[husker boxster]

As thstone is saying, we don't know crap.

Here's the Reader's Digest version - Porsche did not keep records of which engine has which IMS version. The smaller, replaceable version from 2001-2005 breaks at approx. 10% rate while the newer, bigger, non-replaceable version from 2005-2008 breaks at a 1% rate. Porsche builds a bunch of engines before they're used, so they sit in storage while they wait to be installed. The new IMS version started hitting the assembly line sometime in 2005, possibly in Mar 2005. But people have earlier 2005 build dates and have the new version in them. Your May build date would indicate a potential new version IMS, but what if there was an older version sitting in the corner that was not immediately installed? It's possible.

Are you out of the woods regardless of which IMS you have because it's now 13 yrs old? Maybe, but not entirely. Low mileage cars seem to be more prone to failure because the grease washes out of the bearing and it relies on oil to keep it lubricated. If the car is sitting for long periods of time, the bearing can be sitting w/o oil until the engine is started as the oil drips down into the crankcase and away from the bearing - not good to have a bearing running for a period of time w/o lubrication. Oil intervals also play a part in longevity. In the early 2000s, oil change intervals were suggested to be as long as 15K mi. It's been found that was too long since the oil lost viscosity and wouldn't properly lube the bearing. It's important if you can get a history of the oil change intervals. Today's logic dictates 5-8K mi is more in line with longevity.

If you are bent on buying this one, you have options:

1. Immediately do a clutch job on it and only then will you be able to determine whether you have the old or new IMS. If the old, you can change it and be worry free. If it's the new, you are virtually worry free (assuming decent oil interval history) since the chance of failure is 1%. Just add $2-3K into the cost of buying to do a clutch job. If just the clutch is replaced, the job will cost less. Add for a flywheel that may need replacing along with the IMS if it's the old version.

2. Do an oil analysis every 4-6 mo to keep an eye on metal levels in the oil (an indication the IMS is going south). This will give you a heads-up until a clutch job is necessary. If the oil passes inspection, you can feel more confident the IMS is OK. An oil analysis costs approx. $30.

3. Buy the car, do nothing, and just wait until the clutch needs replacing to investigate the IMS. You have anywhere from 1-10% chance of failure, which translates to a 90+% chance that nothing will happen. Some people can live with those odds, some can't. It depends on the level of risk you're willing to take. Just remember, if you're one of the unfortunate 10%, you have a $10-15K bill staring you in the face.

I think members have held back on discussing the nuts & bolts of IMS as this topic has been beaten to a bloody pulp 1000s of times over. Hopefully my synopsis gives you a flavor of the issue and if you need more info, just search on IMS. There are plenty of members who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles on their original IMS and plenty of members who have had failures and know first hand the possibility of failure exists. I own 2 of the later version IMS cars and I sleep well at night. YMMV.

It comes down to how much risk you're willing to shoulder.