996 Daily Driver
Discussion
Hi
I run my 2004 C4S about 12-15k per year les than you want but gives you some idea. During the school holidays I have access to another car but still take the Porsche!
The costs I think go with the age of the car. I have had the car for 4 years and I bought it low mileage. I have since piled the miles on - not sure if it would have made more sense in terms of depreciation to but a slightly higher mileage one in the first place, but then I didn't think I would need to commute in it.
Beyond regular servicing every 12k miles with interim oil changes at 6k miles (after 2003 I think they moved to 2 years 12k servicing)Mine has had all the front suspension bits changed, 2 geo check at CoG, a repair to the PSE, last month a clutch, IMS and RMS seals done and low temp thermostat were added. Rear tyres every 8k or so, fronts every 10-12k. Just before I bought it, it had new discs and pads all round and a major service. I think the bill for discs and pads alone was over 1k. Almost forgot both AC rads have been changed.
I have added a double din sat nav to make commuting easier. Other than that it hasn't let me down yet.
All the talk about the engine does stress me a little, but I would say that's the only downside.
Neil
I run my 2004 C4S about 12-15k per year les than you want but gives you some idea. During the school holidays I have access to another car but still take the Porsche!
The costs I think go with the age of the car. I have had the car for 4 years and I bought it low mileage. I have since piled the miles on - not sure if it would have made more sense in terms of depreciation to but a slightly higher mileage one in the first place, but then I didn't think I would need to commute in it.
Beyond regular servicing every 12k miles with interim oil changes at 6k miles (after 2003 I think they moved to 2 years 12k servicing)Mine has had all the front suspension bits changed, 2 geo check at CoG, a repair to the PSE, last month a clutch, IMS and RMS seals done and low temp thermostat were added. Rear tyres every 8k or so, fronts every 10-12k. Just before I bought it, it had new discs and pads all round and a major service. I think the bill for discs and pads alone was over 1k. Almost forgot both AC rads have been changed.
I have added a double din sat nav to make commuting easier. Other than that it hasn't let me down yet.
All the talk about the engine does stress me a little, but I would say that's the only downside.
Neil
Hmm, that's quite a few miles a year: you will likely end up with a car that'll prove difficult to shift would be my biggest worry.
Cost wise, tyres are not cheap. Other bits will fail - coffin arms, wishbones, etc... Mine had a new air/oil separator, new pads/discs, new alternator, new coffin arms in the 12 months before I bought it. Oh, and a full engine rebuild 2 years ago! That's 14k in the past 3 years / 20k miles. Sobering thought.
Cost wise, tyres are not cheap. Other bits will fail - coffin arms, wishbones, etc... Mine had a new air/oil separator, new pads/discs, new alternator, new coffin arms in the 12 months before I bought it. Oh, and a full engine rebuild 2 years ago! That's 14k in the past 3 years / 20k miles. Sobering thought.
Just do it. If you can do some of the spanner work yourself, so much the better, otherwise make sure you have a good Indy nearby. It's never going to be cheap at that mileage.
If I was going to do it I would make sure I bought a well maintained average to high mileage car and then just run it until it became uneconomical.
It's just a car at the end of the day.
pp
If I was going to do it I would make sure I bought a well maintained average to high mileage car and then just run it until it became uneconomical.
It's just a car at the end of the day.
pp
Mine's a daily and I easily do 1000 miles a month regardless of weather.
I bought at 52k miles and it's now at about 83k miles and approaching two years with me.
I've had quite a bit of the suspension refreshed and changed out of personal choice, and the engine area has needed a new IMS, a new water pump, a new coolant expansion tank, a new coil pack and a new MAF. The coil pack is a recovery job if it happens whilst you are driving, so I needed a tow for that.
In general my tyres (P Zeros and Vredestein M&S) have lasted in line with those above. I find fronts last twice as long as rears.
I do what spannering I can (so nothing that require me going under the car or messing with the engine past what I can see in the bay), because I like doing it.
I bought at 52k miles and it's now at about 83k miles and approaching two years with me.
I've had quite a bit of the suspension refreshed and changed out of personal choice, and the engine area has needed a new IMS, a new water pump, a new coolant expansion tank, a new coil pack and a new MAF. The coil pack is a recovery job if it happens whilst you are driving, so I needed a tow for that.
In general my tyres (P Zeros and Vredestein M&S) have lasted in line with those above. I find fronts last twice as long as rears.
I do what spannering I can (so nothing that require me going under the car or messing with the engine past what I can see in the bay), because I like doing it.
Ran 9'x 911's for 11 years ( up to 2 years ago) doing 30-40k a year.
The first two 993's the middle 3 996,996,996 gt2 and the last ones 997 2's
I had a warranty in all of them and they cost a load to run. Mpg on 997 was something like 26 average over 50k but probably did £20k a year between me and the warranty in running costs.
Great fun will do it again in a couple of years with a granturismo mc shift when prices come down a bit.m
I would say go for it but go in with eyes open and a warranty !!
Phib
The first two 993's the middle 3 996,996,996 gt2 and the last ones 997 2's
I had a warranty in all of them and they cost a load to run. Mpg on 997 was something like 26 average over 50k but probably did £20k a year between me and the warranty in running costs.
Great fun will do it again in a couple of years with a granturismo mc shift when prices come down a bit.m
I would say go for it but go in with eyes open and a warranty !!
Phib
I spent a while running just my 996 turbo as a daily driver. I'd recommend it without reservation, unfortunately depreciation and practicality prevents me from doing the same in the GT2 but if I had deep enough pockets I'd be happy to.
These are amazing cars which just love being driven at 10/10ths everywhere and just keep getting better.
Not entirely sure I'd trust a carrera with the chocolate RMS and potential other issues. Actually I'm sure I wouldn't.
SM
These are amazing cars which just love being driven at 10/10ths everywhere and just keep getting better.
Not entirely sure I'd trust a carrera with the chocolate RMS and potential other issues. Actually I'm sure I wouldn't.
SM
Ran my 1998 996 c2 cab as a daily driver for going roughly 4 years now. For 3 of those years doing 100 - 120 miles a day.
It has cost me less to run than my old car which was a Civic Type R as i get it serviced at a local indy as opposed to previous where i got the CTR serviced at Honda as there was no decent specialist nearby at the time.
Servicing costs me between 350 - 1100 a pop.
Stock tyres - 17 inch bridgestone s02s which I have at times picked up for about 145 each (last lot were 175 ish though from etyres i think) - They only seem to last me 8k miles on the back but the front ones didnt get replaced for about 6 years!
Aside from the servicing costs I have had a few extra bits go wrong which were all age related;
Master cylinder and clutch
New sports exhaust - old one lasted 70k ish then developed a rattle
Water pump and some drive belt thingy
Bust window mechanism
Alarm suddenly kept going off
IMSB replacement - wasnt needed but i did it for peace of mind
Each item on the list cost between 200 - 700 to sort and apart from that it has been rock-solid.
I don't feel it's all that bad really and I drove it around France to put my faith to the test and it didn't let me down there either.
What I would say though is that the car has been in the family since 99 and the engine blew up at at 15-18k ish and we got a replacement engine put in by Porsche even though it was out of warranty. If I was looking at a low mileage example of a 996 I would definitely either get one with a replacment engine already in there or one which has had IMS mods done for your own sanity if anything.
It has cost me less to run than my old car which was a Civic Type R as i get it serviced at a local indy as opposed to previous where i got the CTR serviced at Honda as there was no decent specialist nearby at the time.
Servicing costs me between 350 - 1100 a pop.
Stock tyres - 17 inch bridgestone s02s which I have at times picked up for about 145 each (last lot were 175 ish though from etyres i think) - They only seem to last me 8k miles on the back but the front ones didnt get replaced for about 6 years!
Aside from the servicing costs I have had a few extra bits go wrong which were all age related;
Master cylinder and clutch
New sports exhaust - old one lasted 70k ish then developed a rattle
Water pump and some drive belt thingy
Bust window mechanism
Alarm suddenly kept going off
IMSB replacement - wasnt needed but i did it for peace of mind
Each item on the list cost between 200 - 700 to sort and apart from that it has been rock-solid.
I don't feel it's all that bad really and I drove it around France to put my faith to the test and it didn't let me down there either.
What I would say though is that the car has been in the family since 99 and the engine blew up at at 15-18k ish and we got a replacement engine put in by Porsche even though it was out of warranty. If I was looking at a low mileage example of a 996 I would definitely either get one with a replacment engine already in there or one which has had IMS mods done for your own sanity if anything.
johno333 said:
Does anyone run a 996 as a daily driver doing 25k miles a year?
Will a 996 last and will the costs be stupid?
Run a Golf Gti at the moment and the Porsche is an itch that just needs itching.
PS. the engine does not put me off - you only live once.
I've done about that much... 02 Boxster with 264K miles works out to 24K miles per year.Will a 996 last and will the costs be stupid?
Run a Golf Gti at the moment and the Porsche is an itch that just needs itching.
PS. the engine does not put me off - you only live once.
On top of that I have an 03 Turbo I bought in June 09 with barely 10K miles and now has over 104K miles. That works out to (since I've owned it) around 25K miles per year.
(Will only briefly mention over 120K miles on a VW Golf TDi in from 02 to early 07 and almost 40K miles on an 06 GTO I bought in early 07 and traded in on an 08 Cayman S in April 09). You think commuting in a 996 is gruesome, try commuting in a 3600lb car powered by a 400hp/400ftlbs 6.0l V8. Actually it wasn't that bad as long as I behaved myself.)
Costs aren't stupid but there is some cost. Fuel. Tires. Oil/filter changes every 5K miles. And little things over the years. But what the heck. Thankfully I can afford the cars. And I much rather commute to/from work in a Porsche than in a tin box with wobbly wheels I don't care how cheap it is to buy/run.
johno333 said:
Does anyone run a 996 as a daily driver doing 25k miles a year?
Will a 996 last and will the costs be stupid?
Run a Golf Gti at the moment and the Porsche is an itch that just needs itching.
PS. the engine does not put me off - you only live once.
Seen as you are going to put that many miles on it, I would look for either a miley one that's had a rebuild with the upgrades or buy one with a blown engine and then you can rebuild it properly.Will a 996 last and will the costs be stupid?
Run a Golf Gti at the moment and the Porsche is an itch that just needs itching.
PS. the engine does not put me off - you only live once.
Either should be possible for circa 13k all in and then you have a car ready for action!
Its very doable. I did 15k a year in a very average car. I didn't mind the cost of rads/pipes/arms, accepted it as the up keep of a high performance car. You'll need a cash float for servicing and parts as they come up, obviously. I didn't have a warranty; nothing went boom.
PM me if you want to see full history/costs that I experienced.
PM me if you want to see full history/costs that I experienced.
It's 'do able' and simple and it's the perfect car for it.
I brought a MY02 face lift C2 in Jul 10 with 58K (absolutely mint for the milage) and sold it in May 12 with 92K, still mint. I actually garaged it over the winter Aug 11-Mar 12 (job change removed the commute) so did 34K in about 14 months. 130 miles a day, mostly A3, Surrey south and back. Perfect way to start and finish the day.
As per other posts suspension, rads, tyres, coil packs all needed attention (and money spending) and I kept it under Porsche warranty throughout (just incase.....). It had already had the RMS done at about 40K with a clutch change. Clutch was still good at 92K, but my commute was easy on it and the brakes.
I also did the double DIN SATNAV upgrade.
If you're careful getting in and out and look after it it'll be fine. Don't believe those that say the interior disintegrates or won't hold up, like everything it all depends on how you treat it.
Was it expensive to run, yes (I also run a LR DISCO and costs were pretty similar), was it worth it, yes, would I do it again, yes, do I regret selling after looking after it so well and spending on it, definitely YES.
In the end, in all honesty, the concern of engine failure did for me and I sold it. I couldn't square how I would feel if it went bang and left me with a big bill when I knew it was, however unlikely, a possibility.
What I should have done, with hindsight, is spend the money and have the IMS done and then keep it.
What selling it has done though is leave garage space for a 997 Turbo...........or a 993 C4S..........
I brought a MY02 face lift C2 in Jul 10 with 58K (absolutely mint for the milage) and sold it in May 12 with 92K, still mint. I actually garaged it over the winter Aug 11-Mar 12 (job change removed the commute) so did 34K in about 14 months. 130 miles a day, mostly A3, Surrey south and back. Perfect way to start and finish the day.
As per other posts suspension, rads, tyres, coil packs all needed attention (and money spending) and I kept it under Porsche warranty throughout (just incase.....). It had already had the RMS done at about 40K with a clutch change. Clutch was still good at 92K, but my commute was easy on it and the brakes.
I also did the double DIN SATNAV upgrade.
If you're careful getting in and out and look after it it'll be fine. Don't believe those that say the interior disintegrates or won't hold up, like everything it all depends on how you treat it.
Was it expensive to run, yes (I also run a LR DISCO and costs were pretty similar), was it worth it, yes, would I do it again, yes, do I regret selling after looking after it so well and spending on it, definitely YES.
In the end, in all honesty, the concern of engine failure did for me and I sold it. I couldn't square how I would feel if it went bang and left me with a big bill when I knew it was, however unlikely, a possibility.
What I should have done, with hindsight, is spend the money and have the IMS done and then keep it.
What selling it has done though is leave garage space for a 997 Turbo...........or a 993 C4S..........
Really, really just do it. We all seem to spend lots of effort worrying about depreciation if we use our cars too much when I reckon most petrol heads on here probably end up rinsing much more money pandering to our desire for the 'next car' and changing too often.
Life is much too short - if you can do your daily in a 996 then bloody good for you. And it's what 911s have always been known for, the everyday supercar.
Let us all know which one you get!
Life is much too short - if you can do your daily in a 996 then bloody good for you. And it's what 911s have always been known for, the everyday supercar.
Let us all know which one you get!
Came from a mk5 gti into my 996 C4.
Not really noticed any terrible costs differences. Strangely, the insurance was cheaper (!), and the road tax is basically the same.
Fuel is a BIT more expensive, but that's it.
6 months of ownership and use as a daily driver, I'm expecting the usual things during the next 6 months - tyres possibly, service, MOT, and I'm probably going to look at the exhaust (but as an upgrade rather than maintenance).
Pads & Discs look pretty good at the moment, but again, we'll see.
So not too bad, but not shocking as previous to the Golf, I had an Audi S4 Avant (hence the username) - VERY similar costs in all fairness.
Dan
Not really noticed any terrible costs differences. Strangely, the insurance was cheaper (!), and the road tax is basically the same.
Fuel is a BIT more expensive, but that's it.
6 months of ownership and use as a daily driver, I'm expecting the usual things during the next 6 months - tyres possibly, service, MOT, and I'm probably going to look at the exhaust (but as an upgrade rather than maintenance).
Pads & Discs look pretty good at the moment, but again, we'll see.
So not too bad, but not shocking as previous to the Golf, I had an Audi S4 Avant (hence the username) - VERY similar costs in all fairness.
Dan
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