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YOUR RESEARCHWhy the Porsche 996 Is the 911 Deal of the Century
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"Luckily, most qualified Porsche shops can perform a pre-purchase inspection and identify bearings that have been upgraded or may need to be replaced."
Why the Porsche 996 Is the 911 Deal of the Century
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Reportedly has had the IMSB replaced, yet no documentation.
Why the Porsche 996 Is the 911 Deal of the Century
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Plus, they should stop using Wiki for all their research materials.
Why the Porsche 996 Is the 911 Deal of the Century
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"Luckily, most qualified Porsche shops can perform a pre-purchase inspection and identify bearings that have been upgraded or may need to be replaced."
Why the Porsche 996 Is the 911 Deal of the Century
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"Luckily, most qualified Porsche shops can perform a pre-purchase inspection and identify bearings that have been upgraded or may need to be replaced."
That must be one expensive PPI
Buyer: I want to check and see if the IMSB has been replaced and need to have my mechanic drop the trans to inspect it, OK?
Seller: sure you can take my car apart, no problem
Wow. I gave up as soon as they basically said the double row bearing was crap. I'm glad I stopped as my head might have exploded if I had gotten to that gem...
Why stop there? Why not pull the whole motor apart for a PPI?
There is no statistical proof the replacement IMS bearings work better than the factory original. None. I think it's just placebo and may actually be worst. We will see in 5 to 10 years.
So I get there is a real problem here with a small percentage of the 996 population.... but I just could not resist an pristine 2000 C4 with 36k miles! Reportedly has had the IMSB replaced, yet no documentation. Enter the IMS gaurdian jr. -- inexpensive and makes logical sense. If there is metal in the oil shut it down. Beats a $$$ tranny drop just to look.
Annoying how EVERY article about how great a deal the 996's are winds up mentioning IMS, mass produced interior, water cooling, how "real" Porsche snobs hate it, etc, etc.
EVERY new Porsche 911 is water cooled now, get over that! Mass production? Same, that's how the world has evolved. Ugly headlights? Not as ugly as BMW or Audi headlights! IMS - I read a 1-5% risk.
All other older 911's had their expensive issues. The 996 is faster than all of 'em!
Rant off. Merry Christmas!
So the author incorrectly indicates that the earlier bearings are most trouble prone, incorrectly suggests that a PPI will reveal whether the bearing has been updated, and then goes on to explain how the extensive aftermarket ecosystem provides dirt cheap replacement parts that make repairs and PM cheaper and easier than working "on a modern Honda."
Nailed it.
+1 AndyK! These articles mention the same stupid crap every time. Having said that, I'm assuming the photos posted in the article are Porsche file shots, and they do the 996 no favours. The shots do nothing to flatter the look of the car at all! Much better in person!
Unfortunately, as a current two Porsche owner....the fear of the 996 engine failing does make even the most diehard 911 fans think twice......I dumped a pristine 2003 C4S when the warranty ran out due to IMS concerns/peace of mind....it is a factor that the 996 will never avoid in the future as far as values...for those with cars that don't show the issue.....that is what is called "living good".....buying a 996 is the deal of the century if it doesn't break and you can gamble with about 25-40K on a used one if it does.......
BS. The fear is all in your head. I've neither been lucky or living good and I haven't lost a bit of sleep over our 996 in the 15.75 years we've owned it.
Yes the engine can fail, but I'm more worried about developing cancer after getting struck by lightening and the tumor growing into a fully functional 3rd arm.
There is plenty of information and options out there to mitigate what little risk there is.
It certainly sucks to have your motor die, but the vast majority of cars will not experience such an issue.
As a 1st-time Porsche owner, the 996 presented too much of a good deal to pass up. Even with the "IMS issue" (which I PMd with the LN Solution), you're still looking at phenom deals on a true super car. In my opinion, Porsche or not, if you are buying a used car, especially an older one, you need to do some serious homework and employ patience. Do that, and you can end up with something very special.
On a side note, is it just me, or am I starting to see 996 prices firm up and even edge a little higher? By no means did I buy my '03 C2 Cab as an investment. It is my DD. It just seems that I am seeing more and more decent examples at higher prices.
R&T should go back to reviewing Nissan and Corvette. Plus, they should stop using Wiki for all their research materials.
As a kid centuries ago, I used to love reading R&T tech articles and following the reviews. Of course, back then at 15 years old, R&T actually had copy editors who were on staff. Miss those days.
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