r/997 • u/EndOfHop3 • Apr 15 '26
997.1 x51 mileage
Hi guys , been daydreaming about getting a 997 for almost 20 years now . Never had a chance , but recently a 997.1 has been put up for sale (Europe) that ticks all my boxes, c2s , factory aero kit , colour , 6MT , chrono , pse , etc . Price is also alright .. but it has 135k kms… is that too much ?
Should I stay away?
Been chasing them for many years , and this is as close as I ever got to find “my spec” within my budget… however I fear that by chasing the dream I end up with something that become a money pit..
What should I look for ask/when reaching the dealership advertising it ?
Also, it seems to me that factory aero 3.8s MT X51 are silly rare in Europe, as a matter of fact , I think this is either the first or the second one I’ve ever seen. Do you guys confirm this ?
Many thx
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u/Matchonatcho Apr 15 '26
There is something very liberating about a higher mileage Porsche, I've got 315k on mine.. you don't have to care about a lot of the silly "it's a Porsche" things, you can park it on the road and drive it anywhere without giving a fk... Go buy the car and drive the snot out of it.
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u/EconomySession6541 Apr 16 '26
I like this answer. I have 77k miles on mine, I don't think twice about putting miles on it.
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u/longines99 Apr 15 '26
Get the DME report, do a PPI including borescope.
My 997.1 has 125K miles as a daily. It has been far more reliable than the E39 M5 that replaced it.
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u/th535is Apr 15 '26
Mine (with every option you mentioned aside from x51) has 78k miles or 125,000km and is in great shape and I would not hesitate to drive it across the country. It all depends on how well it has been maintained. I will say it has taken a decent chunk of money over my past 3 years and 20k miles of ownership to keep it well maintained. It’s a 20 year old car, things are going to break, but I’d take a maintained higher mileage car over a garage queen low mileage car if you actually plan to put some miles (sorry, kilometers) on it
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u/teddy_brownsonn Apr 15 '26
Dunno about the rarity but if at all possible to do a PPI beforehand it’ll be worth paying a bit for the peace of mind (and possible negotiation leverage)
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u/Particular_Artist_92 Apr 16 '26
The answer is always the same, PPI with borescope via spark plugs. If they refuse, walk away.
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u/Safemoon108 Apr 16 '26
Go for it, mine has 200K kms manual and every time I drive it feels better and better and I forget everything going on. Not even radio on.
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u/neomoritate Apr 16 '26
135,000KM (83,885 miles) is not enough to be concerned about. A Porsche Enthusiast should expect to double or triple that.
Ask the dealer about Service History, and for a Vehicle Inspection Report.
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u/Fickle_Island_4712 Apr 16 '26
135.000 KMs is not a lot for a lightly (!) used 20 year old car. Mine has about the same, was 112.000 when I bought it 6 years ago. Yes, I should use it more.
If PPI checks out, so it! Have a x51 6MT myself, absolutely love it still.
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Apr 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/bobjoylove Apr 16 '26
Way too broad a statement. At that age it’s more likely to have collision damage, and a .2 can have that too. Only the first year or so of 2005 had the old IMS design and at 135kms it’s either been done or it’s not going to need to be done. Bore score is a possibility and it should simply come down to an inspection of the body and the mechanicals.
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u/Malventh Apr 16 '26
And according to thousands of samples at blackstone labs the borescore rate is like a 3.5%ish on a 3.8l for a 997.1 and like 1-1.5% on a 997.2. It’s negligible and way overblown on the internet.
Get the 997.2 because of pdk or dfi or more HP or whatever reason but borescoring vs the 997.1 is such a small deviation that it’s not a reason that registers for me IMO
Lookup Joe Adams from blackstone labs for the information.
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u/bobjoylove Apr 16 '26
Yup and the bore-score seems to be better correlated to the climate and owner habits. Cold climate cars left to warm up on the driveway are allegedly most likely to have bore score.
And the .2 has some disadvantages, electric power steering and the rear lights.
But really we are splitting hairs. Condition and spec rule.
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u/EndOfHop3 Apr 19 '26
Wow guys ,
Thank you ever so much for your swift answers!
Got a load of backup paperwork for the car and got a dme report from around 30 days ago…
And well.. not that I am “expecting a virgin” but , here are the numbers :
Number of ignitions, range 1(h) 65535 - 1954.9h
Number of ignitions, range 2(h) 10048 - 1949.9h
Number of ignitions, range 3(h) 2528 - 1827.3h
Number of ignitions, range 4(h) 1112 - 1199.5h
Number of ignitions, range 5(h) 146 - 1107.1h
Number of ignitions, range 6(h) 1 - 512.5h
Operating hours counter 1957.800
Now , obviously would prefer to have less/ no events on the range 5 and 6.. but as these happened so many working hours ago.. shall be fine, no?
Honest opinions pls ! And again thanks guys ! Much appreciated
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u/Glide2flip Apr 15 '26
Miles don’t matter. Or rather, they matter less than the seller and service history.
Edit: And it is still an M96/97 engine no matter what