Buying a car with a rebuilt motor
 

I've been looking at a 997.1 C4S with a recently rebuilt motor (100 miles since). Going by the invoice it doesn't appear the rebuilder used an LNE retrofit unit, but went with a standard Porsche replacement part (the wholesale price is listed as $250). The dealer selling the car mentioned that he didn't know exactly why the motor was rebuilt, but speculated it could have been due to an IMS failure. The car has 69k on the odometer.

A few questions for the community:
1) Is a rebuild a warning sign for possible future issues due to damage from the initial event?
2) Seeing as the invoice shows no charges for rings, pistons, etc is it safe to say that the failure was caught before really bad things happened?
3) Since a standard IMS bearing was fitted, what is it's approximate lifespan?

Thanks for any insight.

Walk away - any engine builder worth their salt would use the new aftermarket design. Might be a clue as to how the rest of the rebuild was done also.

A rebuilt motor isn't a bad thing alone, but combined with only 100 miles since the rebuild would cause me to run very quickly. The risk factor is way too high here. Either someone is selling because there's an issue or someone is trying to flip a car with a bad motor they "fixed". The only way I would consider the second option is if a reputable shop did the work, can provide the detailed paperwork, and will transfer the warranty to you in writing.

Thanks guys. I do have the invoice of the work completed, albeit not really that detailed. It just shows parts, total man hours (32), and a charge for machine work. My guess is that the car was purchased by the PO not running. They then had the motor rebuilt, so that they could flip the car.

I did have a 4 year full-wrap extended warranty included in the price I was quoted. Though, not sure how the warranty company would address future engine problems with it's history.

Run and not walk, given what you described in post #4.

As far as I'm concerned there is nothing wrong with purchasing a car with a rebuilt engine. However, there should be ample evidence that the previous owner went above and beyond in terms of the rebuild.

Just as an example.. I had the motor built on my TTRS. I have photos and details of every single part of that process all documented. From the car being taken to the engine builder, to the start of the process, photos of engine being pulled, photos of engine out, complete build photos including all the new parts laid out on the table, blueprint docs, tolerances, break-in documents, oil analysis after rebuild and break in.. you name it.

Without that kind of detailed info I'd likely stay away.

The work was done by Tiger Motorworks in Canoga Park. Not familiar with any Porsche shops, so I'm unaware of their rep. With regard to details of the rebuild, there aren't many that I've seen except for the invoice.

Do you mean Tiger Motorsports in Canoga Park? If so they are not a Porsche specialty shop. They might do great work, but these engines have a steep learning curve to rebuild.

Yes, that's the company.

RUN!

How much is the car? For the right price it could be worth the risk.

I wouldn't say it's 'a deal' at the price (mid 40's). Black on black with factory Aero kit, and PSE. Interior 9/10, Exterior 9/10.

what year is the car?

that is just way to much money in my opinion

I would continue to look for another car

Not to hijack the thread, though thoughts on a factory replacement under CPO? One would think this may actually help resale?