Hey everyone,

I am finally looking into getting a 997 C2S, but the options are very limited in South Africa. The local Porsche distributor has a monopoly when it comes to the market, which leads to Porsches holding their value very well (even with milage), but compromise on the warranty/motorplan as these are non transferable.

I can get a great 05 C2S from Porsche, but it comes with only a 1-year warranty. I would like to get a 997, but warranty/motorplan is an important factor as I will use it as my DD and I dont want to spend tons $$$ on repairs/maintenance (prices in South Africa are ridiculous). The other alternative I am playing with is a R8 4.2 as these will have motorplan till 2013 covered by Audi. I will keep the car for 1.5 to 2 years

What are the common faults or maintenance issues with 997 C2S (if any) that you have experienced?

I would like to make my 1st Porsche ownership pleasant, so your insight would be much appreciated!

Tim

 

The 997's have been very reliable, the 05's have an issue with IMS's.

 

My friend,I have a 05 C2S,launch edition,bought 2nd hand in Canada,love the car and here are some my thoughts;
Funs:
1.If you do not have good road,forget about Porsche,bumpy roads and crowded streets definitely reduce fun factor of owning a porsche;
2.Other than that, it's all fun.Sound,utilisation,handling and eye-catching(if you need some). I can not describe how preciously I treat my P car,it might be a garage queen,but who cares? In terms of this, check the threads posted in 6speedonline,one is names "how to tell you are a 997 dirver",it's fun to read those weird but irresistably rational behavior by 997 owners including me?

Headaches:
1.Not too familiar with 997.2,but RMS and IMS problems are there for early gen 997,but as long as you replace it immediately,a job to heal both at CAD$ 1700 here in Vancouver,it brings you no big harm.But unless you ignore the problem,which may lead to total engin loss eventually, that's another 33k value job;
2.RWD is not good for snow,but still drivable with snow shoes on;Tire is quite not durable for this beast,especially rear set,just another 1k;
3.Cost of regular maintainance is relatively ok,though not as econ as Civic for sure,if you had a German vehicle b4,it's reliable car IMO.
4.May cause unnecessary damage to currenty harmonious relationships btw couples or hus&wif,since you always want to spend more on this never-satisfied "mistress",

I really can not give you too many samples of Porsche's -ives,there are not too many in fact.

Wish you all good luck with your coming Porsche!

 

Faults? What faults?

Seriously, we've had none at all. You should be quite happy with a 2005 as well so long as the previous owner took care of a couple of important maintenance issues that arose early in the life of the 997 model.

Check this forum for threads on IMS and RMS. A conscientious owner -- or possibly Porsche under warranty -- should have taken care of these by now on a 2005, but confirm the work has been done or take it into account as part of the cost of buying the car. It doesn't apply to our 997.2, so I haven't looked into closely, but I'm pretty sure RMS is a very straightforward maintenance task, and now that the IMS issue is understood and remedial parts are available, I believe it is nearly as easy to deal with. You just need to make sure this car has had the work done.

Great car. You'll love it.

Gary

 

Hi Tim,

You know you want it, just get it. Otherwise you will always wonder.

Groete

 

Thanks a lot for your replies everyone - much appreciated!

I feel more confident about the reliability now, so I will have to look into what 997 is available and meets my "wish list"

 

There really needs to be sticky concerning this and the other 1000+ threads covering this issue.

Jason

 

Here are my observations for the 997.1, some my own from running a 2006 2S Cabrio 40K+ miles & some from what I have seen on the various forums over 5 years.

-For 2006+ cars, RMS/IMS problems are very uncommon.
-Minor rattling, occasionally hard to track down, can happen in dashboards, door panels & windows.
-Low or dead battery issues can occur, including bad batteries & defective alternator or main ground wiring. The car has a high parasitic load & needs a battery maintainer if not used for more than a couple weeks. Lots of short trips will exacerbate this problem.
-Minor issues with convertible top, such as broken cables, leaking cylinders and need for adjustments.
-Deterioration of coil packs in cars used in winter conditions or not garaged, with several years of service.
-Rapid wear of rear tires, particularly if driven hard.
-Some complaints of cars coming from factory with poor suspension alignment.
-Oxygen sensors going bad.
-Water accumulation in the trunk if the drains near the battery get clogged with debris that finds its way in under the windshield area.
-Some cars use a lot of engine oil. This can vary from near zero to over a quart per thousand miles.
-Do not consider using the car in any snow whatsoever without winter tires.

Overall, my car has been very reliable and usable under a wide range of conditions. The largest fraction of repair costs have been tire replacement.

 

My 2006 Carrera S now has 36,200 miles that have been almost absolutely trouble free. I only had a problem with my original front rotors that were replaced by Porsche under warranty when the car had a few miles on it. Since then, I've only spent money on the required maintenance, hardly any in extra oil since it barely consumes oil (I've put maybe <1 qt/10,000 miles) and go through tires at the rate of 1 set of rears/12k-15k miles and 1/2 that rate for the front. Before I forget, I had the alternator to battery cable replaced about 3 weeks ago at a cost of $283 including parts, labor and tax from my local independent shop. That's about it! It's been an incredibly reliable car.

 

Just curious. Is the Turbo as reliable as a NA model?

 

I had a 2005 997 with 39k miles and it was solid. No IMS or RMS issues at all. Very reliable car....

 

Hey Tim - I'm originally from South Africa - been living in LA for some time though. Went to UCT. Are you from JHB or CT?

Anyways, I'd recommend a 2006 and on C2S for the improved IMS situation. In the US you can get a CPO warranty which gives you some extra comfort. Get a PPI done so you know its in tip top shape. I did not have a 997.1 but have gone to a 2009 997.2S. So far so good. I did have one item fixed under warranty (coolant leak). These cars are very reliable (this is my 4th Porsche) if you get one thats been well taken care of. Repairs can be expensive if its not in good shape. So pay a bit extra on the front end and ensure its good to begin with.

Good luck.

 

This says it all.

Very true.