996 as a northern daily driver

Looking to buy a 996 as my first adult purchase. I live in Boston and would want to daily drive this all year round through the winters. I�m willing to pay for the maintenance and work on it myself where I feel comfortable but my main concern is (surprise) bore scoring. I know this is the most discussed topic on this forum but most of my driving would be my weekday commutes to work and from what I�ve been reading cold temps(Boston winters) and short drives(my 30min/10mile commute both ways to work) are a recipe for bore scoring. so my questions are: 1. Does anyone with experience daily driving a 996 up north recommend it and did you develop bore scoring quick? 2. I plan on buying a southern owned car and driving it up here does anyone have tips on how I could coordinate that from halfway across the country? If anyone is selling also please feel free to reach out. Thanks!

I don't think a 30min 10mile drive to be considered short distance. It will be just fine since you will daily drive it. Keep the revs below 3000rpm for the first 15min and you will be fine

I�ve been daily driving my C4S in Montreal since 2021 without any issues. I change the oil twice a year and send it for UOA for extra peace of mind.

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Shouldn't be a problem at all, but you need to be aware of a few things related to a 25 year old car. The first thing you want to do is to find a 996 without bore scoring to buy. But you gotta scope its bores to see their condition. Dont forget to take an oil sample and test it to see what it says. For sure, drop the sump and see whats in it as well as cut open the oil filter. The second is to refresh the fuel injectors, oxy sensors, MAF to make sure your Air/Fuel system is functioning properly. No reason to flood your cylinders with fuel and dilute your oil lubrication. Might as well refresh your plugs and coils as well. The third is to run the best high moly/high viscosity oil you can get your hands on and change it at least 2x a year. Remember, the M96 cylinders do not like oil that doesn't lubricate. The fourth is to make sure you follow the proper start-up procedures and keep the rpms under 3k until the oil heats up to the point that you can burn off the moisture and fuel. Jake and Charles tell us not to idle the car in the driveway until it heats but, but instead, start driving under 3k rpm to get it out of start-up mode quickly, which is when the Air/Fuel mixture floods the system with fuel. The fifth is get @Coopduc digital oil temp gauge so you can accurately measure the oil temps. The sixth is to make sure your cooling system parts are in good shape and functioning properly, including a new waterpump every 5 years. Plenty of other things you want to do such as upgrade your IMSB to the LN Solution or Retro, and upgrade your AOS to the UAOS w/ Track drain to further bullet proof the engine. But they are not bore scoring related items. I daily drove my 996.2 in the Chicago area from 2002-2006. Along the way i continued to drive it in the winter months, some years more than others. Plenty of local driving, long distance trips and lots of track days as well. Still dont have any bore scoring. But I have had over 110 oil changes in the car since 2002. So the oil was always fresh with its lubrication qualities intact, which is key. Your bigger issue will be what tires and suspension to run in the car to DD it. Good luck!

I've had mine for about 6 weeks now in Boston, the temperature gauge gets to 180 within 5-10 minutes so on a 30 minute drive you can baby it and then open it up towards the end to try to burn off some of the condensation. On the coldest days the shifts into gears 1-3 are really rough until the car warms up. I'm going to try changing the gear oil to Mobilube PTX to see if that helps but haven't gotten around to it yet so can't speak to it's effectiveness. If the car has worn suspension parts you will really feel it on our terrible roads. RE: #2 I bought mine from a private seller so I flew down there and drove it home ~600 miles. I sold my previous car a few days before flying out. On the day of the purchase I called my insurance company, they added the car to my policy and emailed me a Registration and Title Application (RTA) signed by them for the new car. I asked them to fill in the form as a plate transfer and that allowed me to use the plates from my old car as Massachusetts has a 7 day grace period on that. I don't drive daily and we have another car in the family that I can use to avoid the worst of the weather most of the time. Given the state of our roads, the behavior of our drivers and my (bad) experience so far with the local independent shops I would not recommend this car as a true "daily driver" in Boston but I don't want to dissuade you from your plan. I'm sure you could make it work if you want it badly enough. Good luck!

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I think you will want a dedicated set of winter wheels that are square, i.e. 225 on all corners. I'm running stock NB wheels as my winter set on C4 just because the wheels were cheap and I live in NoVA.

996 C2 cab has been my daily in Boston for ~15 years. Definitely do-able with no major concessions except that you just need to keep up with regular maintenance, and the car does not drive in accumulating snowfall. I do think it would be a challenge IF it was your only car and you had some non-negotiable driving in the middle of winter (that could not be Uber-replaced). If I were to do it again, I'd get a C4 and put winter tires on, but...that's not what I did.

Yeah, my 996.2 C2 was great in the snow with snow tires up until 3-4 inches and then it starts to plow. Snow would just build up on the front end. It helped when I added a Guard LSD because I had both wheels working. But unless you raise the car and turn it into a safari, you will be limited in high snow levels. My local Porsche dealer told me to run 225x40x18 front and 265x40x18 rear snow tires on the car. I ran a set of Dunlaps and then Bridgestones. Dont know what snow tires are available today and sizes. But they were both awesome. It was fun driving in the snow. But would rather be in my Q7 for daily communiting in the winter. Bigger car, more safety and no snowfall restrictions. But I would rather drive my 996 from April thru November months.

I haven't been able to find an 18" snow (or all season) tire in years. Maybe 2012 was the last. There are a couple all season options in 17" if you get a second set of wheels, which I tell myself every year that I should and never do.

All seasons are available for the 8x18 & 10x18 Carrera 2s w/ Michelin AS4s as well as Conti DWS6. Sizes are available in 225x40x18 & 275/35/18 or if you want a cushier ride you can go 235x40x18 & 285x35x18. Dont know about the new Pirellis.

I snagged a set of the new Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 in 225/40/18 & 265/35/18 and they have been pretty great so far. Pretty good competition for the Michelin AS4s and they had a nice little rebate that helped seal the deal. Good performance with good ride quality.

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I can weigh in on question #2. I live in central NJ and recently purchased a 2003 C4S from a suburb of Detroit. It's a bit nerve-racking to do everything remotely. As others have suggested, a PPI with a reputable shop that includes bore scope, should you choose, is key. In the end, it really depends on the car and the seller. If the owner has maintenance records and is forthcoming, it makes things more comfortable for you as the buyer. A few issues that I had to deal with when I made the purchase. First, if you plan to purchase and drive it home you'll need to consider registration of the vehicle. As I say, I am in NJ and the State of NJ allows for operating a newly purchased vehicle without registration for up to 3 days post purchase...as does the State of MI. Unfortunately, Ohio and PA do not and I kind of needed to traverse those states to get back to NJ. In the end, I was able to obtain temporary registration in MI (paper tag similar to when you buy from a dealer) for about $20. If this is the route you take, be sure to investigate whether you'll need an appointment to obtain the temporary registration. Ask me how I know. I put down 10% to hold the car. My wife and I then flew out to Detroit, Uber'd up to the sellers bank building where I saw the vehicle in person for the first time. Drove it a bit and decided to go through with the purchase. I then made an appointment with their Secretary of State office to obtain a temporary registration. I had brought a cashier's check for the purchase and the seller and I deposited the check in his back and also utilized their on site Notary for signing over the title. After obtaining the temporary registration, my wife and I set off for NJ. The weather was beautiful and the drive was uneventful...no breakdowns, no pull-overs, not even a rock chip! The nine hour and change trip was an adventure and in the end, I'm glad I went through with it.

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nice this gives me confidence lol

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glad you guys had good experiences. For the ppi did you just research local shops and have them come take the car for an inspection?

also, where did you guys find your cars?

Yes, do some research and find a reputable shop or even a Porsche dealership. You�ll then need to ask the current owner to drop the car at said shop. You would work out ahead of time with the shop the type of PPI (e.g., bore scope, etc.) and arrange for remote payment for the service. It may seem like a significant �ask� but I have had two sellers agree with pleasure and were just great to work with in the end. If a seller is not interested in facilitating the inspection it�s a good reason to look for a different car. I find that the classified ads in the Porsche Club of America is a great place to buy a Porsche. I have had great experiences buying as well as selling 911s through the PCA.

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Is this going to be your only means of transportation? Are you street parking, private off street or garage?