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YOUR RESEARCH996 as a daily driver
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Run seasons, and were rock hard and lasted
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Tundra ran all seasons, and were rock hard and lasted for 80K kms.
Leading evidence: 'Run seasons, and were rock hard and lasted' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'lot more' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Recommend swapping the ims' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Your 996 will have a lot more in the way of comfort features, but your tires are likely a lot more.
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Do you guys recommend swapping the IMS on the 996 for peace of mind?
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Suggestion · Original poster
We have a third (brand new) car a BMW sedan which I can use just about any day - after about 11:30 AM (when my wife returns from her daily shopping trip).
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So we've owned our '03 996 C4 cab (6 speed) for about 10 months. In that time, I've only put about 4000 miles on it. It now has only 35k miles on it.
My daily driver has been an SUV on which I've put almost 8k miles in the same time. It has been troubling me that I don't drive the 996 more than I do. Here in rainy Seattle (8 months of the year), I just don't take the 996 out when it's raining. Although I've been caught out in the rain from time to time and there is not a drop of water getting into the car.
So I've been thinking about selling the SUV and driving the 996 as the daily driver. We have a third (brand new) car a BMW sedan which I can use just about any day - after about 11:30 AM (when my wife returns from her daily shopping trip).
I regularly transport two granddaughters - usually about once/twice/week. They fit fine in the 996.
What do you think? My only concern is whether the 996 will require quite a bit more attention than our other cars if used as daily transportation.
So far the car has not stranded me - although it has required more expensive routine service than either of the other cars.
I keep thinking - "why have the car if it's not used daily?"
I did 12000 miles on my 01 C2 this past season (7 months or so) and it makes a great daily driver. However, in stop and go traffic and city driving it is also very hard on the clutch and I'm looking at a lifespan of around 2 seasons per clutch (my own experence plus a google search). Granted I am a little hard on it at times, and take advantage of winding it up and dumping it in gear, so maybe a more sane person driving it would get a little longer lifespan, but either way it's a wear item.
I drove my '99 coupe as a daily and did it year round. It was great in all kinds of weather except when we had a big snow storm (10 inches). Maintenance really was not any worse than on many other vehicles I've had.
That being said, with my current car, I don't drive it in bad weather. I have twice as much money tied up in it and it is (relatively) low mileage at 50,000. I didn't care about mileage on my '99 as it had 148,000 miles on the odometer when I sold it (although only about half that on the engine).
Someday I might daily drive the turbo, but right now I just have one set of tires (summer), so to drive it year round I'd need to buy a set of winter wheels & tires. My '99 did just fine year round on all-season tires, but I just don't feel comfortable putting all-season tires on the turbo (and I'm not sure if they even make all-seasons for the rears on it).
Bottom line - I think you'd be fine driving it daily.
My '04 C2 cab has done 45,000 km (now at 91k km) since I bought it at the end of March this year. Just had the 6th service done. Waaaaaay more fun than any econobox. Have been as far north as Fort St John, BC and as far south as LA to date. Rain? No prob, especially with a hardtop. Snow? This car is a blast in the white stuff. Sun? Drop the top and crank the tunes regardless of temp outside.
These were made to be dailies.
I've been DDing hers for a few weeks now cause I'm too lazy to move our son's seat out of the P!g and back into the BMW. Probably put more miles on it in the last couple of months than the last year. I do miss my P!g though, I love that beastie
Earlier in it's life (first 5 years or so) she used it as a DD which included almost daily 80 mile round trips. I think that is a big reason that we have had so few issues with it throughout it's life.
It has always lived outside and been driven year round and the rain and snow have yet to cause it to melt
These cars like to be driven. I suspect you'll see an uptick in repairs due to stuff being used to not being used, but once you get past that hump it should get down to fluids and rubber for the most part.
Replace the coil packs and you will be fine. Some people will experience the misfire when older coil packs get wet. With new coils you will be golden. 996 is normal car, it can take snow and cold just fine. Drive it hard, drive it often, and it will be fine.
My former 996 was a DD and I never gave it a thought to do otherwise. These cars were not produced to be sitting in garages. If they could grin, they'll be sulking in the garage and grinning on the road. Go for it. Make it your DD and enjoy it for what it is ... a magnificent sports car.
My 1999 C2 became my daily driver this past spring and it's been great. Just turned 76,000 miles on it and other than switching to snow tires for the MN winter have done nothing to it.
I just bought a 1981 SC that I plan to DD. My mechanic said it'll easily blow past 300,000 miles.
The car has 125,000 on the 3.0 flat six and the leak down showed 4 cylinders at 2% and 2 cylinders at 3%. Essentially as good as new!!
Your 996 will have a lot more in the way of comfort features, but your tires are likely a lot more. I had a 997 and it went through tires faster than I go through socks! And the tires were not as cheap as socks!
I've used my C4S as a DD since I got it in April and I probably spent less or as much on regular maintenance when I had my E55. Granted I've only done an oil change since I've only logged 5k in 8 months - plugs and coils are next though.
Chicago has been lucky that we have not seen much snow this year and I'm planning on driving it as long as weather permits.
It depends on your budget, and this is why:
1. If your commute is stop and go, your clutch will wear much faster (this is a 2k-3k labor)
2. Your tires will wear faster and they are not cheap.
3. More maintenance
4. Not the best fuel economy, around 18 mpg but gas is cheap right now.
If you work on your cars, then cost will go down by a lot. I do work on my 99 and I drive my it daily, putting around 12k / year...
I drive mine EVERYDAY!!!!!! I bought my car 19 months ago and I have put 35,000 miles
IMO there is no reason to have such a beautiful, powerful car and keep it in the Garage. And not enjoy it?. If I die tomorrow I can honestly say.... I ENJOYED DRIVING MY DREAM CAR!!!!!!!
To some degree yes, but in general I disagree with your premise.
When something does need to be done, yes it is more expensive simply because of the gold shield on the frunk, but it doesn't have to see any more maintenance than any other car and actually needs far less than the majority of cars in it's class.
Unless you are piling on 40k of stop and go traffic a year this is still going to be a 3-4 year maintenance at worst if you go on the low end of reported clutch life at 40k.
True if you rarely drive the car and don't keep it for a long time you wouldn't have to do the clutch at all, but $3k for 40k miles of fun? $0.075/mile doesn't sound too terrible to me and the $0.04ish/mile difference of milking 80k out if it doesn't seem like an incentive to baby the clutch to me
No they won't. They wear at the same rate. What you will do, however, is actually need to change them due to wear vs age. Personally I can stomach $1-2k every 10-20k much better than $1-2k every 5k and then have to change them after 3 years due to the rubber hardening and/or starting to rot.
As I opined in an earlier comment, there will be an uptick in maintenance during the initial period of going from a play thing to a DD, but after it settles down very little is needed.
These cars like to be driven and the best maintenance plan for them is to actually drive them.
It also, I think, greatly depends on what is a great unknown for most owners. What happened in it's early life? That more than anything will decide what the future holds for it and no amount of maintenance records tells the full story (e.g. it's great you see that they took it in for every little thing and you have a stack of paper work a mile high, but what it doesn't tell you is they regularly red lined it on a cold motor).
Not the best fuel economy? What are you comparing it to? It's a high performance sports car from the end of the 90s putting out 300hp and capable of amazing things around corners. 18mpg is pretty damn good for what it does and compared to it's contemporaries in my book. It also depends on how you drive it. I get 14mpg out of ours, but my wife can do 21mpg. There are also plenty of reports of people getting low to mid 20s. Not bad at all.
It's no Prius, but somehow I think you're getting a fair trade for the MPG difference. Additionally the cost in acquiring a better MPG car when you already have a 996 in your possession vastly outweighs any gas savings due to better fuel efficiency.
This I agree with
My clutch is starting to show signs of going out and that's after 1 season and having fun with it's power when I can...
Reading online, and my experence, is that heavy stop and go on the roads and city driving can drop that 40k down to around 25k.
Tires and gas don't seem to be doing anything un-usual, other than I get around 16-17mpg on average.
Not a complaint as that's the price of admission to own one and drive it to work, but it is an added expense. Although, on the flip side, the 98 Jeep Cherokee cost us around $1500 this year and it's at about $1000 per year or so, give or take, on average.
Exactly! That's like having a hot wife, gf, husband, boyfriend, etc and never
The winter months are the best people. Unless you get enough rain for a jetski, what else would you rather be riding in?
I work as a project manager on civil construction projects, so I drove a pick-up for decades. Finally got sick of lusting after Porsche cars when the drove past me on the freeway and traded in the 2012 Toyota Tundra with 5.7 V8 for a 2002 C4S I found with 50,000 Km on it. Here is what I have found:
1. Fuel economy - Porsche way better than the Tundra. I save $200 per month on fuel!!!
2. My commute never bothers me. Traffic, no traffic, the wife has commented that I alwayse walk in the door with a smile on my face after driving home in my C4S. I used to be miserable after a long commute.
3. Resale value - When a made the trade, both were around the same $$. Now, despite having put 50K on her in 2 years, the C4S is worth more than my Tundra would have been.
4. Maintenance - Porsche definately costs more. I do my own oil every 6K, but I have dropped about 4K in maintenance over 2 years. Primarily changing the clutch, RMS and IMS. Have also had to change both radiators, another weak point in the C4S no one tells you about.
5. Tires - Porsche definately costs more. Tundra ran all seasons, and were rock hard and lasted for 80K kms. Now, I have to swap between summer and winters, so just dropped $1,500 on winters, and had had to put on new Michelin Pilots in the sumer, that cost another $1,500 K. Plan about 30K per set of summer tires. Also, no rotation because sizes are staggered, so no way to extend the life. Just have to live with it. This has been a source of greif from my wife.
6. Speeding Tickets - Ironically, I got more in the Tundra than the Porshe so far. Maybe because I hated driving the slug pick-up all the time I drove like a dick...
7. Other People - Big surprise how other people react. Haters are gonna hate I guess, and you have your fair share when you show up in a Porsche. I actually turned down a job offer because they didn't want me to drive my Porsche to a job site. If people hate me because I drive a Porsche, that's their issue. My current boss supports me 100%, says "that's how we roll". In this day and age, shouldn't matter, but it still does to many.
8. Wear & tear - These cars are worth a lot of money for a reason. Materials and workmanship are way above the average car. You still get some rock chips, cracked my windsheild on the FIRST day I drove to work. But, compared to other cars I have driven, the wear and tear does not show as much. The front of my Tundra had way more rock chips after 2 years than the C4, and I drive them both the same.
9. Family Trips - thats a no go. I have two teenagers, and we need a SUV for all our trips. This has required a larger overall investment in auto's, since I need to pay for a nice SUV for the family (Volvo XC90). Also, need the SUV for things I would have used the PU for, but now my wife has to drive the big vehicle, not me.
I used to trade my pick-ups in every chance I could get, so over years have lost a lot on depreciation. I plan to drive my C4S as long as I can. And when this one dies, I hope my circumstances alow me to get another. Overall, I am very happy with my decision to use the Porsche as a daily driver.
Drove a 928 as a DD. Even in snow (don't).
Then a 964; 993 C2; 996 C4S, and current 2nd 996 C4S.
More expensive than driving an SUV as the DD? Yes.
Less storage/transport space? Yes.
Tiresome working the clutch in stop 'n go traffic? Uh huh.
Anyone ever lie on their deathbed and say, "I should've driven a more sensible car to work"? Doubtful.
Do it. Either you'll enjoy the experience, or after a year or two get it out of your system and have no regrets going back to the truck (personally, I flip between the 996 and my Land Rover). Enjoy.
I'm at ~137K mi now and
here's everything
that I've ever done to my 4S. Other than going through 2 sets of strut mounts and tires faster due to all the autocrossing I do, it should be pretty representative of what to expect.
Been daily driving for a few months and 8k miles. So far I need a rear main seal, a clutch, a new door pouch cover, one of the cupholders, a new sunroof button, possibly an AOS, probably a coil or two, a new windshield wiper bottle, and the list goes on.
That said, I love driving it everyday.
Sounds like you're just getting her sorted out! Other than tires, I'm betting your maintenance will be a lot more manageable going forward. I had a 997 that I drove in every non snowy day and the tires are my lunch. I now have a 993TT and the tires are relatively very inexpensive. But the values have gone up so much, I'm not as comfortable driving it like I used to. It has 80,000 miles, so it's no neglected garage queen.
I just bought a 81 911SC for my daily, so I'll be going down the learning curve of a daily with significantly less power and creature features, but more of a raw roadster feel and more useable power band.
Do you guys recommend swapping the IMS on the 996 for peace of mind?
Why wouldn't it be his dream car? It's absolutely my dream too! I love the lines on my '04 cab, loved the price, love the power, love the handling, love the sound and can drive it worry free every day! If that's not livin' the dream I don't know what is.
Perhaps you're a car snob who thinks that a dream car has to be built of unobtanium, require obscene amounts of upkeep and be virtually immoral to drive more than a few k a year. That sounds like a bad dream to me.
Also, please don't confuse an "investment car" with a dream car.
When you find a good one, the Porsche 996 is the epitome of a dream car in my books.
My friends thought I was crazy when I traded in the family Infiniti monster SUV for an '03 C2 Cab, gave my wife my Daytona Edition S3, and took the Porsche as my DD. This is in the Mid-Atlantic region.
A set of rims/snow tires (not very useful with this weather
), brake bleeding, 4-wheel alignment, new headlight bulbs, and a really good, trust-worthy Indy, and I feel very comfortable. As a side-note, I decided to make an investment and PM the IMS with the LN Solution. Whatever, I fell victim to the IMS fever.
This is my first Porsche, it's not an investment, and I love the "S" out of it. DD all the way.
I was using my 1977 930 as a Daily driver up until about 12 months ago then bought a fantastic 1998 996 C@ with 3.4 engine with Yellow duco, carbon fibre interior and GT3 bodykit and couldn't be happier, between the two cars they are neck and neck performance wise but I give the edge to the 996 for the excellent Aircon that actually works extremely well during the summer here and will also give it a couple of extra points over the 930 for petrol economy,
Reliability is so far so good Porsche wise but I don't foresee any problems as with the (40yr old) the teenager (17yr old) never misses a beat..
17 years and still smells new
Longnose, this is a very interesting reply and I totally agree. I currently DD my 04 C4S Cab and also own an 08 Toyota Tundra DC Long Bed. Two completely different vehicles owned for entirely differently reasons but I'm enjoying the best of both worlds. As a real estate investor the Tundra is great for hauling roofing shingles, stoves, frigs etc. For real estate meetings and classes I teach, I love to park the Porsche right outside the classroom door, lol. I agree with you and maintenance cost, driving perceptions etc.
Ill say one thing from experience its a helluva a lot more fun driving a 300hp car
day to day
than a Gt or Turbo why? because you get more FUN out of them because you can use more power, rather than lugging around a high hp car with your valves slowly choking
Ill add side by side I LOVE the Original Headlight Shape only the Early 996's the mk1? have, you know the model when theyre coming.. every other model unless Aircooled all look the same in the rear view mirror
Mistergee, thanks for your positive comments about the headlights. Many people do not know the headlights are homologation to the 1997 and 1998 Gt1 race cars. I love the headlights, I 'll take my fried eggs with a dose of pride.
As a side note, it's rare that I ever see a C4S Cab on my daily 50 mile commute. It's funny when I recently started a new job, everybody in the building was talking about " Who's the owner of that awesome Porsche in the employee parking lot" I said nothing for weeks and then they all saw me driving it. They were amazed it's an 04. Love it!
Porsche 996 has been a daily driver for the past 3 years. Always a treat punching it and blowing past cars. Driving Porsches since my 356 in college and the 996 is the best overall Porsche I have owned. Still have my 964 cab which was daily driver for 10 years. Tried Amg clk55 but sold it because I missed the Porsche feeling-especially the steering.
I lost my job about a year ago, along with my company SUV, my DD. I had been putting ~4K / yr on my 996, driving mostly on weekends and occasionally to the office, down freeways.
It took me about 5 months to find gainful employment, but the new job came without a company vehicle.
I've been driving my '01 996 C4 Cab as a DD ever since and loving it. On nice mornings, I pop the top and get a blast of fresh air on my way into the office. The new office is closer and along nice, treelined roads. It's a real pleasure.
Car just turned 60K so it's just getting broken in. 15-20 min Drives to and from the office are much more enjoyable. I loaded my iPhone with classic rock mostly from the 60's, so I can listen to a Quicksilver Messenger cut in the time it takes me to get to work.
Sure a lot more enjoyment in my life since the 996 became my DD.
Second that, although the new 911's with paddle shifters seem to do better (I'm told) or with different driving modes.
I wouldn't turn one down, don't get me wrong, but it would be a totally different commute, and way more expensive with gas.
My 996 C4 Cabriolet is my daily driver, even in winter - I work at Lake Tahoe and someone inconveniently put a 7200' pass in the way...
Most of the (admittedly rather large) expenses that came with DD'ing it aren't from the DD'ing, but a lot of catch-up maintenance.
Wow. Dickish. I wouldn't say I dreamed of a 996 per se... when I was a kid, I had a 911 poster (a black Ruf GT3, I think). My black aero 996 is consistently voted by me to be the most awesome car in every parking lot...I have not come across a car I want more than my 996.
Disclaimer: Cars out here tend to have the proper number of lug nuts, kids almost always have the proper number of chromosomes, and we have far fewer multi-role relatives (i.e. my father is not my cousin); this may be foreign to some Duck Dynasty land brow-lickers.
If you get a moment between rude posts, here's a tutorial you may find useful:
Title Case and Sentence Case Capitalization
Opining on dream cars...
