Need advice please on buying good 996

Hello, I've joined the forum in the hope that I can glean some information on buying a second hand 996. I've had a number of Porsche in the past and I've decided to sell my BMW 5 series and buy a good example. I've been looking on the usual sites and found a number for sale, one or two have caught my eye but a few little questions have cropped up. The first is what do I buy? A Carrera 2 or a 4S? obviously a FSH is very important and I've noticed quite a few for sale with certain, apparently necessary, upgrades such as intermediate bearing upgrade on a 4S. Also a lot seem to have rad's replaced and obviously brakes and clutches. I don't want to go much above £20k so looking for a very good 2002/3 or even an 04 model. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I have a Carrera 4S convertible for sale on Ebay. I want 20k for it! Thanks John 07855397048 http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/131341871206?nav

Nice try but that doesn't help me a great deal! Plus I don't want a rag top, nice care though it is.

Don't get your head twisted up by clever marketing believing that you have to have a car that the Bearing has been changed.

Can I just reiterate, I'm looking for Information not sales pitches. So please no more PM's with the heading "I have a car for sale".

Generally speaking they would be members cars and typically well looked after. Very worth considering I would have thought, I wouldn't dismiss such opportunities and It saves you the leg work looking. If you LOOK in the FAQ you will find a buyers guide. After three posts your not going to get much help with an answer like that are you.

https://www.porscheclubgb.com/legacy/clientftp/Register/996/tec_buyers_checklist.pdf

I too having been looking into purchasing a 996, but was initially scared off by reading about Intermediate Shaft Bearing failures. I contacted Porsche and received the following reply as part of an e-mail " if a warranty is not purchased and a failure occurs, we can consider goodwill, however it will be on a case by case basis" has anybody had any experience of this goodwill?

Lol please feel free to bin that reply from Porsche. It has no worth. A car of that age serviced on the dot at an OPC for its entire life would still be very very unlikely to get a penny of goodwill as it works on a sliding scale of age etc

Hi Nick. 911 & porsche world December issue has a lead article re the 996, May be of interest to you. Excellent cars and for 20k you should get a good one. A 2 has a better feel over a 4 IMHO. There are lots good cars out there, just take your time. Best of luck Andy

Thanks for the reply, I am not pessimistic, but that was the kind of response I was expecting, makes finding a good one even more important.

The problem is it's impossible to 'find a good one' because the fatal flaws in the car can't be found - it's luck of the draw. Even if the car was serviced to within an inch of its life and comes with a tome filled with receipts that means very little in this regard. You can find leaky radiators or squeaking suspension or bald tyres but not the big ticket items. I'm in the market for a 996 too. I'd look for a C2 (best steering feel, bigger boot- I had a C4 it felt heavy/numb) and I'd then have an IMS Guardian fitted. It gives you an early warning system if the IMS is breaking up. Otherwise look for a car with a new IMS/engine rebuild with updated IMS or just don't worry as engine failures are around 5% rate. These cars are really cheap to run, the things that otherwise do go wrong are easy to fix and usually inexpensive, and they are utterly fantastic value for money.

Best bet buy the best one, you can find for the money you have. Hold a bit back for a big bill or two late on. Many owners have had things done, on them by now because they know the faults that can happen. Maybe place a wanted advert buying from a PCGB member could be a bonus? Goodluck

Thanks for the constructive input at last. This IMS bearing failure, is it something that can be rectified before it goes "clunk"? If it's that difficult to detect will it make much difference if I buy from a PCGB member? Also how much does this bearing cost to replace? I have plenty of spare time at present and have, on the advice of a dealer friend been looking at 997's as well. There are certainly plenty on AutoTrader for sale and all with full dealer history. Will stick to looking for a C2 in Arctic Silver.

There are a couple of options for replacing the IMS bearing, but the most popular is the LN Engineering ceramic bearing. On a 996 it can be done with the engine in situ after removing the gearbox. Reckon on about £1200 from somewhere like Revolution Porsche. On a 997 it is a different story, as the engine would have to be removed and stripped to access the bearing. However, the 997 has a larger bearing than the 996, and is less prone to failure. Other options are a direct oil feed for the standard bearing, or an IMS Guardian, which is an early warning system. (Note I have a vested interest in the IMSG).

Guys The thought of the IMS letting go has always been at the back of my mind, As failures percentage wise seemed fairly low! It was something that I would have replaced as and when I had the clutch replaced. Anyway car running fine at 60k, last May it went into my local Indy for service 1/2 hour latter got a phone call good news & bad. Good news engine not gone bang, bad news found small bits of metal in oil filter when it was cut open and inspected. Suspect yes IMS anyway gearbox off, IMS replaced, New RMS, clutch was only 50% worn but I asked for this to be completely replaced. refilled with lesser grade oil, engine run, oil drained sump off and cleaned out. The old bearing was the older dual row type and it was shot. So I consider myself very very lucky, are all Indy's /OPCs so diligent, what if the filter was just chucked in the bin??? Anyway touch wood & fingers crossed Regards Andy Ps car not for sale[ ][ ][ ]

There are a number of checks one can do pre-purchase. Whilst I agree that service history is no guarantee, in some respects it's actually not the best situation since the model does not fair well with extended service intervals. I would look for one that has had very frequent oil changes (every 6k) and has had a low temperature thermostat fitted early in it's life. Other stuff to look for or get sorted as a matter of priority include replacing the AOS (air oil separator), magnetic sump plug, and read Hartech's web guides and follow some of the advice given there in terms of oil choice.

Thanks guys that's the sort of input I've been looking for, certainly impressed by the service Andy Will got, who was the service centre that did it? By the sound of things a 997 with a good S/H and regular oil changes is looking more preferable to a 996. I work offshore and I know how worrying bearing failures are, Super Puma! You would have thought that Porsche in their wisdom would have got feed back on the 996 engines problems and fully rectified it on the 997 but that doesn't seem to be the case. I gather no one has any success in claiming out side of their Porsche warranty on this problem? I had a Passat a few years ago where the Piezo Fuel Injector failed at 5 years old, VW wanted £3200 to replace all 4. I fought tooth and nail with them and eventually they relented and changed all 4 FOC, this also resulted in a full recall of all effected cars. My only leverage against them was a FSH with VW and a good solicitor. Thank you to everyone who has given me great advice I really appreciate it. Nick

Dove House. Northants,

Guys, out of interest how much does the replacement of the IMS cost? Also once changed is that it for life?

Andy Richards earlier post says approximate £1200, mine inc whole clutch, rms, service & mot. Parts £1100' labour £900 +vat Will it last forever? Who knows .

LN do put a life on the ceramic bearing. 40,000 miles, or 4 years, if I remember correctly.

In the market myself next year for a 996 and have researched many articles on IMS, mostly from US forums and youtube. There is much scare mongering out there, so read between the lines. The LN bearing solution is an 'open' bearing and not sealed 'closed' as the original OEM fitment. With over 190K 996s produced only a small percentage have failures, the original bearing has a lifetime guarantee and is essentially a precision part that is reliable. It's reason for failure is rare and very difficult to predict (hence the IMS guardian system). Inspecting oil filters for metal particles after oil changes could help in diagnosis, but this could be pure luck in catching that moment before failure. The LN solution relies on normal oil pressure to lubricate the ceramic bearings and have read that even this is prone to failure and not a lifetime fix (certainly if oil is degraded or minimum oil levels drop - fairly standard maintenance anyway). There is also another upgrade IMS bearing with a direct oil feed DOF (not clear if this an LN bearing or another type). I not know much about its long-term reliability with this upgrade, but apparently it is lifetime. Would be interested to know if anyone in the UK use this upgrade? LN parts are about £500 for IMS bearing and removal/fitting kit £150 (excl. labour).

Hi tony long time no hear. It is precisely because of the possibilty however low a failure rate that I went for the turbo. Completely different engine as you probably know, and it is so quick it is a hoot to drive, but I have an appointment at the dentists next week to replace my fillings hat have shaken loose

Hi Tony - Apologies for hi-jacking thread - please email me [email removed] and I can send through the 996 buying scores spreadsheet - PM's are not getting through to you Thanks Greg

£1500 last time I asked. The specialist I went to said that in his experience they usually go before 70k miles if they're going to and as mine was in the mid 80ks and there was no evidence in my oil of swarf to indicate it might be worn he implied it wasn't worth it. I must admit it does still bother me and I'm still tempted to get it done anyway.