Petza914

A few things to add. If you plan to track the car, the '05 with the upgraded IMS bearing is the better choice. For street use only, as long as the original IMS bearing was good when removed, that's a non-issue between the two cars. Ideally, the IMS replacement would have installed "The IMS Solution" which is a specific product name. There is a lesser IMS replacement bearing from the same company (LN Engineering & Flat Six Innovations) that makes The Solution, and the other product does have a service life and is not a permanent solution. If the IMS was not a LN/FSI version and from someone else, the discussion is over - buy the '08.

To clear up a misstatement earlier in the thread, 997s never had a dual row small bearing - only the early 996s did, before Porsche changed to the single row small bearing that was used up through mid-2005, then replaced by the larger single row bearing used up through the end of 2008. 2009 was the first year of the 9A1 DFI engine and designated the 997.2.

Also, 2005s do not have a TPMS system so you don't have to deal with dead batteries, reprogramming, and the additional complexity at tire time. I'm glad I have 2 '05s.

Interesting that it was the water pump on the '08 that failed already. If the pump on the '05 hasn't been replaced yet, you're going to need one soon. It's not just mileage that causes the bearing and seals on these to fail, it's also age, as they're continuously exposed to coolant whether running or not. Factor that cost into the '05 purchase price.

Other factor is where these two cars have lived their lives - Carfax should at least show you the registration history. If it has service records, look to see if either has winter service visits in a cold weather climate as this will increase your potential for bore scoring, but since you're going to have the motor scoped as part of your PPI, it should mitigate that risk. Still a winter driven car will have salt exposure and rusty fasteners that make maintenance a bigger pita.

The compression test you plan to do is good, but on these cars a bit unnecessary. If compression is down in one cylinder, the DME will record misfires in it, though misfires could also be a plug, coil pack, or something else, but if no misfires, then your compression is good. The leak-down test is better money spent to look for head issues (worn valve guides, cam timing issues, etc).

Also, that KBB number for an '05 S is low. You won't find one with mileage under 60k in a condition you want to own for under $35-$37k, and likely the really nice ones will be closer to $40k.

After all of the above analysis is done, if all things are still equal, for the price difference, I'd personally buy the '05.

Nip are

If you average out the price growth per year it's around $2500-$3000. There's a big jump between 08 and 09 for reasons we all know but the the gain is much less 09 to 10 etc.

IMO the 08s are a low point on the value curve. They tend to be priced based strictly on age and mileage because a lot of buyers don't understand the differences between them and the 09s. They are still great cars and can be a great value but it's harder to find than earlier or later cars.

Nate Tempest

Awesome advice Petza. Thanks!

sandwedge

I just think "non-issue" is a poor choice of words in this case since it can be perceived as zero chance of failure which simply isn't true. Some with low risk tolerance may pass on getting an extended warranty because of this description. It's a very, very small issue but there are documented failures on -06 to -08 cars. A quick forum search yielded one -06 failure and two -07 failures:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...ml#post8924078

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...ml#post9067592

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...ml#post9677220

rickdogg82

Suggesting to address the issue "...only when doing another procedure like a clutch." reinforces how small the problem there actually is.

Chris M.

So what did you end up with?

Nate Tempest

I didn't, yet. The 05 unfortunately sold before I could arrange the ppi. (Someone bought it for asking, uninspected, same day. Here in BC taxes jump by $2k between a 55k and 57k (CAD) asking price too, so they took that hit as well.)

The 08 is still for sale, but especially given that tax jump, which I wasn't originally aware of, it's not worth the price imo.

So, I'm still on the hunt. Currently considering an 05 in Toronto for 44k CAD with 80k km (about 33k usd, 50k miles). It's on the stock IMS and clutch, and likely will need brakes and tires soon though. But nicely spec'd and regularly serviced.

I also ran across a nice looking 996tt recently, which I think I'll have to at least test drive. I wasn't even considering 996's originally, but at roughly the same price point I'm considering it.

Petza914

If you drive a 996 or 997 TT, that's what you'll end up buying some make sure that's what you want before you drive it

Chris M.

$33k for an 05 S? That's a steal.

I was thinking the same thing about a 996tt until I found one for sale that had all the service records attached. Many tens of thousands spent on repairs...I went back to looking at 997s.

Nate Tempest

Ya, it's a good price, although once you factor in IMS, clutch, brakes, and tires, it's a fair bit higher. (Of course then you have a car in great shape.)

I wonder how much more a 996tt really costs in maintenance, on average. I've read a lot of anecdotes, but it's tough to know what the common experience is.

Chris M.

This one I looked at had some kind of mysterious battery drain that was eventually linked to one of the seat motors. The motor alone was $1500. There were pages and pages of records...I stopped reading at that point.

captainbaker

Brakes are easy and cheap on a 997, tires are a little pricey and the IMS and clutch? I wouldnt sweat the IMS on a 2007+ at all. You can feel for slipping on the clutch during a test drive.

I bought my 2008 with 47k on the clock, did the brakes in about 20 minutes, got new rubber and didnt look back.

Nate Tempest

That post was regarding a 2005. So I'll definitely want to do the IMS, and might as well do the clutch at the same time, with 50k miles on it.

Agreed re brakes if it only needs pads.