[blipshift]

I had an '05 C2 997.1. I bought it in 2011 with 10K miles and sold it earlier this month with 32K miles. It was used for city, highway, and track driving. As I recall, by VIN, it was a third round IMS car, meaning it was less susceptible for failure but wasn't a candidate for LN swap. I bought an extended 5yr 60K mile warranty through a dealership for about $2.5k which among other things specifically covered IMS failure. I used the warranty for several issues but never anything related with the IMS.

Upon a quick google search, as you know, you will be inundated with information about the IMS on the internet. Go a step further and talk to the folks who work on the cars day in and day out. Most, but not all, of the techs I've spoken with, both factory and indie, say miles and usage doesn't matter. They say there may be correlation to grease used near the IMS which may impact seals. Why it happens it truly still up for some debate.

Options are roll the dice, maintain and monitor, repair and replace with LN, or steer clear of the issue all together. I went with the maintain and monitor option and backed it up with the warranty. If I had to do it all over again I think I would have sprung for a non IMS impacted car and still bought the warranty.

Something else to consider when buying an originally $80k but now ten year old used car; they break, and when they do, you're going to feel it in the wallet. Make sure to account for preventative and repair maintenance costs which may impact your decision tree.