[mikefocke]

a later motor can be updated with the LN bearing...it is just that you have to split the case and take the shaft out and send it to LN to get them to redo the shaft for it all to work.

There is no way to tell what that engine the car has in it is...the '02 version which can be updated with the LN bearing assembly next time the clutch is replaced without removing the engine.... or some new block with the later IMS assembly... until you have the clutch out and can look at it. Some original engine cars from the same model year have as many as 3 different IMS designs in them.

JFP's original point is certainly valid. If it is a Porsche remanufactured engine, it has an inner seal and a Porsche sourced IMS and some small percentage of both go bad over time which is very expensive.

So in this case, because of the uncertainty and the potential for about double the expense to install a better IMS bearing design, the factory replacement engine is not a plus to a knowledgeable buyer even though the seller thinks it is.

And any engine from any manufacturer will have weaknesses...it is just we know a lot and talk a lot about ours. And we have third party parts to replace ours.