As a wanna-be Porsche guy, I'm looking at an '03 911 Targa that has just 14,500 +/- on the dial. I've read an interesting article by a 6-Speed member (IAPorscheDoc) that discussed the dreaded intermediate shaft issues with this vintage of 996 motors: that cars that are not driven enough can have problems due to condensation building up in the oil and getting past the seal and into the bearing and eventually causing failure.

I would not consider the car without an extensive PPI & some kind of warranty, but it's at a dealer and it's too old for them to CPO the thing so I'd be looking at an aftermarket warranty of some kind. [Unless I could get them to include that in the price - its listed a little high in my opinion.]

For an '03, the mileage on this car averages out to about 1,800 miles per year. Would this car fall into that higher-risk category for that IMS issue?

As always, any constructive feedback is appreciated.

 

If the car has a service history, showing that it was serviced each year, then I would not worry about it. There are plenty of low mileage cars out that that don't have problems. I sold my 02 Cab with 20K on it and it has had zero problems (new owner is a buddy), my 01 Turbo has 6K miles on it and it's never had a problem. The issue, imo, comes in if the owner does not follow the Porsche service recommendations which is to service the car every 12 months. Mine go in every spring for oil change and basic service.

 

+1 to Tpup's recommendation. Also, if you're concerned about issues, have the LN Engineering IMS retrofit done. It'll probably cost less than an aftermarket warranty, you get peace of mind and you won't have to haggle with a warranty company about an IMS issue...because you hopefully won't have one. I just had mine done and the car was finished a week ago. Upon inspection, my IMS bearing was fine, but I'd rather be pro-active than reactive in this case. Aside from that, if you can buy low-mileage, do it.

 

Good suggestions - thanks.

 

Read this fellow 6speeder's story if you think that is low milage. Its obviously in how the car is cared for and serviced, regardless of how much or how little it's driven. Good luck, hope you get into the seat of a Porsche this season!

 

oops../\/\ here is the link.
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ay-my-car.html

 

The particular Targa that I'm looking at (but have not test-driven yet) is for sale by the initial selling dealer. It's a one-owner that was traded in back to the same dealer; the one where it's been serviced, allegedly. The $36K price tag seems a bit high since it's a Targa, but it's looking better all the time. That sliding roof is a big-ticket item to replace - but as it's been said, it all depends upon the car and how it's been cared for.