When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I use an 87 Carrera as a daily driver. It is my only vehicle, but I have access to alternate means. It is a great fun most of the time. I have a 20 minute commute in light traffic, long enough to get the oil warm most of the year. The car was bought as a driver, repainted, with high mileage (215K currently). This is not a pampered show car, though it does get tons of compliments from folks.
With all that said, the poster needs to be ready for some maintenance cost and if he does not do the work himself it can be expensive. I had a major service done by a local guy to make sure nothing had been missed in the PPI. Over the next several months an engine drop was done to address common issues: all fuel, oil and vacuum lines, intake gaskets etc. No matter the mileage, parts age out over time. The suspension and brakes will need attention. Then there is the non cool stuff no one sees: cleaning electrical contacts, rebuilding pedals and linkage bushing, body seals. All this has to be done for the car to be safe and enjoyable daily. For me it is a work in progress, I still have list of little things to do. I would not discourage the original poster form getting one and using it daily. GT Gears post is right on the money, go into it with both eyes open. There is something to be said for the beater car with great heat and AC. YMMV.
you dont keep your car for the next owner. If you drive that much miles a day. why dont you drive something you love and fun.
I commute on my carbon bike. 11.5 miles each way, that's going thru nice bike path and some rough city streets. Ppl keep saying I will wear out the expensive components sooner. Sure, Now I have to look after the components more often. maintaining a carbon bike isn't as expensive as a car but much more expensive relatively in cycling. I WILL NOT get a second bike. The smiles in return is well worth it.
We have uber, lyft, etc should you need to repair your car.
Thanks guys. I was definitely not trying to run off the new guy. I just call a spade a spade. When someone goes on the internet posing a question about "value" and includes such intimate details of their financial situation I will take those disclosures into account in my answer.
The opening post said that he could wait but he doesn't want to wait. That's the problem with kids today. They grow up being told they can be whatever they want when they grow up and here's a participant trophy to prove it. This current generation likely doesn't even realize that people used to put down 20% to buy a house. Now it's 3-5%. I was in my mid 30's when I bought my first home. Kids today expect to buy a condo at 25 just a couple years out of college.
Cheap interest rates have made the future value of money really cheap. It's tempting to go live the dream before one truly has the means. When it costs next to nothing to borrow money why not borrow against my future? Seems they have forgotten that the most powerful formula in the world is the compound interest. You put $8k down on this 40k 911 and it costs you next to nothing over the next 60 months. But what if you put that same $8K into a roth ira for the same 60 months? I love this article: http://www.daveramsey.com/blog/how-t...-millionaires/
If you actually invest that down payment and wait a few year to buy the car, you can buy the car using the interest on your earnings!!!
I wish someone had told me this stuff when I was young dumb and before I was $50k in credit card debt. When I was 17 I worked for a luxury exotic car broker in NorCal. The owners drove a Testarosso and 930 slantnose cabriolet, respectively. As a delivery prep grunt I was driving 911s, Countaches, Ferraris of all flavours, and all the other poster cars. I swore then that I would own a 911 by age 25. But I didn't save for it. I bought skis and bikes and took vacations all over North America courtesy of Visa. I was paying off my lifestyle well past my 25th birthday. I didn't own my first 911 until I was over 35 years old, and then it was a 35 year old 911T I bought for $1000. It was not the 930 I had on my wall as a kid because I couldn't afford one still. Today things are very different.
Am I preaching? Nope. The OP is gonna do what he's gonna do. I am just relating my personal experience around such things in very practical terms. You ask questions on the internet and you often don't get the answers you want to hear. Sometimes you get answers to questions that you didn't realize that you asked in the first place. But advice on the internet is free advice. You are free to take it or free to look at it and say,"I hear you, but that's not relevant to me". You are free to reject that advice. Makes no difference to me either way. I'm not trying to discourage 911 ownership and won't be there watching the OP waiting for his car to break down and then point and laugh "I told you so" when he's going through financial stress. I wouldn't wish that on anyone and wouldn't kick a man when he's down. I'm just willing to be the guy who says,"Be careful. What you are doing might end up with you falling down."
This, if I may be so bold to say, is wisdom borne from experience. All of it. From finances, to listening, to delayed gratification: all of it. To those who may disagree, that's everyone's prerogative. But the school of hard knocks can be a devastating blow or a vast wealth of knowledge: it depends on whether one is ready to learn.
...now off my own
The true depth of his experience was knowing his perfect advice is ultimately useless.
The best part of the post was this: Am I preaching? Nope. The OP is gonna do what he's gonna do.
Listen to what these guys are trying to Communicate to you. These guys would be your reference when and if you ever get one. Be careful not to burn bridges.
Think of it like a track car. It's expensive even when your trying to be frugal! You need to be prepared for major expenses when something goes kaput! In reality you should be in a position to cut your losses if you get in over your head, therefore financing not a good idea..
If you work on your own cars look for a rough sample and treat it like a project, if you don't, don't even consider a project car.
Good luck
This was my first project car when I was 21 just out of the service. I turned it into a true hot rod, money pit! When I sold it in 2001 I was upside down 25k. Wish I still had it based on today's market, but I would probably still be upside down.
You can do anything you set your mind and heart on. That's the short answer.
I've owned and driven far less reliable cars than my '74 911 daily, cross country, in snow above the axles and in unarguably stupid circumstances and NEVER been marooned by a breakdown. I've run out of gas, but that's my own stupid fault. All that said, I can fix anything myself if I have to, and I have had to... So, if you're willing to spend every evening after work, weekend and spare minute that it takes to keep whatever you choose on the road you can do it. Insure it with a company that will not argue it's value if some moron on a cell phone hits you and you're good to go.
All of THAT said, at my age (58) I no longer choose to make those sacrifices, so I have the keys to a 2013 Subaru with heated seats, bluetooth and a usb port for my iPod, and only take my 911 out when I've had the time to make sure it will get me home. Mind you that includes thrashing the $hit out of it on the track 6 or so times a year at DE's, as well as popping the top and taking my wife to the coast when we're in the mood and the weather is nice.
As for financing it, well I can't imagine a lender that would do that (unless you have stellar credit and ample savings), and if you do find one I still would not advise it. When you're starting out a car loan is never a good idea. There are plenty of cars out there that you can buy cash, work on yourself and possibly increase the value of. Work your way up to the Porsche. I coveted one for 25 years before I could afford it, and even then it was a fixer. My total investment in the car below is $20k, including $5K purchase in '98 before the craziness started and $15k in repairs since then and it still looks rough.
-C
Last edited by Charles Freeborn; 12-28-2015 at 12:56 PM.
This thread has caused me to reflect upon my 31 year 112,000 mile sojourn with my 1985 911. It has served as a more or less daily driver and a weekend car over that span.
Previous posters have noted climate is important, and I agree. Where I live, it gets quite hot and humid in the summer, and we get about 35 inches of snow in a typical winter, and consequently road salt. So in the daily driver phase of ownership I also had a beater SUV which was generally only used when the roads were salted. And back then, the modest AC wasn't an issue--my 1973 914 and 1975 911 didn't even have AC, so I was desensitized.
But as time passed, it was the nature of the beater that relegated the 911 to less than daily driver status. Instead of a pos jeep as a beater, I moved up to a used 1990 Audi V8, and the Audi earned equal time. BTW, about every five years I would test drive a new 911, but I always preferred my 3.2. However, the dealer also sold Audi's, and I generally ended up with an Audi. But I had a growing family, which was an influence; the 911 was just for me, and it was always a thrill.
Then in 2011 I purchased a new 997.2. At first I drove the 997 about twice as much as the 911, but now it's about equal. I've noticed that I'm a bit more of a baby about AC, because the 997 gets the nod in really hot weather, or if I have passengers. But when I'm by myself, it's just about always the 911. Now the Audi, a marvelous car, is pretty much relegated to trips and wet or winter weather.
So bringing this back to the OP, the 911 can certainly be a daily driver, but I think the apparent financial constraint will be a killer if he doesn't do his own work. The 15,000 service with valve adjustment and spark plugs will come around pretty often as a daily driver as will tires. This is a serious annual cost; but no big deal if you are putting about 3000 miles a year on it and spreading the cost.
I liked the suggestion about getting a $199/month VW and relegating the 911 to less than daily driver status. Probably cost about the same or less when you factor in the next layer of 911 costs that are mileage related, i.e brakes, clutch etc.
You need to replace spark plugs every 15,000 miles?
Yes, in a 3.2, Porsche's maintenance schedule is valve adjustment, spark plugs, cap and rotor, air and fuel filters every 15 k miles. Brake fluid every two years, oil changes every.....whatever, transaxle oil changes every 30k miles. By modern measures, quite a demanding schedule for a DD. Cheers
I think what everyone is trying to tell you is don't marry your mistress but you need an old head to truly understand the reasons.
I have to 2nd Mondrian here. I love driving my 4 wheeled mistress, but I have my wife that I drive every day because she's comfortable, under warranty, and reliable (and has cup holders).
I own an air-cooled dinosaur because it's fun to take weekend drives in. I'd sell it if it was my only transportation for daily driving though.
I've been driving my '85 911, 4-5 days a week for the past few months. Before then I only drove it once, maybe twice a week. This past weekend I was doing some routine air filter maintenance and discovered a sensor with corroded plastic, lots of electrical tape and a related issue preventing me from running the car (thank God the engine still starts). Needless to say, my Porsche hasn't been drivable for the past week as I've been troubleshooting the issue and am now stuck trying to find a replacement sensor.
I know this thread is several months old, but it seems to have been revived so I'll chime in.
I've been using my '87 Carrera as a DD for over 5 years. The car has been incredibly reliable and, despite a very costly engine rebuild that I knew was on the horizon when I bought the car, it hasn't been terribly expensive to run - although even routine service can get a bit costly if, like me, you pay a mechanic to do it. That said, you really need to consider your own personal situation when deciding to use a 30 year old Porsche as a DD. The HVAC system is marginal at best and so I wouldn't recommend driving the car in hot/humid climates. I live in CA and therefore don't have to deal with snow, but I'd imagine these cars wouldn't be ideal for those conditions either. If you have to commute in heavy traffic, I can think of better choices as well. Other than seat belts, there are essentially no safety features in these cars either, so that may be a consideration too.
I think the car is incredibly enjoyable to own and has given me a ton of pleasure. I'd highly recommend it as a weekend fun car or occasional commuter, but I'm not sure I'd advise someone to own it as their only car, especially if they're on a tight budget.
Another thing to consider is whether there will be passengers on a regular basis. I'd much rather be a daily driver than a daily passenger. In fact, I've noticed that once they get past the novelty of riding in a 911, particularly an older one, passengers don't clamor to do so on a regular basis. Maybe my driving habits....
08-28-2015, 12:19 PM
