Buying with IMS replaced

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Nedlands

It's an old chestnut. My 2000 S will be for sale soon. 43k miles and I haven't replaced IMS but done lots of other PM work (AOS, wpump, etc). My view is that the oil is changed regularly, the car driven properly and doesn't make weird noises. If I was holding onto it then I would likely do the IMS because that's "what you do".
Any time someone talks to me about the car though or even when I read other sale ads all I hear is "Has the IMS been done?".
So the question is - "would no IMS replacement be a deal breaker?
Thoughts?

When we do a PPI for a perspective buyer, lack of an IMS update is a "deduct" item, meaning the buyer should pay less for this car than they would for comparable car with the retrofit. If the car has been retrofitted, which retrofit would determine the +/- value to the car. For example, a car with an IMS Solution installed has greater value than one with a plain steel retrofit, and so on.

[356Guy]

I've been shopping for a Boxster for a few months now. I sense that sellers are tired of people asking about the IMS. Buyers are educated and know of the issue. Sellers claim their car doesn't need it. I've heard a number of times that "their car doesn't have IMS issues". Obviously that is not how it works. That said, at least up north here, even cars with IMS bearings done aren't selling quickly. Especially the cars priced above $20k Cdn / 15k in USD. Every car I have been watching has remained unsold except a few of the cheaper 00-02 cars that seemed like bargains and a couple of well priced low mile 987s. Spring is upon us and more cars are coming on the market daily. Perhaps there will start to sell soon.

As a buyer it doesn't make sense to buy a car and then spend 20% or more of its value doing the clutch and IMS plus whatever else it needs. As a seller its questionable you will get any return on it other than making the car more attractive to buyers. Perhaps this is just the result of the cars getting long in the tooth. The locally indy shop told me not to worry about the IMS bearing that way I could decide which one to install. I could go on an on Still Boxsterless in Canada.

[356Guy]

The problem is, around here at least, you are looking at $3-5k to get the IMS and clutch done depending on what IMSB and whether the flywheel gets done or not. Add on $1-2k for other found work and that is a tough pill to swallow on a $15-20k car. You are then left with either trying to find a suitable car with the IMSB done already or taking your chances and dealing with the 8% failure rate (if the stats are right). For those of us that can wrench ourselves then at least you have the option of dropping a grand or two of labor off if you don't mind spending the time.