Can anyone recommend a North NJ shop for Porsche PPI & service?

I am going to buy a used 996 (needs to be Tiptronic for my wife ) and I would like to find a shop for PPI and service in North NJ. We had a 996 a long time ago and dealer service wasn't bad. Am I correct in assuming that an independent would be better now that the cars are getting older?

 

I'm just starting to look for a car now, so I don't have a particular one in mind yet. I am aware of, and concerned about, the IMS issue. There is an supposed to be an upgraded bearing that can prevent this problem, so I may upgrade proactively to sleep better or maybe some of the cars on the market will already have the upgrade installed. This is part of why I'm looking for a good independent who really knows these car for both a PPI and to maintain it. Would love to hear more about anyone's experience with IMS failures and with the upgraded bearing that is supposed to prevent it.

The 996 I owned many years ago was a 2001 C4 and I had zero issues with it of any kind, just regular dealer service.

 

Thanks Len, I will check them out.

 

Sounds like I can't go wrong with them. I'm going to try to stop by there early next week to discuss PPI's and get some guidance on the IMS issue. Maybe they know of some good cars for sale.

 

I probably can't justify a 997 for what will be an occasional use car. The 997's are improved in many ways, but they are also prone to the IMS failure. Porsche didn't solve the IMS problem until 2009 when I think they eliminated the bearing altogether.

German cars are great in many ways, but there seems to be a tendency to ignore serious problems for a long time (Porsche with IMS, Audi with carbon buildup and ring wear). A friend of mine had a brand new 997 that had to have the engine replaced and he also had the same thing happen with an M3. Italian cars are quirky, but the engines are near bulletproof in my experience.

I wonder if it's possible to get an extended warranty on a used car to cover IMS failure? I'm going to see what PowerTech in Rockaway has to say. I don't want to be constantly worrying about it. My wife loved our old 996, which is why I want to get another. Personally, I didn't like the 996 that much because the Tiptronic took the fun out of it, but she loved it so much that I want to get one.

 

It won't quite be DD, but is for wife and comfort is everything. The requirements are: Coupe, non-sport model (17" wheels), Tiptronic, not flashy color (red, black, yellow are out), pretty low mileage.

I'm on the fence with C2 vs C4. Our original one was C4 and she did some light winter use with winter tires. I like all wheel drive for that reason, but, C4 combined with Tiptronic made it feel heavy, so part of me is inclined to do C2. I guess that leaves me 50/50 whether it is C2 or C4.

Year, probably 2000 to 2001 based upon price and our old C4 was 2001. Or 2002 which has the 3.6 engine.

Rennwerkes is about 45 minutes from me, so a little far but still doable.