18th Sep 2013, 17:21
Porsche 911 and Boxster models sold in the U.S. from 2001-2005 are subject to a total intermediate shaft-bearing failure within the engine.
Porsche's lawyers in a class-action suit agreed to settle with owners on cars that had been in service less than 10 years regardless of low mileage.
See: http://www.imsporschesettlement.com/
Claims accepted until October 15, 2013.
Source: Autoweek magazine Sept.16 issue.
28th Feb 2016, 16:31
Buy one and experience it yourself. Getting a 911 is a true joy. The only ones that worry are the people that are afraid to spend the money. In all likelihood, your experience will be a positive one. Like anything problems can arise. In my experience it's been nothing short of amazing. Stop reading all the worrisome reports on the 911, as the only reason they are written is because some very few are complaining; the rest of the owners are out enjoying their cars and don't have time to write on these boards. If you've been wanting a Porsche 911 your whole life, that feeling is not gonna go away. Do your homework and due diligence, make the purchase and enjoy it.
8th Apr 2012, 17:12
IMS failure is no hype - it's very real, enough for every Porsche blogsite to have it constantly in discussion. It's kept me from getting one second-hand, while I've been monitoring the situation for years.
All cars have their faults, but while most can be put down to either driving style or maintenance, or particular design faults that can be circumvented (say, changing a cambelt at 50,000 km instead of the recommended 120,000 km, just as an extreme example) or changing the plastic-impeller water pumps every 4-5 years to prevent catastrophic failure, the IMS can happen whether the car is babied or trashed, maintained by the book or neglected, low-mileage or not.
When you have a car that is tracked or raced, and driven to the extremes of the rev counter that has done over 100K miles and not had a problem, and you have one which has been consciously driven carefully and serviced on time, and needs the engine changed below 35K miles, at a cost of something like US$12K (and Americans get it cheaper than the rest of the world), then it is a concern.
When you spend money on a car costing that much (brand new), you expect a REASONABLE amount of durability built-in, and if it does have faults, that you can find out what can be done to prevent a problem, or that a fix is available without replacing the whole engine.