997 purchase

[Alex]

Maybe this depends on how long you see yourself keeping the car and what your mileage is likely to be?

Get a well maintained 3.6 with a manual box, with no signs of scoring - do 2k miles / year over 2 years before moving it on. Risk of you needing to do an engine rebuild in your ownership would be pretty low!

But I agree I wouldn’t touch a 3.8 tip with a barge pole if no rebuild whatever the ownership timeframe!

But then the next guy will say - "I'm not touching that with a barge pole. Two years ago maybe, but it's highly likely to score now" and the owner will struggle to shift it on. Every year more and more people are aware of the dangers of buying a 997.1. It's just like people selling 996 and every buyer says - "Has it been done?"

 

[FZP]

As a victim of an M96/M97 terminal engine issue, I'll throw my 2 cents in. Anyone who is not doing their due diligence, is asking for trouble.
I threw caution to the wind and took a punt, and came up short. Lessons were learned. I did get 3 solid years out of it, and my man maths says if I'd bought a new 3 series BMW, I would be out of pocket s similar amount, if not more. That good old saying of Marry in haste, repent at your leisure certainly applies.
Yes they are repairable, but in my case it wasn't even worth dropping the engine out. It was a shame to have to send it to scrappers. Hopefully it's organs will keep other's on the road. RIP my little mate

 

[jonttt]

There’s no point in arguing with him, Lavazza, his profile says he owns a 996 yet he knows more than most, even the owners, about the 997.

Most of the comments about the 997.1 come from folk that don’t even own one. 997.2 owners have opinions about 997.1’s. Boxster/Cayman owners, 996 owners, even the 996.2 owners with the same engine as in the 997.1 base, hate on 997.1. Go figure.

It’s a pity that when folk ask about these cars, very few comment on how fantastic they are; how they sound, how they feel to drive and what good value they represent. A 20 year old car with this level of performance will always have the potential to throw up big bills. One just has to take a chance or look elsewhere , but mark my words, for the money, nothing beats these cars for performance, theatre and good vibes.

……I’d correct that by saying most of the comments on this forum about the 997.1 come from people who know Porsche better than most ;-)

It’s the elephant in the room that spoils the ownership experience for most and we have met too many 997.1 owners who have got burnt from the experience. Believe me people like Alex don’t post up stuff like that lightly

 

[Alex]

The earlier comments slating my advice are the exact reasons why people like Baz Hart (and the rest of the Hartech family) as well as some other very knowledgeable folk on here have shied away from engaging and posting on this forum. Shame as the forum is worse off because of it.

 

[GMG]

...another 'victim' here ! Unless you like to gamble just buy a comprehensively rebuilt one...you might get lucky ...but again you might not ...

...mine had a really comprehensive rebuild but not by Hartech ( another matter ) however if I were a potential buyer or mine needed work it's where I'd head without any hesitation ...

 

[spinnaker]

I found this video useful when I bought mine a few years ago. It gives a half decent list of things you can visually check yourself before getting a proper PPII

 

[CWC]

Thanks; good advice. Does the PDK box have any known foibles? I've seen one around 80k on Auto Trader. Is that too high a mileage?

I bought my GTS last year with 75k on the clock, it had just had the recommended 12 yr PDK service as well as a major.
No issues whatsoever, get a CTEK battery Conditioner to keep volts good and all will be fine.

 

[Punchdrunked]

……I’d correct that by saying most of the comments on this forum about the 997.1 come from people who know Porsche better than most ;-)

It’s the elephant in the room that spoils the ownership experience for most and we have met too many 997.1 owners who have got burnt from the experience. Believe me people like Alex don’t post up stuff like that lightly

You’re right of course regarding knowledge of Porsche on this here forum - it’s off the chart for sure, but there definitely is no balance when it comes to the 997.1. Ok I may be biased because I own a couple, bought for a song because of the bad rep of them, but I feel that the rep of these cars is tarnished by some that don’t even own one. Moreover when giving opinions, because some have never owned one they tend to put forward negative opinions of the car without balance due in part because of ignorance.

For example, if one searches on AT using the key word “rebuild” this is what shows up:

996 - 26 cars (11 of which are the C4S, 8 are 996.2) - Autos (9)
997 - 21 cars (10 4S, 9S, 2 Carrera) Autos (13)
Boxster - 5 (2 x 987S)
Cayman - 5 (987S)
Metzger - 3

Whilst this is not a scientific study and some of the cars may have been rebuilt for other reasons, it shows that the 996 is also prone to various issues, the .2 for sure. The 997 Carrera, based on this info, is mentioned less than the S.

What this shows to my biased mind is that if one is going to recommend borescopes for 997.1 it should also be recommended for 996.2 and less so for 997.1 Carrera.

Discuss

 

[T8]

......... Whilst this is not a scientific study and some of the cars may have been rebuilt for other reasons, it shows that the 996 is also prone to various issues, the .2 for sure. The 997 Carrera, based on this info, is mentioned less than the S.

What this shows to my biased mind is that if one is going to recommend borescopes for 997.1 it should also be recommended for 996.2 and less so for 997.1 Carrera.

Thanks for the data and your comments.

For the record, 'warnings' on this site regarding the purchase of the 996 probably exceeded those that have so far been posted about the 997.1.

Most of these centred around the potential issues of RMS seal failure and IMS bearings breaking. It's almost certainly the IMS bearing failures that led to most of the 996 engine rebuilds.

Whatever, this is the 997 sub-forum and the thread is titled '997 Purchase' so discussion about 996 issues is not relevant here.

 

[Rivaldo2k20]

Stick 2k a side each year for maintenance bills. I have a very well maintained 997.2 PDK, as soon as something flags up amber in its health check, it gets done.

 

[Alex]

Moreover when giving opinions, because some have never met other members they tend to put forward negative opinions of them without balance due in part because of ignorance.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Jim1556]

Looking to buy a 997, .1 or .2, in the next few months. What should I look out for?

I bought a .2 a few months ago. As has been said a thousand times, buy on condition, history, mileage and spec. For me, I engaged the services of Nick Giles to inspect 2 cars. One was a rust bucket, the other is now in my garage. Highly recommended!