Hello Everyone,
I have been reading the various threads on this forum for some time now and have learned a lot. I wanted to pose a question to all of you in hopes to get some advice. I
have been a fan of Porsche for some time now, but never thought I would be able to own one. I came across one that sparked my interest that I wanted to share with all of you to see what you all think. The link to the car is listed below...
http://choiceautosalesonline.com/200...8/Details.aspx
I know everyone advises to get all the maintenance records prior to making a purchase (not sure if it is possible with a car this old) and to, if going the used route, try and purchase a CPO, but unfortunately for me, the cost would be more than I feel comfortable paying as the car is really intended for weekend and summer driving, so I thought a car with less than 50K miles on it for $23K was not a bad deal, but I am not the most knowledgable when it comes to buy cars.
Any help from all of you would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks In Advance,
Kal
Here is an excellent article explaining the IMS Bearing issue that Porsche had troubles with. The car that you are looking at falls into that category, while not necessarily a deal breaker, you should read about it.
https://www.oregonpca.org/resources/ims-bearing-the-full-story/
Here is a link to the direct PDF.
https://www.oregonpca.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ORPCA-IMS.pdf
Welcome. The 996 can be a great value. There were a lot built and a lot for sale at any time. Due diligence is important. I'd suggest run a Carfax- not always 100% accurate and complete but can identify accidents etc. Also suggest get a PPI from a good independent shop that knows these cars. Some items to look for in addition to crash damage repairs are - oil leaks. RMS is most common leak but seem less common on Tip cars. Also the IMS flange. On the IMS- this is the most well known reliability issue and you may want to do some research on it. I think it's a little overstated, but failures do happen and can be catastrophic. Coolant tank leaks and water pump failures are also fairly common. Also check the engine and trans mounts and CV boots- front and rear. IMO it's a good idea to set aside a couple thousand for any unexpected failures. Best of luck.
Hello Everyone, thank you for the responses, I appreciate it. I am aware of the IMS bearing and that is actually my biggest concern about any Porsche prior to 2009. I actually finished reading the PDF that Theunderlord provided which appears to point out that 2001 falling into the model years that had the highest rate of failure (2000 - 2005). I am also rewatching a Youtube video by PPBon (Pedro from Pedro's Garage) to re0familiarize myself with this issue. If I do pursue this car, I will definitely get a PPI done and if the IMS replacement has not been done, I was thinking about possibly using that to maybe lower the asking price. Any idea how much an IMS repair costs...$3 to $4k?