997 daily driver in Northeast

[vlocci]

First world problems:

I've got a nice collection of air cooled 911's purchased prior to the current bubble pricing. Truth be told, they are starting to get too valuable to drive and I'm putting less and less miles on them each year. I just took my 993 turbo for an inspection and realized it has seen a whopping 213 miles this last year. I track a 996 GT2 (bought right long ago) which has the same problem. It is too valuable to ball up, which has me dialing it back semi-consciously. My Porsche hobby is becoming less fun with rising values. I expect many feel the same.

Time for a new daily driver here in the Boston area. A new SUV is a 50K purchase, and while comfortable and convenient is boring.

I'm considering a 2006 and later 997. Seems IMS issues are resolved and are generally pretty reliable. Budget for this is 40K or so. I would run it on snows during the winter. This would be my first 997 with the exception of a short lived 997.2 turbo.
Past experiences with 996's shows good snows are more important than a C4. For the biggest storms I'll drive something else or stay home.

Come summer I would like to lightly track it and start getting back involved in local rally. (I have a "safari" 911 running a 4 inch lift that is a blast) The car will be mechanically well cared for but will ultimately get ugly on the outside. I'm fine with this.

It seems like 997 depreciation is near the bottom of the curve, making this feel like a pseudo good idea.

Convince me I'm not nuts.

Can a 40K 997 be a reliable daily, deal with northeast winters and handle occasional (10-12x/year) track days?

Anyone do something similar?

[cairns]

You're not nuts. They're very nice very reliable cars that perform mightily. And at their current prices quite the bargain. I owned one (a 2008 S) and really enjoyed it.

[DaveE]

I drove my Boxster in western PA winters for 6 years. Heated seats, traction control, hard top, never had issues. Spent a week in Montreal in heavy snow one late December and the car did well.

[racer]

Its fine.. the issue will be convincing yourself that its fine.. As you mention, you have a garage full of 911's that are already fine 3/season cars. You just need to convince yourself to use them. You said yourself, you bought them cheap. Who cares what they are worth now then? My dad's had a 914/6 since new. Despite it being worth alot, to him and me its a $5-10K car.. the rest is just inflation and a pricing bubble. If I allow myself to consider its actual value, I too would never drive it. Instead, I put about 2500 miles a year on it..

That said, and off my soapbox, if you can find an 09 it would be even better!

[brshap]

I agree with the above. You bought low, high values are for the next owner to worry about.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by brshap

I agree with the above. You bought low, high values are for the next owner to worry about.

While I second this and all of the similar comments, none of the cars he mentioned owning would be a suitable DD or Boston winter car. A 997 C4 would be amazing and they are stronger than anything ever made. I agree that winter tires are the key but tires plus the AWD would be unstoppable in one of your killer snow winters. You guys get mucho snow some years.

If you don't need the interior space of a bigger car or 4 doors, I say go for it! If someone slides into you or you have an offroad shunt into something, (they are very crash safe), it's an insurance claim and the car is instantly replaceable.

[vlocci]

All,

Confirmation bias aside, thanks for the confirmation that I'm not nuts.

I've enjoyed the air cooled cars I have immensely but it is all but impossible to daily drive a 930 or 993 turbo without worrying about reliability, getting hit by a 7000lb SUV and remaining somewhat comfortable. Doing this year round in snowy Boston is a non starter. I'm not rich or stupid enough to try this with a my non galvanized 75 S that is pristine and all original. What I've got are weekend fair weather cruisers and with kids and a busy life, the good weather/nice roads/free time stars seldom seem to align.


Hence the question about something modern, safe and effectively disposable if damaged. There are no shortage of 997s should one die an untimely death.

I'll start the search today. < 40k would be ideal for a 06+ coupe. Manual or maybe a pdk (which admittedly I've never driven) and some cash in reserve for maintenance and a set of snow tires. I'm all ears if you are selling.

Hopefully I can sneak into a 09.

Welcome any additional comments.


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[onewhippedpuppy]

You'll need a 2009 if you want PDK, they were tiptronic prior to the 997.2. You'll also get the 9A1 which eliminates the (slight) risk of IMS issues in the 997.1.

I daily drove both a 986 and 996 on snows, up to about 12" was the max I dealt with on roads that are typically at least semi-plowed. You run out of ground clearance before you run out of traction. Otherwise the 997 is a fantastic choice, they are reliable, robust, fun, and it's easy to find a nice one. As you said I think they are also fully depreciated, with nice 996s starting to creep upwards in value its hard to see the 997 getting any cheaper.

[1990C4S]

Why not a 996 C4S?

[vlocci]

Fair question on the 996 c4. To be honest, as much as I like the 996 the 997 seems to be a much more comfortable and capable car for little price difference.



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[onewhippedpuppy]

Having owned multiple of both, I would agree that the 997 is marginally more comfortable, though the 996 is about as hard to live with daily as a Camry. Capable is subject to interpretation I suppose, for the $40k budget you mentioned you could have a 996TT that would wipe the floor with a 997 and be better in the snow to boot. Or save $10k and buy a 996C4S for $30k. Personally the only real edge that I give to the 997 is styling. If you gave me $40k and told me to use it for a daily driver 911, I would buy a 996TT without a second thought.

[sc_rufctr]

IMO the 997 is the best water cooled 911 so far.

Just going by looks and reliability they're hard to beat.

[LakeCleElum]

I live in the Mountains. When looking at the corrosion damage to vehicles from winter road chemicals, i cringe.

I leave all the nice vehicles in the garage on those days. Only drive my pickup or an older Honda Accord we keep for a spare car.........Just my 2 cents.....

[look 171]

Originally Posted by vlocci

All,

Confirmation bias aside, thanks for the confirmation that I'm not nuts.

I've enjoyed the air cooled cars I have immensely but it is all but impossible to daily drive a 930 or 993 turbo without worrying about reliability, getting hit by a 7000lb SUV and remaining somewhat comfortable. Doing this year round in snowy Boston is a non starter. I'm not rich or stupid enough to try this with a my non galvanized 75 S that is pristine and all original. What I've got are weekend fair weather cruisers and with kids and a busy life, the good weather/nice roads/free time stars seldom seem to align.


Hence the question about something modern, safe and effectively disposable if damaged. There are no shortage of 997s should one die an untimely death.

I'll start the search today. < 40k would be ideal for a 06+ coupe. Manual or maybe a pdk (which admittedly I've never driven) and some cash in reserve for maintenance and a set of snow tires. I'm all ears if you are selling.

Hopefully I can sneak into a 09.

Welcome any additional comments.


Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I have a 930 and a 993 turbo. They pretty must collect dust ,but does get driven a few times a year. I used the 930 a few times a week when I first bought it. Since the engine work, pulled it at 35,000 miles to, "While I was in there" drain my bank account in exchange for more power. Its requires more effort to drive then most cars out there. The clutch is stiff, that's for sure. Now I daily a Cayman S. Love the Working AC and quiet cabin. The 993's a nice car to drive daily, but I can't risk someone dinging the door or damage because people are idiots.

[MBAtarga]

The 997 does have nice curves! I prefer the Aerokit.