leon yagudayev

Hi all, thinking of getting a 2006 997. Just sold my troublesome 04 40th ae and looking for a nice DD 997. Are there specific things that I need to look out for in that particular model? Thanks

tomc_mets

I believe 05 & 06 still suffer from the dreaded IMS worries, and they're harder to get at than in 996.
If you can swing it, I'd get a 2009 or newer 997.2 and for daily driver duties something with PDK.
T

j beede

Bore scoring is the new IMS. If you can find a bargain priced 996 Turbo that might be a way to go for a daily driver. A 2014 Cayman (non S) can be a good value. The biggest problem with the Cayman is that it isn't a 911.

semicycler

Most 997.1's are very reliable, especially for a DD. Common repairs are water pump, coolant expansion tank, early coil packs, and early alternator to battery wire harnesses. The others are normal used car wear issues (brakes, tires, fluids, battery, etc.), the less common repair issues (AOS, crank position sensor, oil pressure sensor, etc.), or the really rare and scary (IMS bearing, bore scoring).

Partially correct. Only early 05's have the smaller IMS bearing that was part of the class action lawsuit with the higher failure rates. Fortunately it's replaceable just like the 996's - drop the tranny and you can fix it. Late 05's through 2008 have a larger non-serviceable but more reliable bearing. It doesn't really need fixing because the failures are extremely low. It's a non-issue in most cases. But to fix a late 2005 through 2008 you would need to drop the engine and tear it down which is harder than a 996. Honestly unless you are turning your 997.1 into a dedicated track beast I wouldn't worry about the larger IMS bearing cars. Dedicated track cars only. 997.2's starting in 2009 do not have an IMS so no IMS bearing to worry about.

Mostly true. Bore scoring is the biggest worry for the 997 simply because the cause is unknown and the repair costs are huge. But it's nowhere near the failure rates of the 996 IMS. There are theories related to super cold northern climates, warm up procedures, and the oiling system design. It can happen in warm climates too just not as often. But nobody really knows why it happens for sure. A replacement engine or a rebuild runs from $15K to $25K or more depending on the engine upgrades you do at the time and who is doing the labor. But to be fair the failure rates are very very low. From reading the online forums you would think the rates are as high as the 996 IMS failures but this is simply not true. It happens, just not often at all.

Dennis C

I made the switch from a 996 to a 997 a few years ago. It's a very nice and significant upgrade. My 996 C4S was a great car and I loved it, but the 997 is superior in many ways. This is true for the 997.1 and the 997.2. I would have no problem buying a normally aspirated 997.1, especially one of the later models like a 2007 or 2008. As mentioned above, the failure rates of the larger IMSB seem to be very low. If you are interested in an automatic transmission, then a 2009 model or later would be my choice because of the availability of the PDK transmission.

Good luck with your search. I think you'll find that your experience with a well-sorted 997 will exceed your expectations, especially compared to a 996.