996 as a daily driver?

After a boat load of BMW's and a few Porsche's, I decided a 996 brought up to date would be a great, fun, daily driver. Purchased a 04 996 coupe, 67.000 miles in decent shape and regular maintenance, but no recent upgrades.This was done purposely as I wanted to do the upgrades myself, or at my indy. So far, new imsb (oil fed), rms, clutch ,flywheel, clutch slave, engine and transmission mounts, control arms, new tires and 4 wheel alignment , Fister exhaust and all new fluids, New double din radio, daylight running lights. The car runs great looks good and seems like a decent choice for the moment .Will be about 7-8,000 miles/year What has been the feedback from the long term owners. Crazy, nuts, unrealistic, buy a Camry? Thanks, David

I've been DD my 2002 996 since Sept 2017. I have a 52 miles daily commute. I do all my own work. Repairs From 9/2017 to 9/2018 it cost me $846. Windshield, control arm, headlight switch So far since 9/2018 it has cost me $323 Window regulator, 2nd gear pop-out Maintenance From 9/2017 to 9/2018 it cost me $275.31 Oil changes So far since 9/2018 it has cost me $1952.30 Tires(Pilot Sport 4S), oil changes, water pump, serpentine belt Mods (Prices are MSRP, I paid significantly less) From 9/2017 to 9/2018 is cost me $7405 So far since 9/2018 it has cost me $6013

" So far, new imsb (oil fed)"... What brand is ^^that^^, and where is the oil coming from?

I have been daily driving my 996 for the past 4 years, with about 8k miles per year. Loved every mile.

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Doesn't seem crazy to me at all. I drive mine to work about 75% of the time. It's just a used car. It has some expensive things that can go wrong a small percentage of the time, but normal operating costs aren't that different than anything else. Enjoy it!

My wife daily drives her Porsche. Short commute. And we alternate with taking her car and mine on road trips.

I have the identical car, except it's a tip, purchased nearly 10 years back at ~50k miles. Now at over 115k miles. Only the usual stuff, water pump, aos, brakes, battery, etc., but original imsb. I change oil every 3-5k, filter always comes out pristine. I added a steel oil plug with a strong n eodymium magnet and it barely collects a smudge. It has long intervals of sitting (only because I have to be back in Germany) and probably too many otherwise daily 6 mile drives each way, but with much longer drives occasionally. I hope you have the same results with yours, and see no reason not to use it as your daily driver. Drive it and enjoy it!

It pulls oil from an engine port just after the oil cooler and filter. Direct feed to the IMSB. They use it in their race cars with great success. I only have about 800 miles on it so keep your fingers crossed. Should you need more info call HBI Auto, Mocksville, NC [phone removed].

I daily mine as long as weather permits.

I daily drive mine for all sorts of things. My 99 has 143K miles and is a safe, reliable daily driver rain or shine. Of course have had to do repair and maintenance, but all cars need that. Currently needs new shoes because they are aged out at 5 years old. Working on that.

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^^ Interesting...I didn't realize there was an unused "engine port" to pull clean pressurized oil from without "popping a hole" in the engine somewhere (I think the Pedro's garage dof - takes it from one of the scavenge pumps or close by). I also thought that this causes potential oil pressure drop...

They use an adapter from a drivers side cylinder head with a direct feed to the IMSB.

I'm not exactly long-term at six months (as of today), but I'll give my $.02. I went in to this planning to DD the car and so far have been more than pleased. I'm slowly working through the list of preventive maintenance as my car came with minimal records and the "original" IMSB (replacement engine with "large" non-replaceable single row bearing). I don't think you're crazy--or at least no crazier than I am. Enjoy! I know I am!

I daily drove my 2001 C4 cab when it was new 60k over 4 years. Oil changes every 5k by me. Never went to a dealer or mechanic. Nothing ever went wrong. Only sold due to ... well life! Got my 2003 C4 cab in August drove 8k miles since then. Water pump, oil changes every 5k and IMSB (THE SOLUTION) done. Daliy drives 40 miles. I have a Subaru for when I need more room, but most of the time it sits.. I never understand why people garage and let them sit.

Drive my 2001 C2 Cab all year now. Drove in winter at 7500+ feet above sea level in CO. Drove to Telluride several times to go snowboarding. Car works well in snow with snow tires on 17". Have had window reg and handbrake micro switch need replacing. Just now had a gas leak and car is in the shop. Might be from when I had the RMS and IMS bearing replaced last spring. Drive about 9-10k year. Use for short drives and long distance. I got a less aggressive set up for suspension geometry to help with the rear tire wear. Highly advise this unless you want to buy tires after 8-10k miles. Overall, a fun, dependable for its age car. Forgot to mention that I did have to replace the water pump and motor mounts at around 70k too. Now have 89k miles on it.

I�ve had my 996 for 2.5 years now and it�s my only car, although my wife�s car is the family car that we use all the time as well. These are great daily driver cars. So was my Boxster S. Only problem is the age of the car, they are now classics and at 20-yrs-old, they will start to need parts, expensive parts. But they are easy to work on too.

I think the greatest pleasure is to actually drive it! Yes, I love washing/detailing it and can sit for a while just looking at the gorgeous lines. Bought my 03 C2 with 81K, now has 95K. I drive about 400 miles a week. Bought it back in July of 2018. Get it out of the garage and drive it! - that's my motto!

I put in 10k miles the first year but I only have a total of 65k miles now & counting. Got a company car so hardy to dd it since I got the company car. No no issues whatsoever. Like everyone else, I did IMSB & clutch when I first got it but the usual oil change, filters, pad, tires etc... since. Runs smooth and like a champ when I do take it out with guys for weekend runs. Enjoy yours it�s a great bargain IMO!

I daily drove my 996 for years. Best DD ever! I sold it to a friend when I got my 991S , and now he's loving it as a DD. In several significant ways, my 996 was a better DD than my 991.

I've been daily driving mine for the past 4 years. I sometimes get tired of having to shift all the time, but otherwise love it.

I’ve been dding mine for a couple of years. It cost what a used Camry would but is way more fun. I ve always known what car I would want next until now. This has spoiled me. Lovely car,heck, I don’t mind the lights any more,and it is an absolute bargain for what you get.

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I kind of feel the same way. I'll be 60 this year and thought that maybe a Tip would be better as a daily driver. I asked for many comments on changing from 6 speed to tip. Most everyone was very positive about it. I knew that just taking one for a test drive would not be enough. I just got a Turbo S with tip. I kind of miss the shifting but when I hit stop and go traffic on the highway I looked over at her and said yeah this is when I don't miss the clutch! I will drive it for a month before making my final decision. She CAN drive a stick but is not all that comfortable. She loved driving the Tip! But alas it's my DD so I get the final say. We went to the cars and coffee at the Porsche dealer and every newer Porsche they had for sale except for the GT3 was a PDK. I asked about that thinking that maybe the sticks are ordered so they just aren't on the lot, he said no 90% are PDK now!! Historically I have always scoffed at automatic in a sports car (never berated anyone like some of those purists do) but I totally get it, just not sure yet if it's for me...

It isn�t just Porsches, the vast majority new vehicles sold in the US are automatics. Times sure have changed.

Over the past two years, I split daily duties, alternating between the 928 and 996 (about 6K per year, each). Prior to that I daily drove the 928 for 8 years. Both have made great daily drivers with fairly minor regular maintenance and occasional repairs. When I was a kid and my dad had to buy everything through the Porsche dealer, prices were horrible. But parts costs are surprisingly affordable, now that there is so much on-line price competition and maintenance is generally not bad. .

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I second this maintenance. It is relatively inexpensive especially if you can do the routine care yourself. i.e oil changes air filters belts etc. Always amazes me how people will spend hundreds at the dealer for something as simple as oil change!

Definitely use my C4S Cab as a daily driver. Even parks outside since I only have a two car garage. The Porsche is tough though; especially with a ceramic coating on the paint. Gil

Great cars! I enjoy every minute behind the wheel and actually look forward to driving as it sits in the garage waiting for me. Regular and preventative maintenance are a must...AOS was ignored and then bit me in the A$$!

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Thanks. And yes, there is one thing that has always been true about cars - they need to be driven regularly to stay reliable. I try to get my Ferrari 458 Spider and Aston Martin DB9 on the road almost as much as the C4S. The cars that have reliability problems are the garage queens that never get driven. Gil

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Do it. As long as you properly set your expectations, you won't be sorry. I've been putting 10k miles/year on mine since I bought it. Honestly the manual trans is the only thing that keeps me from falling asleep in traffic sometimes. And when you leave the office little late or head in a little early and the roads are clear, there's nothing better. But do be honest with your desire to deal with everything that comes with putting miles on a 15+ year old German car. You might just get away with oil changes, but probably it will need a steady steady diet of German parts if you want to keep it feeling 100%. That's not a criticism, just the price of admission for not driving a Camry with a warranty. Honestly I don't think the upkeep on a daily driven 15+ year old M3 would cost you any less than a 996.

I have been DD my 2000 C2 cab from mid March to Mid October and drive my 2003 Turbo in the winter I road trip the Cab quite a bit too and really enjoy having my P car and not a rental if its not too far to drive - went from Seattle to Napa then Yosemite and Sequoia then back though Tahoe and Bend Oregon last fall - just did a Seattle to Revelsstoke road trip for cat skiing 3 weeks ago - a couple of years ago I went up to Blue river BC in December for a ski trip and hit some snowy roads and the car did pretty well. I think upgrading the sound system makes the car a lot more DD and road trip friendly even if you are just using it for audio books or podcasts but I spent the $$ and made the sound system pretty good for music as well. bottom line is that I enjoy driving the car and I am not worried about it losing value or getting it tattered a bit

I've never known of a Porsche road car that wasn't a good daily driver. I Dd'd my 1983 911 SC Cab for 8 years, my 1998 911 (996) Coupe for 2 years (before wrecking it) and now I dd my 2001 911 (996) for the last 3+ years. They are great daily drivers and long-term are comparable to most other cars in maintenance, actually a bit less expensive than most. The cars also do better when driven regularly. I've had friends that DD'd 944s and 924s as well, same story from them. A 996 is an older but very solid car. It holds its value well and needs little maintenance beyond the normal. If there is any downside it is that "good" tires for it are expensive and short lived. Once the car has 50k on it, mileage isn't a big factor in resale and I wouldn't even look at a 996 with less than 50k, garage queens break, real 996s don't.

Yeah, it works fine as a DD.

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Lol, what color is that? Nevermind, doesn�t matter

I have used one of my two 996 as a DD - My Targa Aero was my DD from 2004 to 2015, Then I started to drive My C4S daily currently. I have had zero issues thus far with both = I love them and find them perfectly suite for DD. Prior to my 996's I drove my 930/993 as a daily. starting with my first P-Car 944 Turbo - If something works for you, stick with it!

My '03 C2 is my daily driver for a whopping 20 miles each way. I love it. Drive a Camry?? Oh dear god no no noooooooooooooo.

All the threads obsessing about the IMSB, etc was a bit discouraging. I bought the 996, knowing the "problems" and immediately updated the car with the newer organs. The intention is to keep it and drive it. After the responses here, the therapy has returned my sanity. I do not mind and expect wrenches to be applied with a 15 year old car. Part of the fun! Thanks for the replies. It helps when the silent majority speak. OD

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You're welcome! One thing I would LOVE to know is what % of engine failures are from daily drivers, as opposed to once a week'ers. I haven't met a car yet that does well sitting most of the time.

'Once a week'er' here.😎 actually more than once a week, but defiantly not a DD.

Had a 996 as a DD. Sold it with 145k miles, original ims and clutch...and got into newer models. Now back to driving a 996 (TT this time) as my street daily 911. I�m realizing that the 996 platform is my Goldilocks 911 - sweet spot combo of analog and more modern driving experience.

I’m in FL for maybe 10 days a month. My 996 is my DD unless I have to haul stuff. When I’m there more, I’ll drive it more. TC

If you�re diy person, it�s awesome.. will still be expensive. Don�t cheap out on preventative maintenance. Do the timing chains at 100k miles or sooner. If you don�t want to learn how to do maintenance, get a Camry.

Folks 10-15 years ago used to budget $1,000-$2,000 per year on average for maintenance and repairs on air-cooled cars. Add inflation and that�s not far from my car. I just dropped $1500 for a diagnosis, and will probably have to spend another $700 for the Repair. I know another 996 owner who just had to do clutch, IMS, RMS, and chain tensioner pads, along with a tensioner. The bill was $6k. Taking the average purchase price of $20k and a sale price of $20k, the repairs/maintenance are really all we are �paying for.� $6000 over 3 years is about $150-$200/month. That about 1/2 the cost per month of a new car. For the super budget-contentious folks, use a cheap fun car for a daily driver can help lower the costs on Porsche if that 2nd car can be driven while you work on your Porsche yourself. Otherwise, if you want just a single car, the 996 is still not bad for cost over the longer term. There�s also a potential upside that the 996 could easily be worth double in 10 years. This should not be a reason to buy the car, but can be a nice bump after $10k-$20k spent on maintenance/repairs over those 10 years. This car is an antique at this point. You won�t make money, but you could drive a Porsche for nearly free in this case. This exact thing happened when the 3.2 Carrera was worry about the same money as a 996 is worth today, about $20k, and those cars are now averaging $40k. One last thing: a high end Porsche dealer (Chicago area) told me that since my 99 is considered a vintage car, the door labor rate of $210/hr would be $150/hr for my 996. So I would call around to see if this is true for your Porsche dealers as well, in areas that don�t have Indy�s or area where there are limited options.

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Did you you apply yourself or was it professionally done? What brand, etc.? Thanks

All I know is that my 100 Series and MX-5 are jealous. The 996 is making for a fine DD.

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I had Feynlab ceramic coating applied by a certified detailer. It takes experience to apply this correctly. I have been very happy with it, and have had all my cars treated. https://www.feynlab.com/ My Porsche C4S Cab lives outside so I had Feynlab's Ceramic applied to it as well as a top coat. For my Ferrari 458 Spider and Aston Martin DB9, I had Feynlab's ceramic-lite applied as they don't see as harsh conditions. I also had Feynlab's coating applied to my wheels (to make cleaning break dust easier), and I also had their tire coating applied (tires won't turn brownish with road grime anymore) as the rubber gets sealed. Gil

I'm in your exact same boat, with with a Cab. Pretty much your set of same updates. How/what did you do for DRLs? How can you get them to run as DRL? Have not seen this. Thx

I bought my 99 996 new and it was my only car for over 8 years and 50K miles.Trouble free fun car! Bilateral foot and ankle surgery ended my three pedal days and I gave the car to my son who is a Porsche mechanic. I recently got into a 2013 Boxster S with PDK and I really enjoy this car