original bearing was pristine.

oregonmon

We just bought a pretty pristine C2 with good options and well taken care of for $42 Grand. Came with 1 year extended warranty and we plan to have IMS replaced before it's up. Pretty great car but everyone seems to want the S.

lbk8950

Sorry for the delay in responding. It is a coupe. I should have the service records in hand tomorrow. My Cayman S was Dark Olive Metallic with a Natural Brown full leather interior. She was a beauty. At the time, it was my summer fun and track car. It was too pretty to track hard (plus I was concerned about oiling issues). So, I sold it and bought a C5 Z06 for the track. Now my kids are just at the right age to fit in the back seats and the 911 will be my daily driver. Oh and the C2 I am looking at is black on black.

ECS Tuning

That's a great looking car oregonmon

norion00

Would it be a better buy if getting a 06 and say, 20k more miles for the same config and price?

Captsteve123

I have the same year and build and my IMS bearing was perfect. If a car is not driven and driven like they are designed, cars will begin to fail from sitting up. Ever look at the cost of old Ferrari 308's with low mileage? I found one that was in mint condition, with 5000 original miles for $22000. That car has sat for so long, gaskets and hoses have never been replaced and as soon as they begin getting hot, and used failures will begin.
I think the IMS bearing is overrated as well. It would a curious study to know all that failed, what was the mileage on the cars.

Sorry for being so long on this, but pay the money and get the carfax report using the VIN. It will tell you every service that has been done and the dealers information. You can call a dealer on the report, and they can tell you details off the vin number of that car.

lbk8950

Captsteve, I hear you. I bought the Carfax...no service records indicated. Not all dealers report to Carfax. The car is from NC and it had an inspection every year (from 2005-2013) that much I can tell from the Carfax.

We do not have inspections in MI, so not completely familiar with what is involved. If the inspections in NC are anything like what is required in PA (went to college there), they are very thorough.

PhilD

Carfax is hit or miss and I would take their report with a pinch of salt. I've sold and purchased vehicles that have had major insurance claims that never showed up on Carfax. A state inspection simply means the vehicle meets the minimum standards to be driven on the roads and again I would put no store by it. You do take a chance with a 2005 that there may be IMS issues, but like others have said I believe it is over blown. However I would budget getting the LN Engineering bearing done if for peace of mind if nothing else.

jason952

What are guys having to pay for an IMS/clutch/pump type of service? thx

MuffinMan

I called a few shops in the NJ area, and the range was $1900-$2500 for the IMS upgrade and add $550-1100 for the clutch (aftermarket vs dealer parts cost). The quoted failure rate of the 2001-2005 IMS bearing is 8% per the IMS class action lawsuit, and probably a bit higher real world. Chances are low that you'd have an issue, but if you're unlucky then you are looking at a serious repair bill (ask me how I know). I would budget for the LN bearing for any car with the smaller bearing.

Para82

I paid 2,000 including tax for IMS and Clutch package deal on my 2005 997S. He's in Daytona Beach and very good. I got his name off the recommended installers from LN Engineering's website. (Installer is very important, go to someone with lots of experience in doing this, it can be screwed up.) Stay away from the installers with no experience who tell you they can do anything. They can't.

PhilD

X2 Get the work done by someone familiar with IMS bearing replacement and knows what they are doing.

$2-2.5k seems to be the going rate. When mine was done they also had to replace the slave cylinder, release bearing, and release arm.

I'm getting new motor mounts next week, as the original motor mounts are shot at 54k miles, so that's something else you may want to consider. I'd already decided to get the RS ones anyway, but motor mounts do need changing every so often. Take a look at the tail pipes, if one is lower than the other it's a good chance the motor mounts need replacing.