Would you buy a used 996 that's been driven in snow?

It seems like more and more are treating the 996 as a do-it-all kind of car as people have come to the realization that it will never be an investment or collector car. I don't think this has been asked before but just curious as to how many of you would consider buying a used 996 that's been driven all year around in the snow. Unlike cars that have been modified to some degree and put back to stock and sold as "stock" unmolested car, it would be a bit tougher to hide all the potential corrosion that may exist from winter snow driving. Then you have potential issues like cylinder scoring that gets hyped up on the internet to also worry about... Personally, I wrench on my own cars and have had a lot of cussing sessions when it comes to frozen bolts and rusted parts and prefer to buy cars from warm climate states. This has worked out great for me as a backyard mechanic. Obviously some owners of cars like this never drive in inclement weather so region doesn't necessarily apply on some models.

never have. never will.

Nope. I break enough bolts on my CA cars - I don't ever want to have to deal with winter cars.

I've purchased cars and motorcycles from various climate environments and have never had a problem with any of them. My current 996 was originally from Denver, Colorado, spent a few years in Calgary, AB, and now in Vancouver, BC. As opposed to the posts above, ironically, it has been the most reliable and low maintenance car I have owned. Ultimately, I feel that before you make a purchase to exercise your due diligence and have the vehicle in question gone over with a fine tooth comb.

Prior to purchasing a 996, I would always check the log to make sure that the car has never been in snow and that hours its been driven in the rain are low.

I voted "yes", but I do have a few qualifiers. Here in Colorado, they don't use salt on the roads in the winter. They use pea gravel which causes chips and cracked windshields, but not the corrosion caused by salt. I may have a few reservations about buying a car from the Midwest for this reason. Even in those parts of the U.S. though, corrosion doesn't seem to be a big issue with the 996. On another note, they do occasionally use magnesium chloride on the interstate highways in Colorado. That's pretty nasty stuff too, although I don't think it's as bad as salt. It does need to be regularly rinsed and cleaned off of cars driven in it though.

My C2 was purchased new in Mass., 2nd owner was in Mass., and I'm in Maine. Can't tell you if the POs drove in the winter, but I do. Come on people, some of these Porsches are 15 years old.Have some fun this winter.

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What he said.... avoid where they are driven in areas that use extensive salt. Also, I know that Raby (or someone else on this board) was talking about how cars driven in very cold climates are more prone to cylinder scoring. I'm not overly concerned about that, but then again, as standard practice, I do let me engine run for 30-60 seconds before I start driving, and I always keep RPM's below 4,000 until it reaches 180F. Probably overkill, but I would be concerned about people driving it hard before the engine warms up, especially if it's been sitting at -10F over night

Sure, as long as the car passed my criteria for the PPI and it doesn't look like a total wreck underneath because of corrosion. And I will and do drive in the snow. It's one of the most fun cars I've ever had in the snow, those who leave it locked up for half the year have no idea what they are missing, after all the cars are on average worth less than a late-model Camry. Might as well enjoy it, life's too short. "Snow" does not mean corrosion. Areas that salt heavily potentially does mean corrosion but not necessarily depending on treatment, overall the car uses better components and quality fasteners than a budget econo-car. Well, except for the lugbolts, that is... If you're that concerned about it ask for pix of various fasteners and ask your PPI mechanic about how rusty or frozen the bolts look. I'd be just as concerned in a different way about the cars that regularly bake in 110-120 degree heat in the desert climates. Much easier to deal with the occasional recalcitrant bolt than to deal with potentially warping, splitting, and fading interiors. Edit - Actually if and when I find the money and the permission to buy a 996 Turbo, or a 997 or one day a 991 or whatever, I'll be driving that in the snow as well. I'm going to use every opportunity to drive what I paid for. The whole point of a 911 is that it is a (realistically) usable everyday car, it's been that way since day one. I have other artwork hanging in the living room that I can look at if that's what I want to do with my money...

I would inspect it and then buy it.

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I personally wouldn't avoid a winter-driven car for any other reason than working on it will suck worse than a non-winter-driven car. Since I do as much of my own maintenance and repair as possible, corroded bolts and screws on exhaust, brakes, suspension, etc. make repair jobs a little harder. In the case of header bolts, a LOT harder. I will be driving mine all winter long - of course, "winter" is just a word that means "that time when it gets dark too soon, messing up my barbecue plans" to us Southern Californians. OH, and also, we get to use the fireplace without having to run the air conditioning at the same time. That's fun.

I live in the South, but mine is a daily driver. If I lived up North, it would still be a daily driver! Mine spent some time early in its life in Illinois. I've worked on it a fair bit and I've seen nothing beyond the usual as far as frozen bolts and no rusted parts or fasteners.

Would and do. It's just a car people. Porsche was an innovator in galvanized bodies starting in 1976, and the cars overall are very resistant to corrosion. Remember, it does get cold and snow in Germany. If you have't driven a 911 in the snow on snow tires, you don't know what fun is. BTW, my routine with all of my cars is to frequently take them through a touchless wash with a good undercarriage spray in the winter, and hand wash when the temperature permits. I've never had rust issues, because it's not rocket science. Let salt, sand, and gunk fester and it will eventually cause rust. Wash the car frequently (which you should be doing anyway) and you won't have a problem.

There are drawbacks to every weather extreme, agreed? Even Hawaii has great temps all year round but humidity levels can get up there, and you've got the ocean breezes. It's all relative to me. Unless it sits in a storage climate bubble 24/7 and never gets driven, inspections are more worthy of basing an opinion off of IMO. They're 15 year old cars. I bet classic car collectors and restorers are laughing.

I would never even think of owning a 996 that's been driven in the snow.

^ I see what you did there.

I think the poll is misleading... the YES group should be counted along with the MAYBE group - the truth is you should inspect ANY car you purchase, and then decide. So, I want to vote YES - as long as it looks good upon inspection, just like any other car!

Snow????? What's that??????

What, you San Diego guys never go to Big Bear?

Actually, I've had my share of snow. But, I now prefer to see it on TV rather than in my driveway. This is a pic of me from a number of years ago, Antarctica:

Looks like a real bitch to shovel that driveway. I see why you moved to SoCal!

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Was that thing from Star wars in that hole?

I can't wait to do a little ice racing in my C4! I will be sure to put it in my rain/snow logbook. FERRARI and PORSCHE drifting on ice 2010 MAT ice racing school - YouTube

As Walter stated, these cars are built to a higher standard than the normal Camry econo box. Its all about inspection. Mine came from year round use in CT and the only seized bolts were on the exhaust clamps, other than that its hard to tell. My A4 had a fair amount on the subframes and rear suspension, the 996 has none and that convinced me. Spray it off once at least once a week, apply some motor cycle chain lube to exposed fasteners and you will likely never have a major issue. Cant wait for this year

It's a f$&@ing car! They have snow in Germany and many other places in the world Drive it like it's meant to be driven and stop being such p$&sies If you are scared to drive it maybe you shouldn't be driving it Exhaust bolts will be a pain to get off even on a dry car

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This thread wasn't about whether to drive it in the snow. It was about whether you'd buy one that has been driven in the snow. Two very different things.

My 996 was a daily driver in Chicago. I assumed it saw every winter before I purchased it. Aside from the muffler brackets, there was no corrosion on the car.

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I disagree Same thing Buying a car is same if it's driven all seasons or just on perfect days You check it over , make sure everything is ok before purchase and then enjoy it Service and fix as required I've seen many more cars not driven enough including in winter in worse shape than those cream puffs whose owners were to **** or OCD to drive them Just my opinion Why keep writing about the "end of the world" scenarios all the time in reaction to the 996 If the car is in bad shape don't buy it If it's good why care if it was in snow or rain or dust or sun or .....

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Those who were unaware that the 996 is a car and/or unsure of precisely what form precipitation takes in Germany are in your debt. I remain unconvinced that whether a used car has been driven in the snow is an "end of the world" scenario...I guess if the snow in question was due to nuclear winter, that would qualify. However, those of us who aren't dead will likely have sprouted extra appendages, so the 996 probably won't be a good fit for most survivors.

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Not sure why you think it's a belligerent post or why call me a d bag As you said it's an opinion post Just stating my opinion I did not miss the point, the question is whether you would buy a car driven in winter My opinion is that that does not matter, the condition of a car should be used to judge a potential purchase not the climate it was driven in Again, my opinion In my opinion there's s bit too much negativity about the 996 To each their own I guess

I think the question applies to any car - it's not a negative about the 996, it's merely a question of whether people believe that cars who have spent winters on the road are less desirable than those which have not been salted. As for the d-bag part - I deleted that from my post...it was a little harsh for a Friday. My apologies for getting carried away.

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Haha looook at all that snow in the front grills. Awesome.

^ Heh. It would suck to overheat your engine due to radiators blocked with snow.

I guess the responses will vary depending on who wrenches on their own cars, who's had experience working on so called "pristine looking" cars that's been driven every winter for the past 12 or so years from regions like Canada, Midwest, Northeast, and who has 4wd models or is looking for one. Everyone will have a different agenda that best suits them. Once again, I don't think there is nothing wrong with finding the best example and if part of the best example parameter is not having been driven in the snow, so be it. The best scenario is to have bought a car from someone that has "saved" and kept it in like-new state(KK cough cough) so that the newt owner can flog it to death and abuse it the way it was meant to be abused. I want to do the abusing and de-virginizing, not the PO.

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Somewhere I have pics of my Boxster after having driven it through a heavy snow storm starting from Ft. Smith AR and finally being able to pull off the road in Butler MO. The radiator air intakes were loaded with not snow but ice from the slush kicked up by vehicles ahead of my car, this slush which then froze. However, there was considerable space for air to get through and the car never exhibited any signs of overheating. Besides I could only drive around 15 to 20mph and had the heater on full blast to keep the front glass clear. The front glass was the bigger concern to me. What was going on was the snow flakes -- some areas I drove through received over a foot of snow from the storm so there was a lot of snow flakes -- and slush that got on the front glass was pushed down by the wipers and started to build up and block air flow into the cabin air intake. Towards the end of my trip I was having trouble getting enough air flow to keep the glass free. Finally I managed to drive out of the worst of it and pull off the road to fuel up, take a bio break, and rinse the car in a DIY car wash. I must have melted hundreds of pounds of snow/ice from the car. The radiator intakes, the entire front hood and base of the windshield, the wheel wells all had inches of ice build up. Oh, I did this all on summer tires. (Long story but it involved keeping a promise to my Mom to be home in time for Christmas.)

It is all a matter of condition. And budgeting for some possible added expense when doing some services. For instance any service that has the exhaust system removed. But even in areas where there is no snow, often the techs find one or more fasteners seized and which break off and have to be drilled out. If the car is in good condition that it was driven in snow is of no real concern. Well, that is not entirely accurate. Heads up: Many owners lift their cars incorrectly, at the wrong places and even if they use the sanctioned lift points they do not protect where they lift the car from damage from the jack. Even some shops fail to protect the car when lifting it. Indy tire stores are notorious for not protecting the car when lifting it. What happens is the lifting damages the painted finish under the body wherever the lifting took place and gives a place for water/salt to get in and start corrosion. Therefore, you must carefully check the underbody for any signs of this damage and for any signs of corrosion having gained a foothold because of this damage. But really you want to check for this damage and any signs of corrosion regardless if the car is from the North Pole or the Sahara Desert.

^ One of the nice things about Corvette shopping: it's really easy to see if the car was lifted improperly. If you come across a hole about the size of the lift plate of a floor jack punched through the fiberglass into the footwell, most likely patched with duct tape and/or JB Weld, bingo. The 996's seem to resist rust pretty well. After poking around 914's with a buddy looking for a solid car, the 996 seems freaking amazing.

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The Porsche bodies are galvanized and also dipped in hot zinc bath so really no issue there. It's the other stuff that seems to rust(ie header bolts, exhaust bolts, suspension bolts, etc. ) but still not as bad as FR cars since the engine is in the back and most of the underside has the plastic cover.

As some others have stated, snow is not the problem, salt is. I was a mechanic in Alaska, where salt is not used, and when we saw rusted fasteners under a car, we knew it was from out of state. Here in Ohio, suspension & brake work is 1000 times more difficult. I did work on a local 996 that is driven year round here, and it was remarkably clean underneath. I would have no problem buying that car. I think it's a combination of quality fasteners and suspension components, and regular washings that kept it so nice. So what it boils down to for me is, "inspect before you buy".

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I was thinking "good story" until I got to that part. Now I think you're effing crazy. Some of my biggest butt pucker moments involve summer tires and snow. Or in the case of my old Boxster, R-compounds and black ice.

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Oh, the trip had its butt pucker moments. Or I should say moment. It was butt pucker all the way. I got behind a slow moving big rig -- it was empty -- and followed it all the way to I-40 and over to where 71 turned once again north. I wanted to stay on I-40 but CB radio traffic was full of reports of crashes up ahead and I knew if if I stopped I'd never get moving again. I did have one super duper butt pucker moment once I turned onto 71 and headed north from I-40. 71 is a nice road with nicely banked turns. These are great in the summer on dry pavement at 70 (ahem) miles per hour but at 15mph on snow on top of ice with summer tires, on one particularly steeply banked turn the car slid down out of the single file of traffic and I had a few tense moments rocking the car and getting it moving again and then rejoining the line of cars slowly making their way north. And really, all because when I called my Mom from the hotel in Ft. Smith to tell her I might not be able to make it back in time because of the storm moving across my path north she insisted I be home in time for Christmas the next day. I made it but it was one butt pucker of a trip. Cured me of my desire to take my Boxster out in the snow on summer tires after that. But it didn't cure my desire to take my Turbo in the snow on its summer tires. That took running into a nasty but thankfully small snow storm on I-40 between Albuquerque NM and Santa Rosa NM. Again I fell in behind an empty big rig -- the full ones were hauling the mail in the "hammer lane". The big rig's tires helped make a path for my Turbos' tires so the summer tires didn't have to deal with loads of snow. A few miles west of Santa Rosa we ran out of the snow. As soon as I came upon the 1st Santa Rosa exit I took it and got a hotel room for the night. I was bushed.