Daily driving 911 owners

[FenderGuy]

How many miles you putting on your cars monthly or yearly? Also how has your maintaince changed and has your repair of parts gone up as a daily driver?

[911Mac]

I've had my 82 SC about a year and a half. Initially, it wasn't a daily driver, but has become one for about the last year.
I put about 1,400 miles on it a month (64 mile round trip every day plus various side trips). Maybe its just me, but I think the car runs better when it gets used every day. Maintenance hasn't been any different other than more frequent oil changes, valve adjustments, etc. Most of my daily miles are highway and Interstate, I'm averaging about 25.5 mpg since I converted to EFI using Tony's kit.

Mac

[RoninLB]

my brothers '88 in la la land is almost maintence free at about 10k-15k mi/ yr. I stress that he do non-routine maintence ahead of time.

[moazam]

I do about 30-45 miles per day. Car has a total of 179k miles on it right now. Other than my transmission rebuild, my maintanence has been generally in line, nothing huge.

[vash]

my insurance company thinks i am putting less than 6k per year. but i will go over that big time. i drive it everywhere. except the lumber store, or the recycler. stuff like that.

[svonkampen]

I bought my 1968 911L 4 months ago and have clocked 10.000 miles........

It's my only car.....got a full tune-up after purchase.......and have had no problems at all.

I'm still waiting on that big thing but everything is fine so far (she had 80.000 miles at purchase)

SvK

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

FWIW, including original purchase price of both vehicles, payments on the truck, the re-build on my SC, and all the maintenance costs, my 3/4 diesel has been wayyyyy more expensive than the Porsche to drive.

[Chris Lovell]

My '86 Coupe has 152,000 with no rebuilds. Like Mac, I also feel it runs better with daily use. Over the last four years, new shocks, several valve adjustments, oil changes, alternator, A/C restoration, tires, and other relatively routine stuff. All maintenance now done at home. Not the most comfortable daily driver but I didn't sign up for that.

[JackT]

Vash,
Be carefull. Some of the insurance companies that have mileage limits will not say anything until you have an accident, then they ask for documentation to show you do not put more that a certain amount of miles on your car. In some states, (I don't know about California) the insurance company can deny the claim if you go over the stated miles.
Usually the documentation needed is maintenance records and/or highway department records.

[911teo]

88 Coupe here... I live close to the office so the home-work commute is probably 5 miles. But I drive it everywhere... from grocery store to Home Depot and Lowes...
The car has 125k miles on the clock.... I had it 6 months... probably put 3k miles on it.... 1 oil change.

[banjomike]

~40 miles per day. I cannot imagine another car made in 1976 being as reliable. Having said that it's not like driving a late model Honda. The clutch went out. I had ti get a new ignition switch. This week I got a new starter... things wear out.

[porschenut]

Originally posted by DrewT
Vash,
Be carefull. Some of the insurance companies that have mileage limits will not say anything until you have an accident, then they ask for documentation to show you do not put more that a certain amount of miles on your car. In some states, (I don't know about California) the insurance company can deny the claim if you go over the stated miles.
Usually the documentation needed is maintenance records and/or highway department records.

Another thing they'll do is simply look at the odometer after the accident. They know the mileage when you signed up, and they'll do the math. If it works out to more than 6k per year you may be SOL. In that case, if you have major damage I suggest you ditch the car in a lake and report it stolen.

[masraum]

'88 911 targa in Houston TX, the first year that I had it I put about 20K miles on, the couple of following years I was averaging about 15k miles a year, just keep up with the regular maintenance. My car came to me with 110K miles and left recently at about 165k miles.

I did have every fan but one on the car go out during that period (there are 6). You will have stuff break from time to time, but, generally less than if you were driving an '88 Chevy or even an '88 toyota, especially when you consider how hard I drove my car. I have to have a Porsche, it's one of the few cars that can withstand me.

[Sonic dB]

This topic is beginning to be beaten to death. Do a search on this and you will find other recent relevent threads.

My car does about 3,000 miles per month and runs fantastic. There have been no major problems in the past year or repairs and all of the money that I have spent on it have been either preventative maintanance, minor things like door switches, or upgrades like new shocks. these cars are like Tanks. or at least mine is.

[yelcab1]

Originally posted by porschenut
Another thing they'll do is simply look at the odometer after the accident. They know the mileage when you signed up, and they'll do the math. If it works out to more than 6k per year you may be SOL. In that case, if you have major damage I suggest you ditch the car in a lake and report it stolen.

Woh,

Slow down there, you are going to ruin a lake with your gas, oil, and other chemicals, then lie to a peace officer (remember Martha Stewart?).

[Paulporsche]

77 chassis w/ modded 80 engine: 6000 mi/yr for the past 15 yr. Oil, filter and points change every year. Valve adjust every 2 yr.

As things wear out, they get replaced, but I have never replaced again (other than tuneup items) anything that I have replaced once.

How can you complain about something breaking on a 28 yr old car?

Paul

[howie944]

Paul I couldn't agree with you more. Every part I've had to replace on my 79SC (and really there haven't been many in the 6 years of ownership and almost daily driving) have been the original part (not counting plugs, cap, rotor, tires and the like of "consumables"). Tranny rebuilt just last fall (only major) and it has about 140 thou on it. Like I tell folks..I don't mind (sorta) replacing things that are 23 years old since I kinda signed up for that and the replacement parts will probably still be ticking well after I'm too old to drive.

[Ed Bighi]

I probably put in about 1K a month on mine. Though it used to be more back in the early nineties. Considering the fact that it has seen the track at a minimum of ten days a year for the last nine years, it has by far been the cheapest car for me to own. My wife's W124 Mercedes, which I still consider to be one of the best sedans ever built, isn't as cheap to run. For example, my clutch was last replaced in 95 and is still going strong. When you consider the track time involved, this is quite amazing. Not to mention some parts like brake rotors, which not only last forever, but are quite cheap as well. Heck, I just changed my alternator last year which was the original one that came on the car. If it weren't for the upgrades I did a few years ago, or the paintjobs every five years from track chips, my 911 would probably be the chepest car I have ever owned. Right up there with a Toyota truck I owned once. When I take into account the zero depreciation, this car really makes sense. But I do tend to drive my stripped out track car more than my civilized carrera. This is because the stripped car has nothing to break like switches and other things.