[David]

I looked at this closely when searching for a 996/997. My solution was to buy an '05 997, which is the last year that has a replaceable IMS bearing, with a 2 year CPO warranty. At 1 year and 11 months into the warranty I plan to replace the clutch and IMS bearing.

Another weak point, at least on the '05 model, seems to be ignition coils. I got a check engine light a few weeks ago. I took it to the dealer and they replaced all 6 coils.