Standard 997 Carrera...these any good?

[Mike]

I've been offered a standard non 'S' 997 Carrera, around 2005/6 model year I think, but I don't know anything about them.

Interested as it's a very low mileage car in fantastic condition, owned by a relative who used it to go to his tennis club a few
times a week and that's it. The longest run it's ever been on was down the A3 to Guildford to AFN for servicing.

Are these any good, anything to be aware of with them as a daily driver and any potential future problems long term?
Any thoughts appreciated, thanks!

[butzsi]

I would sit down on a comfy seat in front of your computer and just google "997 problems" it should keep you busy for a while.

Chris

[Mike]

Ha thanks Chris, glad you came on I was thinking of asking you to look after it!

Again it seems a good car, black with black, manual, sat nav and very little use.
Brother-in-law never had any problems, but could there be trouble ahead then.....

[KS]

There is no guarantee with these engines. There are cars which have covered 100,000 miles and more without any problems whatsoever, but there are others that barely made it into five figures before suffering problems. There are several companies which offer pretty much bullet-proof remedies – check Hartech, for a good example.

My usual advice is to think of it like this: prices are generally depressed because people are afraid to take a gamble. If there was no problem with the engines, they would have a value of 'x'. As people are afraid of them, they have a value of 'x minus y'. So long as the cost of remedial work (or pre-emptive maintenance) is less than 'y', you're onto a winner.

On the whole, it is the low-mileage, little used ones that seem to have more problems...

[TDK]

I had a 997 Carrera a few years back and loved it. A great car that is more practical than most think and it drives and handles brilliantly.

The main differences between the Carrera and Carrera S is power, suspension and brakes. I found that the standard car has plenty of power, but the Carrera S has a bit more (325bhp vs 350bhp). However, that isn't absolutely necessary, unless you're going to be thrashing it on a regular basis or plan to track it. I preferred the standard suspension to the active Porsche suspension, PASM, and found the smaller brakes of the Carrera to be fine with plenty of stopping power and feel. The shiny red callipers of the Carrera S might look nice through big wheels, if that's your thing?

There are a number of well known issues with the 997, including rear main seal (RMS), intermediate shaft (IMS) bearing failure and cylinder bore scoring. The RMS on my car did leak, although this was only after an idiot at Micheldever Tyres jacked up the rear of the car on the gearbox to replace the rear tyres. The leak appeared the next day and was then fixed under warranty by Porsche a couple of weeks later, at which point they also replaced the IMS bearing (which was fine anyway) and checked the clutch plate wear (which was also fine). However, the reality is that an RMS failure just drips an absolutely tiny amount of oil (one or two drips every now and then) onto the garage floor and is laughable next to the leaks we see from early 911s!

Bore scoring is the main issue that I read about these days, but I didn't have my 997 long enough for that to ever be a problem. I understand that it's fairly easy to diagnose with blackened tailpipes and/or a ticking noise at idle being a giveaway. An endoscope into the barrels will be a surefire check. Interestingly enough the generation 2 cars from 2009 don't suffer these problems with their direct injection engines.

I'd buy another.

Evo have a buyers guide... http://www.evo.co.uk/buying/buyingguide ... guide.html and a checklist... http://www.evo.co.uk/buying/buyingguide ... oints.html

Simon.

[kvinyl]

Is it true (or just an urban legend) that the Gen 2 997s don't suffer from the IMS issue? I've googled this ad-infinitum and am still none the wiser unfortunately.
I'm looking down this route for a daily driver also (along with considering the 996 Turbo). I know that the 996 Turbo is a much better bet but it already appears to be stretching away from me in terms of pricing.

In order to sleep at night if I did take the plunge for a 997, I've looked into the option of applying a 2-year Porsche Approved Warranty while owning the car. The warranty can be applied to cars 8 years and younger (from date of first registration) and covers everything, bumper to bumper. The car would need to undergo a 111-point check at a Porsche Centre and on successful completion of the inspection a warranty can then be purchased for the car. At a cost of about €3k (in Ireland anyhow - 111-point inspection is approx. €300, warranty is approx. €2,700)) I'd find it cheap peace of mind to help myself sleep at night...

[shoestring7]

From the endless threads I've read on the subject it seems the non S is better (in terms of serious issues) than the 3.8l engined cars. It is possible to apply a Porsche warranty if they inspect the car first. Speak to your local OPC. I prefer the non S, especially if it is on the small wheels. Fast enough and sweeter on the road.

The second generation 997 has the DI 9A1 engine which has none of the old engine's issues.
C.

[DaveW]

My local specialist (who services many recent models of 996/997 in addition to many of the classic Porsches) strongly tried to put us off a 996 or 997 unless it was a Turbo or GT3. The engines are manufactured with considerable more care and attention on the motorsport side. His comment was (as with many newer cars) that the 996-on models and equivalent 986-on cars adopt a bin and replace approach to fixing issues. Connectors, hoses and other minor parts are poor quality compared to earlier cars. Consequently a decent warranty is not just advisable, but pretty much a necessity for peace of mind.