Purchase Advice

[jimbo8351]

I spent most of my time in the 996 forum. I am considering upgrading from a 2001 C2 to a 2005 C2S. The car that I am looking at is Porsche Certified and has about 25,000 miles on it. If I buy it, I have two years left on the warranty. My concern is that according to the dealer it has a "new" engine with "less than 500 miles" on it. The 996's are notorious for RMS problems, but so far (100k miles) I have avoided engine problems in my 996 so I take what I read with a grain of salt. I searched this forum for engine problems and they don't seem too bad. What do you folks think? Are replacement engines as likely to fail as an original engine? Will my replacement last 100,000 miles? Would you hold off on buying a 2005 because of engine problems?

[355bhp]

I spent most of my time in the 996 forum. I am considering upgrading from a 2001 C2 to a 2005 C2S. The car that I am looking at is Porsche Certified and has about 25,000 miles on it. If I buy it, I have two years left on the warranty. My concern is that according to the dealer it has a "new" engine with "less than 500 miles" on it. The 996's are notorious for RMS problems, but so far (100k miles) I have avoided engine problems in my 996 so I take what I read with a grain of salt. I searched this forum for engine problems and they don't seem too bad. What do you folks think? Are replacement engines as likely to fail as an original engine? Will my replacement last 100,000 miles? Would you hold off on buying a 2005 because of engine problems?

If the motor was replaced after 2006, and if it was new at the time or a factory replacement, the reliability issues with the IMS bearing had by that time been addressed by Porsche AG, and you should have the perfect car. If you got 100K miles out of your 996, drive and maintain the 997 the same way, and it should last just as long. Cheers and good luck!

[number9ine]

Search and you shall receive, but I'll digest it for you:

From what I've read, the first run of 997s have a double-race bearing that is prone to failure for a number of reasons, with more than a few articles on the subject by reputable Porsche wonks. They moved to a larger single-race bearing which supposedly prevents future IMS issues, and all the replacement engines have been upgraded with that bearing. Since this is a forum for technical issues, you'll see a lot more "my engine broke!" threads and commenters than the "mine's fine" crowd. No one complains when things are going right...

I bought an 05 with just under 10k on it and the engine checked out fine. I got mine Porsche certified too, so if something breaks in the next 2 years I'm covered. If the engine grenades, it's suggested here by some senior members (RFM for example) that Porsche will even take care of it out of warranty in some cases.

I guess the best thing to do is keep up on your maintenance and document everything so if there is a problem, you have records on your side. Until then, I'd drive it like it's meant to be driven and don't worry about it. The 997 C2S is a VERY nice upgrade and well worth it IMO.

Mark

I spent most of my time in the 996 forum. I am considering upgrading from a 2001 C2 to a 2005 C2S. The car that I am looking at is Porsche Certified and has about 25,000 miles on it. If I buy it, I have two years left on the warranty. My concern is that according to the dealer it has a "new" engine with "less than 500 miles" on it. The 996's are notorious for RMS problems, but so far (100k miles) I have avoided engine problems in my 996 so I take what I read with a grain of salt. I searched this forum for engine problems and they don't seem too bad. What do you folks think? Are replacement engines as likely to fail as an original engine? Will my replacement last 100,000 miles? Would you hold off on buying a 2005 because of engine problems?

[txhokie4life]

Search and you shall receive, but I'll digest it for you:

From what I've read, the first run of 997s have a double-race bearing that is prone to failure for a number of reasons, with more than a few articles on the subject by reputable Porsche wonks. They moved to a larger single-race bearing which supposedly prevents future IMS issues, and all the replacement engines have been upgraded with that bearing. Since this is a forum for technical issues, you'll see a lot more "my engine broke!" threads and commenters than the "mine's fine" crowd. No one complains when things are going right...

I bought an 05 with just under 10k on it and the engine checked out fine. I got mine Porsche certified too, so if something breaks in the next 2 years I'm covered. If the engine grenades, it's suggested here by some senior members (RFM for example) that Porsche will even take care of it out of warranty in some cases.

I guess the best thing to do is keep up on your maintenance and document everything so if there is a problem, you have records on your side. Until then, I'd drive it like it's meant to be driven and don't worry about it. The 997 C2S is a VERY nice upgrade and well worth it IMO.

Mark

I spent most of my time in the 996 forum. I am considering upgrading from a 2001 C2 to a 2005 C2S. The car that I am looking at is Porsche Certified and has about 25,000 miles on it. If I buy it, I have two years left on the warranty. My concern is that according to the dealer it has a "new" engine with "less than 500 miles" on it. The 996's are notorious for RMS problems, but so far (100k miles) I have avoided engine problems in my 996 so I take what I read with a grain of salt. I searched this forum for engine problems and they don't seem too bad. What do you folks think? Are replacement engines as likely to fail as an original engine? Will my replacement last 100,000 miles? Would you hold off on buying a 2005 because of engine problems?

Negotiate your best deal -- then get cold feet about the new engine, start to walk out -- when the call you back just whine about how uncomfortable you are about another engine

failure and get them to give you a 100K warranty or comparable.

m

[AP 997S]

Check w/ the dealer to see if the replacement motor has the 4yr/50K warranty. Typically they don't but you might want to negotiate something better than their 'standard'. With 2 years and/or 70K miles left on the CPO you should be in fine shape.

I have a 2005 early build (#334) and have had the RMS replaced about a year ago (under warranty).

[jimbo8351]

Thanks for the comments. I'm going back to see the dealer later today.