997.1 C2S question
 

I’m an aircooled guy at heart, but at my work I recently got the opportunity to purchase an 08’ 997.1 C2S with 24,000 miles for $31,300 - should I do it? I wouldn’t necessarily want to make money on the car, I would just want to have fun and drive it for a few months to a year, then sell it once I get enough to comfortably afford a SWB Longhood and not lose my ass when selling the 997. What do you guys think?

Cheers.

Well.. They are great performing cars. No doubt about it. However, to some, the pre 997.2 are less desirable due to possible IMS issues. The other item is that it will only get older and likely less valuable.

Then again, you may find its so nice, and such a complete opposite of a SWB 911, that you keep it and daily drive the heck out of it!

Is it manual?
If you dont buy it pass the contact! :)

Yeah, I was worried about the IMS issue. If I were to purchase the car I would most likely end up getting that replaced for peace of mind. This car + a SWB 911 would be a dream! Best of both worlds aha.

Yup! 6-speed. I occasionally do work for a rather large automotive retailer that purchases cars on a daily basis; cars that the company purchases that are older than 7/8 years old are sent to wholesale, where employees have the chance to buy the car at cost before it goes to auction..so, unfortunately the only people that could buy the car now (before it gets sent to a dealer via. auction) would be me or one of my co-workers.

My personal opinion is that the 997 is the last of the simple 911 before they began to look like Aston Martin.

I would be worried about IMS especially because the car is a low mileage car.

Buy it. Replace the IMS ($2k) and drive. It will be a free car for a year at least if it's in good condition.

What he said! That's a great price on a low mileage 997.1, especially a 2008. Spend the $2K to have the IMS done and drive it. You'll probably end up making a little money on it in a year honestly....that's if you don't fall in love and keep it!

997.2 doesn’t have an ims like the 996’s. It’s a wasted update on the later cars.

The 2008 is still a 997.1 ...

once you drive the 997 .. you will not want to drive a expensive SWB,, they are only for looking at now.

I would buy it and forget about the IMS..... in a heart beat.

Hmm. For some reason I thought the 997 got the DFI engines a year sooner than the 987. Regardless, it's not the same as an M96 and doesn't have the same failure rate. It's also after they changed the seal design.

Personally I wouldn't buy the car because it sounds like he's trying to "invest" in it. It's not a good enough deal to gamble with it IMO. They are still depreciating some and if the economy takes a shyte (which it might) he would have to sell it at a loss and take a chunk out of his SWB savings account. I would invest the money elsewhere.

I drove a few 05 997.1 Carrera S and enjoy them. In the end the worry of IMS and bore scoring scared me away. They are not cheap motor to rebuilt or replace. 05 is easily replaceable. 06-08 requires the motor to come apart.

Apparently IMS failure rate on 06-08 is 1%. Very low.

https://lnengineering.com/products/ims-bearing-kits-for-porsche-m96-97-engines/ims-retrofit/ims-upgrade-kit-for-my06-08-engine-disassembly-required-and-tool-kit-106-0821.html

I bought a 2006 C2S last year. Same reason. Don't worry about the IMS - less of an issue after the 2005 launch year, also hard to get to fix vs. 996. Bore scoring, check the exhaust pipes for excess soot and/or oil. Usually cylinder 6 is the culprit (driver side exhaust pipes)

Otherwise, great car. Tons of fun. Strongly recommend the short shift upgrade if does not have it and and sport suspension. Take anywhere car that is still a small Porsche feel but with more modern amenities.

That is a great deal for such low miles. You could drive it for free for a least a year a get your money back no problem. Screw the IMS! After ‘05, IMS issues were almost non existent.

Matt, you are correct. Only very early 997.1(I believe some 2005 but not all) can get the IMS bearing replaced without splitting the case. WAY more than $2k to get it done.

With that said, my understanding is the IMS in the 2006+ is much more robust and has a fairly low failure rate.

OP, IF the car is really clean and you can verify the car has had its oil changes, $31k is a very good buy. The real market for the car given a good color and condition is $37k +

While the failure rate of the later cars is smaller than the M96 engine, it is a potential concern. Sadly, I've had two friends with 997.1 cars (one a base, one an S) and both have had engine replacements. The car the OP mentions is low miles (24K miles in 11 years?) which many report, low mileage, less frequent oil change examples are usually the ones that have more issues. As an "investment" I would not bother. As someone already mentioned, "late" engines need the engine dropped and case split for an IMS solution.

The "real" market is what someone will pay for it. 997.2 cars are falling under 40K lately it seems (yes, higher miles).. but I wouldn't spend $31 on a .1 if I could find a .2 for $5k more.

I was close to buying an 05 Carrera S however once a friend told me his friend replaced his IMS and just a few months later lost his motor to bore scoring I was out.

I drove a local 05 S with about 87k miles, sports seats (dark grey on grey interior) lobster claw/fork wheels. It sold for about $30k USD. IMS has not been done and had leaky RMS so may as well do IMS/RMS/clutch.

Up here in Canada 997.2 are closer to $55k USD ($72k CAD). For me (I worry) it would have to be 997.2 or a Mezger.

Really nice cars to drive in every way!

The late 997.1 like you are looking at has a non serviceable bearing (unless you take the engine apart) That said, a failure would be incredibly rare. You are more at risk of a scored cylinder or other issues, which are real and common.

We build a number of these motors every year for issues other than a failed large bearing IMSB.

Cheers