Looking to buy a 996

Hey Everyone, The title pretty much tells the story but a little background. I've been thinking about buying a 911 for a few months. I have owned BMW's for about 15 years and love them but recently decided I'd like something sportier (or as my wife puts it, I'm having my midlife crisis). Because I have little kids, I'd like something with a back seat, which led me to the 911. Problem is I'm not sure which one is best. I'm not looking to spend a fortune but I'd like to keep this under $35K with low mileage. Originally I was thinking the 997 - They are relatively new and I think the interior's are a bit nicer and I have seen the '05s and '06s with about 50k within my price range.That said, I drove one an ('07 C2S with higher mileage - about 70k) locally and wasn't impressed. Kept looking and couldn't find anything in my area within my price. I decided to look at 996's. I found a C4 Convertible - I just wanted to get a sense of how it felt. After driving it, I truly liked this car. Felt nice and had it been a coupe, I would have put money down. (Honestly, I'm still thinking about it). One question - The owner had the IMS bearing replaced, when he bought the car from the original owner, by a respected shop with an original Porsche IMS bearing.....based on what I've read, He really didn't eliminate the problem. I know that an LN Eng. bearing wouldn't eliminate the problem but they are more robust and have less a chance of imploding. Am I wrong? Could they have used the double row bearing that was used in the '99 model year? I haven't asked for documentation on the replacement bearing and it was done (as told to me) just to prevent the problem.... What are people thoughts on this, just curious and I'm sorry for rambling.

You should be able to locate an LN sticker on the door jamb or under the spoiler/engine lid (trunk). That should have a part number, which you can trace back to the exact part installed by calling LN & asking them to verify the part type.

I don't think an LN part was used.

I don't think that's an actual thing - to my knowledge, the only way Porsche has ever sold a new IMS bearing is if you bought a complete engine (or a car with a complete engine in it), never as a standalone replacement part. I'd try to get as much documentation about that situation as possible.

Quotes source post: 14174647

Yo, Tony don't read so good. What Viv said is my understanding as well. If the seller says it was done with a Porsche IMS bearing, then he probably doesn't know exactly what was done and/or used during the replacement. There is a Pelican Parts kit that a lot of people used early on to replace the factory IMS bearing. See here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...on=ims+bearing I'm not exactly sure if the first LN bearing came out before or after, but I know this Pelican kit was popular. The prior owner of my '99 C4 used that kit to replace the IMS bearing. It is $185 for the Pelican kit versus $849 for the LN kit, so quite a bit of incentive to use the cheaper kit. What year is the C4 that you are looking at?

And this is why I came here for help. The car I was looking at was a 2002 911 C4 Convertible. It seemed like a great car but I went more with the mindset of looking at the 996's to see if I'd rather get one over a 997. Because it was a convertible I went in thinking no chance. Now a few days have passed and I'm still thinking about it. Again, had this been a coupe, I would have dug a little deeper on the IMS bearing and probably called the shop that did the repair.

I was in a similar situation. I will get a 911, shall stretch a bit and get a 997 or stay on my budget and get a 996.2? I finally decided that the budget was not the problem, I figured out that I like more the look of the 996 than the 997. Go figure that! Specially the C4S. Then I ended up narrowing my search to 04 or 05 C4S and different than you, I wanted a cabrio. Ended up paying almost 997 price on 04 C4S but very happy with the purchase.

Just FYI, there's nothing wrong with the Pelican IMS bearing kit. The LN series of IMS bearings (there is more than one type) are generally considered the best. However, I haven't heard anyone complain about the Pelican kit. What you really have to watch out for is someone who just changed the IMS bearing right before selling rather than one that was changed maybe a couple of years or longer ago. The reason is that some people discover metal shavings in their oil, which signifies an impending IMS bearing failure. So, they change the IMS bearing and sell the car, knowing full well that a pre-purchase inspection probably won't pick up shavings in the oil if the oil was just changed. Therefore they can dump the car before the engine implodes in a couple of thousand miles. Also, just FYI, the IMS bearing swaps really just started getting popular around 2012. I don't know when the first ones started, but my guess is that probably no earlier than about 2010. So, if someone says their IMS bearing was replaced prior to 2010, I'd be very, very skeptical. There were a lot of RMS replacements, which is the Rear Main Seal, which is not related to the IMS bearing. They are located close to one another. You have to drop the transmission to do either of these swaps. A lot of the original RMS leaked and were replaced under warranty. Many times, a seller will confuse an RMS change with an IMS bearing change. Porsche never changed an IMS bearing under warranty, ever. And to this day, many Porsche dealers will refuse to change an IMS bearing. So, if a seller says a dealer did the IMS bearing swap under warranty, it was actually the RMS. And odds are that if the seller says a dealer did the IMS bearing swap at any time (after the warranty expired), it was also the RMS. Bottom line, if they cannot produce written evidence of the IMS bearing swap, then treat it as if it never happened.

As a practical matter, the 2002 has a very, very, very low likelihood of having a double row bearing unless the engine was replaced with an older version (the ENTIRE engine). So a replacement, unless the latest "LN Single Row Pro" with double rows in the single space, is going to be another single row. And what kcattorney wrote about the RMS/IMS confusion is a real thing. Assume it does not have an updated IMS until they "show you the money." Good luck with your search!

Don't get convertible if you want to use the rear seats, they will be more upright and uncomfortable vs the coupe. IMS is not the only thing that goes wrong with these cars. How much you want to address preventatively depends on your risk tolerance. If you want to address the common culprits and nothing's been done, budget another $5 - $10K depending on where the work is done. So if you max out your purchase price and do preventative stuff, at $40-$45, you're close to Turbo territory - which has no IMS issues and doesn't seem to have catastrophic issues of the M96. I know nothing of the running costs though. I don't know your reasons for wanting a low mileage, but I feel like it hasn't saved me much. I bought one with 19K on the clock and it's required the same service as higher mileage cars (clutch, flywheel, coolant tank, engine mounts, various bits and pieces. and somethings not as urgent but will need to be addressed). If I had to do it again, I'd buy a clean coupe with a blown engine and ship it over to Flat Six Innovations for an engine rebuild - bored out to 3.8 or 4.0L. Others can chime in, but I think $30K would have you covered ($7K car + $20K engine rebuild). The Raby engine addresses known failure points plus it will have a sizable increase in power - and if you decide to sell, I think you would get most if not all of your money back. Good luck! There's enough of these where someone should do a FAQ and make it a stickie. EDIT - Like this oops https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ssues-etc.html

Get what you really want. Color? Options? Max mileage? mods? C2, C4, C4S? If you give a little more info it might help. Look through the craigslist finds thread too. I've seen a couple good cars come up there.

I recently bought a 2000 996 C2 cabriolet and couldn't be happier. I bought it for $16K and then spent about $5k getting it the way I wanted. I replaced the IMS with a direct lubricated bearing, put in a clutch kit, rear main seal, new water pump, low temp thermostat and serpentine belt. I also had the leather interior redyed. I couldn't be happier with the result. The car had 64K on it when I bought it and I'm confident that it will be good to go for a long time.

Quotes source post: 14175088

When I started my search I wanted an '05 - '07 997 thinking they were out of the IMS mix. Then I heard the '06's and on (up to '08's) still had the IMS problem and you couldn't replace the bearing without cracking the engine open - so I stopped looking at them. Then I found out the the '06's and on had the reinforced bearing, so they were back in.... In all honesty, I'm looking at all my options and not excluding anything. If I could find a nice clean car with low mileage (I'm not really sure why other that it's been beaten in my head not to buy a high mileage car) I may consider it. Ideally, I'd like a Black interior. Open on exterior color (Silver/Grey/Blue). Manual Transmission only. As far as spec - C2 is perfect - I'm not looking for speed (yet) and I don't plan to track it for now. I'm also in no rush so I would rather find something I like than get something. For the record, If I were to look for one with a blown engine....can some direct me?

I bought a low mileage Cab and have little kids. You can use the back seats, but you're even more limited on car seats (Diono is one of the few brands that fit because there is no top tether on 996.1 Cabs). If the IMSB bothers you, find a 99 or a 2000, which is what I did. It doesn't eliminate the concern, but it reduces it. My car, well under $20k, doesn't really need anything. The key isn't just low mileage, but rather, a clean and well taken care of car. And also, a Cab doesn't have much room for a subwoofer, if that matters to you. The early 996s don't have cup holders or gloveboxes.

Also less legroom (according to a few unlucky souls that have experienced the back seat in both of my 996s).

I was patient when I looked for mine. I spent several months learning about the 996 and then several months looking. The only "must have" for me was that it was a coupe. I have owned a dozen non-Porsche convertibles over the years so I have had my fill of open air driving. My logic was that a coupe would provide an extra layer of safety and I plan on tracking the car for fun in the future. I focused on 996.2s at first, but I stumbled across a local 1999 that was a literal "bring a trailer" car. Turned out there was nothing major wrong with the car, other than a bad ground and alternator. I love driving it. It is a very early build, March 1998, and these very early cars seem to hold up well. There is a current thread on "Earliest production dates" that has some interesting commentary. I hope you find one that brings you a lot of happiness.

Take your time and get the right one. I spent 18 months looking for my first 996. Then 6 months looking for the 996tt.

Quotes source post: 14175139

Check out the 996 Rennlisters Facebook page. There's someone in Vancouver BC selling a cab for $5k. Engine not blown but has intermix so might be something simple or not.

Quotes source post: 14174687

FWIW LN also manufacture the Pelican Kit, it just isn't the same quality as the "LN retrofit" bearing.

Quotes source post: 14175853

Huh. I did not know that. Good info.

Quotes source post: 14175887

Interesting isn't it, Charles mentioned it sometime early last year I think and its something thats stuck with me for some odd reason!

I went through the same mental process the last 7-8 months. Looks like we also went to the same analysis between 996 and 997 and this whole IMS situation. Here is what I ended up listing out the option for myself. On drive wheels: I tried C2 and C4 and decided I want C2, Personal preference. On body style: 1. Coupe has more rear seat room than Cabs, more space for trip 2. Coupe has less moving parts 3. Cab's open air 4. Cab can hear the engine/exhaust notes better Decided on Cab, my child is 4 year old and she fit with the booster seat with back (back cushion of porsche removed) and I don't see it as a problem as she grow taller, maybe until she's 8-10 year old. I can switch to coupe at that point. We put her in back seat of coupe and Cab and she was thrilled with the cab. On Engine and IMSB: 1. Ignored 2000 and 2001 because of uncertainty on IMSB single or dual row. 2. Ignored 2002-2005 because of single row. 3. 1999 dual row for less chance of failure (replaceable) 4. 2002-2005 that has engine replaced with Flat Six Innovation "SOLUTION" put in or with 2006-2008 larger bearing when they replaced with factory short block. 5. 2006-2008 Larger bearing for less chance of failure (not replaceable) 6. 2009-2010 No IMSB issue My decision: I managed to find a 2002 that had the engine replaced with Porsche short block in 2016 and it has the larger bearing like those in 2006-2008. I also found a 2003 Targa that had the engine replaced by Porsche under warranty with new short block and has larger bearing but I decided on the Cab. It was between the 2002 and a 2007. I just don't see the 2007 being worth 10k more to be honest. There are still many way for the engine to fail obviously but I figure save the 10k from getting the 60k miles 2007 and go with the 2002 with a new reman engine that only has 7k miles on it, I have a fresher engine and put the $10k away if the worst happened, I ship it to Jake and get a 3.8 or 4.0 and keep it going :-D

I feel like I'm going nuts here and it's nice to know that I wasn't over thinking. @rogazilla - My kids are 6 & 7 and I'd like to keep what I get for a bit, so I'm leaning towards the coupe. You're totally right, I don't see the advantage of paying $10K for the 997 verse the 996. What I found weird is that the coupe I drove was louder than the convertible (it was an S). I'm good with the C2 as well - I do want to take a few more out for a drive to get a good feel but I'm pretty confident I'd be happy with a 996 C2 Coupe. Guy's I appreciate the help, feed back and advice. Keep it coming.

Buy mine and I'll put the LN bearing in for my cost. I deliver to NY. Not silver, gray, blue. sigh.... It's fairly sure you'll know the right one when you see/drive it. Take your time, the right one will pop up eventually.

I'm thinking about selling my 99 C2(silver coupe, dark grey interior, 6 speed manual, 83k), but you would need to come to MN.

"Buy mine and I'll put the LN bearing in for my cost. I deliver to NY. Not silver, gray, blue." I am actually talking to someone about a very nice C2 (thanks to this post), but just curious, what do you have?

I'm thinking about selling my 99 C2(silver coupe, dark grey interior, 6 speed manual, 83k), but you would need to come to MN. Sorry - If I do a 996, it would be a 996.2.

Whoa, not in public. You mean you want '99 C2 and only if it has 4 spoke steering wheel.

Quotes source post: 14176881

99(2/98 build) C2 with aero kit, and full sport pkg in red/tan.