93k miles and clutch never replaced

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...01044357&Log=0 Found a 996 I like that's priced reasonably. Spoke to owner (3rd owner of vehicle) who only drives it on the weekends and about 3k miles annually. I asked about a bevy of issues including: IMS, RMS, clutch, control arm busings, steering rack/boots, coolant tank, etc. Long story short, car has been serviced at local dealership and it sounds like the clutch has NEVER been replaced. He didn't know what an IMS or RMS were either. Some serious red flags going up for me... Is it possible that the clutch could last 93k miles??!? Would I be ok just installing a new clutch when doing IMS/RMS or does a clutch that old compromise other parts of the drivetrain? Thanks, Andrew

Yes clutch can last that long. There's a 996TT owner with over 400k miles (yes I said 400k) that is still on his original clutch I believe.

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Sure it can last that long or longer. There's the 400K+ mile Turbo. There's my nearly 300K mile Boxster with its original clutch. Even my 2003 Turbo has over 140K miles on its original clutch. Had the tranny out at 120K miles to deal with a RMS and the clutch disc had no measureable wear. I know because I tried to measure it. When you test drive the car note the clutch pedal effort required. If the clutch feels heavy, requires more force than other Porsches you have driven that's a sign the clutch is due. When driving the car if the clutch is hard to modulate, if take off is grabby, if the transmission shifts like the clutch is not fully depressed that can be a clutch problem, but it can just be a sign the clutch fluid is (way) past due to be flushed/bled. This fluid along with the brake fluid -- the brake/clutch hydraulic systems share fluid -- require flushing/bleeding every 2 years.

I only have 71k miles on my original clutch and it feels fine. I put 100k miles on a clutch in a Saab SPG, yet the PO replaced a clutch at 45k miles. You can easily thrash a clutch if you choose to or don't know any better.

2003 for $21K with 92.8K miles. Look at it this way...it has not been beaten to death. Clutch life depends on driving style and location. If you live in hilly country the clutch is going to be used more and slippage will be greater, wearing out the clutch faster. If you drive like a maniac the clutch will wear faster. FWIW - my 99 996 has 136K on original clutch. It is strong and there is no slip. I have no plans on doing a clutch replacement anytime soon. I do live in Florida and it is flat so that contributes a lot. Sounds like you could do a deal on this one and plan on doing a clutch job down the road a bit.

so you're telling me there's a chance. yeah! good to know this may not be an issue

As long as the car is healthy, those things are not necessarily red flags. Sure, you may have some deferred/overdue maintenance to deal with, but on the other hand, there's something to be said for having a completely stock, totally unmolested car...at least you know there are no stories, no "forgotten" explanations for why this, that, and the other were replaced, etc.

Got the original in mine at 81k. Feels fine. Had an S2000 I put 120k on original clutch.

There's a guy on here with around 200k on his 996 NA clutch and it was still fine.

That AutoTrader ad shows a realtor's sign in the front yard. Selling the car and selling the house, there's got to be a back story there and it might give you a bit of negotiation leverage. And I agree about the clutch: clutch life depends more than anything else upon the driver.

The original clutch on my 996 lasted for just over 125K miles.

Is it an Automatic?

I MS, RMS, clutch, control arm busings, steering rack/boots, coolant tank, etc. Why are you even concerned about any of the things in your posting? Are you trying to knock the price down? They are all wearable. You even asked about the IMS at 93000 miles. That's laughable as though it was going to break apart anytime soon. Get an independant PPI on the car. If it passes, give the man his money. It's obvious he has had the car serviced regularly. If you must, do a full DIY preventative maintenance DIY job on it. It wont last long. Remember, YOU SNOOZE....YOU LOOSE

Have a ppi done , make him an offer and save the money to do the clutch rms and IMS . There are a few other bits like shift forks , maybe flywheel that are worth doing while your in there . When you've got the dosh , do the job and love the car for another decade . I factored in the cost of a clutch imsb and rms when I started looking at 996s , I found a few cars where the work had already been done ( 2 of them the owners had no idea , they just followed their mechanics reccomendations but had recipts for the work) I ended up buying a car with only 35,000 miles on it . But I did the job anyway , new clutch ims , rms , flywheel etc. the clutch was about 45% worn , the bearing was like new , but the rms was leaking . Nice bmw bike btw , I love the old bmws, I've still got my first one

My uncle has a 2000 boxster and has no idea what the ims is. Some people just drive them and never have the issues that we look for. He is also on his original clutch but he only has 20k on the car.

My '03 C2 now has 150K miles. Original PPI indicated that the car looked to be on original clutch, RMS, and IMS. The PO did long commutes from Seattle to LA and I also drive mostly highway with commutes between Santa Barbara and San Diego. No slipping at all but the pedal is a touch heavy.

My clutch is extremely heavy at 71,000 but it still engages nicely.... having not driven another 996 N//A I also don't know if Porsche Clutch's are supposed to be that heavy or not.

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This, and plus, at least a year ago it was more of a sellers market. So a bunch of questions and they find a new potential buyer. Not saying a person can't be comfortable with the deal, but that they don't have as much power as online forms sometimes make it sound. Totally agree on the wearable. These engines are expensive, that bearing is a known issue, may as well get it done with the clutch sooner rather than later.

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How is a PPI going to find out the condition of a clutch, RMS, or IMS?

[QUOTE ... Is it possible that the clutch could last 93k miles??!? Would I be ok just installing a new clutch when doing IMS/RMS or does a clutch that old compromise other parts of the drivetrain? Yes, easily from my experience. At around 78k miles I had the IMS bearing replaced by the part from J Raby and at the same time had a new clutch kit installed. I asked how much life was left in the old clutch, they told be about 40% left. This was a Porsche main dealer. Thanks, Andrew[/QUOTE]

Guy in a Texas Porsche group I'm in has 234,000 miles on original clutch and IMS bearing.

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Thanks, I started with a stock K75S a couple of years ago and it didn't take me long to start tinkering. The BMW purists are horrified, but for the most part people really get a kick out of the bike and nobody believes its 26 years old. Last project was building my own seat by laying fiberglass over planting foam - haven't had it painted yet, but looking to 3D print a seat in the next month or so for a little more stability.