Thinking about a P car again, but once bitten twice shy

I have been away for a long time but I find myself missing the P cars I have owned in the past. The problem is that I had one of "those" 996's that came with a $10k repair bill. Obviously this was several years ago and it was a 99 model, but reading around here, it doesn't seem like the IMS or D chunk issues were ever fixed. My questions is this: to avoid an M96 engine, do I have to stick with a Turbo model or go to a 997? Are those my only options? I love the look of the C4S cabrio (2004 MY), but if there is a possibility of having to spend another $10k for a motor replacement, I'm gonna look elsewhere. Please don't flame too much - I've been away for a while. Thanks for any input.

If you go the 997 route, remember that the early 997 also used the M96 engine. You'd want to get a later model. I think a 996 turbo is a great option.

3.2

I'd be concerned too if I had your past engine problem, and now the number is much higher for a replacement engine. I'd go the turbo or GT3 route for a 996, and a 997.2 I think has a newer/better engine design.

996/997 Turbo or GT3 avoids the M96 engine, which ran in the 997 until 2009. There are solid solutions to the M96 problems since your unfortunate adventures. But, you have to ask yourself if you will ever be fully comfortable with a similar car. It is too much time and money to invest if you are not going to be able to fully enjoy the car. There are some smoking 996 turbo deals out there...

GT3

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Nothing's changed except the available cars you have to chose from has gotten smaller and they all have more miles on them. The risk of serious engine trouble is not zero, unfortunately, but that's the case with any engine from any make of car. The question everyone wants to know is what is the risk and no one can say. Find a good car. Road test the heck out of it. No need to beat on the car but ride in it and drive it for around 30 miles. Have the car checked out by an expert and check the oil filter housing oil and oil filter element for scary trash. Avoid car if scary trash present. And be sure you have the PPI done *after* you drive the car! And as soon after so the seller can't remove the housing and dump the oil and replace the filter! Then buy the car. Or not. Oh, or you can buy a Turbo. The engine is different and it doesn't have some of the shortcomings the M96 engine has, mainly the IMS. The Turbo engine does have some weak spots but they do not appear to be that weak. Overall if the Turbo engine is in good shape when you buy the car and you treat the car and the engine to reasonable servicing with a bit of luck the engine will be in the same good shape thousands and thousands of miles later. I've put over 50K miles on my 03 Turbo since I bought it in June of 09 and the engine runs better than it did at first (with barely 10K miles in 6 years the engine was barely broken in...) and feels like it will run this good for hundreds of thousands of miles. Sincerely, Macster.

Macster says it well. I'm sorry that you were one of the few unlucky ones. The other perspective is that most of the cars that re going to have a problem have probably imploded by now. The 996s that are left (and being driven) typically are in great shape and will keep on running. My '99 is running great. It went in for a service today - I got new tires, new rear brakes and a brake flush and the dealer complemented me on the great condition of the car. I would not be in a hurry to tar all 996s with the same brush, as they're incredibly reliable and most of them will probably cost you less in the long run than a Ford.

I really appreciate everyones input and please understand that I am not here to say you all are doomed or anything like that. Like you guys said, I was just one of the poor suckers that had a failure. If I had this failure after several years of driving pleasure or after a bad track experience, it would have been easier to swallow - but the white smoke after sitting for days in the garage over Xmas break after a year of (otherwise trouble free) ownership really hurt. It seems like the turbo is the right choice for me, but I saw a beautiful 2004 C4S cabrio that is just beautiful. How much is that warranty these days??

Some dealers offer a Fidelity warranty. Not cheap. But the price may be negotiable. Check with your favorite dealer. Sincerely, Macster.

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The intermediate shaft failure is mainly responsible for M96 engine implosions. Shops charge around $1500 to retrofit it from Flat-Six/LN engineering's IMS bearing kit. You may want to compare this against insurance quotes.

I've owned several 996s and the worst internal problem I've had on my personal cars is a faulty variocam actuator. My current car is a 2002 w/157k miles on the original IMS (seal and bearing) running just as well as the one with less than 50k miles, uses no oil and doesn't leak anything. As far as I can tell, the motor hasn't been apart btw. I've been on the market to buy a broken m96 engined car for about a year. I've found 3, none of them suffered an IMS failure, which I just don't feel is all that common.