What is the reality of having an early 996 as a daily driver

I was recently promoted but loose my company car in the process. I have a truck that is my non-work vehicle currently, but is getting up there in miles and drinks the fuel, so I want a fun DD. 996 is currently at the top of my list, using the truck for snowy days. Will drive 12-14k miles a year; 50% freeway, 35% 45-55MPH zones, 15% slow/heavy traffic driving. I'm only considering C2 Coupes (could deal with a C4), manual tranny, under 100k miles, good condition but doesn't need to be a creampuff. Would like PSM and Bi-Xenon's but not a deal breaker. Upgraded wheels (if I like them - OEM style) would be a bonus. 20k max budget, under 100k miles. I am aware of the IMS Bearing, RMS, wife has an Audi B7 A4 so I know the hell that is working on German cars, and turn my own wrenches. I also know how to buy parts online and have a 2nd vehicle to handle down-time. Questions : Tire Wear : Assuming a harder-rubber tire, what can I expect? I'm reading 8k for rears and that seems pretty awful. Car will not be raced Clutch Life : I have been driving a standard for a long time, don't hover the clutch or ride it out, won't be doing burnouts/power shifting or other abusive stuff. How long does an OEM style typically last? Fuel Mileage : What can I expect real world fuel use? Other Issues : Any other common problems I should be aware of? I've heard a bit about folks replacing the AOS. Anything else? I'm trying to get a realistic feel for what a 996 will cost me. I figure I'll need $1000 to cover parts for a clutch, IMSB, and RMS if not recently done.

I drove my 996 C4S as my daily driver for many years. I got around 8,000 to 10,000 out of a set of rear tires and typically double that out of a set of fronts. Tires make a huge difference in the way that these cars handle, so you should consider that as you make your plans. My original clutch lasted over 120,000 miles. This is very driver dependent as well as mileage dependent. Obviously highway miles don't impact it as much as stop-and-go traffic. In mixed driving, I typically got about 21 mpg in my 996. Other issues are well documented as you have seen. You're buying a car that's over 10 years old, so stuff breaks and stuff wears out. I enjoyed my 996 as a daily driver.

I've been driving my 2001 C2 for a few months now as a daily driver. I get 16-18mpg, but my foot is in it a lot! I thoroughly enjoy having it as a daily driver and can't imagine keeping it parked and driving some econobox every day.

Mine was my DD for 1.5 years, Less than 1 year or 10,000 miles per rear tires. 16-18 mpg if you drive it like it was supposed to be driven. My Dad's truck became my DD when he died.

My 03 coupe base has 154,000 miles. I drive it 800 miles per week. Tires: 2:1 rear to front....Conti DW...can't remember the exact mileage for the rears but 20 - 25K miles stands out for some reason....the original clutch was replaced at 110,000 and had about 40% left on it....I get 28-29 MPG from Pinehurst NC to Atlanta on 85 South or North running 10 - 15 over the posted speed limit....other issues, read the posts and they'll jump at out at you...I had the dealer do all of my repairs and Porsche gives you a 2yr/unlimited mileage warranty...

Guess I'll take the bait. 99 C2 w/131,000+ miles, 8-10,000 miles per year. Daily drive it like a delivery truck. Original clutch but I'm an easy driver. Had to replace tires not because of wear but age (they were getting close to 6 years old). I had probably 30,000 miles on those tires (Michelin PSS2). PCar properly aligned will get plenty of miles out of the rears, more out of front. Standard stuff replaced (belt, plugs, battery, AOS, starter, shocks, brakes, blah blah...hell it's a 15 year old car). Do my own wrenching so no problem. I get around 14-15 mpg around town, cruising around 25-26 mpg. It is a great car for daily driving, very dependable and reliable. Always looks great after a day of work. I love it. The only problem I have is when I pull up to a client office they say "boy are we paying you way too much!"

I don't DD my C4, but I can add that my Conti DWS rear tires currently have 14K on them and they have plenty left (probably more than 20K total). Alignment is key to keeping the rear tires from chewing themselves up. In the big picture, there are far more "reasonable" choices for a DD, but I am all in favor of driving what you like. Life is too short, and opportunities are too few and far between, etc. Also remember that when these cars were new they were DD by many of their owners. If you start with a well maintained car and you know enough about mechanical things to be able to tell when something is going amiss, I think these can make a perfectly reasonable DD.

I just picked up a '99 C2 with 103K miles to be my main daily driver. I also have an E39 M5, but wanted to preserve the miles on that car. I drive about 20K per year total, maybe 2/3 of that for work - I am in outside sales, so that includes customer visits and getting to the office, etc. I plan to drive the 996 at least half of that total yearly mileage. Just got it a few weeks ago, but so far I am loving the car as a sports-car daily driver. More engaging to drive than the M5 in my use which is short highway stints and mixed roads, expressways, business areas, etc. So far getting close to 20mpg too which is slightly better than the M5 does in the same conditions. Mine had original clutch replaced along with the LN IMS bearing at 93K miles. No idea how the tires will wear, but I suspect better than the nearly 4Klb M5 with similar sized summer rubber - I run Mich PSS on that car and seem to get 20-24K out of rears and 25-30K out of fronts. Even if the 996 was the same I would be happy with that.

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As others have said, you can expect to get about twice the mileage out of the front tires as the rear. Many experience as little as 8K for rear tires, but others seem to get 20K or better. Choose your rubber carefully and get a rear alignment (toe-in is the critical thing to get right).

I would consider something else for a DD. The 996 PM costs is way too high compared to more preferable DD's. Have you priced a set of Mich PS2 rears? Try $456 each. Insane for a DD.

I drive mine every day. Tires are probably the most expensive part, so far. Mileage varies, but I avg around 17 around town. As for doing your own stuff, the 996 is remarkably wrench-turner friendly. I do a lot of stuff myself, but I don't bother with my other cars, as they are more complicated. And this forum makes it easy to take on mechanical tasks as there's probably someone on her who's done the same task already. Jump in, the water's fine.

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?? Really? From where? Mich PSS are $287 from TireRack right now in the 285-35-18 size. If you wanted to stay budget on tires, run the original 17" wheels and TR has several complete sets of tires available for under $500. Pretty much every daily driver I've ever owned has had similar tire costs - that's what you get with a performance car with summer tires, be it a sedan or a sports car. Wouldn't cost any less if you drove a BMW E90 3 series with the sports package - in fact that would cost more since those use run flats. Anyway - that sounds a lot more like a personal judgment than serious advice to me. I don't think the OP was asking if a 911 is the cheapest car available to use as a DD. But you know, not everybody wants to drive a Camry every day. Life is way to short for me to waste my time in such an A to B appliance unit. No thanks! But if that's your thing, that's great - be my guest. Just not the solution for everybody. I daily drive a 911 and an M5, and I can assure you I am not an insane person.

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The 285/35R18 is a non-standard size, but it's the route I'll take. If you don't want to deviate from the standard size, then krazyk would be right.

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the standard size on my 99 is 255-40-17 and a PS2 in that size is $288. Only $188 for the front. And the 18" OEM size 225 and 265 are $182 and $224 respectively for the PSS. I run those on my M5 and they are equal in performance to the PS2 in dry and wet and they last longer and cost less. Not sure why you wouldn't run those. FWIW the PS2 in the OEM 18" size is $369 at TireRack

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I wouldn't run those tires - I've had a couple bad experiences with Michelins and have no interest in running them. 265/35/18 - Continental DSW's can be had for a little under $200/each. We ran those as the last set of tires on my wife's Audi. Nitto NT 555's for $175 (I ran those on the front of my Formula Firebird in a 275/40/17 and was happy with them). Tire prices seem pretty sane to me. Even if I wanted the PS2's (I don't), Discount Tire has them for $357. What other parts are insanely priced? I know you don't want to jack up the flywheel as it is super pricey. Obviously an engine rebuild is pricey. RMS is cheap, IMSB isn't too expensive...what are the big price items from a PARTS perspective? It's not the only car on my list. I'm also considering a 650i (manual or SMG, coupe) or perhaps a 135i coupe (which is actually a lot hard to find than a 6-series or 996). There are a few others less likely contenders on the list...I'll be doing some test driving the next couple of days. 996 is still calling out to me the most for now.

oh my - repair costs on a 650i or 135i (unless it is a 2011+ with the newer N55 motor) will be very high also. Certainly tires would cost more for those than a 996 unless you ditch the run flats. But those 6 series are trouble. The motors have some issues with the cooling system - the M62 is not a very reliable motor. And the first gen twin turbo I6 has a lot of issues too - turbo issues, intercooler, electric water pumps fail quite often. Parts are not cheap on those either. I like my chances with the 996 much better personally, and I have owned about 10 BMW and 2 currently.

and OK, you didn't ask - but if it were me, the BMW's I would look at are the E39 M5 and the E46 M3 as possible alternatives to the 996. M5 is a fantastic sedan, and very much of a drivers car. E46 is very similar but a bit sharper handling - trade off more road feel for worse ride. But even that M3 is smoother and quieter than a 996, which is even further on the drivers engagement / road feel side of the coin. Anything newer than the E46 I have little interest in as far as BMW's go. Maybe the E90 M3, but those are $30K+ And the 135 is a fun little car, but looks goofy to me. And plan on adding LSD too - only M cars come with LSD in later model BMW's, and the electronic substitute just isn't the same. In fact, those cars just have too much electronic crap in them for my tastes, but the chassis is pretty good and the motor is good when it's not blowing parts up!

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How would you have ANY idea what it costs to daily drive a 996? Your insistence on running around filling every thread with doom and gloom is one thing, but once you start chiming in with advice on DD, I call BS. I've been DD'ing M96-powered Porsches for 6 years now. I have been stranded exactly once due to a fuel pump problem.

The 996 is a great value for a DD. Currently on Auto Trader near me at less than 20k; '13 Toyota Camry '09 GMC pickup '14 Ford Mustang '10 Chevrolet Traverse '07 Jeep Wrangler '13 Toyota Prius '11 Infiniti G25 '11 Buick Lacrosse '08 Nissan 350Z '11 Subaru Forester None of which I would own or drive. The 996 remains my DD..

The guy I bought my 2000 from daily drove it for ten years until I bought it earlier this year. I've got all the service records, and I was shocked how little money he really put into the car. I did the IMSB, RMS, AOS, and clutch a few months ago. It's a third car and I've now got a third house, so my 996 went up for sale yesterday.

I drive my 2000 cab daily in all but the very worst weather -- roughly 25,000 miles over the past 13 months, or so. I would not trade the experience or the car.

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I haven't done any adequate research on the 650i (or the 645i, which I would also consider). As for the N54 engine, BWM recalled the HFPF (by far the most common problem) and extended the warranty to 10 years / 120k miles from what I gather. The turbos were also extended to 8 years / 82k miles for any wastegate issues (the most common of the turbo problems). Injectors seem to be weak but are a bit pricey, but they don't all go at once and there are only 6 of them. Otherwise, most of the other problems don't seem too awful or expensive. I doubt I can get into a N55 1-series (especially because I want Nav, as you can't really add aftermarket to the BMW's like I would to a 996). Manual / SMG + Nav is typically hard to find. If it wasn't for the Nav I could get into a '11. In the end I need to test drive an example of everything before I take any next steps.

If you want a sports car with seriously cheap operating costs to rack up the miles, go for a Corvette. It also consistently gets 30+mpg highway and responds well to mods. The 996 is much more comfortable. I don't think the 996 has any characteristics that make it more maintenance intensive than any other German from that time period.

If reliability and economy (fuel, maintenance, tires and depreciation) are the only criteria, then a 4 yr old Honda Civic is the way to go. But the 996 is a supercar, and as supercar's go, it's far and away the most reliable and economical one I can think of. Get one with low miles but not a garage queen that's sat stewing in it's oil, get a clean PPI, have the IMSB done, and enjoy your daily driving. These are awesome cars.

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Unfortunately, I need a pair of small rear seats. My nearly 4 year old will ride back there when I get her from daycare along with weekend trips around town with her and my wife (she will sit behind my wife, who is 5'2" and doesn't mind having the seat slid forward. I'm 6'3" so that's not an option. If I didn't need the rear seats, C5 Z06, '05 C6 or '06 Cayman S (if found at the right price) would be on the list. I'm familiar with C5's...I've spent time running my best friends 500RWHP N/A C5 at speeds I shouldn't have been driving, helped with a motor swap, etc.

996 is a good DD car. Have been doing it for past 18 months. 8,000 on my rear tires and still have a ton of tread - fronts the same and still look new. I run Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 ultra high performance all season tires - $1,160 for a full set of 18" delivered from tirerack.com. I haven't auto crossed or tracked the car, but I drive it hard (why drive a Porsche if you're afraid to push it?). As for mileage, around 17 in town and 24 on highway, spirited driving. My car has 147,000 miles and drives great - everything works as it should and it feels like a car with 30,000 miles on it. Cosmetically has held up great also. Mechanically stranded me only once - fuel pump failure. Other maintenance has been done by me and would fall in the normal wear items category. I've had a lot of cars in my life - I actually have a dealer's license and get to drive several cars every year. I've put 12,000 miles on my 996 in the past 18 months. It is easily my favorite of 6 cars I have right now. I would also easily rate it in the top 5 cars I've ever owned, and possibly my favorite - other top contenders would be a MBZ E55, Jaguar XJR, Mini Cooper S (really - like a very comfy kick-*** go-kart), and a 1990 964, all of which were also used as DDs.

I had a Mini Cooper s too. Hated it. I am just not a fwd guy. And hated the turbo motor and vague steering and lack of power. I had the R56. I spent some time driving an R53 that I helped a friend sell. Better but not by much. Not even close to driving a 996. I've also owned corvettes. Two c6 ls2 z51 cars and a c5 z06. Those cars are great for long highway stints or track work. But I find them tedious to drive around town. They are so low and really big cars with massive front overhang and long doors. Very hard to deal with. Tough to get in and out of. Pain dealing with driveways and parking lots. And too much power to use around town. I switched from one to the 996 for much less $$ and I much prefer it as a daily car. Nicer interior too. Vette is pretty bad. But honestly with kids and needing to actually use a back seat I would look harder at that 135i if you can find one with sport package. Your assessment of the N54 is accurate. Wouldn't scare me to own one. More so the M62 in the 650i. Or look at the e46 M3. That sounds like the best car for what you are looking for IMHO.

99 with 60k now, daily driver, 19-20 mpg avg on my comute but I got around 23-24 mpg on a 6 hour trip... I just put in a new set of all weather tires (continental extreme DWS) so well see how much they last. I am expecting at least 20k on rears. ~200 miles / week (aprox 10k / year)

I figure people that know about these cars or have always wanted on will get one. The ones that have to make these threads and waste peoples time may or may not get one. But often times the one that initially started out on the fence are also the ones that end up being the most vocal critics of the marque and not true Porsche enthusiasts further perpetuating bloated negatives on the internet. I love when people compare apples to oranges too. I'm just stating a general opinion not related to this thread specifically and maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed too.

My 40th AE serves as a quasi-DD. Maintenance records are important. It's much better to pick up a higher mileage car with records than a lower mileage garage queen of unknown history. To wit, the following has been done to my car in the last 4 months, which was purchased with 35K miles on the clock: * Full clutch kit * AOS * Serpentine Belt, pulleys * Brakes (fluid, pads, turned rotors) * Left AC condenser replaced * Driver's window regulator replaced * Coils/plugs (addressing flashing CEL, rough running condition) * Water pump & thermostat The first 6 issues were addressed by the seller (Carmax) due to the PPI. The coils and water pump were covered under warranty. The plugs and thermostat were replaced on my dime under the "while you're in there" policy. As you can see, the PPI and warranty have saved me *a lot* of money so far. The amount of work required to get my car back into good operating condition is no surprise. It's likely the PO knew of at least some of the outstanding issues and dumped the car rather than incur the expense of fixing everything. Fortunately, Carmax was easy to work with offered good after-the-sale support. Provided you find the right car and mitigate the risk, the 996 is a fantastic daily driver. Good luck with your search and potential purchase.

Mine has been a DD since the day I bought it - going on six years here soon. As for costs, well tires are the most expensive but even for that you just set aside the purchase cost of a set every year. Other incidentals will come up as well but if you are proactive with maintenance and know to expect the usual German car costs you should be ok.

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Or some people like to thoroughly research a $20,000 purchase before making it. I've always liked Porsche's but am not locked into a "I must have one" attitude. I'm not sure how I'm wasting your time - don't want to read the thread then don't read it.

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That's a fair argument but you're def not the first person to ask this question so why not find the other posts that could've answered it first?

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Well maybe so. But I just had a similar thread going on the M5board for several weeks as I worked through my next move. The move that led me to the 996. And some guys on that list suggested I look at porsche where I was much more focused on a BMW M3 initially. I was very happy with the interaction and input I got from my M5 brothers. And not a single one of them complained about the thread saying I should have done a search. Just sayin.

It seems like the fallout has gotten worse as 966 resale prices have continued to drop. Maybe I'm just fooling myself, but when I bought in, the car was still fairly expensive, and I was already aware that Porsche cars aren't the cheapest to fix (even though my Boxster, also powered by the devil M96, was just as reliable as my 996 has been). Once you get down into the $$ teens, I suppose the larger ticket repairs get harder to swallow. A $4K repair on a $15K car is undoubtedly a larger financial blow than a $4K repair on the car you paid $90K for. At the end of the day, I have to agree with Alpine. It seems like EVERY TIME a new user rolls in with a recently acquired 996, there will be one or more related IMS threads. For some reason, "MY" IMS question is always different/better/whatever than the one yesterday, and the 10 from last week, and the dozens from 2013. I get that a lot of these threads are panic-driven - Holy crap, I bought this car and now I'm freaking out because I don't have enough money to fix it if something happens - but it still doesn't change the fact that this information has been posted. Repeatedly. Almost literally ad nauseam. No matter how you slice and dice it, the answer is still: there are many more reliable 996's than there are unreliable ones. Assume you got a good one (since odds are you DID get a good one), and drive it. OP, what have you decided about daily driving a 996?

Initial questions was, "What is the reality of having an early 996 as a daily driver?" For those of us who already have one the question is, "What is the reality of NOT having an 996 as a daily driver." Most days blow and leaving for work or coming home from work in my 996 is fantastic reminder of how good life can be sometimes. Best car I've ever owned and maybe the last car I will ever own....for there just is no substitute.

Well, I went into the test driving thinking "I'll be confirming that a 996 is my next daily driver." I let the dealer stating "996 is no longer on the list." I was honestly pretty disappointed. I had no previous experience with these cars and really wanted to love it. I drove a '99 C4. 72k on the clock. Both the '99 and '00 they had had a lot of interior wear for the mileage. Plastic parts having the coating wearing off was especially noticeable. Interior felt a bit cheap for a 70k+ car as well. I'd honestly say the interior of a C5 (a car costing half as much) is just as nice, and certainly more feature rich. Handling, I was surprised how tail happy it was for an AWD car. Long sweeping corners were great. I felt ABS kicked in on high speed (110MPH) stops sooner than anticipated, though I'll attribute some of that to 40 degree temps. Powerband was better than I anticipated. Road noise on the highway was tolerable, but just plain awful around town. Both cars I looked at had the gray interior, which really made the massive amount of carpet used in this car really noticeable. Probably not as bad in a black car. Probably a fun weekend car, but nothing I'd want as a daily.

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Clearly didn't test one with "full leather" - super nice, not enough to make me buy the car based solely on one feature but... Handling - had you done your research on how the AWD works you'd know that it's almost non existent at lower speeds, and yes, it's still a rear engine car (they are "tail happy" - but that's their charm). It sounds like you gave it a pretty good "test drive" (high speed stops from 110...schweet!). I wish I could use mine as my DD I guess they're not for everybody

My 2000 996 has been my daily driver since I purchased it in January of 2010. The best part is I live in the Chicago suburbs and get to drive my baby year round rather than put her away! Usually in November, I put my extra set of wheels with Bridgestone Blizzaks on and then take them off at the end of March. Extra wheels are all over Craigslist for cheap. I do my own oil changes every 3500 miles and enjoy driving a great car. The only issue I've ever had was when they plow, if there's big "snow boogers" at the end of the street, you won't be running them over!

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Lol, just as I guessed how it would play out. Question is why didn't you just test drive a couple first to decide for yourself rather than taking up 3 pages to guess at it. These threads are useless IMO since everyone has different opinions based on their priorities, tolerance levels, preferences, etc... Same thing for tire and exhaust threads IMO.

Sounds like you were expecting it to be more of a GT type car. I assume that the cars you were looking at were around $18,000 to $20,000. For that money you might consider a 2008 or 2009 Audi S5 coupe. Porsches just aren't meant for everyone they weren't engineered with plush interiors as the #1 priority. I think a black interior with full leather may have been closer to what you were looking for, FWIW.

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Totally agree with you both. I'm also relatively new but I avoid posting new threads unless I can't find the topic. There are more than a 1000 pages of threads which amount to 10s of thousands of individual threads and there cannot possibly be so many issues. As for the OP, research is finding out what discussions are happening in different forums without soliciting everyone's input, because no matter what forum you go to, there will be inherent and innocent biases.

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Prices on the S5 seem to be mid 20s not sub $20k. Might find a B7 S4 without crazy miles for around $20k. And ya 911 is not a GT it is a purebred sports car. Mine has the full leather in black and I am quite happy with it. Not up to M5 standards but far better materials, finish and build quality than a c5 or c6 corvette and I've owned 3 of those. I guess cross shopping with a 650 might have been a clue. You may also consider a low miles late 928 S4. It is 10 yeas older but has a nice V8 and more of a GT with some character. I would take one over a 650. I would even take a 95-97 850ci over a 650 but that is not a good DD choice.

For the life of my I don't understand why people spend time on a forum and then bitch when somebody new asks a question that has been asked before. If you think the subject has been covered previously why don't you be a nice guy and point them to the thread and welcome them to the community. My first generation Blackberry (this is a true story) would autocorrect Porsche to *****. I think it knew you guys.

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Whoaaa lets not go crazy here Some folks get annoyed when they don't get new information when reading threads on a board. Me, I'm fine with it and I also have trouble finding information that really answers my question(s) through the search function. I can absolutely understand how you can be underwhelmed on one test drive. Especially of a 10 plus year old car. Cars are advancing so quickly a 2-3 year old M3 or S4 (I've owned both) seems like a lot more car than a 10 year old 911. I was underwhelmed when I first drove my car but a 911 has been on my car bucket list for years and I didn't want to wait 5 years to get a 3 year old latest and greatest 911. So I bought a 2000 C4 having recently owned a 335i and a 2010 S4 and the 535xi I still have. I bought the C4 even though I wasn't thrilled with the test drive and am so glad I did. The car is off the road for the winter and its driving me nuts seeing it sitting in the garage. The 911 is more fun every time you drive it. Yes the plastics are crap and the car is noisy but the car is crazy fast, will take corners at speeds well beyond my courage (so far) and stops like no other car I have owned. The low center of gravity, 300HP in a light chassis and the telepathic steering make for the best pure "driving" car I have ever owned. I hope you get to get enough seat time in the "right" Porsche to get the same experience I get in my 911 and I still hope to get that almost new perfect 911 in a few years. I'm a convert

Questions : Tire Wear : Assuming a harder-rubber tire, what can I expect? 15k-25k depending on driving habits and brand. while you don't like ps2s, they are the best tire i've used so far. i've run 4-5 other brands. conti's wear best but i didn't like the looks or noise level. Clutch Life : I have been driving a standard for a long time, don't hover the clutch or ride it out, won't be doing burnouts/power shifting or other abusive stuff. How long does an OEM style typically last? I can't help you there because I got a tip for l.a. traffic. Fuel Mileage : What can I expect real world fuel use? 19-21 mpg Other Issues : Any other common problems I should be aware of? I've heard a bit about folks replacing the AOS. Anything else? I've replaced the coolant reservoir, ignition switch, window regulator, and water pump and brakes in my 10 years of ownership. Overall very reliable and relatively easy to diy. I'm trying to get a realistic feel for what a 996 will cost me. I figure I'll need $1000 to cover parts for a clutch, IMSB, and RMS if not recently done. You'll need $4-6k to feel secure in my opinion. Just drive it and service as you go along. Don't go crazy with mods and your buffer will give you a lot of peace of mind. Don't bother with a warranty. Just drive and enjoy the car.

I actually feel quite the opposite about the most recent prices of the 996. The lower I end up paying the "easier" it will be for me to push the button on mods, rebuilds etc. The worst buyers remorse Ive had with a pcar was my 99 boxster. I was heartbroken about the resale value. At the same time all my others have felt rewarding to buy, enjoy and sell at some point. Some I've broke even on some even a small return. At sub or near 20k for a well maintained car I feel I've gotten away scott free on the massive depreciation these cars took. The ownership has always been the reward. Ive owned over 50 cars, none have felt the same as my Porsches. The purchase of a DD is certainly allot more to consider. My checklist in buying a 996 as daily would certainly be towards a higher option car. I enjoy and even envy the guys who make these cars DD; I give them allot of credit to keep up with proactive maintenance etc. Thats the biggest factor in making this decision IMO. If you want to get in and drive, buy new and budget for a weekend car.