Advice on buying 996 please

[cowbridgepete]

I am thinking of buying a 996 with a budget of about £14000/£15000. Virgin 911 have a good selection within this budget so is a 3.6 facelift much better than a 3.4. Is tiptronic a good idea, is there any particular model year(s) to avoid and are there any specific pitfalls or faults to be aware of. I am very wary of IMS issues as my Boxster had a catastrophic engine failure because of this. All advice gratefully received!
Peter

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

Hi Peter

Take a look at the buyer's checklist and model history in this post: http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/fb.asp?m=269468

There isn't any real pattern to it, but the earlier 3.4 cars with double-row IMS bearings seem to be less susceptible to IMS failure than the later (982/996) single-row bearing. After MY2006 (987/997) they beefed up the single-row IMS bearing even more, and Porsche exchange engines for 986/996 from that time also incorporated the bigger bearing.

The Tiptronic/Manual debate will rage forever, but it is down to personal preference and intended use. You really need to drive both. I enjoyed the Tip boxes on my 996s, especially on the Turbo, which suited it well.