Realities of a daily 996 in upper midwest?

[eolson]

Hi,

My dad and I are big Porsche fans but never really figured we'd be driving them. Last summer I finally found an '86 Carrera that needed some work, I did the work, and now I drive it all the time. Now my dad is starting get curious and also think about retirement and driving something more fun and maybe a little less practical.

With 996 values as they are, they're starting to get pretty tempting. We found a local 1999 C4 that claims to have had an engine replacement by a dealer in 2009 with all appropriate updates. It looks clean but I haven't seen it in person yet since we're just starting to feel out the whole idea.

I would love any input from you guys regarding the practicality of driving something like this on a daily basis. We live in Minnesota, it gets cold. My dad is thankfully a very practical guy, he brings up genuine concerns like will this start when it's way below zero and it's been sitting outside, are there concerns to be had with a first-year design, how sturdy/reliable are they, is the AWD any good, etc.

Thanks for any input you guys can offer!

[ChemMan]

There are members of my PCA chapter who drive theirs in the winter. They have snow tires. My 996 was my daily driver for a couple of years. Not in the winter though. Very comfortable car.

[FPB111]

Over on Rennlist there are many 996 that DD. Some have over 150k miles and one poster has a Boxster with over 260k miles and a 996 turbo with over 100k.
The big complaint is when the snow is over 8" on the road.