Inside the guide · No. 02 · 996 Carrera
A $12 guide.
A five-figure mistake.
The 996 Carrera is the cheapest way into a water-cooled 911, and a few engine problems are expensive when you miss them. These are real pages from the guide, so you can see exactly what you would be paying for.
To fit an IMS bearing retrofit. Done with the rear main seal and a clutch job, the guide puts the three together at $2,700–3,700.
LN Engineering, as cited in the guideFor a used to rebuilt replacement engine, before labor.
Used to rebuilt, 2014 figures, as cited in the guideFor the checks, the questions and the inspection script that help you avoid them.
One guide, 15-page PDF
Know what you are buying
Why a 996 is worth wanting, and the one catch
Before any checklist, the guide tells you what the car is, what it costs to love, and the single problem that decides whether a car is a good buy.
- Power, production numbers and model years in plain language
- The catch, stated up front and not buried
- Dated, linked sources at the foot of the page
The map
Eleven checks behind most horror stories
Every check gets a severity rating and a confidence rating, so you can tell a deal-breaker from something to price in, and how strong the evidence is.
- Severity: High, Medium, Low, or Deal-breaker
- Confidence A, B or C, so you know how solid the claim is
- A chart of where to spend your negotiating energy
One check, in full
The IMS bearing: what to look for, ask and pay
This is how every check in the guide works: what to look for, the exact question to ask the seller, when to walk away, and what the fix costs.
- Failure rates by model year, from warranty data
- The question to put to the seller, word for word
- A budget figure with its source and year
What the full guide adds
The pages you take with you
The checks tell you what matters. These pages are the ones you use at the test drive, at the inspection shop and on the phone with the seller.
A 30-minute cold-then-hot checklist, with each item linked to its check.
Seventeen tests to hand your specialist, with OK, Fix or Fail boxes.
What the service file should show, seven questions for the seller, and the walk-away list.
Sources you can check
Every check lists its sources and the year, so you can read them yourself.
Honest about certainty
A, B and C ratings show which claims are well established and which are less so.
Independent
Not affiliated with Porsche. It does not replace a professional inspection, and it tells you when to book one.
The full guide
Fifteen pages. Everything on the list below.
- Why you will love it, and the catch
- Which version to buy
- Eleven checks, each with a rating
- Special cases: replacement engines, Tiptronic, Carrera 4 and 4S
- Test-drive checklist
- Inspector script
- Paperwork and seller questions
- Red flags and first 90 days of ownership
Not satisfied in the first 7 days? Request a refund.