What Is This Car Worth?

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by LightngSVT

So M96 is the better engine to have? I thought I had heard 911 guys talking about the M97 being more reliable? So the M96 can be upgraded to prevent the IMS failure where as the M97 you just have to cross your fingers and hope you have a good one?

You've answered your own question. You have to decide what "better" means for you. The M96 can have the IMS replaced for $2K. The M97 design is much better from the factory but not infallible. To change the IMS on an M97, the engine needs to be removed and the case split in half. Very expensive, so most M97 owners don't do it. The IMS failure rate is significantly less on an M97 engine, but that's based on owners reporting to forums like this one and Planet-9. No one knows the actual numbers besides Porsche.

Planet-9 has more 987 owners than here and there's way less chatter about IMS on that forum. Lots of M96 failures reported here. I own two M97 engined vehicles and while I'd like to upgrade the IMS, I'm not going to spend that kind of coin. I still sleep well at night.

Don't obsess over this issue in your search. If you buy an M96, assume another $2K on an IMS upgrade. If you purchase an M97, check the oil change intervals of the previous owner and go from there (more frequent changes are believed to be better for IMS longevity). 5-8K mi or once a yr is considered ideal.

[Johnny Danger]

Lightng SVT,

Another word of advice, regardless of what the current owner or dealership might say, never rely solely on their word, and purchase an expensive vehicle sight unseen. People's assessment of a vehicle relative to it's condition and mechanical well being can be extremely subjective. And, if you're any sort of a perfectionist, you'll invariably be disappointed by the opinion of someone who is not. You really need to closely scrutinize each and every vehicle that you're considering, or have someone that you can trust do it .