Everyday 911 (996)
Discussion
My everyday car has just given up the ghost.
I've found myself looking at 911s, for some reason a 996 appeals. I like the idea of a C4/C4s for the all weather performance.
I drive 250-300 miles a week.
I want a car that is reliable and fun.
I'd prefer a manual, though I do wonder if a tip would be a good choice for daily driver.
Is it a terrible idea.?
I've found myself looking at 911s, for some reason a 996 appeals. I like the idea of a C4/C4s for the all weather performance.
I drive 250-300 miles a week.
I want a car that is reliable and fun.
I'd prefer a manual, though I do wonder if a tip would be a good choice for daily driver.
Is it a terrible idea.?
Both budget to buy and annual budget are relevant given the fact that some cars are now 24 yrs old and the youngest . If the OP can find a well maintained car, the maintenance budget will be considerably less than one that has been kept on a shoe string. The thinking is that you need to allow at least £1k pa average to look after one and that you need a decent specialist to help you with it who can assist with your budgeting!
Op, if you are already browsing the Internet for possible cars, have a look at the online MOT history as it will be a good indicator as to how well the car has been maintained over it's life. A high mileage regularly used car (with good maintenance) can often be better than a low mileage garage queen that hasn't been serviced as it hasn't been driven!!
Op, if you are already browsing the Internet for possible cars, have a look at the online MOT history as it will be a good indicator as to how well the car has been maintained over it's life. A high mileage regularly used car (with good maintenance) can often be better than a low mileage garage queen that hasn't been serviced as it hasn't been driven!!
You need to read this thread (well, not all of it, life is worth living, etc)
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I bought a high(er) mileage 996.1 C2 Manual 3.4 'cable throttle' car in April this year that I daily. I've put ~4k ish miles on it so far and I've loved every second of it. I don't regret it for a second.
My wife has a Land Rover Discovery that we have as the 'big family car' but honestly, a 996 is a practical car if you've got young kids. I do our weekly shop in it and there is loads of room in the front trunk.
With regards your C4/C4S view, I've got no idea where in the UK you are and what local access is like, but living in the Cotswolds I don't drive my C2 and think every corner in winter is a likely death sentence - I've been happily surprised with how forgiving it seems to be - but equally my car has a CG Geo, and I had an early S2000 and didn't crash that backwards through a hedge as I realised cold tyres and wet roads = it won't handle like a hot hatch. (Note: If I bin it this winter, please be kind).
Fun, it definitely is.
Reliable.... its a 20+ year old 911. Whilst you'll read hero tales of sub £300 a year servicing and maintenance costs when people only needed a washer to keep a clean MOT history, mileage and care dependent I'd suggest £1-2k a year to keep on top of things.
As ever, buy on condition and history. Mine had a near multi inch thick history file which included a replacement rebuilt engine from Autofarm back in 2007 with different cylinder liners. However, the real reason I went for it was I bought it off a friend who I knew had cared for it and taken it to specialists and just got what needed done no question. Find a similar car and you should be fine.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I bought a high(er) mileage 996.1 C2 Manual 3.4 'cable throttle' car in April this year that I daily. I've put ~4k ish miles on it so far and I've loved every second of it. I don't regret it for a second.
My wife has a Land Rover Discovery that we have as the 'big family car' but honestly, a 996 is a practical car if you've got young kids. I do our weekly shop in it and there is loads of room in the front trunk.
With regards your C4/C4S view, I've got no idea where in the UK you are and what local access is like, but living in the Cotswolds I don't drive my C2 and think every corner in winter is a likely death sentence - I've been happily surprised with how forgiving it seems to be - but equally my car has a CG Geo, and I had an early S2000 and didn't crash that backwards through a hedge as I realised cold tyres and wet roads = it won't handle like a hot hatch. (Note: If I bin it this winter, please be kind).
Fun, it definitely is.
Reliable.... its a 20+ year old 911. Whilst you'll read hero tales of sub £300 a year servicing and maintenance costs when people only needed a washer to keep a clean MOT history, mileage and care dependent I'd suggest £1-2k a year to keep on top of things.
As ever, buy on condition and history. Mine had a near multi inch thick history file which included a replacement rebuilt engine from Autofarm back in 2007 with different cylinder liners. However, the real reason I went for it was I bought it off a friend who I knew had cared for it and taken it to specialists and just got what needed done no question. Find a similar car and you should be fine.
I’ve owned a 1999 C2 3.4 for 10 years that I initially bought to daily drive but I quickly switched to occasional use. It is a standard car but relatively unrefined and noisy at motorway speeds which gets tiring.
Other annoyances were the long doors and in side by side parking there’s a knack to getting in and out which my back doesn’t cope well with. Boot space wasn’t brilliant.
It became less special very quickly.
Used a few days a month I have found to be a better long term proposition and hope to never sell. Bought a 991 to replace it a few years ago but sold that very quickly - the 996 is a fantastic 911 I just didn’t find it suitable for my daily drive but totally depends on individual circumstances.
4wd definitely not necessary and 2wd will get you anywhere on the right tyres. 4wd will be better in low grip conditions but not a game changer in my view.
At 3-5k miles a year I’ve averaged £3k a year in servicing and repairs at a good indy and that is without engine work. The pattern has been little cost for 2-3 years then a big bill. I could have spent less but want to enjoy fully rather than accept tired suspension/gearbox whine/sunroof not working/aircon warm etc.
Had one journey ending breakdown with flatbed recovery when the water pump bearing sheared but the repair was pretty cheap. Otherwise has not broken down but is very sensitive to battery condition. If you are lucky and buy a good one you might get away with low costs for a couple of years but at the proposed annual mileage there will definitely be sizeable bills to keep in good shape though the likely lack of depreciation should offset.
Rust becoming a problem now. I have used mine all year but now have blistering on sills and wings so will get that fixed and switch to summer use.
None of this is 996 specific and dailying any 20 year old car will be the same. But for the cost of a good 996 I’d be looking at an equally good cayman/boxster for less money and spend the difference on a Golf for the boring miles.
Other annoyances were the long doors and in side by side parking there’s a knack to getting in and out which my back doesn’t cope well with. Boot space wasn’t brilliant.
It became less special very quickly.
Used a few days a month I have found to be a better long term proposition and hope to never sell. Bought a 991 to replace it a few years ago but sold that very quickly - the 996 is a fantastic 911 I just didn’t find it suitable for my daily drive but totally depends on individual circumstances.
4wd definitely not necessary and 2wd will get you anywhere on the right tyres. 4wd will be better in low grip conditions but not a game changer in my view.
At 3-5k miles a year I’ve averaged £3k a year in servicing and repairs at a good indy and that is without engine work. The pattern has been little cost for 2-3 years then a big bill. I could have spent less but want to enjoy fully rather than accept tired suspension/gearbox whine/sunroof not working/aircon warm etc.
Had one journey ending breakdown with flatbed recovery when the water pump bearing sheared but the repair was pretty cheap. Otherwise has not broken down but is very sensitive to battery condition. If you are lucky and buy a good one you might get away with low costs for a couple of years but at the proposed annual mileage there will definitely be sizeable bills to keep in good shape though the likely lack of depreciation should offset.
Rust becoming a problem now. I have used mine all year but now have blistering on sills and wings so will get that fixed and switch to summer use.
None of this is 996 specific and dailying any 20 year old car will be the same. But for the cost of a good 996 I’d be looking at an equally good cayman/boxster for less money and spend the difference on a Golf for the boring miles.
A long time ago now, but when I bought my 996 - I still have it - I used it as daily driver for a 100 mile round trip commute in all weather for 18 months and added circa 24k miles - 99k to 123k
I might be jinxing myself here, but in that time what I did was some preventive maintenance
- IMS bearing
- thermostat
- full service
and then changed the oil every 10k miles.
What broke in that time:
- a light bulb
Now it's time to do some recommissioning with suspension, brake lines and rads and a new exhaust, but other than that it was perfect and great to live with.
I don't know if it matters, but I never let the car idle at start. Start, set off and let the engine warm up for at least 15 minutes, possibly more, before giving it the beans, which I did on a daily basis.
I might be on the opposite side of the curve from those who say you need minimum £10k per annum to run one of these, but that's my story.
Ah, I also replaced all discs, pads, tyres and coil packs in the intervening 10 years where it's lived in hot storage until last spring.
I might be jinxing myself here, but in that time what I did was some preventive maintenance
- IMS bearing
- thermostat
- full service
and then changed the oil every 10k miles.
What broke in that time:
- a light bulb
Now it's time to do some recommissioning with suspension, brake lines and rads and a new exhaust, but other than that it was perfect and great to live with.
I don't know if it matters, but I never let the car idle at start. Start, set off and let the engine warm up for at least 15 minutes, possibly more, before giving it the beans, which I did on a daily basis.
I might be on the opposite side of the curve from those who say you need minimum £10k per annum to run one of these, but that's my story.
Ah, I also replaced all discs, pads, tyres and coil packs in the intervening 10 years where it's lived in hot storage until last spring.
It's like any old car. You can buy one that's been well looked after, is the typical "triggers broom" with all the bits that wear out done and it will be as reliable as a much newer car. Or you can buy one that's just about to need all that stuff done. If you end up with the later it will be unreliable AND VERY expensive.
Being an old car with a good community of owners all it's flaws are known so there are very few mysteries when bits do break.
Being an old car with a good community of owners all it's flaws are known so there are very few mysteries when bits do break.
wheelbarrowman said:
I'd prefer a manual, though I do wonder if a tip would be a good choice for daily driver.
Is it a terrible idea.?
I'm a manual die-hard for sports cars, HOWEVER - in your situation, being open to (and I can see why) a tiptronic has a huge benefit in that they are much, much less sought after.Is it a terrible idea.?
Given that the 996 is firmly in 'modern classic' land, this could work really well. A tiptronic C4 is just about the least 'desirable' 996, and thus bizarrely, could mean you could get yourself a much, much, much nicer car, pound for pouind, than everyone fighting over the cable throttle aerokitted C2s!
And actually - an automatic, all wheel drive 996 would make a lovely, lovely daily driver/commuter!
Interesting recent video about the Tiptronic gearbox.
A Tiptronic 996 wouldn't suit my driving profile for a classic 911, but it may very well suit yours!
I wouldn't mind a Tiptronic 996, especially a C4, if I'd use it as a daily driver in a congested area.
Pretty much everything else has been mentioned by others before.
Main thing being: these are classic cars now. Nothing wrong with this and still perfectly usable as a daily, but you need to know what you are getting.
snotrag said:
I'm a manual die-hard for sports cars, HOWEVER - in your situation, being open to (and I can see why) a tiptronic has a huge benefit in that they are much, much less sought after.
Given that the 996 is firmly in 'modern classic' land, this could work really well. A tiptronic C4 is just about the least 'desirable' 996, and thus bizarrely, could mean you could get yourself a much, much, much nicer car, pound for pouind, than everyone fighting over the cable throttle aerokitted C2s!
And actually - an automatic, all wheel drive 996 would make a lovely, lovely daily driver/commuter!
Just seen snotrag commented in the meantime. I can only echo what he said! Given that the 996 is firmly in 'modern classic' land, this could work really well. A tiptronic C4 is just about the least 'desirable' 996, and thus bizarrely, could mean you could get yourself a much, much, much nicer car, pound for pouind, than everyone fighting over the cable throttle aerokitted C2s!
And actually - an automatic, all wheel drive 996 would make a lovely, lovely daily driver/commuter!
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