Hello
I'm looking to purchase a 997 2S or 4S in the next couple of months. I'll probably be going with a 2005 or 2006 with around 30k-35k miles on it. I was wondering if anyone could help me out on things to look for before purchasing. I was reading another post asking members how their '05s were running so far and a few had blown motors with only about 40k miles on them and it wasn't covered under warranty for some reason (I think something about rev ranges?..not really sure). Any info would be appreciated.

 

I would aim for 2007 to factor out some of the wararnty and engine related jitters because you have to be able to enjoy the car . Plus the price gap from an 05 to an 07 is not going to be nearly as huge as a large repair bill .

1) You could requeest a full service record history , CPO. and a Dme scan (to detect engine over rev) .

2) If you buy an 05 or 06 car buy it in your area . Atlanta is a majot Porsche hub and with that comes a lot of sjilled technicians as well as the reasurrance that yoir local car purchase has a staff behind keeping you on the road.

3) some other members will help you better with these engine topics in early models --IMS . Also a topic of concern is RMS which is a rear main seal issue .

 

Couple of steps I would recommend:

1. go to your local Porsche dealer and test drive whatever he has there - will give you a good idea of the features that you will want to have (S vs. no-S; colors, options (Sport Chrono yes/no, Tiptronic vs Manual, Full Leather vs none etc)
2. Come up with a list of must haves for your new car, stuff you dont deviate from
3. Come up with a list of maybes, i.e. you like black the best but would take a dark blue
4. Start looking nationwide for your car, subscibe to KBB, Autotrader, Ebay etc - anywhere where you can find used 911s (most will send you emails with new cars coming up)
5. Make contact with some consignment guys that will find you your car - they will get commision of a deal, but can buy cars wholesale and thus you will possibly save money.
6. Should you find a car on the other side of the country and price and all details are perfect for you, you can have it checked through from the local Porsche dealer for about $150 before you fly out in person and either drive or ship it back - the exercise will cost you around $1000 but if you find the perfect car for the right price it will be worth it.
7. Take your time, do your research, don't let your gut feel and love for what you see take over from the rational approach: the car in the right color for the right price is out there, if not today, then tomorrow ...

 

Forgot:

8. Make sure the seller has all the service records
9. if possible, avoid 2005s - they had initial problems
10. try to buy one that has at least a few weeks warranty left, that way you can have all stuff fixed
11. Buying from the wealthy housewife probably gets you a safer car than from the racing enthusiast

 

The IMS issue isn't one with the 997's, I believe that it is a problem on the 996/986's.

A lot of people will suggest a DME scan, and then reject it based on a few over rev's and move on. I would suggest that getting a Porsche Dealer, or Indy that knows the cars very well to do a thorough check/inspection. I have an 06 that has been tracked a lot, and driven hard, I have yet to make a warranty claim on my car. According to the service advisor at my local dealer, the cars that have been driven are running great, those that are garage queens are the ones that are having the problems.

If you can get one with a CPO, great...if not don't worry about it too much. There aren't many people that are complaining about anything on there cars. These cars are a lot of fun to drive, so find one you are happy with and go out and drive it!

 

Thanks for all of the info. I really don't want to be left with a $18,000 bill to get a new motor so I'll have to get all of those inspections done and be careful when looking at '05 models.

 

Oh another quick question. What is the factory warranty time period? If I find a great deal on a '05 in the next couple of months, could I be able to buy an extended warranty through Porsche?

 

The original warranty was 4 years 50,000 miles, it is best to talk to your local dealer about warranty extensions, or buy one from a dealer with a CPO.

 

I would not buy an extended warranty through Porsche. You'll pay too much for it. I would recommend buying an extended warranty/service agreement from an independent. The Porsche dealer's policy/agreement would in all likelihood be underwritten by a company outside of Porsche. An alternative is to have the dealer CPO the car but from what I hear that's not a cure all either. I've seen a number of posts saying good things about an extended warranty/service agreement sold by EasyCare.

 

Mine is for sale. 2006. Still has warranty. Fully documented (on here) tons of upgrades. Engine replaced 2K miles ago. The story's in my sig.

 

keep in mind that you pay dearly for the extended warranty or CPO if you buy a car from a Porsche dealer - the markup over a private purchase is easily $5000 (just compare KBB Private vs. Dealer price).

you will be much better off buying private, check the car thoroughly beforehand and have Porsche do a full service on the car before the 4year/50k warranty expires.

Keep in mind that 911s are extremly reliable and durable cars - they are build to last and there is a reason that half of all Porsche ever build are still driving

 

What is so different between an '06 and an '07 for him to be advised to aim at the '07 and discard the '06? Nothing at all that I know of. The '06 motor is the same as the '08, if I am not mistaken... it is the '05 the one to be wary about, not the '06 and up. If we are talking about remaining warranty, then that is a valid point only if the car was like mine, a March 2006 car, because there isn't much time left on the original warranty. Besides warranty, all other factors should be the same.

By the way, mine is an '06 with 28900 miles and not a single problem so far! (Knock on wood)

 

I agree! Even according to the fellows at LN Engineering, it seems the cars that are babied are the ones prone to problems. I wrote them about what should I do to keep my X51 motor running well and I was advised to run it to the redline a few times per week and change the oil more frequently than the book says - they suggested 5k miles between changes but I'll just cut the suggested schedule in 2, instead of 20k miles do it at 10k miles.

 

2005 997's still have the weaker duel row IMS bearing found the 996. While its less of an issue with the 05's there are still occurances of them failing. Buckwheat experienced a failure on his 05. That being said, an 05 with a replaced engine will have the beefier IMS bearing and would be a good buy. There has been no documented IMS failures on 2006 and newer 997's that I am aware of. Usually there is at least one story on a forum like this and I have not heard a single one.

All Boxer engined Porsche's suffer from RMS issues. Funny thing, RMS issues appear to effect the arguably more reliable GT1 engined cars (GT3, TT, GT2) more than the carreras. Likely due to the "garage queen" treatment that these cars tend to receive. The RMS is basically just a rubber seal that relies on engine oil and pressure to stay lubricated. If your car is allowed to sit a long time the seal can dry and or crack causing a leak. Its really a non issue as long as you watch your oil level but annoying to the perfectionist.

For the above reasons Porsche has placed a minimum yearly mileage.



Word... like I always say, a redline a day keeps the mechanic away. Too bad my beast is in storage!!

Jason

 

Lots of ads say never tracked, and some advise to stay away from cars that have been to the track. I think these cars are the best looked after (frequent oil/brake fluid/coolant/etc changes, for example) and as a result are great buys.

To the list of resources above I would add used inventory at dealers, which you can find via Porsche's web site. Some dealers will actually deal on these!