I have been looking at 997's for years, and i have noticed that 05' C2's with high mileage are finally coming into a price range i can afford. (25k-32k range) I have been wanting this care for so long, but it was always cost prohibitive. My question is, do you think it will be a maintenance nightmare for a 997 with 80-120k miles? I have been reading the forums, and have started getting familiar with the IMS and RMS issues, it seems those are the most notable items. How long can these cars last? Any advice is most appreciated, thank you.

 

A 997 for sale in the $20's? Where do you live? I've never seen that before!

Having said that, I've seen some high mileage examples in the upper $30's that would probably be good cars. There are 911's out there with over 300k miles on them (maybe not 997's) - but the cars are very reliable. They all come from the same DNA. I think you'd be fine if you find a good independent shop you trust that specializes in Porsches, and budget about $2k annually in maintenance. Some years you may just need an oil change, other years may be more expensive.

 

at 120K, I don't think you need to worry about IMS failure. I sold my 996 (same engine as the 2005 997) with 167,000 with no problems whatsoever. Those "hi mileage" 997 are a bargain these days.

 

probably stuff that you need to factor when purchasing a high mileage vehicle are:

clutch
starter
alternator
coolant tank
water pump
coils

those are items that suffer from wear and tear... the rest is maintenance and tires.

 

I don't think I'd go that far. As someone pointed out in another discussion, if the IMS bearing is a wear item, eventually its going to wear out...just because its solid and hasn't failed in 30. 40, 50K miles, doesn't mean its NEVER going to fail.

That said, I just flipped 70K in my 2006 and its no big deal. I need TPMS sensors, and I am just waiting for the clutch shoe to drop (original). I am at a loss as to why so many cars here have such early clutch replacements.

 

yeah, but you see more failures at early mileage with garage queens. Porsche made that bearing "non replaceable" and I have seen bearings being replaced at 90K for the LN part that looked brand new with no play at all...

 

120K miles on any car will require repair and maintenance. So what you save on the initial investment might easily be eaten up on the ongoing service costs.

 

My thoughts precisely...a cost/benefit thing, hence a CPO may be the better alternative over a non CPO for a good amount less.

In your case I'd aim for something closer to your lower end of the mileage range

 

If you blow an engine on a Porsche it is 12 to 20k to repair or replace. Are you prepared for that expense? All other parts and labor is twice what it costs to repair a Corvette. I'm just sayin.

 

my opinion is that ANY M97/M96 engine based car is pretty much a time bomb. it is designed to explode and it is not a question IF - it is a question WHEN.
so getting a high milage car is increasing your chances unless you will invest $6K-$15K to split engine case open and re-haul motor replacing rods, bolts, IMS bearing, etc.

it is worse on 06+ cars where IMS bearing cannot be extracted out without splitting the case. on pre-06 cars with old IMS bearing design you can go to a good shop and put in LN Engineering retrofit and keep doing it every 2-3 years ($1500 job) should give you some peace of mind.

with all that in mind - IMHO best (and only) good buy now is any 09+ car with 9a1 DFI motor. ditch those M97/M96 things if you can. they are fun to drive and good cars but engine is pretty much sh$t.

PS. worst of that is a total unpredictability of this issue. some cars put on almost close 100k miles on M96 engine in racing conditions, others grenade after merely 20k miles. like i said - a time bomb. makes me totally paranoid every time i get car to a track, i absolutely hate it, it takes out most of fun from driving it.

 

^^^ enough of the doom and gloom from you about this issue. you should sell your Porsche Car if you're so freakin' paranoid about driving it. anyone familiar with the IMS issues knows it's a 1% factor.

you've a better chance of a tire blowout at high speeds resulting in a crash than you do catastrophic engine failure.

100,000 miles on my 2005 now and it runs better, stronger than the day i bought it with 36,000.

i'd have no problem buying a high mileage example from an enthusiast who i knew took care of the car properly and had the documenation to confirm.

 

86k on mine and runs strong.

My 996 had 47k and I had major issues with the engine (cylinder sleeve issue).

Mine will get a TPC turbo later this year and if and/or when this engine goes I'll punch it out to a 4.0. I'm going to have my oil changed next week and I'm sending an oil specimen to Blackstone Laboratories to analyze the oil (they sent the container). Good idea prior to boosting it.

 

IMS is a boogeyman. Don't give it any thought, and ignore the scaremongers out here who don't have any info to back up their claims. Yes, it can happen, and it sucks if it does, but your car can also be hit by a garbage truck and no one worries about that when they're shopping. As a whole, these cars are extremely reliable, as all reputable sources confirm (Consumer Reports, etc.).

That said, ANY car you buy with those miles will have nagging issues, and parts that need replacing. If you're stretching your budget to buy it, as it sounds like you are, why not get a lower miles 996, Boxster or Cayman?

It's perfectly possible that you'll get a few years of low maintenance enjoyment out of it, but it's also possible that you'll get hit with a few thousand in bills off that bat. If you're not prepared for that, it isn't worth it. These cars should be about enjoyment, not stress.

 

for a second there, I thought utkinpol's account got hacked! LOL!
With that same school of thought, how do you live your life knowing that your dying is not a question "IF" instead is a matter of WHEN? You can die at any moment... the human body is a time bomb. There are people dying at 5 years old and 80 years old... but they all die. Get rid of that **** body and buy yourself a robot.

Pretty much, are you scared of IMS? get a LN bearing. if not, roll the dice and live your life, drive a lot. there's no way I'm getting grey hair because of a car.

 

I'm driving a time bomb?

High milage (rolling rock gathers no moss) is not an issue for me. Of course the car has to be well cared for.