Hi all ,

just wondering if anyone has had or have a gen 1 997 S ?

Read lots about bore scoring and ims bearings .... but would this put you off at all ?

Really have an itch for one at the moment but would only have around a 30k budget

or do I save / spend a bit more on a 997 gen2?

Any info much appreciated

 

As I understand it, the bore scoring issue is more likely to affect the bigger displacement cars.

Woould it put me off? Depends. If it was an OPC car with warranty it wouldn't. If it was a leggy used car it would.

I was was lucky enough to drive a 997.2 C2S round Silverstone at a media event in 2010. I bloody loved it to drive, a very nicely balanced package and the fact you have to drive it properly and work with its nuances to get the best out of it made it special. If I had 30 grand burning a hole in my pocket, I'd be bloody tempted, but I personally would want a warranty for peace of mind with the IMS/Bore scoring issues.

 

.... the more I read the more I think I'll wait a bit and try for a gen 2 c2s with pdk.

 

I'd drive a manual & PDK. I'm a big believer in DCT gearboxes but the manual box in the 911 was pretty damn good and suited the car really well. If you can, have a look at a GTS if you can stretch to one. Supposedly the goldilocks 911, bit more focused and quicker than a Carrera S but not as frenetic and nutty as a GT3, so easier to live with.

 

Alternative is a a good Cayman unless you just have to have a 911

 

The gts's in both 911 and Cayman are both out of my price point unfortunately, as much as I'd love a Cayman gts , just can't justify that sort of money in a toy

 

As well as or instead of the S?

 

​​​​​​​the s would have to go unfortunatley ...... Although im now having 2nd thoughts about it and might just buy another toy , such as a little sea doo jet boat that my whole family could enjoy !

 

I did a fair bit of research when buying my 987 Boxster. It's difficult to quantify what percentage of cars have the engine issues; as with S2000 issues here the numbers of forum reported failures massively skew the actual failure rate as most are reported by either those asking for information or by enthusiasts. the general consensus seemed to be around 5-7% IIRC.

Contrary to the popular wisdom, certainly with IMS issues, once a car has higher miles it is significantly less likely to have an issue, the belief being that the majority of failures happen at lower mileages. I bought mine, an 80k 3.4S based on that research and assumptions; 10k in and so far so good. The downside of all this is that if you get a failure the cost is proportionate to the original list price. This may help Buying a used Porsche 997? Here’s what you need to know | Revolution Porsche if you haven't already seen it.

To summarise, the IMS issue more or less went away post 2007 and the bore scoring seems to affect 3.8s more than 3.6s.

I hope this helps.