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Forum knowledge sought Re buying 997.1
- Thread starter me&my997
- Start date
There are previous posts on engine numbers for the cars that should have the later type IMS bearing, 06 onwards. From what I have read, these cars are not prone to the IMS bearing failures of the earlier cars. A car with a good service history, a clean bill of health from an inspection and bore scope check is more important than the mileage in my opinion.
I`m looking at 997.1`s and 80/90k mile cars appear to be the best value if you only want a weekend car to do about 3k - 5k a year in. It is quite a few years motoring if you buy a good one, plenty around at about £18k - £22k and that is the advertised price. To get a car with half the mileage you will pay a premium of £6k to £8k, that's a lot of cash for servicing/repairs of the higher mileage car. Even low mileage cars need to be serviced and repaired.
I`m looking at 997.1`s and 80/90k mile cars appear to be the best value if you only want a weekend car to do about 3k - 5k a year in. It is quite a few years motoring if you buy a good one, plenty around at about £18k - £22k and that is the advertised price. To get a car with half the mileage you will pay a premium of £6k to £8k, that's a lot of cash for servicing/repairs of the higher mileage car. Even low mileage cars need to be serviced and repaired.
From a mechanic that works on these ... so what i see ..
Normal work .. service , faults etc .. i've seen 3 cars in 2 years that had obvious Bore score and one was a Cayman .
i've scoped maybe 15 cars for a PPI or a customer request in the last 2 years ..
Of those about 7 had some marks but only one had bore score that i considered to be bad .
Obviously i'm at an Indy these days so we see the older cars .. also the higher mileage ones .
I'm just one mechanic in one garage .. but its not a hell of a lot in 2 years considering how many cars come through our doors ..
Anyways , that's just what i've seen .. up to everyone else to make up their minds on how " fragile " these cars are .
EDIT ..
Just for info .. serious bore score dumps large amounts of oil into the inlet ports and the smoking is excessive to say the least . not really drivable on the roads but the car still runs ... that was the Cayman .
You can get when hot , knocking noises which is piston slap , seen it once .. not much smoke at all ... same sort of thing though .
I've also never seen a later type IMS let go or indeed any aftermarket ones fitted .
Normal work .. service , faults etc .. i've seen 3 cars in 2 years that had obvious Bore score and one was a Cayman .
i've scoped maybe 15 cars for a PPI or a customer request in the last 2 years ..
Of those about 7 had some marks but only one had bore score that i considered to be bad .
Obviously i'm at an Indy these days so we see the older cars .. also the higher mileage ones .
I'm just one mechanic in one garage .. but its not a hell of a lot in 2 years considering how many cars come through our doors ..
Anyways , that's just what i've seen .. up to everyone else to make up their minds on how " fragile " these cars are .
EDIT ..
Just for info .. serious bore score dumps large amounts of oil into the inlet ports and the smoking is excessive to say the least . not really drivable on the roads but the car still runs ... that was the Cayman .
You can get when hot , knocking noises which is piston slap , seen it once .. not much smoke at all ... same sort of thing though .
I've also never seen a later type IMS let go or indeed any aftermarket ones fitted .
Frenchmeister
Barcelona
- Joined
- 24 Feb 2014
- Messages
- 1,417
OP friend has no plans for a rebuild, there is nothing wrong with it !
me&my997
Monza
- Joined
- 23 Mar 2019
- Messages
- 165
All replies & input appreciated so thank you .
I see logic & sense in what you wrote deMort
i think my main point is anyone in the search who joins the forum is told have a professional inspection with BORESCOPE BORESCOPE BORSECOPE before even considering purchase ?
So ive found a car , great history at 88k & borescoped at 80k (no concerns) yet the consensus from certain trade names & forum stalwarts is no matter what these will need a major overhaul 90k - 100k ?
So why bother having potential cars borescoped ?
I see logic & sense in what you wrote deMort
i think my main point is anyone in the search who joins the forum is told have a professional inspection with BORESCOPE BORESCOPE BORSECOPE before even considering purchase ?
So ive found a car , great history at 88k & borescoped at 80k (no concerns) yet the consensus from certain trade names & forum stalwarts is no matter what these will need a major overhaul 90k - 100k ?
So why bother having potential cars borescoped ?
The trouble with answering questions like this is what if it goes wrong in a few thousand miles .. we tend to try and cover ourselves ..
For me .. i have to .. its my job so i have to give good info ..
I report items on a service that i don't really need to just in case it fails a few months before the next 2 year service .. customer has a claim that we didn't tell him etc etc .. sigh .
But your question above is a valuable point . its been scoped so why do you need to spend money again ..
Off the record and i have to say this as its my personal opinion .. you don't .. its been checked .. is 8 K enough for it to suddenly go ? impossible to answer .. logically no with what i see .. but i see a small example .. my previous post was to try and explain .. i don't see many .. do other garages ? i don't know but logically no .. so why is it deemed such a problem ?
Because it can happen and when it does its a huge bill and none of us can predict if it will or when ...
Did i mention its a huge bill ... that's why people will take to the forums and anywhere else they can ..
It can and does happen .. IMS can and does happen .. the majority of cars don't suffer these problems .. if they did then there would be far less Porsches on the roads .
Do these cars need a rebuild at 100K .. no idea .. i see many above that which are fine .. does any car ever built need a rebuild . i think we can safely say yes as no engine in ANY car ever built will last forever .
Sports cars will tend to last a shorter period than a Volvo . you either want a sports car or you want a tank that will last forever .. buy the car you want but realise they have different functions and different longevity ... performance is gained at a cost .. and it's normally the life of the engine is reduced .
My .. " informed" opinion only .
For me .. i have to .. its my job so i have to give good info ..
I report items on a service that i don't really need to just in case it fails a few months before the next 2 year service .. customer has a claim that we didn't tell him etc etc .. sigh .
But your question above is a valuable point . its been scoped so why do you need to spend money again ..
Off the record and i have to say this as its my personal opinion .. you don't .. its been checked .. is 8 K enough for it to suddenly go ? impossible to answer .. logically no with what i see .. but i see a small example .. my previous post was to try and explain .. i don't see many .. do other garages ? i don't know but logically no .. so why is it deemed such a problem ?
Because it can happen and when it does its a huge bill and none of us can predict if it will or when ...
Did i mention its a huge bill ... that's why people will take to the forums and anywhere else they can ..
It can and does happen .. IMS can and does happen .. the majority of cars don't suffer these problems .. if they did then there would be far less Porsches on the roads .
Do these cars need a rebuild at 100K .. no idea .. i see many above that which are fine .. does any car ever built need a rebuild . i think we can safely say yes as no engine in ANY car ever built will last forever .
Sports cars will tend to last a shorter period than a Volvo . you either want a sports car or you want a tank that will last forever .. buy the car you want but realise they have different functions and different longevity ... performance is gained at a cost .. and it's normally the life of the engine is reduced .
My .. " informed" opinion only .
johnt993997
New member
- Joined
- 13 Jan 2019
- Messages
- 49
As a fomer air cooled owner, and fully signed up member of the 'should never have sold that' club.... 
If it was me I'd probably get it re-checked for bores, just for piece of mind.
I'm back in a 997.1 now, with hartech rebuild as that was what worked best for me. Loving it so far! Need to do a thread on the tweaks I've done at some point soon. Got 2500 mile European road trip in 6 weeks time which I'm sure will be amazing.
Having considered several gen 2's also, I still went for the right gen1.
As for bore scores, seems this happen at all sorts of mileages so I wouldn't let the milage worry you on that front. Get the sensible things done (Lower temp thermostat etc...)
For other engine wear that might cause the need for a rebuild, I'm not so knowledgeable as I was never looking at anything other than low-mid milers.
Good luck whatever!
If it was me I'd probably get it re-checked for bores, just for piece of mind.
I'm back in a 997.1 now, with hartech rebuild as that was what worked best for me. Loving it so far! Need to do a thread on the tweaks I've done at some point soon. Got 2500 mile European road trip in 6 weeks time which I'm sure will be amazing.
Having considered several gen 2's also, I still went for the right gen1.
As for bore scores, seems this happen at all sorts of mileages so I wouldn't let the milage worry you on that front. Get the sensible things done (Lower temp thermostat etc...)
For other engine wear that might cause the need for a rebuild, I'm not so knowledgeable as I was never looking at anything other than low-mid milers.
Good luck whatever!
To be clear I know nothing about the prevalence of failures on the 997.1 Carrera.
But, given there's the budget for a .2 I just think you buy the 'best' car you can afford regardless. With more bhp, a better PCM and PDK if you want an auto, the .2 is a better car.
That (at the very least) you are also not going to spend time wondering if you'll be in the unlucky (low?) % is a benefit, that for some might not be important, but is just a bonus over these other benefits, given you have the budget.
But, given there's the budget for a .2 I just think you buy the 'best' car you can afford regardless. With more bhp, a better PCM and PDK if you want an auto, the .2 is a better car.
That (at the very least) you are also not going to spend time wondering if you'll be in the unlucky (low?) % is a benefit, that for some might not be important, but is just a bonus over these other benefits, given you have the budget.
johnt993997
New member
- Joined
- 13 Jan 2019
- Messages
- 49
Ishay said:
Sure, if you can really afford to get a good gen 2, then why not, but if (like me) you were looking at the bottom end of 2's vs the top end of 1's, the on paper advantages, such as those listed, are countered by higher mileages, often non S models (wasn't so much of an issue for me in terms of the car, but does seem to be for resale - I'm not planning to sell, but if I need to I know an S will likely sell faster) and often worse condition despite being younger. Many of the gen 2 non-S's I went to see are still for sale 4 months later.
That said, if I'd have wanted an 'auto' I would have definitely gone gen 2, but with a grand on top for a paddle shift conversion.
me&my997
Monza
- Joined
- 23 Mar 2019
- Messages
- 165
To update this thread , my head was spinning at the time & not totally sure what to do i bought a Z4 E89 35is in April never really connected with it (300miles done in 3 months ) & continued my 997 studies :wink:
Last month the right car for me ( C4 3.6 manual ) wafted under my nose , exemplary history (12yr major was recently done at OPC ) so i bought it , already covered 400 weekend miles in first 4 weeks so safe to say i'm more than connected .
What i would like to add for others in the position i was when i first posted my dilemma is YES use the forum & internet as a resource for information but be prepared to follow your instinct regarding the search / find / buy process .
Yes there are potential pitfalls but in the end i returned to the 997 hunt following the same rules i used to buy the 2 previous 911,s & in the past 7 years 14 different Z4s yes really 14
Study the cars current condition & drive , study the owner ( i always prefer private to dealer ) & of course study the history , very often all the answers are there if you dig deep enough , most of the cars i did consider were pretty poorly described , i'm sure many would be sold already if the history , condition & positives were covered in initial adverts as opposed to digging it out yourself through countless txts , emails & whatsapp clips .
never really connected with it (300miles done in 3 months ) & continued my 997 studies :wink: Last month the right car for me ( C4 3.6 manual ) wafted under my nose , exemplary history (12yr major was recently done at OPC ) so i bought it , already covered 400 weekend miles in first 4 weeks so safe to say i'm more than connected .
What i would like to add for others in the position i was when i first posted my dilemma is YES use the forum & internet as a resource for information but be prepared to follow your instinct regarding the search / find / buy process .
Yes there are potential pitfalls but in the end i returned to the 997 hunt following the same rules i used to buy the 2 previous 911,s & in the past 7 years 14 different Z4s
yes really 14 Study the cars current condition & drive , study the owner ( i always prefer private to dealer ) & of course study the history , very often all the answers are there if you dig deep enough , most of the cars i did consider were pretty poorly described , i'm sure many would be sold already if the history , condition & positives were covered in initial adverts as opposed to digging it out yourself through countless txts , emails & whatsapp clips .
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