In the market for my first 911 (996)...

Hi Everyone. Decided to finally buy my first 911... have been wanting one since the mid 1990's, when my friend's Dad owned a used Porsche dealership (in Ft. Lauderdale). I'm aiming for a 996, and while I like the Mk II (was aiming for a 2002), I've heard that the 1999 and 2000 996's had the engines with "double row" IMS bearing... so perhaps I will look for a 1999-2000. Although the slightly larger engine / HP in the Mk II is tempting... but I've heard of cylinder scoring in the Mk II's... and, I'm on a rather limited budget, so that steers me towards a Mk I. Anyway... I've settled on getting a coupe ((I already have a BMW Z3 convertible, (and BMW 750i, and a Dodge Ram 1500... so I think the 911 coupe would be a good addition... although I think I will never drive any of the other cars again once I have a 911)) If anyone knows of a 996 for sale in Tampa / Florida area, or can recommend a good indie mechanic in Tampa, would be appreciated.

Welcome! I'm a new owner myself so I can't provide TOO much insight, but as a Mk II owner - don't sweat it over the extra .2 L. These cars are quick, no doubt - but there are faster cars for cheaper if you're talking about straight line. These cars are just plain fun - and that'll be the case whether you have a 3.4 or 3.6. So in short, a 99 is a good choice - and the extra security of the double row bearing doesn't hurt either. While there are no signs of an IMSB issue with my car, I won't lie and tell you I don't sweat it a bit - it'll be swapped next month.

Good luck with your search - that's one of the fun parts. As far as the dual row IMSB, you are correct that the MK I cars had this arrangement from the factory. That being said, that doesn't make them immune to the IMSB issue or somehow more reliable. If you find a good MK II car that has a good history and a good PPI, then buy it. The same goes for a MK I car. For either scenario, you're looking at a car that's over 10 years old. A preventative replacement of the IMSB is a reasonable thing. LN Engineering now makes a dual row retrofit for single row cars if that's really a big deal to you, as well as "The Solution" to eliminate the IMSB issue. My point is: Buy the car that you want. Don't buy a car just because of a bearing in the engine that can be effectively managed with an aftermarket solution.

Welcome to the Dark Side! What Dennis said. Buy, drive the **** out of it and enjoy. When the clutch goes, replace the bearing and AOS at the same time. There's a sweet '99 for sale up here in IN with a new motor (no bearing worries) for sale. With the heat and humidity we've had (and will have for a week), you FL people will feel right at home. TC

You don't want to be the guy who is thinking: "I'm not really thrilled with the color of my 911, and I'm not thrilled with the options. But, it has a dual row IMSB, so I got that going for me."

Dennis - I know you had/have a link at the changes between MKI and MKII. If possible could you repost the link - could help in this case. I think it was you....

I'll try to find that...

I think this is the one: http://press.porsche.com/archive/pro...eraRelease.pdf

Quotes source post: 11600043

+996 The #1 regret of car buyers is not buying the color they wanted. The color is the first and the last thing you see every time you look at your car and it will bug the hell out of you if you don't get the color you really want. You gotta look real hard to see the IMSB.

I'll agree with that, but I started out looking for a black 996 with a tan interior. However, when I found my Seal Grey Metallic with black interior for sale, I found that I REALLY liked like that combination. The dual row IMSB would not be a big deciding factor for me. It would probably be a consideration if I had two prospects that I really liked and had to make a choice though.

I'd say you should be able to find an MK1 or Mk2 around the same price. I know some on Rennlist prefer one over the other but I can say I'm happy with my '99.

Color , condition, transmission, mileage , price , options, distance. for me I wanted nicer wheels than the twists so that was on my list I also wanted full leather but that is one thing that was not a deal breaker Sports exhaust would have been great as well If you look long enough you will know when the right one come along - I went with a MY2000 for a few reasons but mainly because it met most of my criteria (IMSB was a factor). If you have a comprehensive list you will most likely not get everything on the list but if you can get 80% that's not bad. I was not willing to wait to long or travel to far to find an exact match. take your time there are a lot of great cars for sale. I am super happy with the car that I ended up with.

Good luck in your search-for me that was lots of fun....

Hi Guys, you raise some good points... especially about color. I found a nice 2002 in Ft. Lauderdale, with 93k miles, but has had the IMS bearing done with the LN replacement, and has all service records. But... it's a "bare bones" 996... on the Options sticker, the only options were the 5 spoke rims. Nothing else. And... it's Lapis Blue. A beautiful color.. but not sure it's "Me". I like silver cars... and black (but they are so hard to keep clean). The price seems pretty good though... and it's not far.