2005 997 ?
 

I am looking at an 05 997 base today , does anyone know the cutoff point for the newer IMS and anything else i should be looking at . If my initial inspection turns out good i will get a pre purchase inspect also .

There is no clear cut off, any 2005 can have the non serviceable IMS, the only proven way to determine which type is in a 2005 is to take the car apart..........

997.1 with a non-serviceable bearing, is one to definitely avoid in my book. Once completely out of factory warranty, there is no one paying to split the engine open for IMSB replacement/elimination but the actual owner. An expense that is not cost-effective when a 997.2 can be had for same or even less money (depending on mileage).
That 997.1's orginal bearing was not meant to last forever no matter how much Porsche improved it over the previous m96 version. Go 997.1 with a serviceable bearing or go 997.2 that has no IMSB anymore. Unless the owner is selling the car for a screaming bargain his best and only chance at getting a decent price is with a uninformed buyer or someone who intends to be out of the car within a very short time, but that new buyer will have to deal with selling a non-serviceable IMS car himself when he decides to part with it. So even if he gets a great price with all the water-cooled Carreras inundating the market (1,000 on Autotrader on any given day) there' simply no need for a buyer to buy a Carrera with a non-serviceable bearing.

my advice, put this 2005 at the very bottom of your shopping list. If you want a 997.1, get one from an owner who has done the LN upgrade.

I have been on a few 997 forums for a while and there are very very few ims issues reported . I personally do not really worry . 3 boxsters in , 65k on the current one . Not my biggest concern . This 997 was very reasonably priced . Mk2 997s are an easy 20 grand more so they are out . They where firm on the price , would not negotiate at all . So I walked . I got to take a nice test drive on country roads and I really liked the 997 . It was a full leather car. The interior quality over 986 is not even comparable . I thought it handled real well and the solidity of the coupe felt nice also much more refined . So the search continues ,looking at another 05 tomorrow 30 k. On it .

987 and 997s arent that bad. Not too many failures with that bearing also. Very small percentage. Don't forget that some 986 cars are still driving with the original bearing. One of the many advantages of the 05, other than hp bump and better interior, is the no TPMS!! Thats one headache I'm happy I don't have to deal with.