991 as daily driver

I'm in the process of trading in my '08 CS and my '13 Audi S5 for a new 2013 991S. As sacrilege as it might be to suggest, the 991 will likely be my daily driver. At least for a little while. Just curious about the experiences others have had with their. 991 (or any 911) as a daily driver, especially in the northeast.

Can't comment on the NE but the 911 is a great DD; lots of room to carry stuff (computer bag and/or golf clubs in the back seat, car cover & cleaning supplies in the frunk) and can carry 4 people (albeit 2 must be smallish) in a pinch.

I use my GTS as a DD. It performs superbly in all weather conditions - including snowy, icy sub-zero extremes - and is not in the least fussy or tempermental. Not driving a new or almost new 911 (or any Porsche save a GT2) year round makes little sense to me. There are BMW M cars and AMG Mercedes all over in these parts that cost as much or more than my GTS and no one thinks twice about using them as daily drivers even in the worst winter conditions. Ditto with the non-base Cayennes and most Panameras. The more you use your 911, the lower the cost per mile. Buying my 2-year-old GTS for $50,000 less than the original MSRP means I can drive it and not really give a hoot about depreciation. It would depreciate nearly as quickly gathering dust in the garage as driving it 10,000 or 12,000 miles a year, and while it's still under warranty increased maintenance costs are pretty much inconsequential. The only downside with the 911 compared to a Cayman is fuel economy: my wife gets in the low 20s MPG around town in the Cayman S while I can't seem to do much better than around 13 MPG in the city in the 911.

Use it nearly every day, and it's amazing. :banana:

I also cannot speak to the NE, but if I am not driving the 991 then my wife is. My wife went to visit her family last week getting back to town on Tuesday (two days ago). Today at dinner she smiled and said...."you're hogging the 911!" :hilarious: I suspect you will need a set of winter tires for the NE but that does not change the fact that the car is a superb daily driver and will make any commute (or errand) more enjoyable.

I love this post. This is what these cars are made for - it is why the brand gained its popularity. You can track the car and still use it as your daily driver. Alas, I do not practice what i preach. As I write this my 911S is being stored in a heated facility, and I am banished to GTI land. But I did use my 987 Cayman as a DD, and I loved it. The more I think about that car the more I want another.

I live in northern Virginia and use my 991 as a daily driver and, previously, used the 997 as a daily driver. I do put winter tires on and find as long as you have the clearance the car is great in winter weather. I agree with the other posters who say it is silly to park the car in the winter. The car is designed in Germany and isn't a museum piece, it is a vehicle meant to be driven. I am not sure about the gas mileage quoted above, I am getting 20 mpg city and 27 on the highway.

Front end clearance is an issue in a 911 with the Aereokit. On roads with more than a few inches of snow, my GTS does a decent snowplow imitation. I have a few paint chips on the leading edge of the front spoiler, but even in a worst case scenario where it gets cracked, replacement isn't an overly expensive proposition. As for my lousy fuel economy, it's almost certainly due to driving style. I picked up a habit from owning a couple of s2000s that has carried over to the 911: with a redline of 8000 RPM on my AP2 S2k and 9000 on my AP1, if you're cruising under 4000 RPM you're out of the meat of the torque band and a second away at full throttle from VTEC cutover. My preferred cruising RPM was around 4k so ratcheting up the fun simply required getting into the throttle rather than dropping down a gear. In the 911, I often find myself in 2nd gear at 4000+ while motoring around town rather than in 3rd gear and subsequently lower RPM and higher fuel economy.

Thanks for all the feedback. I have a set of 18" wheels with winter tires for the S5, but they probably wouldn't fit the 991. I'm getting a bit of ribbing from my fellow Cayman owners on why I would make this trade. I know it's all in good fun, and sibling rivalry is always a bit fun, but have to say that I'm a bit surprised that there is this 'negativity' towards the 911, especially on a Porsche website. I am on business in Germany as I write this. I am currently in Ulm, but am hoping to get to Stuttgart tomorrow to see the Porsche museum. Will post pictures if I can arrange that.

While I do not have a 991 I have been using a 2013 981 BS as a daily driver and it has been great. I am going this weekend to test drive a 991. Considering a trade up to the 991 for a bit more room. I have no plans to track my car and the 991 I am hoping will provide just a bit more space. I have owned BMW, MB. Lexus and Infiniti and I think the current Porsche cars are the best of the bunch and just love the drives home at the end of a busy day.

Yes, the Cayman/Boxster owners are a bit myopic when it comes to the 911. It has been my experience that most of them have never driven a 911, other than maybe a test drive. I'm not denigrating the series and considered buying a 981 before finding my current 991. The bottom line is that they are both great cars bit they are different cars.

I sold my '12 S4 and '12 Cayman Black and now drive a '13 C4S no regrets and I do not miss either ...

Someone is going to be very happy with that beautiful Cayman of yours.

i've had my blk and tan 991 cabriolet for almost a year and a half. i drive it everyday although not over any great distance. i live on the coast of southern california. my top is never up - unless my wife is in the car. i have close to 8k miles now. i couldn't be happier. it looks as good as the day i bought it (some of you may remember i was hit after owning the car for 6 days and it took 2 months to fix since the car was so new at that point). i still haven't even put plates on the car! the car is absolutely fabulous.