997 buying advice for SC guy

[ESC79]

Hi folks,
I'm thinking about acquiring a 997 for a DD and could use some consul.

Here's my situation. I work from home 1/2 the week and then commute round-trip about 80 miles the other half. It's a lot of highway driving. I've got a couple young kids that I would need to squeeze in the back from time to time, but we have a Outback for longer trips with more people.

Bottomline, is a modern Porsche a prudent decision for a DD given practical limitations, wearables, etc.?

Rationally I know I should probably stick with my A4, but we probably wouldn't be here if we were all rational......

Any specific thoughts on this car would also be appreciated.
Used 2008 Porsche 911 AUTO For Sale | Natick MA

Thanks!

[KNS]

The A4 will certainly be more practical but the 997 can make an excellent daily if you really don't need more than two doors on most days. Lots of people drive 997s (and 996s) every day.

[bcoats]

Go for it! I am in same situation. . .

[NYNick]

Solid cars. Normal maintenance. No worries.

[TWOZTER]

Just bought an '06 Carrera 2 for my daily.....

Loooooove it. You won't be sorry. Go for it. Audis are very nice, but Porsches are special.

[Yellowb1rd]

I've done both (well 996 and SC), and either are great commuters as long as one or two passengers are regular cargo. More than that, and frankly, the A4 would be the better way to go. I have never owned an Audi, but agreed, nothing wrong with them; however, with Porsche, there IS no substitute. You can't go wrong with either, especially if you do your own maintenance.

[Palum6o]

You can drive a 997 all day every day and not get tired of it or have a tired back. Only problem you'll have is having a high mileage 997 when your done using it. But what the heck...

[bcrdukes]

I can't speak for the 997, but as a 996 owner, I have been daily driving my car. My uncle's twins stayed with us during spring break and the girls absolutely loved it. Groceries, short trips, work-related travel. Just a great car and reliable to boot!

[Dus10R]

My '06 Carrera S is a daily driver, has 91,000 miles and still running tops. I've replaced the water pump at 71,000 miles and while doing that the serpentine belt. But other than that no problems. If you get an "S" I do recommend spending the money and having the factory 3rd radiator installed, as these cars do have a weakness in oiling and cooling the cylinders nearest the front of the car and has been known that they can score the cylinders or worse case scenario is a "D" chunk cylinder liner failure where a piece of the cylinder wall fails and it's shaped like a "D" ive seen it once in a low mileage car. So some things to look out for... Smoke on start up. Doesn't mean its developed the issue but it can be that or a Air Oil Separator. If the AOS is good then its probably got a scored cylinder liner. So its very important to have a compression check done and a bore scope, mainly on the 4 cylinders closest to the front of the car as those are the ones usually to develop a problem. If those two tests turn out good, then don't be afraid to buy it, but I would add the 3rd radiator which is actually not as expensive as you think it should be, under $300 if I remember correctly. The other thing to do is to run an expensive oil like Millers Nano drive or add a tungsten disulphide additive like AP Nano's Nano Lub RC-X , both of these products have nano fullerenes of tungsten disulphide which is the slickest substance known to date. It will reduce friction and heat in a motor and will create a nano layer of tungsten disulphide on any surfaces that have high heat and friction. Its not snake oil. Race teams have been secretly using it for years and its extended their engine rebuilds by up to 300%. Ive been using it since I bought my 997 and my car burns almost zero oil and has zero smoke on start, compression is still factory spec and I have no cylinder wall scoring. Also, get a '06 or later as they have bigger IMS bearings and I have yet to hear of one failing like they can and have in the '05. Dont be afraid of a high mileage car either. I can almost guarantee it will be more problem free than a car that hasn't been driven a lot especially if you plan on driving it daily. If you buy a low mileage car and start driving it daily I can almost guarantee it will develop some quirks within the first few months, but once those are solved and you continue to drive it, it should be fine. These cars do much better when driven often.

[Erich Stahler]

I drove a 997 (2006) for six years as a daily driver and could not have been happier. By now the age of those engines if something were going to happen it would have already. Get one that is well maintained and get PPI, enjoy. The only reason I'm not driving it anymore is that I just thought I had to have the 991, or at least that's what I remember telling the Boss, ahem wife.

[83_Silberpfeil]

Dus10R --- Did you do the water pump job as DIY? Can you describe level of difficulty and cost of parts? If by indie shop, are we talking about few hundreds $'s or in the thousands?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Dus10R

My '06 Carrera S is a daily driver, has 91,000 miles and still running tops. I've replaced the water pump at 71,000 miles and while doing that the serpentine belt. But other than that no problems. If you get an "S" I do recommend spending the money and having the factory 3rd radiator installed, as these cars do have a weakness in oiling and cooling the cylinders nearest the front of the car and has been known that they can score the cylinders or worse case scenario is a "D" chunk cylinder liner failure where a piece of the cylinder wall fails and it's shaped like a "D" ive seen it once in a low mileage car. So some things to look out for... Smoke on start up. Doesn't mean its developed the issue but it can be that or a Air Oil Separator. If the AOS is good then its probably got a scored cylinder liner. So its very important to have a compression check done and a bore scope, mainly on the 4 cylinders closest to the front of the car as those are the ones usually to develop a problem. If those two tests turn out good, then don't be afraid to buy it, but I would add the 3rd radiator which is actually not as expensive as you think it should be, under $300 if I remember correctly. The other thing to do is to run an expensive oil like Millers Nano drive or add a tungsten disulphide additive like AP Nano's Nano Lub RC-X , both of these products have nano fullerenes of tungsten disulphide which is the slickest substance known to date. It will reduce friction and heat in a motor and will create a nano layer of tungsten disulphide on any surfaces that have high heat and friction. Its not snake oil. Race teams have been secretly using it for years and its extended their engine rebuilds by up to 300%. Ive been using it since I bought my 997 and my car burns almost zero oil and has zero smoke on start, compression is still factory spec and I have no cylinder wall scoring. Also, get a '06 or later as they have bigger IMS bearings and I have yet to hear of one failing like they can and have in the '05. Dont be afraid of a high mileage car either. I can almost guarantee it will be more problem free than a car that hasn't been driven a lot especially if you plan on driving it daily. If you buy a low mileage car and start driving it daily I can almost guarantee it will develop some quirks within the first few months, but once those are solved and you continue to drive it, it should be fine. These cars do much better when driven often.

[petrolblue83911]

Just bought an 08 Carerra- and I've had several SC's over the years-

The 997 is insanely well engineered, fun drive, safe and so far very reliable.

I would not hesitate. Most recently, I spent a year driving an 86 targa and while I'm a hard core air cooled guy, I was putting quite a lot of miles on the 86 and wanted something newer and safer. I also have 2 young kids- with proper booster seats they fit just fine and will for years.

Good luck!