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Bore Score on a 3.8 Gen1 - How common is it really?

dp400

Well-known member
Joined
30 Jan 2018
Messages
55
Hi Guys

Im looking to get my first Porsche and a gen 1 997 Carrera 2S is my current favourite within my £25k budget.

However the more I read on the net about bore score on the gen 1 3.8 the more Im going off the idea and leaning towards a 996 C4S.

Can anyone give any input on how common the issue really is and if its been blown out of all proportion by the nay sayers on the net. Or is it genuinely a common issue and I should therefore avoid a no Hartec rebuilt gen 1 3.8?

Any input gratefully received.

Thanks

Dave
 
You mention Hartech, you could do worse than go to their website and read up their papers, a great free resource to all owners and potential owners of these cars.

EDIT: as indicated above :oops:
 
According to the well respected Porsche Inspector Peter Morgan it's less than 5% effected.

Buy a car from a well respected specialist and just enjoy. The m96 in the 996 c4s is also effected anyway.
 
5% sounds about right, and more importantly, there is bore score which needs a rebuild, and then there is bore score which doesn't get worse and is perfectly fine.

Don't believe the scaremongers, including some dealers (some idiot at RPM Technik who is in modern classics this month saying "don't touch Gen 1 cars, they have to many issues, we don't touch them" for example).

I have a 2007 C2S Manual Cabrio. Awesome car. Has been well looked after. I don't thrash it until it's warmed up, and change the oil every year, instead of the 2 year service. Get a good one, or one which has already had a rebuild, and enjoy an immensely talented car. Get in now while you can still afford a decent one. Prices have been climbing for a while. Mine was £30,000 almost 3 years ago. I couldn't replace it now for less than £35k.

You want, manual, C2S. PSE, Heated Seats, Sports Chrono all all nice but not essential.

It's about condition, not mileage so much. Don't be scared of a good looked after higher mileage car. You should probably get any car checked properly for Bore Score, and try and get a newer IMS car, post late 2005 (check the engine number range!)

it's about time someone really knowledgeable put this all in a pinned thread along with the engine numbers!
 
Spot on :worship:
 
Threads on the topic are far more common than actual scoring. I'd have a read of some of those.
 
resigner said:
Don't believe the scaremongers, including some dealers (some idiot at RPM Technik who is in modern classics this month saying "don't touch Gen 1 cars, they have to many issues, we don't touch them" for example).

Disappointing to hear them say that. I nearly bought a 997.1 car off them 2 months ago. I would have too if the deal was right but ended up with a better car and deal at RSJ.
 
resigner said:
Don't believe the scaremongers, including some dealers (some idiot at RPM Technik who is in modern classics this month saying "don't touch Gen 1 cars, they have to many issues, we don't touch them

What a WANKEL (R)

J
 
resigner said:
5% sounds about right, and more importantly, there is bore score which needs a rebuild, and then there is bore score which doesn't get worse and is perfectly fine.

iirc around 72,000 997.1 S cars were produced.

Any potential buyer just has to keep their fingers crossed they don't get one of the 3,600 that are affected.

It's obviously something that's widely accepted as being an issue. You only need to see the difference in asking prices for late Gen1 cars v early Gen2s.
 
That gap seems to be closing quite quickly as far as I see, certainly at the low end of Gen 2 prices. Prices of low mileage cars is rising rapidly, but take these 2 as an example

https://www.pistonheads.com/classif.../porsche-997-carrera-4-s-coupe-manual/8339714

https://www.pistonheads.com/classif...ra-997/porsche-911-3-8-carrera-2s-2dr/8150922


OP, I was the same as you, set myself a £25k budget, started looking at what I could buy for that, couldn't believe in included 997 cabrio's. Ended up spending more for a very very high spec low mileage car, but incredible value. nothing gets close!
 
resigner said:
5% sounds about right, and more importantly, there is bore score which needs a rebuild, and then there is bore score which doesn't get worse and is perfectly fine.

Don't believe the scaremongers, including some dealers (some idiot at RPM Technik who is in modern classics this month saying "don't touch Gen 1 cars, they have to many issues, we don't touch them" for example).

I have a 2007 C2S Manual Cabrio. Awesome car. Has been well looked after. I don't thrash it until it's warmed up, and change the oil every year, instead of the 2 year service. Get a good one, or one which has already had a rebuild, and enjoy an immensely talented car. Get in now while you can still afford a decent one. Prices have been climbing for a while. Mine was £30,000 almost 3 years ago. I couldn't replace it now for less than £35k.

You want, manual, C2S. PSE, Heated Seats, Sports Chrono all all nice but not essential.

It's about condition, not mileage so much. Don't be scared of a good looked after higher mileage car. You should probably get any car checked properly for Bore Score, and try and get a newer IMS car, post late 2005 (check the engine number range!)

it's about time someone really knowledgeable put this all in a pinned thread along with the engine numbers!


Phew perfect saves me writing exactily the same :thumb: OP spend less time reading the scare stories remember only the few its happened to rant on the net no one says " drove my 997 today and em well ur nothing went wrong "
the vast vast majority of these cars are sound.
Dont listen to the "they will all need a rebuild at some point" every single car of every marque will need a rebuild at some point in the next 50 years, its a stupid weak arguement and serves no purpose other than to worry potential new owners .

The 996.2 has the same potential issue so you cant negate it by doing that .
you can reduce the risk even further than 5% by buying a 3.6 997.1 manual either post March 06 or check the engine number to ensure its the newer IMS bearing , I can post that engine number info if you need it.

What is it you want from a 3.8S that a 3.6 997.1 won't offer as we may be able to point you right on some things .
I had my 997.1 for 4 years brought it on 45k sold it on 89k have it borscoped and it was clean as a whistle.
As resigner says most cylinders will get normal age related score thats not the same as borescore caused by the coating off the liners coming off but it is often misdiagnosed as so by people who are not specialists in the field , this only adds fuel to the fire about borescope.
What you MUST do is get an independant PPI and borescope to be sure your getting a good car then follow the risk minimising proceedures widely discussed
millers 10w50 nano oil, let, fully warm up under 3000rpm before hooning.
and then just relax and enjoy 911 ownership like the many many thousands of 997.1 owners do.
I still ended up writting a novel despite resigner covering half of it already.

:grin: :grin:
 
I had mine scoped at last service at 65k.

It was scored on cylinders 4 and 6. All the rest were clean so, I was utterly terrified of an engine re build :what:

Anyway, since then my specialist has reassured me that it may have been like it for 20k miles and won't get any worse. And the millers oil will help he said.

I've only ever put a litre of oil in her in my ownership 12k.

No noise , no sooty n/s tailpipe :thumb:

Oh, and the plugs were all consistent and were burning fine.
 

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