Thoughts on a 1,000 mile road trip?

Hi All, Recently joined the 996 family when I got a 1999 C2 with 43K miles. As soon as I bought it, since the car only had a handful of recent records, I decided to take it to a friend's shop to have the IMS replaced and do preventive maintenance. All in all, the car now has a brand new LN Engineering IMS, RMS, new clutch, new flywheel, new brake pads, rotors, serpentine belt, fluids, water pump, thermostat, battery and I'm sure some other stuff that escapes my mind for the time being. The car is now located in Boston, and I reside in Atlanta, GA and so I was thinking of taking advantage of the long weekend to bring the car down in about a day and a half. What are your thoughts regarding this? Should I just ship it instead? Is there anything else (or preventative action) that I should do before proceeding with the plan or is this entirely crazy and should I just have the car shipped? Pictures of the car below! Thanks everyone in advance for your thoughts!

Fly up, then drive it back to Atlanta. Great memories in store and hopefully they'll all be good ones!

Drive it. That's what it's for. Don't let the fear ruin the enjoyment of the car. I just did nearly 800 miles this past weekend in mine and loved every minute. Reminded me why I wanted the car in the first place.

Drive it home. The trip will be memorable and fun. The time spent driving will help you bond with the car.

I'd ship it if you hadn't done all that PM. With that much PM, the risk is pretty low. Make sure the tires are good, then fly up and drive it home.

AAA and drive it like you stole it!!

Fly and Drive it! With all that work just done to it, it should be a blast to drive for years to come.

Id drive and and wouldn't think twice. Enjoy the rides. You can purchase parts when they go, but you cant buy yourself more time and more rides.

Fly and drive it back. I did this when I purchased my 02 4S, drove it over 950 miles from Virginia, to S. FLorida, the only regret I had when I arrived home, was that the trip was way to short. Truly enjoyed the drive. Of course the PO had addressed many of the items you mentioned before I picked up the car.

I drove back mine from Miami to northern VA earlier this year. It was due for oil change and brake fluid flush so had them done before leaving Miami. I had quite a quite a bit of work done following the trip, like rear brakes, rebalance wheels as one front wheel had no balancing weight and vibrated like crazy and replace rear axle due to torn boot. Had I known about the axles, I may not have driven it back but, oh well. Just give it a thorough inspection and with basic maintenance, I'd drive it back.

Drive it and enjoy it!

It's a car, and a very fun one at that. Drive it and enjoy it. Have it shipped to Montreal and then drive it home from there.

Quotes source post: 15250291

Ha! It's too close to home!

Definitely drive it....My son and I just drove our 986 (I know this is 996 forum so hold the comments) earlier this month from seattle to Austin the day after warranty work on the engine requiring engine out work. Got triple AAA and drove the whole way to Austin including a track day with the car in Iowa Raceway park at the midlands. The car was flawless at 100+ mph the whole way. With good mechanics doing work, these cars are bulletproof. My 16 year old and I had the time of our life we will remember for a long time. There really is no downside.

Drive it!! I purchased mine from San Francisco and drove it 2,497 miles home to MN. 8 States in 3 days, memories made.

yep definitely drive it. I put 800 miles on mine 2 weeks after buying it and that was a trip to Werks Reunion in FL, then a month later I spent the week in Asheville and the BRPkwy that was another 1000 miles, then I've taken it to the N GA mountains to play around too.. another 800+ round trip. Did I mention that my 99 C2 had 171k when I bought it..pushing 180k now and going strong. Enjoy

Another vote to drive it. I bought almost the exact same car with that mileage and did the same work that you did. I have driven the crap out of mine with no worries.

Taking ANY car on a long trip after recent major service work can be risky. After all, many problems are traced to recent work inexpertly performed. Given that the posting stated the work was done at "a friend's shop", its not clear that the shop was highly experienced with 996s. I recommend shipping the car and then taking an extended trip after logging several hundred trouble free miles..just my 2cents. relinuca

I bought my 996 in Philly, drove to Pittsburgh to scoop up my dad, then drove it home to Orlando. We took an extra day doing the Tail of the Dragon and other fun roads in the Smokey Mountains. Total mileage was around 2000. I bought the car sight unseen and it had the LN IMSB installed 100 miles before I took delivery of it. Just like any vehicle, make sure the fluids are topped off and the tire pressures are good then go for it. I'm taking the ole' lady back to the mountains in October so that will be another 1,000 miles �.

Oh, just the effects of the ">40 documented failure modes"-terrorism. Total failures are rare, yet 'seem' common as only those experiencing one will open a separate thread for it. Let's all start threads for every 10k problem-free driven miles Drive the car. It's a car. It should do several 100k miles if you take proper care for it, just like any other car.

I dont worry about driving my 996. I've had older Porsches..those I worried about. I sold a 1977 911 in perfect shape about 10 years ago (I wish I had it back considering what they are worth now). I am near St Louis and the guy who bought it from me told me he was going to drive it all the way to Montreal.....oh man..

Drive it, I did a 2320 mile roadtrip in mine, read here! https://rennlist.com/forums/west-us-...ggestions.html

Why would you buy a car if you think a 1000 mile trip is risky?

I think any trip has risk to some extent regardless of the car - other drivers, driving conditions, etc. However, my question is specific to this car because of the horror stories in part�cular. Just this past weekend there was another thread of a fellow 996 owner who blew up his engine, and he was no doing anything out of the ordinary. These after all are sports cars and so based on how they were designed for track and (for some cars as mild use machines due to their quirks) I wondered if driving it was the smartest choice. I am all in for bonding with my car, but I don't want to put it through 15 hours of strain if I am conscious that there is a possibility of permanently damaging it.

Relinuca's logic is sound....but, what the hell....drive the thing. I did after I got mine set up last year...R/T from CT to VA Beach for Memorial Day, great ride.

Buy this wrench to change your wheel in case you get a flat: Amazon Amazon Also make sure your spare tire is properly filled with air and perform an actual tire change to make sure: 1. the jack works 2. The lugs come off 3. you can remove the wheel Just my two cents.

Don't let the posts here make you nervous. The car will be fine. A road trip like this is probably good for the car. Like everyone else, I say drive it. If you have time, go via I81 and Charlotte to avoid Washington traffic. Since the car is 19 years old, two other items to replace are the engine mounts and probably the front end lower control arms (dog bone). The rubber on these age. The former causes the engine to sag and makes shifting a bit harder. The later causes a clunk at low speed when going over cracks. They are not very expensive compared to what you have done so far. You can do these once you get the car home. Have a good trip and let us know how much fun you had.

That is my thinking too. Nonetheless, my friend's shop is a European specialized shop and I know they have worked on many 996s, including his own. He is also certified by and has done several trainings with Flat Six Innovations. I have had him maintain a BMW I used to own when I lived there and he was always top notch. I have no reason to doubt the quality of his work but like you said recent work can be risky. I'll have the car about a half a day before hitting the road. Hopefully that will give me a good sense of the car.

Thank you, Michaelo! Just ordered it! That will be super helpful! I will call them right now to make sure everything is in place with the spare and I will make sure to do a trial run before hitting the road!

Thank you Schnauzer! My plan is to make it to Charlotte by Saturday night and then leave to Atlanta on Sunday. I-81 might be a good idea. Last time I did this trip it was raining and miserable so I had no option but to stick through and not really enjoy the drive. The dog bone was recently replaced by the original owner while he updated most of the suspension. I'll try to do the engine mounts myself once I get it home. Appreciate the recommendation! Very excited to be doing this!

I'd drive it. Bought mine in Chicago and drove it home to Southern Maine. Good chance to get acquainted with the vehicle.

Quotes source post: 15252057

Don't forget to pack clean underwear! Your mama would be proud.

I drove mine home 72 miles the day I bought it. I should have taken a detour and made it a longer trip, because that trip was way too short! Now I put 50+ miles on it daily. I put 200+ miles on it last Monday. Yep, that was too short too!

Drive it! I bought mine in California and drove it home to NJ. Ran like a top. Avoid the NY / DC / Baltimore corridor as much as possible and prepare to have fun.

I drive my 2002 C4S from Denver to Missoula, Mt about twice a year (for the past 10 years). It is about 1800 miles round trip. The car is a fantastic road trip car (the speed limit is 80 almost the whole way). I have 80K miles on it and have not touched the IMSB. No worries, I just drive the crap out of it almost every day. Enjoy it, these cars are meant to drive!

I drove mine from PA to Atlanta and back with 2 days spent driving flat out at Road Atlanta in the middle What you're asking of your car is significantly less. If you're afraid 1000 miles of driving is gonna bust the car you might as well sell it now because it won't be any fun to own! Beautiful car by the way! Looks just like mine when I bought it.

Drive it. Or hire me, fly me to Boston, I'll pilot it down the coast for you.

To shamelessly plagiarize a line responding to a similar thread from yesteryear: Ship it, then store it.

Last October I bought my '02 Cab in North Carolina and drove 1,000 miles home to Vermont. I was nervous about my IMS, but the car was great! Drive it!

It seems like everybody buys these things from out of town. I bought mine in Oct 2014 in Chicago and drove it back to Long Island (NY) - a little under a thousand miles in a day and a half. It's a great way to "bond" with the car and get used to all of it's creaks and clunks in real driving situations. It's nice to get highway time and around town (when you jump off the freeway for gas/food) time all at once. Just Do it!

Drive it! I picked mine up in Asheville and drove to DC that same day. Within a week I had done DC to Houston and back in it. Driving is what they are for! Go out of your way to find some twisty back roads on your way home from picking it up, great way to get to know a car.

+1 for drive it. With the following... Do a thorough pre-trip inspect. Fluids, tires etc. Check the jack and spare as others have mentioned. I would also purchase some a couple of quarts of Mobil1 oil before disembarking as you'll get some burn off along the way. One other thought... How many miles have been put on the car after the recent work has been completed? As someone else mentioned things can crop up after recent work. I would consider driving 100 miles or so local. Shut it down, let it cool down and drive a little more to shake-out any problem that may arise from recent repairs. I drove mind from Boston to Quebec city and back (850 miles round trip) after just a couple of months of owning it. It drove flawless but once I got up there I was a little nervous about what if something happens while I'm way up in Canada. Great trip though, loved it driving it all those miles!

Drive it. Nothing like a nice long trip to get acquainted and to get rid of the "gonna blow up" fears that forums tend to produce. I've had two 996s and driven both on multiple 1600+ mile trips. The only special care either one had was I tend to wash them more often than the truck. They were also both better cars at the end of the trips than the beginning. Porsches like to be driven. As to carrying extra oil, not a bad idea. I have one of those fancy bags for a quart that is in my frunck, but have never used it on either car. Old habits die hard, I really needed to carry extra oil with my 911 SC so I still carry it.

Add the Tail of the Dragon to the route!

Drive it and enjoy it. I have a '99 and ive taken it on a few long trips this summer. I've noticed that I burn some oil on trips longer than 1300km (800miles). I usually need about half a litre of oil. Other than that the car has been great to drive on long trips. It's almost 20 yrs old so I'm mentally prepared to use CAA if I have to. Don't sweat it you'll have a great experience on the trip.

Quotes source post: 15251869

I was about to type the same thing... If you are afraid it won't make the 1k miles on this trip, why would it last 1k miles once it gets home? That logic never made since to me. When helping someone move across country they said to me "Do you think my car will make it? (it was a mid 2000's chevy blazer)? My response was do you plan on it making it until the next oil change, if so how is this any different???

I am happy to report that after 18.5 hrs. (2.5hrs which were spent on dreadful traffic) I made it back! The car was amazing - I can truly understand the confidence. Needless to say the first drive I had with the car was when I first bought it and it needed some TLC, but now that it has been pampered with, it drives beautifully! Only objection is how small the gas tank is but it was so addicting that I did not stop in Charlotte, NC as planned, but headed home straight up (4 extra hours). Thank you all for the support, advice and questions! Now I have to add a little oil to it!

Quotes source post: 15260695

Great! Glad you took everyone's advice and enjoyed the right home! And yes, I think Porsche intentional keeps the gas tank capacity low in order to shave off some weight.

Quotes source post: 15260695

Don't overfill on oil! The oil level should be in the middle of the electronic dash gauge.

Another data point; I just got back from a 600 mile trip in my 996. I've forgotten how many I have taken on completely stock 996s across the country. I have never owned one with a replacement IMS bearing btw. RE: Recent maintenance. Having ran a shop and worked as a mechanic, I would prefer a car that did not just have service performed if I were to pick it up and drive across the country. It would be better if the car had been driven a bit since the service, even a week.

Recent maintenance done was all PM work, nothing to tackle symptoms. A road trip is perfectly reasonable after such. I found mine online in Nashville while living in OH. Picked up a rental Jeep from one of those car rental places (whatever the green one is ), drove down, skipped a PPI, purchased on the spot, and drove back the following day. Don't regret it, wouldn't have done it any other way. Fear is what prevents people from truly living. Enjoy the car for what it is and embrace every mile.

Quotes source posts: 15260865, 15263201, 15265578

Great tip! I had no idea - it turned out I didn't burned oil at all when I measured it cold - Very surprised about that! Yeah - I would agree, but unfortunately, I didn't have the time for that and since the car only had temp tags (illegal in MA) the testing was very limited, but thankfully the car runs like a champ. Runs a little too hot for my taste (sometimes the needle is closer to the end of the "0" of the "180") - if anyone has any recommendations for an Indy in the ATL area (or the criteria to determine a good Indy), please share Agreed - some a-hole almost hit me last night, but that has been my only fear since driving the car down from Boston! Thanks for the support! I basically did the same thing as you did, but flew to Baltimore and drove it to Boston! Part of me wants to preserve this car as the OG had, but the other side of me is ready to enjoy this, even for its fuel efficiency which is a tremendous benefit over my daily (a true gas guzzler).

I flew to Chicago and drove mine back to NYC. There is no better way to learn a new car than a road trip when you first get it. Quirks, tricks, negatives and positives, they all come out. Its a bonding thing. The more trips I take in mind (even to Home Depot) the deeper the bond. Start now. Drive it!

Glad to hear you drove it. I purchased mine (�99 C2) out of state aswell then immediately - meaning, I paid the dude, then drove off - went on a roadtrip across country, logging 7k miles in 3 weeks. Snow, hail, rainstorms, high desert, low desert (Death Valley), avoiding the larger highways. Never had an issue and have felt confident in my car ever since. I recently drove to Vancouver BC from LA and back, 4k miles, and again, pure confidence. These cars love driving, just don�t use the lower rpm band too much (I usually keep it above 3k once it�s warmed up). Vrooooom!

Wow! Thats great to hear! I only had heavy rain, and thunderstorms but the car handled them like a champ! You must have some great stories!! What do you recommend as far ad the RPMs? I know this has been asked before and its somewhat of a controversial topic where it pertains to cylinder scoring, but I'd love to get your thoughts!

Drive it then come to One Lap of America in May 2019....this year all-in-all between getting to the event, doing it, and returning home it was about 10,000 miles in my E39 M5 (which had 150k miles on it to start with) in 10 days. Will probably take the 996 this year.