The 996 turbo is currently an awesome deal. The regular ones are a good deal but one needs to check up on the service history.
Weird tidbit: I once put a 993 engine into a 996 rwd chassis and fit very well. The old 993 mount fit rather well and only needed some modifications to work. The engine had a 930 tranny bolted on (g50) and it fit perfectly as well. Of onlt that car were finished some day...
I bought mine through a mechanic/dealer, and had them fix the IMS bearing, rear main seals, chain tensioners, and switch to a metal water pump. Those were the main recommended preventative fixes I heard about.
Yes, you are right. Given how cheap they are right now some people get sticker shock when they learn a replacement will cost around $10k. That sometimes is more than half the cost of the whole car.
I've seen most prices for replacement significantly lower than $10k - usually closer to $2-3k (https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996/241595-ims-bearing-m...). Plus there are a few other things that are easy to do at the same time (like rear main seals).
Weird tidbit: I once put a 993 engine into a 996 rwd chassis and fit very well. The old 993 mount fit rather well and only needed some modifications to work. The engine had a 930 tranny bolted on (g50) and it fit perfectly as well. Of onlt that car were finished some day...