Boston area owners

I'm considering a job in the area (Natick) and was amazed at the a)traffic and b)carelessness of the drivers in the city. I wondering whether its possible to have a nice car and keep it that way living in the city or whether I should just get a beater and wait until I can afford a weekend only car... Shawn

What about the winter?? They salt the **** out of the roads and drive like maniacs.It's a difficult job to keep your P car pristine in New England winters. People have done it!!Good Luck.

I used to live/go to school/work in the Boston area for a total of 12 years, and I can tell you that traffic is really bad (plus no parking), especially in the city anytime of the day. Agree with C4CRNA, drivers there are super aggressive, drive like mad-men and love to use their horn, especially in the city If you are in the wrong lane for instance, get ready for a tough fight or you will miss your turn or exit... Also true about the salt, your dark color car will become white in the winter and rust will be innevitable. Get a beater for the city driving and the winter that's my advice. I am sure other will chime in to warn you as well... Good luck!

Ubermensch -- Great name. Clearly, you must need a vehicle that will allow you to commit acts of kindness regardless of location and weather conditions. Some here can tell you that a C4 with snow rubber can get you safely through the winter. However, I'm with Botsy and C4. I lived in Boston for 10 years. The combination of potholes, salt and sand will destroy your vehicle and enjoyment. And, for what, the 18 sunny days each year? Get a Saab 900 Turbo or Subie GT, and a used Boxter or M Roadster for those rare days when you are not working and it's not snowing, sleeting or raining. -- M P.S. I love Boston, BTW.

I live south of Boston, but bring my car to a great Porsche shop in Natick which is 49 miles away. And what's wrong with super agressive and driving like a mad man??? Why do you think car makers put horns in their cars? To tell you the truth, I lived in Northern NJ, the NY metro area, Connecticut and last 18 years in MA, they all drive the same as far as I'm concerned. Key is to have a garage for the P car and a beater for the winter. And try to park away from people in parking lots.

Thanks for the responses. I've got a C4 now so I'm not worried about the actual driving, just the enjoyment of the car as others noted. Sounds like I need a beater for the winter. I also don't mind agressive, smart, driving. I lived in Atlanta for 5 years and didn't mind the traffic because for the most people drove fast but smart. As far as I can tell Boston traffic is the opposite (slow and stupid). <--Based only on about 5 trips to the city when I had car services doign the driving. People are essentially rubbing their cars against each other to gain 6ft....I guess I just value my cars too much...

Drive it, it won't melt, Natick is the 'burbs anyway ... just garage it if you're living or parking in the city. Mass. has stupid insurance rates, it will probably cost you more in two years to insure a beater than you paid for it in the first place. Find a touchless car wash tunnel to keep it clean in the winter, it only snows four or five times here usually. I have a set of 17" rims/snows that will be for sale shortly.

...maybe some day, with global warming coming. -- M

Yeah, I'm trying to figure out if I want to get a place out in Natick or something in the city. My wife is in school for the next two years so I figure a place in the city will provide more entertainment....just trying to figure out if the higher cost is worth it to me. Thanks for all the advice, folks! Shawn

Just remember to drive fast in the tunnel. That way the falling slabs of concrete are less likely to hit your car.......

But when it snows, look out..... http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9704/01/noreaster.wrap/#snow (I was living in RI when it it hit, we got close to 3 feet, and with drifts the only part of the car that was visible was the antena).

I've lived here the last six winters, and we've never gotten real snow more than four or five times; last winter it only snowed once. Winter before, four storms, three really big ones. It's not as bad as people think it is here. It ain't Buffalo.

Cape in the summer, store the car and go to FL for the winter. Can't beat it! BTW, Jim, who is the dealer/Porsche shop you go to? I use Reitzl in Norwell, but I'm not impressed with them...and don't want to go to any Boston dealer. Thx.

It's probably Jerry at EPE ... he's the best in the area in my experience ... http://www.epe.com Rietzl is pretty ridiculous, they once wanted to charge me $350 to mount and balance a set of tires. I have also heard good things about Randolph Racing, which is in Stoughton, a little bit closer to the Cape. But if you're going that far, might as well go the rest of the way to Natick.

EPE [phone removed] ask for Jerry. Advertises inside front cover of the PCA Northeast region newletter and just sponsored the Watkins Glen DE for the region. Been a customer since 1988

I'd definitely advise NOT living in Boston with any car you care about. Boston is not a car friendly town (parking, traffic, etc.). Natick or similar suburbs will be fine, especially with a C4! If it snows a lot, just wait for the plows as opposed to plowing it yourself using your spoiler. Last year, I drove my Boxster S when the roads were clear of salt. I drove my other vehicle (Pathfinder) when the roads were too messy. To me, salt is worse than snow. I just hate the idea of salt getting up into who knows where.

Agree! NO matter what you do to clean the undercarriage after a drive on wet/salty roads, your car will see some trace of rust building-up slowly with time. Every summer I would try to treat any trace of rust with sanding/chemical treatment/painting on the undercarriage frame, but again the rust would come back. At the time, of course I owed lesser quality cars but still try to take good care of all of them. Salt is a lilent killer for metal frame, springs etc... I think, it is best to keep your P-car in the garage and wait until all salts are clear from the roadways if you want to keep your car rust-free for a long time. But Fall and Springtime weathers are the best there. Cheers,

I went to school in Syracuse and would agree...Boston and Buffalo are worlds apart. But, if you are a believer in long term averages, six years is a pretty small sample size and most would argue the light snowfall in some years will balance out in time. We lived in Southborough and I still work in Boston and am there most weeks. But, I didn't buy my P-car until we moved to Hotlanta, where the roads are generally great and it is sunny all the time. -- M

I'm thinking about selling off the P-car, getting a bike for the good weather, and using wife's 4Runner for bad weather....Cash from the P-car would get her something else. The 4runner can take a beating and I won't care....I'm just spoiled with southeaster weather/cars.

I live in a suburb of Boston and I would highly recommend a Cayenne S or TT. Great in the winter, perfect for weekend jaunts around New England, no problem with pot-holes or rough roads in the city, comfortable...all that, plus fantastic P-Car handling and performance... (actually downright unbelieveable for a vehicle of that size with the afrementioned capacities).