Dear All:

I have just started my search to fulfill my car dream of 20 years: buying a Porsche 911.

I hope that you won't find the questions too boring. As my first time purchase, I really want to do it right.

I am on the market for a used 911 (997), in the mid $30K. In my budget, I may end up getting a 2005 or 2006 at best, unless I wait a bit longer.

Knowing (and being deadly scared) about the IMS failure, I am thinking about performing an IMS retrofit as the first thing I do after I purchase a car.

1. What is the general estimate price for such mods (my initial search shows about $1,000 but this may be low); 2. in your opinion/experience would any reputable porsche indy be able to do it (I live around White Plains in NY), or are there risks involved in the retrofit itself? 3. would the ims retrofit solve the ims failure problem for good?

Other questions I have are:

For a prepurchase DME report, should I just buy the device and perform it myself or are there other solutions? I think that most non-porsche dealer may not be able to do a DME readout.

For a good PPI, can I trust any mechanic? I mean, knowing that I will search in a broad geographical area (~500 mi. of White Plains NY), I do not know how I can find a trusted PPI source for all vehicle I may want to try. Any suggestions, or source?

Anyway, thank you folks for any help. I hope that I will be able to join the P club sometime this year.

 

Early 05 cars can be retrofitted but after Porsche tried to fix the problem themselves they made it so you have to split the case. I would consider the ims retrofit as a maintence item. If and when you find a car you can contact LN engineering and I'm pretty sure they have a list of qualified installers for their ceramic bearing.

Personally, I went with an 06 model and have decided to just have the oil tested by blacksstone and enjoy it.


Regarding the ppi: don't skimp and try and to diagnose potential problems yourself. If you are considering buying a 997.1 them please keep in mind that although reliable, they were at some point not too long ago a $100k car and the maintenance should not be skimped on. I don't understand the logic of wanting to save a few hundred dollars when talking about spending $35k ( be honest, you'll spend more).

 

Hi good luck with your search. I wrote the following up shortly after my quest to find my first Porsche.

http://chrisstewart.hubpages.com/hub...-a-997-Porsche

I hope this helps you. I know you will definitely find something in your price range. There is a nice midnight blue c2 coupe 2005 with 50k on the clock near me for low 30s. If you are going to do the ims fix yourself the early the 997 the cheaper. So you may in fact be better off with an early 2005 than 06 or later.

Good luck with the search

 

You are not going to be able to get much for mid 30's, and like Hella said, you might get one for 35K but the maintenance is still a like a 100K car. Unless you are a DIYer, you are not going to get an oil/filter change for $29.95. IMS failure is very expensive if it happens. RMS is common too and it's a grand or two to fix. You'll probably need a new clutch since it's going to be a very high mileage car for mid 30's. There are other things that needs to be changed out. Do get a PPI, at least you'll get an idea how much you need to spend up front. Good luck in your search.

 

Thank you all. Indeed I am aware of the higher maintenance cost and it does not scare me. Also, I am not a DIYer. My daily drive is a 2007 Audi A6. The 911 would be my weekend queen. This would also be my first P-car and I want to do it right. I can then upgrade to a better/newer vehicle in a few years.

My original post was perhaps a bit unclear.

If it makes sense, I intend to get an approved mechanic to do the IMS retrofit immediately after I purchase the car, for added peace of mind. I wanted to know how much to budget for it. With more search I am thinking about 2000 for parts and labor, but I may have overlooked something.

With respect to the PPI, my question is how to find a trusted mechanic/inspector , if I am buying a car that is, say, 350mi away. I am thinking to go with the local Porsche dealer, but what if there aren't any around in that area (is it even possible?).

Finally, about the DME report. Based on my reading, I think that it would be an important tool to get a feeling about the engine (car was tracked, engine misused etc.). The question is, how can I get a DME readout? Not every PPI mechanic can do it, that's why I asked: should I buy the damn machine and do it myself. It would be better than not having a DME at all.

Sorry if these questions are too newbie in nature.

 

I would go with Porsche for the PPI and DME..

That's who did mine for me.

 

The IMS failure isnt that big of deal if the car has been driven. Very, very few cars have it happen when they get about 5k miles a year put on. But that doesn't mean it cant happen. You are right, it would be around $2,000 for a retro fit. While its being done it is a good idea to have engine looked over...spark plugs, coil packs, belt, clutch...the norm.

As for the PPI, it shouldnt be tough to find either a close dealer or a good indy shop. Just look around the area where the car is and do a bit of googling. Then ask on here if anyone know of a good indy in the area.

As for the DME...its a good idea to do it but I dont know much about doing it on your own.

 

Thank you very much gloves. That is the type of info that I am looking for.

Plantagenet, I found your guide extremely helpful. Thank you for taking the time to do it.

When you have time, could you give me a ballpark for the insurance, and post a link to the car on sale that you were referring to? If you prefer, you could also just send me a private message.

Also, about the insurance, do you trust that if something catastrophic happen, they would actually cover it? Have you heard anybody making a successful claim for an engine failure? I mean, isn't there a risk that instead of fighting with Porsche, someone just ends up fighting with the extended insurance provider?

 

Insurance varies for each individual, different places, etc. Mine is extremely cheap. It's not something I worry about. Less than my cellphone bill each month.

Your IMS worries are over. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...wners-win.html

 

The warranty cost me around 3000 USD. An 05 that I first looked at with slightly higher mileage was 500 USD more. That's for 3 years and 50000 miles. Carchex seem to have a good reputation. They specifically cover the two main issues I was worried about namely IMS and scored bores. The down sides of the warranty is that you have to take the car in every 6 months for a service and for the first month 1000 miles or first two months 500 miles I was not covered. Having looked more into the subject now I feel that if I had gone for an 05 like the one pictured in below link I wouldn't have bothered with warranty if ppi was good but instead put the IMS fix and bore fix in straight away its about the same cost. The difference is I think it will preserve the value of the car whereas a warranty is just lost money.

Insurance cost me a 1000 a year but I am expecting that to get a rebate of between 100 and 200 on that simply because I fall into there low mileage categories.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=1&Log=0

This is the car I was talking about. Seems like a really good deal to me. It is also less than 2 minutes drive from the local Porsche dealer so not a problem to get it to them for a PPI and DME.

 

Thank you guys. This is terrific info and I can now proceed with more confidence.

Concerning the class action, I wonder if it would also cover current owners. I think that Porsche should have just offered to change the IMS bearing and be done with. It seems like they dropped the ball badly on that one.

 

Yes although the reason the car is as cheap as it is because of the fact there is the IMS issue hanging over them.

 

I agree, they could certainly be more expensive.

Still, I think they are holding well their price. The MSRP for a basic 911 in 2005 was $69,300 (of course inflation-adjusted this would be a lot more in today's $$, but cars are also inherently deflationary items).

That almost nine years later, a car with 50K miles still sells for $35K or more, is not exactly the sign of an undervalued car.

Then, of course, a Porsche is a Porsche and I see why new model owners (and Porsche) would not ever want to see them selling for this "cheap".

I just hope that I can get one and still sleep at night without dreaming of failing IMS

 

32k is very cheap. I would wonder if something else is maybe not up to par with the car. From any type of car dealer it should be at least 34k. The price here is more private party sale. Though with a proper PPI done anything is possible.

 

That sounds cheap. I am flying cross country this Saturday but would have otherwise taken it for a test drive. I spoke with the guy on the phone, he said it is in excellent condition, then added: "but don't expect a museum piece". I wonder why it would say that.

I found a black 2005 911 with 45,000 mi for $39.9K. Considering that I would like to immediately do an IMS retrofit, that does not sound like much of a deal. In your experience, are any of these prices negotiable? If I could get it for, say, 36K then it would make sense.