993 Daily Drive (15K/year)
Discussion
churchie2856 said:
Would it be reasonable to expect a well maintained 993 (with an initial mileage of 100K) to be suitable as a 15K/year daily driver?
My commute is dual carriage 90% of the way. Not worried about the fuel.
Thoughts?
Yeah no problem. Other than when the weather is like it is now, I have no idea why 15K a year 993 as a daily driver would be a chore.My commute is dual carriage 90% of the way. Not worried about the fuel.
Thoughts?
If shes serviced on time, she'll probs do at least another 100K before a rebuild
The answer you are looking for is yes! I use mine daily as a company car.
Currently on 130k and bought at around 70k. Often do 600 mile round trips and I find the 993 is a great cruiser. The seats are very comfortable and remind me of a favourite pair of shoes.
Since owning the 993 I have had the use of a Range Rover Vogue and now an RS6 Avant and the 993 easily wins as the car for long journeys. On motorways you can just sit there and cruise listening to the radio or the engine. And for me the seats as mentioned before in the 993 are more comfortable then the RR or RS6, which is surprising as both of those cars seats look comfy. The car has never,ever let me down and I make sure it is serviced on the button and if something needs replacing it gets done.
So from someone who has had 2 993's and actually has driven them up and down the country I would say go for it. IF you do though take the car to Center of Gravity and have Chris set it up for you. My current car had the chassis refreshed and was set to RS ride height. It looked great but until Chris fettled the chassis I didn't realise how crap it was on M and A roads which I mainly use. So it sits higher now but it has transformed it.
Good luck you won't regret it.
Currently on 130k and bought at around 70k. Often do 600 mile round trips and I find the 993 is a great cruiser. The seats are very comfortable and remind me of a favourite pair of shoes.
Since owning the 993 I have had the use of a Range Rover Vogue and now an RS6 Avant and the 993 easily wins as the car for long journeys. On motorways you can just sit there and cruise listening to the radio or the engine. And for me the seats as mentioned before in the 993 are more comfortable then the RR or RS6, which is surprising as both of those cars seats look comfy. The car has never,ever let me down and I make sure it is serviced on the button and if something needs replacing it gets done.
So from someone who has had 2 993's and actually has driven them up and down the country I would say go for it. IF you do though take the car to Center of Gravity and have Chris set it up for you. My current car had the chassis refreshed and was set to RS ride height. It looked great but until Chris fettled the chassis I didn't realise how crap it was on M and A roads which I mainly use. So it sits higher now but it has transformed it.
Good luck you won't regret it.
One man's meat etc.
i dearly love my 993 but would shudder at the thought of using it as a daily driver. It''s noisy, bumpy, reacts to every slight steering input so you have to be fully engaged to drive it and just attracts too much attention. These characteristics are great when you are in the mood. Personally, I like my daily driver to waft me around effortlessly and quickly with high levels of comfort.
Just my perspective. Perhaps I'm turning into an old fart.
pp
i dearly love my 993 but would shudder at the thought of using it as a daily driver. It''s noisy, bumpy, reacts to every slight steering input so you have to be fully engaged to drive it and just attracts too much attention. These characteristics are great when you are in the mood. Personally, I like my daily driver to waft me around effortlessly and quickly with high levels of comfort.
Just my perspective. Perhaps I'm turning into an old fart.
pp
Pickled Piper said:
One man's meat etc.
i dearly love my 993 but would shudder at the thought of using it as a daily driver. It''s noisy, bumpy, reacts to every slight steering input so you have to be fully engaged to drive it and just attracts too much attention. These characteristics are great when you are in the mood. Personally, I like my daily driver to waft me around effortlessly and quickly with high levels of comfort.
Just my perspective. Perhaps I'm turning into an old fart.
pp
Totally agree with that. After 9 years experience of running a 993 C2 as a daily driver, i finally gave up.. It was old, and fragile. No fun at all trying to dice with modern machinery on fast roads.i dearly love my 993 but would shudder at the thought of using it as a daily driver. It''s noisy, bumpy, reacts to every slight steering input so you have to be fully engaged to drive it and just attracts too much attention. These characteristics are great when you are in the mood. Personally, I like my daily driver to waft me around effortlessly and quickly with high levels of comfort.
Just my perspective. Perhaps I'm turning into an old fart.
pp
I feel a lot happier and safer in my SL55. It's also a lot quicker. Even our diesel 3.0 A5 Quattro is quicker than the 993, because you can drive it to its full potential in all road conditions. Don't let the 993 owners brigade with vested interests try to convince you otherwise.
Catpuddle said:
Pickled Piper said:
One man's meat etc.
i dearly love my 993 but would shudder at the thought of using it as a daily driver. It''s noisy, bumpy, reacts to every slight steering input so you have to be fully engaged to drive it and just attracts too much attention. These characteristics are great when you are in the mood. Personally, I like my daily driver to waft me around effortlessly and quickly with high levels of comfort.
Just my perspective. Perhaps I'm turning into an old fart.
pp
Totally agree with that. After 9 years experience of running a 993 C2 as a daily driver, i finally gave up.. It was old, and fragile. No fun at all trying to dice with modern machinery on fast roads.i dearly love my 993 but would shudder at the thought of using it as a daily driver. It''s noisy, bumpy, reacts to every slight steering input so you have to be fully engaged to drive it and just attracts too much attention. These characteristics are great when you are in the mood. Personally, I like my daily driver to waft me around effortlessly and quickly with high levels of comfort.
Just my perspective. Perhaps I'm turning into an old fart.
pp
I feel a lot happier and safer in my SL55. It's also a lot quicker. Even our diesel 3.0 A5 Quattro is quicker than the 993, because you can drive it to its full potential in all road conditions. Don't let the 993 owners brigade with vested interests try to convince you otherwise.
Well Bert, it depends what your standards are. OK in the dry at sub 40mph, but notoriously nervous and unstable at high speeds once things wear out. I spend years and many thousands of pounds chasing handling faults - as soon as I replaced one component, something else wore out. Great fun. Or, just keep it in the garage. That's what most owners do these days. Nothing wrong with that, it's a quirky classic. Not a daily driver.
BertBert said:
Wow, must be something wrong with the 993 I had. Smooth, quiet, stable, perfect for an everyday drive.
Bert
I must have had a dodgy one as well then as I found it much the same. But having driven a six month old back then 993C2S on 18" wheels with sports suspension it was bloody awful. Comfort suspension on 17" wheels are the way to go. An absolute joy to drive. Bert
Edited by graemel on Sunday 20th January 22:14
Getting a 993 to handle is really simple - I've gone through this...
Simply replace the worn out shocks (they are 15 years old and god knows how many miles old) for standard monroe ones Koni FSD's also do rather well). Replace bushes and top-mounts at the same time. Ensure you have good tyres, Job done.
Both my 993's are really well handling cars - on 18" hollow spokes they DO NOT follow cambers or give bump steer or tram lining - fact. They both float over pot-holes and give confidence-inspiring grip. They do wallow a little by modern-day standards, but on the whole a 993 should handle marvelously.
Anyone who says otherwise has bought the wrong upgrades and is in denial. Or has bad geo!
A 993 is a great car and can easily cope as a daily driver.
Simply replace the worn out shocks (they are 15 years old and god knows how many miles old) for standard monroe ones Koni FSD's also do rather well). Replace bushes and top-mounts at the same time. Ensure you have good tyres, Job done.
Both my 993's are really well handling cars - on 18" hollow spokes they DO NOT follow cambers or give bump steer or tram lining - fact. They both float over pot-holes and give confidence-inspiring grip. They do wallow a little by modern-day standards, but on the whole a 993 should handle marvelously.
Anyone who says otherwise has bought the wrong upgrades and is in denial. Or has bad geo!
A 993 is a great car and can easily cope as a daily driver.
Biggest regret was not using mine as a daily. Once I got it sorted & up to date (suspension refresh, new clutch, service & gearbox oil change) it was good enough for anything I could throw at it.
Trip to the northwest of Scotland with a Labrador in the back? No worries. Drive out to Germany for an open pitlane trackday at the ring? Didn't miss a beat.
Why I didn't use it more I'll never know....
It was comfy around town, had plenty of space & was surprisingly economical.
Go for it I say, worse than leaving it in the garage waiting for a rare sunny day to take it to some country pub to waffle with other beards about how to stop leaky cam gaskets drying out from infrequent use!
Trip to the northwest of Scotland with a Labrador in the back? No worries. Drive out to Germany for an open pitlane trackday at the ring? Didn't miss a beat.
Why I didn't use it more I'll never know....
It was comfy around town, had plenty of space & was surprisingly economical.
Go for it I say, worse than leaving it in the garage waiting for a rare sunny day to take it to some country pub to waffle with other beards about how to stop leaky cam gaskets drying out from infrequent use!
BertBert said:
Wow, must be something wrong with the 993 I had. Smooth, quiet, stable, perfect for an everyday drive.
Bert
This ^ Absolutely correct. Mines an absolute pleasure to drive. I wouldn't think twice about commuting in one.Bert
Sounds like some people have had some really badly setup 993s.
I used to use mine as a daily and it was an utter joy, no problems at all. I am surprised at the comments about some people not being able to keep up with more modern machinery, unless the suspension is very worn and/or geo is out, they are fantastically capable if driven correctly.
These days, due to the nature of my work etc, mine is now a weekend and holiday toy.
Given different circumstances, I would have no hesitation in using it daily again. They are tough as old boots and as long as you maintain correctly, will run forever.
These days, due to the nature of my work etc, mine is now a weekend and holiday toy.
Given different circumstances, I would have no hesitation in using it daily again. They are tough as old boots and as long as you maintain correctly, will run forever.
BertBert said:
Pickled Piper said:
It''s noisy, bumpy, reacts to every slight steering input so you have to be fully engaged to drive
Wow, must be something wrong with the 993 I had. Smooth, quiet, stable, perfect for an everyday drive.Bert
On dry days when the journey is right, and I am in the right mood, I take great delight in firing up the 993. I love the sound of the flat six and have to leave the window open so that I can enjoy the mechanical noises. I delight in heel and toeing and genuinely driving the car. The responsiveness is an absolute joy. Of course, when I turn off the engine, I have to sit and listen to it tick for a few minutes as it cools, and imbibe the air cooled aroma. Even after 8 years I can't walk away from it without giving a second and third glance. I am just not in the mood for it every every day.
I'm not saying others shouldn't use it as a daily driver. If it floats your boat then go for it.
pp
For me this thread shows the difference between what people want out of a daily driver.
You can't deny that there are more comfortable machines and as someone said earlier they found their 5/7 series more comfortable. I would agree the BM's will be more comfortable as they are not sports cars. Same goes for the MB SL. If you compare the 911 to the SL's over the years the SL's are more cruisers so will be more comfortable, whereas the 993 is a sportscar.
For me I prefer the drive in my 993 to the more subjectively comfortable cars I have owned. One of the best cars for comfort and low costs that I owned was a mk 4 Golf GTI TDI. But for me it was boring as hell. And what the op asked was can you use a 993 as a daily?
Perhaps the OP only has the option of 1 car and has dreamt of owning a 993 for many years. His dilema is could he live with driving a 993 everyday? Well I would say that most replies are saying yes, providing the car is set up properly and worn parts are replaced. And providing the OP isn't expecting the 993 to be as comfortable as a 4 door executive car or a 2 door cruiser.
I do not find the 993 a fragile car and it is my opinion that 911 varients such as the 993 where built to be used everyday and to pile on the miles. The fact that they can make the most boring commute exciting and are nice and compact unlike todays cars just makes me want to drive mine more.
One last point, make sure the car has had a proper geo set up. That realy did transform my car and made it much more comfortble.
There are some great views on this thread from 993 owners that have experiance of using their cars as daily drivers. Some still do use them and find them comfortable on the daily grind. Some keep the 993's for speacial drives and as weekend treasures to blow away the cobwebs from a working week.
Good luck with your search and keep us all posted. If it was me in your position I would makesure I had a prepurchase inspection and if the car I wanted was fit and healthy I would book it into Center of Gravity to have it set up and ready for the commute!
You can't deny that there are more comfortable machines and as someone said earlier they found their 5/7 series more comfortable. I would agree the BM's will be more comfortable as they are not sports cars. Same goes for the MB SL. If you compare the 911 to the SL's over the years the SL's are more cruisers so will be more comfortable, whereas the 993 is a sportscar.
For me I prefer the drive in my 993 to the more subjectively comfortable cars I have owned. One of the best cars for comfort and low costs that I owned was a mk 4 Golf GTI TDI. But for me it was boring as hell. And what the op asked was can you use a 993 as a daily?
Perhaps the OP only has the option of 1 car and has dreamt of owning a 993 for many years. His dilema is could he live with driving a 993 everyday? Well I would say that most replies are saying yes, providing the car is set up properly and worn parts are replaced. And providing the OP isn't expecting the 993 to be as comfortable as a 4 door executive car or a 2 door cruiser.
I do not find the 993 a fragile car and it is my opinion that 911 varients such as the 993 where built to be used everyday and to pile on the miles. The fact that they can make the most boring commute exciting and are nice and compact unlike todays cars just makes me want to drive mine more.
One last point, make sure the car has had a proper geo set up. That realy did transform my car and made it much more comfortble.
There are some great views on this thread from 993 owners that have experiance of using their cars as daily drivers. Some still do use them and find them comfortable on the daily grind. Some keep the 993's for speacial drives and as weekend treasures to blow away the cobwebs from a working week.
Good luck with your search and keep us all posted. If it was me in your position I would makesure I had a prepurchase inspection and if the car I wanted was fit and healthy I would book it into Center of Gravity to have it set up and ready for the commute!
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