Little Green

My current car 05 C2 40K mile car has performed flawlessly for 3 years except for the shifter cable breaking last year. Outside of tires and all maintenance absolutely zero issues. I do all my own work. Here is my conundrum. It is a late 04 build therefore in the IMS range. Do i take the $2k and proactively do the IMS retrofit and clutch (which is fine outside of the notchy first gear issue) or do I sell it for a newer model. I don't need more power, I drove a 12 GTS and I was not overwhelmed by it's performance over mine.

I have done lots to my car to make it mine and I'm not sure trading it in for what amounts to a very similar car with a different style steering wheel and a less prone to catastrophic engine failure is what I want to do. First I will end up spending thousands again to make a new car mine, second I'm not sure it will feel any different than what I have.

So the stupid side of me says get something different, C63, E63, RS5, and heaven help me a viper. I love my car and it was my childhood dream to own a 911. But the practical side says either upgrade to a newer model (See above, really not that much different) or do a proactive repair and hold on to it.

I need some guidance as talking to my wife about cars is as exciting for her as it is for her to talk to me about paint colors for the wall. I don't have a ton of true car guy friends to chat with so I am asking for some honest feedback and input
Thanks
Caesar

WV997S

Sounds to me like you have a car that you genuinely love and I don't blame you. You know the history of your car and chances are if you sold it, you wouldn't get what you think its worth or you wouldn't be able to replace it same money with anything close.

I think I would do the fix for peace of mind.

mickfluff

sounds like you have a winner.... meaning no issues through the years that you have a solid 997! Invest in the IMS and drive it another 50K miles and enjoy it. You will never get back on a trade or sale what you put into it and will always be looking back comparing what you now spent on a new purchase and was it worth it compared to what you had. Wish I never sold my first 997 even today... was modded to my liking and ran fantastic! and Had the IMS RMS done by dealer etc...

The 997.1s or a 997.2 sure a better car but not by all that much... leave Porsche to another brand and you may regret what you ounce had. Only if you test drive something you fall in love with should you consider selling and only then would be my advise... sell and then hunt you could be regretting it.

IMS do it as even if you sell later will be a good selling point vs a 05 with no IMS work done. Remember these car are not "prone to IMS failure" but it can happen. Do the work, enjoy the car and take that money saved and buy or put towards another toy (boat, jetski, other) for the family to enjoy or take a trip.....

JCD911S

You clearly love the car and have a keeper that's been reliable. I would keep it. Buying something different doesn't guarantee not having a whole new set of reliability issues.

As for the notchy 1st gear, I don't think the clutch has anything to do with it, and based on my ownership and others' experience, the shifting really is notchy especially when transmission is still cold. I was able to alleviate this with a numeric shifter. This can be further improved with numeric/cup car shift cables- but at a sacrifice of a little noise, which hasn't seemed to bother those that have it.

When it does come time to do the clutch, I would suggest proactively upgrading the bearing mainly for peace of mind if the thought of failing really bothers you. Then you'll still have your dream car without the uneasiness.

Blu311

Agree, you seem to love your car. Put the $2k into the IMS/Clutch and hope for more worry free years. $2k is really nothing compared to the cost of the newer car (and registration/taxes depending on your state) and then spending several thousand more $$$ to get it to what you like.

As a plus, your 05 should be close to the bottom of the depreciation curve, the value should drop very slowly from here on out (depending on mileage and condition) so if you decide to upgrade in a year or two you will still be in good shape.

DougM

Regarding the notchy first gear, read through this thread.
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...-gear-oil.html

targa996

If you trade it - you might easily pay $4k just in sales tax depending what state you live in. Can the ims be replaced in an '05 without splitting the case ? Btw - I have started reading the '997 forum because I am thinking of upgrading my 996 - I did ims on mine at 65k due to rms leak - and old bearing was still like new - as many have found. I don't know what the % failure rate is on the '05-'07's ? But I'm guessing it is pretty rare compared to the 996's ?

semicycler

Do the IMS and keep the car. Plus most buyers of that model year will look for a car with the retrofit already done. You won't get a premium for having it done but you might take a hit if it wasn't. It will help you down the road when you do eventually sell.

Ben Z

I looked at getting a 997.2 or early 991 and decided to stay with my '05 for the duration. Even a new engine would run me less than the cost of upgrading to one of those aforementioned models. I know the service history and how my car has been driven (at least for the 7 yrs I've owned it). The DFI engines don't have IMS but AFAIK the possibility for cylinder scoring still exists. I found the color combo I like, I drive 6500 miles/yr daily, the car cost me $46 grand and I've got a full warranty on it for another year. If I had a money tree in my backyard, or won the lottery, who knows, but as this juncture my '05 is all the Porsche I need or want.

911searcher

/speechless.

It's easy to tell what you want to do .... the IMS repair on your sweetheart.

Book it.

jglaze

On Car Talk from last week a guy called in asking the guy's advice about keeping a car or not. It was a non-running 1978 MG that the wife wanted out of the house. She had given him a year to either get the car running or get rid of it; the year had passed and the car was still not running, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to get rid of it or not. It ultimately came down to how much money he'd have to spend today to get it running and then how much on a monthly/weekly basis to keep it running. Ultimately Ray advised him that he was no longer in love with the car and should get rid of it - when the questions became only about "cost", then the passion that was once there had clearly passed and it was time to move on.

Sure, you're not talking about a 78 MG, but I'd say it's still allegorical. If you don't want to spend the money on the car, then maybe it's time to move on to something new. But, something tells me that you think it's worth the investment otherwise you wouldn't have posted the question...I'd keep it.

Incidentally, Tom Magliozzi's passing was a damn shame...I miss new episodes of Car Talk.

LastMezger

Do the IMS/clutch. If you're happy with the car go with the proven entity.

ezdriver

Replace the IMS and keep that car that has proven to be a solid, beautiful car.

Caughtacab911

I agree with majority - do the IMS fix, for the reasons given.

I drove an early build '05 Carrera S for 6 years, often wondering about the need for that repair but never doing anything. I just drove her: 75K miles worth (it had 20K when I bought it CPO). It was exactly the car I wanted, no reservations, but when it reached 95K miles I knew it was time to move on. Still had original clutch, brakes, and IMS bearing.

After looking across the country for a nice replacement, I found an 06 C2S with only 39K miles. If yours was high mileage I'd say sell it and decide what appeals to you, but at 40K miles you have a long way to go. Upgrade yours and enjoy.

turbo3.6

It's unanimous, $2 grand for clutch and IMS and piece of mind for a car that you obviously love is a no-brainer. Have the work done and continue to enjoy your sweet ride.