Carrera 4 - winter car?

[RobertsStole2nd]

Not sure if this is a crazy idea or not, but I'll throw it out there anyway. Long story short, in the past five months I've sold my 02 Discovery and my 86 Carrera Coupe, bought a '99 BMW 528i and stumbled on a '68 Land Rover Series IIa that I got for short money. Bottom line is that I miss the Porsche terribly, and I want back in. But here's where it's tricky - my wife is expecting and we are replacing her Jetta with a Volvo XC70 mommy-wagon. I can't really afford to keep three vehicles (Volvo, my daily driver and a Porsche) while starting a family, so I'm thinking Porsche as daily driver. But in New England, snow and ice are part of the deal - so the question - is a Carrera 4 a viable option for year-round use? Is the AWD effective in wet/slush/snow? Does anyone make snow tires for Porsches? Convincing my wife will be the hardest thing, but what do you guys think? Has anyone done this?

Todd

Oh yeah - gotta change my sig I guess.......

[Porsche virgin]

There are some good threads comparing the awd systems of the various years. So start with a search.

As far as I understand, the 964 awd system is EXCELLENT in the bad weather, but pricey to maintain. The 993-997 awd system is more set up for performance, and probably isn't the snow-ignoring machine you may be looking for.

[herman maire]

I would do it in a heart beat. They look pretty cool with a little baby seat in the back also.

If I had a choice between a 964 C4 or a 993 C4 I would go with the 993.

There are so many choices for awsome winter tires these days even up to 19'' but I would stick with a nice set of 17'' and I would not go too wide either for those slushy days....

Slush, ice, sleet BRING IT ON.

I had a old bmw IX and I drove up a hard packed ski trail after the hill was closed so just becuase its a car there pretty damn capable.

I think you will be surprised in that it will feel more sure footed and agile then your disco... My IX did.

I just power wash my car ALOT during the winter just to keep the salt off.

[Don Z.]

Originally posted by RobertsStole2nd
N But in New England, snow and ice are part of the deal - so the question - is a Carrera 4 a viable option for year-round use?

So, do you see why Global Warming can actually be a good thing?

When I was in Germany in '99, I saw a Porsche ad... There was a photo of a C4 in a lot of snow. I wrote down the caption, and wish I could find it now. If memory serves, the translation went something like: Every morning, when you look out in the snow, you have to ask yourself one question... Do you really want to schlep yourself to work in a 2500 kilo SUV?

I'd say yeah, they meant it to do that...

[Wyoming]

Stick with the IIA. You can start it with the hand crank if worse comes to worse. You will get used to the tractor-esque ride, power, gearing, heating and comfort.

[bigchillcar]

my 'c4 envy' issues aside..i say do it. ask around on the board about the more reliable systems and go for it.
ryan

[RobertsStole2nd]

Stick with the IIA. You can start it with the hand crank if worse comes to worse. You will get used to the tractor-esque ride, power, gearing, heating and comfort. [/QUOTE]

Power? Heating? Comfort? These strange words...what do they mean?

[anthony]

The guy on Dream Car Garage did a segment on the 996 C4 as a winter car. His conclusion was that it was an awesome full-on winter daily driver.

[RobertsStole2nd]

Sounds like a C4 could handle winter duty - now the decision would be 964 vs. 993. There's a '90 C4 for sale about 2 miles from my house...74K miles for about $25K...maybe a test drive is in order this weekend. It's almost winter, right?

[Rot 911]

A C4 would be a great winter car, but then a standard rear wheel drive 911 with winter tires is a great winter car. I run Blizzaks on my '86 Carrera in the winter and the only thing I have to concern myself with is that I don't try to drive through snow deeper than the bottom of the car as it will get high centered.

[RobertsStole2nd]

Originally posted by Kurt V
A C4 would be a great winter car, but then a standard rear wheel drive 911 with winter tires is a great winter car. I run Blizzaks on my '86 Carrera in the winter and the only thing I have to concern myself with is that I don't try to drive through snow deeper than the bottom of the car as it will get high centered.

Ya had to go and say that...maybe I can buy my '86 Carrera back........

[bigchillcar]

way to go, kurt...'buzz kill'..
ryan

[nigel911]

The worst that can happen is you get the opportunity to say 'it's just a winter beater, you should see my summer car'.

[EMW]

25k is 2 much$ for a 964 that will need 8-10 worthof work in the next25,000 miles IMHO
should be more like 15k

[Doug&Julie]

I'm going to go a little further than some of the others and suggest a 996, whether it's AWD or just rear wheel drive. The newer cars are just so much better as daily drivers, and with ABS and TC/PSM, even the rear wheel drive cars are hard to beat in the winter. All you need is a good set of winter tires. You can find used wheels on the "parts for sale" board here or Rennlist. Some may even be for sale with winter tires already!

I drove my Boxster for two years in winter w/o any problems what-so-ever. The first year I only had the winter tires (Dunlop Wintersport M3s). The second year I go the hard top.



If you don't want to go that route, then yes, a 964 or 993 with good winter tires will be fine in the winter (I've done a lot of "research" on this). C4s will be even better. Just remember all the "other" factors when shopping for these models.

[SLO-BOB]

Originally posted by RobertsStole2nd
Sounds like a C4 could handle winter duty - now the decision would be 964 vs. 993. There's a '90 C4 for sale about 2 miles from my house...74K miles for about $25K...maybe a test drive is in order this weekend. It's almost winter, right?

Too much unless the potential engine issues, i.e. head leaks, have been addressed. I would (and did) hold out for a 92 or newer car. The heads have been addressed by Porsche by adding headgaskets. I hear the 92-94 C4s are bulletproof, but the 993s are even more durable and simplified. However, it's tough to find a nice 95 C4 for under $30k.

I agree with Doug. If I were to get a C4 for winter duty, it would be a 996. They can be had for less money than a 993.

[Wil Ferch]

Simply one man's opinion...doesn't work for others, I'm sure....

My opinion is you curently have too much money already in the "daily drivers"....BMW's , Volvo's, Land Rovers's, etc.....

Why not combine the other cars into a less expensive and (likely) more trouble-free Japanese car ( substituting a WRX wagon or such for winter/space/hauling)...and get a proper summer-type Porsche?

Not for everyone....

Wil

[Wrecked944]

Like you, I live in MA. I used to commute 100 miles per day and I bought my 1989 C4 because of the snow. It really is nothing short of amazing. You might call it the "porsche" of AWD sports cars . But seriously, I can pretty much ignore the weather forecast no matter what. Nothing affects this car. I've had it for about three years and so far no big mechanical problems. With the 944 and 964C4, I don't drive anything except Porsches all year round. It's a good life.

Post Script: The 964 understeers like a drunken pig at autocross. So if you plan to use it at performance driving events, expect the AWD system to push hard in the turns.

[Wil Ferch]

The missing element is not the 964's capability in the snow...it's the add'l risk of others plowing ( literally) into you for winter driving conditions.....

......and the salt and snow....dunno. Personally if I can avoid that crap on my car, the better. Makes for easier self-maintennace later too when you can even figure out nut sizes and not guess at the proper wrench size for the rusted hex shaped "blob" you're looking at !!!!

- Wil

[bigchillcar]

someone needs to invent an invisible 'spray on' powerful undercoat protection for these cars that can be easily removed after the winter months with a mild solvent or something. (big 'duhhhhhh')
ryan