Looking to possibly purchase a 996.2, oil analysis and bore pictures

I've been thinking about purchasing a 996 for years as a non winter daily driver and lately I've been considering it more heavily. Found a really nice looking 03 c2 for 35k CAD with tracked maintenance records which I've been finding it's hard to find one that has records. I've been reading its best to get a PPI for these cars because of bore scoring, but the current owner has provided me some info so I am trying to do my own small inspection to see if its even worth dropping 1.2k cad on a PPI through a shop if its not looking good upfront. It's currently at 105k miles, was bore scoped around 85k miles through the spark plug, looking through the pictures noticed cylinder 6 could possibly have the start of some scoring? They also provided me oil analysis throughout the past couple of years. The silicon and aluminum seem okay from what I read but the iron seems pretty high Current owner states low oil consumption with only topping up with 1qt every oil change and has had LN IMS retrofit 27k miles ago With this information could I be possibly looking at red flags with this 996.2? I'm a offroad Diesel mechanic, not really an auto or porsche mechanic, so Im not fully experienced with identifying issues with these m96's. I could possibly rebuild an engine myself but I'd rather not when I already have 4 other project cars and when its 10k+ just in machining. Thanks in advance btw!

That second picture sure looks like scoring to me, I suspect if you looked at the cylinder from the bottom it would be a whole lot uglier, especially since that was 20k miles ago.

The copper is definitely higher than most oil analysis numbers for 996's that I see. Normally it is coming from a bearing.

First of all, the oil they are running doesn't do the cylinders any favors. Oil tests and pictures suggest that you should be prepared for either a short block swap ($20-25k) or an engine rebuild ($30k+) sometime in the future. So factor that into a purchase price.

Ah, so basically as I thought to be skeptical even though the seller said the test were coming back clean. The iron going up 20kmiles after those initial bore scoring picture most likely points to it getting worse, then the copper could be the rod bearing on it too if it getting looser? The car is currently listed at 35k CAD. Interior and exterior looked really good and everything else supposedly up kept, but with knowing the engine is on it way out. What would be a closer price to pay for it? I think unless I get this for an absolute steal probably going to pass as I dont need another project car.

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What's wrong with the oil they're running? Isn't 0W40/5W40 standard for the 996? Curious as I'm in the market for a 996 (having previously owned one and currently running a 986.) Crimcyan - Assuming you are in Vancouver, shop around for a few options on motor rebuilds/replacements. I think the numbers GC996 mentioned are the ballpark ranges, but I've always found Vancouver shops can get out of control, and also, timelines to get engine work done can be wild.

I'll be the dissenter here. For $25K ($35K CAD) you're getting a car with ownership and maintenance records that are far more detailed than you're going to see at that price point. You're effectively penalizing the seller for being meticulous when he should get credit for it. How many $25K cars out there have three years and 20,000 miles of oil sample records? I would rather have a documented cars with known flaws than hope that a PPI picks up issues with an undocumented example. Let's not be ridiculous though. The car is almost 25 years old with 100,000 miles on it. You're not going to get another 100,000 miles on oil changes alone. IMO all of us who are running the original mechanicals on these cars should be prepared to foot the bill for complete replacement.

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Couldn't agree more....and in this case if you're not racing the car, to me, there's another 50K worth driving miles before you need to do anything. Just stay up on changing the oil! People seem to think a $25K car with 100k will not show any issue with wear.....lol. These cylinders actually look very good for the miles! I wouldn't worry about buying something like this as long as the rest of the car is as clean as it sounds....BUT, use it as a bargaining chip and see if you can buy it cheaper.....

These cars do not go 200,000 miles without something big happen. The good thing is all the failure points are well known with solutions. I would redo the borescope and offers accordingly if the scoring is much worse.

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the 0W40 is the issue. While the cars come with a sticker that says to use it, experts have weighed in that you should use higher viscosity. Here is a summary from LN Engineering: It is worth noting that Mobil offers its own line of racing oils for track use and Porsche even now offers its own line of classic oils for protecting older aircooled engines and even specialty oils for watercooled 986 and 996 models, so oil selection is more important now than ever. Understanding what changes have been made, and why, is important in selecting the right lubricant. Porsche�s recommendation in hand, our initial analysis from 2005 and 2006 and from virgin oil analyses going back to the 1990s, we found that then prior SH/SJ formulations of Mobil lubricants tested, including Mobil 1, have had higher Zn and P content than what is found in current API oils. Even those products intended for classic car and performance engines that have �re-introduced� have been reformulated and are not the same was what was previously available. Here is a link to the article: What motor oil is best for my Porsche, classic car, or high performance engine? - LN Engineering

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@bcrdukes , time and research has found that the M96 can benefit from oil with higher levels of moly and viscosity with better sheering qualities. The oil tests had lots of miles between oil changes with high levels of iron, copper, aluminum and silicon suggesting issues. Plenty of threads here on RL and videos on YouTube that discusses oil for the M96. But we all know that every engine ever produced will eventually need to be rebuilt. Just the way physics works. But using an oil that has the right chemistry to match the engine will certainly help push off a rebuild date.

Correct on an oil type that did not help engine life span. Slakker (top-tier engine builder) reccos specific oils, as in: Driven DI50 or DT50 (Highly recommended to combat active scoring) Motul 300V 5W-50 or Motul 300V 10W-60 LiquiMoly Molygen 5W-50 Valvoline VR1 20W-50 (Full Synthetic) While some of these oils are expensive/hard-to-find, Valvoline is available low cost at Walmart stores. Various videos explain more on bore-scoring. It is not fatal in early stages and can be "treated" with proper oils to reduce wear. some videos: You Tube (27:15 min) You Tube What's real and what's marketing You Tube What oil is killing your Porsche? It helps to know more about what bore-scoring is/is-not. Other items to think about are tire age beyong 6 years, coolant rez, RMS, clutch component wear from track use, older suspension rubber parts, water-pump/LTT replaced when? (every ~60k miles), brake rotors/pads, and so on. The 996 engine has its own warts & failure modes, but most of them are simple to keep away from, or retard & treat, or just do the maintenance that wasn't done for 20+ years. Even a low-mileage, near perfect "look 996" will have age wear or deterioration rubber parts, etc. There is no "free lunch" in a 20+ y.o.car. YMMV

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Thanks for the advice, I more or less dont really want to purchase a car I essentially have buy twice if the engine does get taken out pretty fast. At least currently, in 7-10 years of daily summer driving then I dont think I would mind a rebuild by then I did show the seller the possible issues and they also know about all the issues these cars have hence the constant oil reports and documented maintenance they have done, but they currently dont think this car has any immediate issues as it sits, as it runs great and only need 1qt top up in during a 5k mile oil change interval. They have pulled the sump in july and the sump looked clean, and didn't feel the need to bore inspect then. I still intend on looking at this car and the seller also offered for me to pull the sump myself and to inspect bores rather than taking it to a shop. Yes I am in Vancouver. Although I think I plan on doing an engine rebuild myself but send out the blocks for the proper machining and bullet proofing, just to save some extra cash and it looks fun to do.

I am going to join the dissenters here as for the mileage the bores don�t look bad at all and having oil analysis at all over an extended time period is a great help. The higher copper is a little concerning but the level is pretty well aligned to the mileage. I absolutely agree that the oil in use hasn�t been doing any favors and should be swapped for a high molybdenum oil like Driven. In Canada you are likely to want 5w-40 instead of the 5w-50. If the rest of the car has been maintained as well as the engine I would say it�s one worth having. Just bear in mind that it is 25plus years old and there will be some (possibly expensive ) challenges down the road.

Gents, you may find two different "Eleven After Nine" interviews of interest given our discussion of the M96, oil chemistry, metal content in oil tests, bore scoring, IMSB, etc. The first interview is with Lake Speed and the second is with Charles Navarro. They are well worth your time to fill in the blanks. You Tube You Tube

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I disagree. As long as you maintain them they will run forever. There are plenty of documented examples out there of cars with 200k+ miles. In fact there's a turbo that just turned 700K. It's all in the maintenance and this one seems to have an owner that was good with it!

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Between the used oil analysis trending upwards on Fe, Si, and Al and the photos, it indeed has bore scoring and is going to eventually need a rebuild, no matter how you slice it. Iron should be single digit and Si and Al should be lower single digit.

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Is there any engine on any car that will not "eventually" need a rebuild?

If I were you, I'd use the evidence of metal wear in the scope and oil analysis to get the best possible price that's fair for both sides. The prior owner was unnecessarily wearing down this engine and expediting the rebuild date. Post purchase, make sure water pump, aos, cooling are all working properly and the car runs as close to 180F as possible. Run DT40, observe warmup protocol, give it a good hour drive weekly to heat cycle away any short trip moisture, and set aside the money to rebuild when your number's called.