964 Daily Driver

[tfoster100]

I am considering getting a 964 for a daily driver. Curious if there are opinions on how well it would hold up on a relatively short daily commute. Its only about 10 miles and i am thinking it would just barely get warmed up. Its not stop and go - about 4 miles on interstate, and just a few other stops. Is this something that will eventually be bad for it - as far as daily wear and tear. I guess I could take it out on weekends and push it hard to keep it in shape.

[Don Plumley]

It's not ideal - barely 15 minutes. But life is short, buy a car you enjoy and drive it. That being said, I probably wouldn't buy a 20+ year old car for a daily commuter.

[axl911]

I have 4 years daily driving a 964 and 3 years daily driving a 993 in DFW. I commuted from Plano to Richardson which is about 13 miles. The car does get warm, and in traffic hot! The car did fine. I once drove to school in a 964 C2 when it snowed in Dallas! The only lacking part of the commute was the AC in the 964 (993 was better).

Anyway, the best part of my working days are driving to work and driving back home!

[plymouthcolt]

Originally Posted by tfoster100

I am considering getting a 964 for a daily driver. Curious if there are opinions on how well it would hold up on a relatively short daily commute. Its only about 10 miles and i am thinking it would just barely get warmed up. Its not stop and go - about 4 miles on interstate, and just a few other stops. Is this something that will eventually be bad for it - as far as daily wear and tear. I guess I could take it out on weekends and push it hard to keep it in shape.

Shorts trips are not good for any car but really bad for p-cars. Carbon that is normally burned off your plugs from heat (operating at normal temperature) doesn't happen and can lead to fouled plugs. You also increase the chance of carbon buildup on your valves if the engine never gets hot enough to assist in burning off the deposits.

That's why when I go up the street to the market, I drive my own bypass route that adds 20 minutes to my 3 minute drive.

[Hawktel]

I daily drive my 1989 right now. in the first 6 months I owned the car constant problems, sensors going, battery dying. I started daily driving it, no problems. Its just hearsay evidence so far. But it seems to be working.

[Titan99]

The more you drive it the better. Even if it is short. Just let it warm up a minute or two.

[aigel]

I don't buy the "short trips are bad for your car". You don't have to warm the car up and drive a minimum of 20 miles every time you go somewhere. Just drive it back and forth as needed. Add a weekend trip or evening joy ride once a week where you really stretch the car's legs (high rpm, WOT, 20+ minutes) and things will be fine.

George

[70SWT]

My thought has always been that, within reason, most cars are usable as daily drivers provided you stay on top of the maintenance, which most enthusiasts here do. There is a very great difference in the garage time invested between commuting with a 20 yr old Porsche and a new Honda, but both are doable. I am considering getting a 964 for frequent use myself.

I agree with the above that every trip doesn't need to be a long one, but certainly some or most should be, with these cars. Porsche engines don't like stasis...

[Stealth 993]

They make great DD! 10mi might be a little short to daily drive. These cars tend to like longer trips where you can rev them up a bit. I can't see you having much trouble with it, unless you never open it up, or take it on longer trips, but once you get it, you might start taking the long way to work.

Mine warms up in about 6mi of driving.

[billjam]

This is what happens to a daily driven 930 that doesn't get hot enough to evaporate moisture from the breather system.
Unfortunately, I only work 3 miles from home, so I now have to use the family hack instead (and save the turbo for the weekends ).

[RoadAmerica]

I've used my 964 C4 as a daily driver for about 2 years. No problems here. I have snow tires on the factory cookie cutter wheels and I get weird looks from people when the weather is snowy. I get even stranger looks when I'm passing 4x4's. Drive it. It's a Porsche! They were designed for foul weather.

[dmaples]

go for it. I've been driving 993, 911, and 944s as daily drivers for year. It make it fun to go to work. My only regret (well, more like guilt) is the number of miles I pile up. These cars are built to be used. Have fun. DM

[Porsche virgin]

I've been considering the same thing. I only drive a mile to the train. After work, I drive about 5-10 miles to the gym. For me, the car would never warm up in the morning, but she'd be able to stretch her legs at night. Also, considering the weather extremes we get here in the north, I'd have extra concerns. 15-20 degree mornings in the winter and 90 degrees and humid in the summer.

How well does the climate control system work in the 964? My defroster in my '84 911 is garbage.

[v911king]

I drive a 1989 C4 that I drive all year long for the last ten years in tahoe. We have a lot of snow hear an I drive it every day in the winter I have never had a break down or anything really bad happen to my Porsches in all these years. I keep my cars very clean an they look like they have very few miles on them. If you drive them a lot they run great! if they are not run then you are going to have things go bad on them. Vernon

[Don Settergren]

The heat output of the climate control in my '93 964 is outstanding. I can scorch my shoes with the highest fan and heat setting aimed at my toes. Great for top-down motoring on those cool fall days.

[Davie Boy]

I own a '90 964 and, until recently, would drive it to work 2 or 3 times a week. My commute is just 3 miles (10 minutes) via streets only, but the engine always reaches operating tempurature regardless of the time of the year. Yeah, I live in So Cal... but I think you'll be fine. Besides, like you said, you always have the weekends.

[group911@aol.co]

Originally Posted by Don Settergren

The heat output of the climate control in my '93 964 is outstanding. I can scorch my shoes with the highest fan and heat setting aimed at my toes. Great for top-down motoring on those cool fall days.

+1. A properly working heating system in a 964 is far better than any water cooled car.
In the dead of winter, it is blowing warm air within a block of driving.
Complete warmups that come with a few extra miles of driving a couple of times a month will be good for it.
Just think, for what that extra beater is going to cost you in purchase, insurance and maintainance, you can afford to rebuild the engine after ten years and you get to drive a great car the whole time.

[rt964]

I have a 91 C4 cab & drive it 1 to 3 times a week but my commute is 20 miles. I also take it to the gym < 5 minutes once or twice a week. Like the others said, a continuous diet of short trips is not good but it should warm up in 10 minutes. Enjoy it on weekends for a little longer drive & it shouldn't be a problem. But these little beasts can be a little less than fun to maintain, have a spare car to drive when needed.

[Dan (almaden)]

this is my '90C2 coupe and I use it as my daily driver for 1.5 years now.
I drive ~4 miles each way...no issues...but I do use it on the weekends for other things

[simon.marsh@xtr]

Go use it as a daily driver, the beauty of these cars is that they arent prissy fragile and tempermental bits of Italian engineering.
They are tractable reliable and pretty comfortable.
Nothing beats getting in your 964 after a dismal day at work winding the sunroof back,turning the heater up and cranking Led Zepplin into overdrive.

I get a 20 minute drive home, round Wellington Harbour, past Peter Jacksons film studios and Weta Digital where they just did Avatar up into the hills to home. My neighbour has a new 63AMG Merc. but you cant beat the 964 sound echoing off the fence down the driveway each day.

You cant take it with you so use it.

Cheers
Swampy
PS what is the best driving music, my favourite mix is some Led Zep,Smoke on the water, Black sabbath, then throw in nessun Dorma by Pavarotti........magic