Can an SC really be a daily driver??

[larry47us]

OK, I'm crazy. I had to sell Kermit a couple of years ago, and I am suffering from withdrawal from the whole Porsche scene. It's impossible to drive an early Porsche daily. They aren't intended or built for that, especially in Chicago.

So, I'm driving a Lexus IS250 with a manual transmission. Reliable transportation, and it's got a stick, but it "ain't no Porsche." It's reliable, but doesn't have the panache, or the punch, or the feeling of driving a P-Car. You know what I mean.

Two weeks ago, I saw an '83 SC Cab, and spoke to the owner who admitted that he needed to sell it to pay his kid's college tuition. It's only got 70K miles on it, and runs real smoothly. The suspension has been completely reworked, but I don't know yet about the engine or other parts (the AC needs recharging). I will have a PPI done by someone I trust before I commit to anything, and he's willing to let me do that.

Wifey won't let me buy another Porsche, since 3 cars isn't in the program right now. But, I wonder - craziness aside - what would happen if I sold my Lexus, and bought the SC?

There are stories of SC's running 300K or 400K miles on an untouched engine. If I put 15K to 20K annually on the car, that's 15 - 20 years potentially on this car. That would be Unbelievable (and maybe impossible.)

Now, I have no plans to race this car. I just want to enjoy driving it. I'll take good care of it, but can it realistically provide reliable transportation for me to use daily?

There are those of you out there who do this, I am sure. So, I am looking for some input. I can buy the car in the mid-teens, and have money left over from the sale of my Lexus to stash for upcoming repairs or upgrades.

What do you think? If you tell me I'm totally nuts, I'll put it aside and listen to my wife till my "situation" improves.

larry

[old man neri]

I use my 88 as a daily driver if that helps.

The only thing you have to consider is driving it in the rusty salty winter. Do you really want to do that? That and you won't have all the creature comforts such as cup holders. working AC...etc

-matt

[larry47us]

Since the 83's were galvanized, I thought that this took care of nearly all of the rust issues that plagued the earlier cars.

Am I being idealistic?

larry

[acapella8]

I have a 78 ROW that COULD be a daily driver, but is not. Mainly due because I'm fortune my wife allows me to have the below sig . . .

[Christien]

I daily drive my 72, except when the heat is unbearable and I need air conditioning (which isn't that often, but maybe 3 times in the last 2 weeks?). Bear in mind I work at home, so I don't have to commute. I did get stuck in rush hour traffic on the freeway on SUNDAY (if you can f$#king believe that, god I hate Toronto traffic).

Anyway, my concerns would be:

1. other car available when the 911 is off the road for maintenance. It WILL need more maintenance than your wife's Honda/Toyota/whichever-appliance-vehicle. And there will be times when you'll have to borrow her car. It works fine in our family.

2. winter. Yes, post-76 is galvanized, but it's still a ton of abuse to hurl at a classic Porsche, and it would be a shame to see it rust away into oblivion. Now I suppose if you were diligent with really thorough washing (like a coin-op spray booth at least once a week to really clean underneath and in the wheel wells) then you can win that battle. But that's definitely a big commitment. Also, a rear-wheel drive car is going to be no fun at all in snow and ice when you just need to get to work (rather than screw around pretending you're autocrossing in the Costco parking lot late at night! guilty as charged!). So again, is there another car in the family you can take?

I drove my 944 all year round when I had it, and it wasn't a bad winter car at all. The heat worked very well, and there were only a few days I said screw it, take the Honda, because of the snow. I guess when it comes down to it, how many days of the winter are the major roads actually snow covered? 5? Maybe 10?

So if you can address those issues and don't mind having zero resale value (assuming you're honest when you sell it) then I'd say go for it!

edit: forgot to mention, the 944 REALLY made a HUGE difference in the "winter blues" of putting the 911 away. Every year I go through a horrible depression about the 3rd week it's gone. Having a winter Porsche completely cures that! I'm going to miss that this winter...

[Por_sha911]

Can you have an SC as a DD? Let me ask you: do you ever desire A/C? If the answer is "yes" then an SC is prob a bad idea. No?

[Hugh R]

I don't think a 25 plus year old car is a good choice as your only DD. I've seen lots and lots of "galvanized" cars with lots and lots of serious rust.

[Joe Bob]

In So Cal.....maybe.....not in rust hell. Galvanized, schmalvanized....it's gonna corrode, melt, crack or whatever.....drive a Taurus and save the P-car for chasing Betties....

[larry47us]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

Can you have an SC as a DD? Let me ask you: do you ever desire A/C? If the answer is "yes" then an SC is prob a bad idea. No?

Believe it or not, I had a '92 Lexus SC300 that had a broken A/C that I drove for three or four summers following the breakage. There were three or four days during each of the summers when it was unbearable. Like when it was hot and raining, and I couldn't open the windows - that was tough and sweaty. This is a Cab, so taking the top down is better than opening a few windows.

I guess it would be bad to let a classic like the 83 SC rust to oblivion. But I think of the 15 years of enjoyment, and don't feel so bad after all. Skip the repair costs, and that is only $1,000 per year of depreciation. No car that I know of can do that. But with the repair costs, it would be **significantly** higher.

I appreciate the comments. But driving a 72 in Toronto winters? That sounds extreme to me!!

larry

[zevenbergena]

I use my 80 SC as a DD. 187,700 mi turned today, bought it a year ago and threw 20K miles on since. Bought it when I was living in CA, moved to Wisconsin in Oct. and made it until Jan before I caved in a bought a winter beater off my brother-in-law. Besides the heater and defrost issues, I was concerned about the sand/salt combination on the roads, as well as the motor never even getting close to warm on my 1.5 mile drive to work, even if I let it warm up in the garage for 15 mins before leaving.
Seasonal hinderances aside, I think the car makes a fine DD, I even ran 8 autox events this summer and performed my own scheduled maintenance with no problems all year. I dread the day I have to sell the car and drive 'something else' on a daily basis.

[Trotskyite]

I daily drive it, track it, pick up groceries in it, drive 300 mile round trip vacations in it, and haven't had a bit of an issue. Buy a longhood as a second car while you still can and drive the snot out of your little SC. Don't forget to change the oil!

[aigel]

I like to have an extra car in the family. That way I can take my time on any repairs that may arise. The extra car is usually a 3000 dollar beater that doesn't cost more than $50 a month to insure and register. If you had such an arrangement, I would strongly encourage the SC as a daily driver. If not, as mentioned above, down time may be a bit longer than on your Lexus. If a beater backup car is out of the question, consider the fact that a rental car costs $40 a day.

I would go for it!

George

[MOMO3.2]

I daily drove my 87 Carrera for almost 3 years without any issues. I am pressing it back into service as my DD again this Fall (We are on a quest to cut spending for a couple years so our BMW lease goes bye-bye).

My safety net is that my wife and I can ride share my/our 08 GTi when necessary (heat wave, rain). My commute is also short (13 miles) and is mostly surface streets. So, the Porsche will once again be money in the bank for us. Who would a thunk!

If, however, I had to depend on an SC or Carrera driven 20,000 miles per year without a safety net...I'd be driving like a little old lady and that would almost completely negate the fun.

I advise: Get the SC and a cheap solid running backup car with A/C and heat. Then you can drive the SC. Take your time fixin it if it breaks. And, drive the SC the way it was meant to be driven.

Mike

[pwd72s]

Larry...good to know you're still around.

[signature65]

My 73 is driven everyday I'm home. So almost a daily driver. I know not an SC but still totally dooable. Dont worry about letting it rust away. Buy it and enjoy it. Thats what these cars were ment for. Now....reliable.......thats a whole nuther ball game. Things will come up. Its an old car. Be patient and fix what you can. dont sweat the small stuff.

[Won]

Another daily driven SC here. The summer job required a 80-mile commute every day. I had it off the road for a week but that was for a brake job before a track day. The weather here has been unusually hot this summer and it still wasn't too bad without A/C and top up (too hot to take it down). Lots of drinking water and a wet towel around the neck did the trick. To my surprise, the fuel economy wasn't too bad either; low to mid 20 MPG if I'm driving at a reasonable speed. Last year I drove it to school every day (another 40 mile commute) through PNW rain and some snow. Targa top seals didn't leak (but the vinyl did, through stitching and small rips) but MPG tanked to about 15 (I can never understand how some guys get close to 20MPG around town with CIS).

All that plus autocross every other weekend year-round, and a track day, and nothing "broke" per se. A failed CV joint due to corrosion at the splines (extremely unusual situation) was the only failure I had that left me stranded.

So go for it!

[benzyne]

I daily drive my 78 SC as well. I'm in the same city as Won, and face the same wet coast challenges.

[spuggy]

I say it's a car, drive it every day if you prefer driving a Porsche. I do. Although heavy traffic makes me a litte twitchy with fiberglass bumpers...

I drove a 944 as sole transport for three and a half years; my current daily driver is a '77 middie with a tweaked 930 and stiffened suspension - over 250,000 on the tub.

[Walko]

i have had a 911 as a DD for the past ten years and can advise that I have never had to worry to much. My cars seem to run better and leak less oil when it is driven regularly. I have my other 911 laid up and it always causes more issues then the DD.
We don't get snow in Sydney however I do take the 911 on my skining trips and have a nice set of chains that fit well.

Michael

[MELO-911]

Guys i am in the same boat as Larry.
i have a 88 which use to be DD but that was when my other job meant some nice fast roads to drive on. now i drive in a small amount & also a lot of traffic and pretty much ride in 3rd sometimes 4th. so i am looking at buying a 944 as a DD, i see some guys here have had a 911 & 944 much difference in traffic? clutch?

Larry if had my old job i would still be driving my 88 , like some guys have said DD is good for the car really.

bit of info & questions but hey its something i am also facing currently.

cheers