[Spirit_RE]

So I'm looking to buy a very, very clean '99 Silver on Red box. The car is immaculate, has traces of new car smell, and runs wonderfully. Everything works, and the car drives like butter. I have a pending appointment to get a PPI. It's a 99 so the IMS is less of an issue (due to dual row bearing).

To sleep easy, I will probably install a IMS guardian (it seems like it could be a good safety device for any engine really) as relatively cheap insurance. Clutch and Trans seem totally fine, with the clutch having strong bite. Zero smoke on startup. No weird noises from a cold start.

That brings me to the porosity problem of some of the late 98 early 99 M96 blocks. This car was built in 12/98, putting it unequivocally in the range of the reject blocks which were allegedly put back on the line with sleeve retrofits. I've read that most
of the bad examples of this retrofit failed before 10,000 miles. This car has 44,000 and seems to run perfectly. But if it does fail, there is likely less warning than even the IMS, and it would be just as catastrophic.

What do you guys suppose the odds of a sleeve failure in this 99 box are? And, importantly, is the sleeve-retrofit block something that a PPI can reveal, or is it only known after opening the engine?

I really want the car. It's the perfect color combo, and I instantly was enamored by the way it drove. But my head is issuing strong orders to be cautious.