C4 rally/snow/crappy weather car...

Hi fella's. My love affair started with Porsche when I was 3 or 4, I had a 964 "HotWheels" and it was my favorite. Then I saw a 944 Turbo when I was 4 or so (pre-school parking lot), my dad at the time had a C5 Vett (Yes I'm young), and a few Road Runners (68' 383, 69' 440 six-pack, 70' 383 and a few others that where not very nice) and my mom had a Plymouth Prowler, the every day cars where Cadillac's and Silverado's...needless to say I was born into Mopar Muscle and all around American only cars. My favorite car growing up was a toss up between a 911 and 944T...not a Ferrari 355 or Diablo like most guys my age, a simple 911 or 944T. When I'm 12 I start looking for my first car, researched Rennlist back in the early 00's, googled everything I could about Porsche's and told my dad I wanted a 944T or 968 or 928, just because those where within budget for a 16 year old (again started looking at 12)...I enedd up with a brand new Jeep G.C lease. I graduate highshool and started making some money, I secretly bought a 83' 944 with very low mileage, I'd bring it home and tell my parents I was detailing for a friend...then drive it to my brothers and park it lol. Then I traded my Audi s4 for a 86' 944T when I was 20. A few years later and 5 Porsche's down I'm still deeply in love with these cars. So that is a bit of history of me and Porsche's. Now for the actual post lol. I live in Michigan, last year we broke records for most snow fall in the season. I have a 996 and love it dearly, the paint (although some swirl marks and rock chips) is still pretty good, I'd call it a 7.5 and the body panels an 8 (two small dings, I'll eventually fix). I use it everyday, beat on her everyday, enjoy it every day...but given the paint, and it is a C2 I don't want to daily it in Michigan weather. I ended up buying something on the opposite end of the car spectrum (IMO) a 2001 Audi S8, 360hp (new before the 175k on it lol) tipronic...big comfortable seats (non-sport pack Recaros), etc. I'm driving it daily this week, to see if I need to fix anything before I park it and drive the He*L out of the 996 until snow fall. This got me thinking, although the Cayenne's I've had before and the Audi's I have are very nice, all pretty darn quick, reliable, etc...just not as fun as a 996 (or even 944 for that matter). I don't want to daily my current 996 for reasons above but, I may want to look into a 'totaled car', "super cheap car", etc...either a 964 or 996 C4 (I'd love a 993 C4 or C4S, but we all know that will be far from cheap). I would buy said "cheap 911" that needs work, lift it like a rally car (3 or 4 in over stock), keep the awd system, put rally lights, studded or all terrain tires, etc on it...then daily drive a 911 in the winter. This is just an idea, help me brain storm. I'm going to start saving 20k or so to buy a beater C4 (either blown engine, accident car, extremely high miles, etc) and hopefully have a sweet and full rally-ish/snow race machine by Winter 2016 (Jan 16'). BTW buy in price for 964 or 996 C4 would be 5-10k. I think I would prefer a 964 just to have a different generation 911. Post pics, anyone done this, share your experience, give ideas, etc!?!? thanks all.

Whenever I hear rally, lifted, winter porsche, this comes to mind... Of course you need additional lighting for Michigan's winter driving on rural roads, even to just avoid deers.

The Rothmans car is exactly what I think my vision is, splash guards in' all, I'm thinking two lights instead of the 4 light bar though.

I'm not sure there is such a thing as a cheap 964 anymore

Quotes source post: 11637674

X2. That was about 7 or so years ago...

Yes that is true. I saw a local 964 with somewhat low miles for under $17 last year, it was a tip the dealer selling also didn't help (buy here pay here type of deal)

Quotes source post: 11637227

Why would anyone in their right mind want to avoid Beers.... OH Deers...Sorry

I've been wanting to do the exact same thing, a winter/rally/world-travelling 996... 964 C4(or a 997.2 C4) is a 'better' car for the application due to engine-construction and AWD system but $$$ Please do it and post many pics Some pics(not mine) :

^yes that would be great! I can just imagine taking my "rally" 911 up to Sleeping Bear sand dunes in north Michigan to play with the Jeeps and ATV's. Looks like fun, thinking about it, if I buy a not terrible/needs a ton of body work one, I could plastidip it when I"m at the dunes, beach, or winter time. That last photo is a bit scary though. Any more info on that one?

last pic is a 996TT doing some swimming in the Christophorus April/May 2001 issue, #289.

I'd personally probably start with a 'second-life' 996TT for upgraded engine/trans reasons, and utilize a 997.1TT/997.2(all) AWD front diff/electro-clutch system with a user-selectable interface for AWD lock-up

The suspension is the tricky bit... Getting the extra clearance and travel without screwing up all the geometry.

shouldn't be too hard with adjustable 'Motorsports' links(could even have one of the aftermarket guys modify their control arm(LCA's) for steeper balljoint angle, think more issue would come from the CV shaft angles/lengths... but either way you don't need to go crazy high with it, set of full'-length skid plates and off we go!

PORSCHE 4WD HISTORY(996 Turbo at Pikes Peak) - YouTube

Team illuminata has some good reading material in his build. He's on the East side of the state. Where are you located in MI? I frequent the Kalamazoo are quite a bit, as I have family in the area. https://rennlist.com/forums/911-foru...s-project.html

Old thread, just thinking more about the rally 996 thing again. I'm on the East side of Mi as well (just north of Ann Arbor on US-23) In 5-10 years I'll be on the west side, Holland area, absolutely love it on the Lake Mi coast, the people, the cities, the landscape, etc.

It will definitely help to have a C4 on the west side of the state when winter rolls around. Outside my place in downtown GR circa 2008: -1-1.jpg

H1 is epic, I don't care what anyone says about Hummers (even the H2) I get so excited to see one...maybe one day I'll pony up and buy one. I for sure will have an SUV for the winter as well, sometimes you just need a lot of ground clearance. I don't think I will be selling my CTT, or at least buying another one. I live at my sisters during a winter, 08' I think up in Ludington...had a 08' Jeep Commander Overland, thank God for that.

I'm bumping this thread. I just bought a house on 5 acres backing up to BLM land in northern NV. It's on a dirt road. There are dirt roads/trails all over the area going for many miles. While I have two Jeeps and two lifted 4x4 trucks, I have a hankering for a rally style 996. My car is a cab so it wouldn't lend itself to this style I don't think plus it is way too nice to beat on. I could pick up a cheap 996 beater or maybe a roller and do the LS swap, gut the interior, raise the suspension a bit and build a rally car for blasting around the dirt roads. I think it would be a blast!

Look over at Feel. They have a coilover for the 996 that will give you 1" of lift. It isn't a lot, but it is a start.