Nitrousbird

I was recently promoted but loose my company car in the process. I have a truck that is my non-work vehicle currently, but is getting up there in miles and drinks the fuel, so I want a fun DD. 996 is currently at the top of my list, using the truck for snowy days.

Will drive 12-14k miles a year; 50% freeway, 35% 45-55MPH zones, 15% slow/heavy traffic driving.

I'm only considering C2 Coupes (could deal with a C4), manual tranny, under 100k miles, good condition but doesn't need to be a creampuff. Would like PSM and Bi-Xenon's but not a deal breaker. Upgraded wheels (if I like them - OEM style) would be a bonus. 20k max budget, under 100k miles.

I am aware of the IMS Bearing, RMS, wife has an Audi B7 A4 so I know the hell that is working on German cars, and turn my own wrenches. I also know how to buy parts online and have a 2nd vehicle to handle down-time.

Questions:
Tire Wear: Assuming a harder-rubber tire, what can I expect? I'm reading 8k for rears and that seems pretty awful. Car will not be raced

Clutch Life: I have been driving a standard for a long time, don't hover the clutch or ride it out, won't be doing burnouts/power shifting or other abusive stuff. How long does an OEM style typically last?

Fuel Mileage: What can I expect real world fuel use?

Other Issues: Any other common problems I should be aware of? I've heard a bit about folks replacing the AOS. Anything else?

I'm trying to get a realistic feel for what a 996 will cost me. I figure I'll need $1000 to cover parts for a clutch, IMSB, and RMS if not recently done.

Dennis C

I drove my 996 C4S as my daily driver for many years. I got around 8,000 to 10,000 out of a set of rear tires and typically double that out of a set of fronts. Tires make a huge difference in the way that these cars handle, so you should consider that as you make your plans.

My original clutch lasted over 120,000 miles. This is very driver dependent as well as mileage dependent. Obviously highway miles don't impact it as much as stop-and-go traffic.

In mixed driving, I typically got about 21 mpg in my 996.

Other issues are well documented as you have seen. You're buying a car that's over 10 years old, so stuff breaks and stuff wears out.

I enjoyed my 996 as a daily driver.

mharrison

I've been driving my 2001 C2 for a few months now as a daily driver. I get 16-18mpg, but my foot is in it a lot! I thoroughly enjoy having it as a daily driver and can't imagine keeping it parked and driving some econobox every day.

DB's997

Mine was my DD for 1.5 years, Less than 1 year or 10,000 miles per rear tires.
16-18 mpg if you drive it like it was supposed to be driven. My Dad's truck became my DD when he died.

Meares

My 03 coupe base has 154,000 miles. I drive it 800 miles per week. Tires: 2:1 rear to front....Conti DW...can't remember the exact mileage for the rears but 20 - 25K miles stands out for some reason....the original clutch was replaced at 110,000 and had about 40% left on it....I get 28-29 MPG from Pinehurst NC to Atlanta on 85 South or North running 10 - 15 over the posted speed limit....other issues, read the posts and they'll jump at out at you...I had the dealer do all of my repairs and Porsche gives you a 2yr/unlimited mileage warranty...

DBJoe996

Guess I'll take the bait. 99 C2 w/131,000+ miles, 8-10,000 miles per year. Daily drive it like a delivery truck. Original clutch but I'm an easy driver. Had to replace tires not because of wear but age (they were getting close to 6 years old). I had probably 30,000 miles on those tires (Michelin PSS2). PCar properly aligned will get plenty of miles out of the rears, more out of front. Standard stuff replaced (belt, plugs, battery, AOS, starter, shocks, brakes, blah blah...hell it's a 15 year old car). Do my own wrenching so no problem. I get around 14-15 mpg around town, cruising around 25-26 mpg. It is a great car for daily driving, very dependable and reliable. Always looks great after a day of work. I love it. The only problem I have is when I pull up to a client office they say "boy are we paying you way too much!"

Spokayman

I don't DD my C4, but I can add that my Conti DWS rear tires currently have 14K on them and they have plenty left (probably more than 20K total). Alignment is key to keeping the rear tires from chewing themselves up.
In the big picture, there are far more "reasonable" choices for a DD, but I am all in favor of driving what you like. Life is too short, and opportunities are too few and far between, etc.

Also remember that when these cars were new they were DD by many of their owners.
If you start with a well maintained car and you know enough about mechanical things to be able to tell when something is going amiss, I think these can make a perfectly reasonable DD.

c4racer

I just picked up a '99 C2 with 103K miles to be my main daily driver. I also have an E39 M5, but wanted to preserve the miles on that car. I drive about 20K per year total, maybe 2/3 of that for work - I am in outside sales, so that includes customer visits and getting to the office, etc. I plan to drive the 996 at least half of that total yearly mileage.

Just got it a few weeks ago, but so far I am loving the car as a sports-car daily driver.
More engaging to drive than the M5 in my use which is short highway stints and mixed roads, expressways, business areas, etc. So far getting close to 20mpg too which is slightly better than the M5 does in the same conditions.

Mine had original clutch replaced along with the LN IMS bearing at 93K miles.
No idea how the tires will wear, but I suspect better than the nearly 4Klb M5 with similar sized summer rubber - I run Mich PSS on that car and seem to get 20-24K out of rears and 25-30K out of fronts. Even if the 996 was the same I would be happy with that.

Spokayman

As others have said, you can expect to get about twice the mileage out of the front tires as the rear. Many experience as little as 8K for rear tires, but others seem to get 20K or better. Choose your rubber carefully and get a rear alignment (toe-in is the critical thing to get right).

KrazyK

I would consider something else for a DD. The 996 PM costs is way too high compared to more preferable DD's. Have you priced a set of Mich PS2 rears? Try $456 each. Insane for a DD.

996inTX

I drive mine every day. Tires are probably the most expensive part, so far. Mileage varies, but I avg around 17 around town. As for doing your own stuff, the 996 is remarkably wrench-turner friendly. I do a lot of stuff myself, but I don't bother with my other cars, as they are more complicated. And this forum makes it easy to take on mechanical tasks as there's probably someone on her who's done the same task already.

Jump in, the water's fine.

c4racer

?? Really? From where? Mich PSS are $287 from TireRack right now in the 285-35-18 size.

If you wanted to stay budget on tires, run the original 17" wheels and TR has several complete sets of tires available for under $500.

Pretty much every daily driver I've ever owned has had similar tire costs - that's what you get with a performance car with summer tires, be it a sedan or a sports car. Wouldn't cost any less if you drove a BMW E90 3 series with the sports package - in fact that would cost more since those use run flats.

Anyway - that sounds a lot more like a personal judgment than serious advice to me. I don't think the OP was asking if a 911 is the cheapest car available to use as a DD. But you know, not everybody wants to drive a Camry every day. Life is way to short for me to waste my time in such an A to B appliance unit. No thanks! But if that's your thing, that's great - be my guest. Just not the solution for everybody.

I daily drive a 911 and an M5, and I can assure you I am not an insane person.

Rubik

The 285/35R18 is a non-standard size, but it's the route I'll take. If you don't want to deviate from the standard size, then krazyk would be right.

c4racer

the standard size on my 99 is 255-40-17 and a PS2 in that size is $288.
Only $188 for the front.

And the 18" OEM size 225 and 265 are $182 and $224 respectively for the PSS. I run those on my M5 and they are equal in performance to the PS2 in dry and wet and they last longer and cost less. Not sure why you wouldn't run those.

FWIW the PS2 in the OEM 18" size is $369 at TireRack

Nitrousbird

I wouldn't run those tires - I've had a couple bad experiences with Michelins and have no interest in running them.

265/35/18 - Continental DSW's can be had for a little under $200/each. We ran those as the last set of tires on my wife's Audi. Nitto NT 555's for $175 (I ran those on the front of my Formula Firebird in a 275/40/17 and was happy with them). Tire prices seem pretty sane to me. Even if I wanted the PS2's (I don't), Discount Tire has them for $357.

What other parts are insanely priced? I know you don't want to jack up the flywheel as it is super pricey. Obviously an engine rebuild is pricey. RMS is cheap, IMSB isn't too expensive...what are the big price items from a PARTS perspective?

It's not the only car on my list. I'm also considering a 650i (manual or SMG, coupe) or perhaps a 135i coupe (which is actually a lot hard to find than a 6-series or 996). There are a few others less likely contenders on the list...I'll be doing some test driving the next couple of days. 996 is still calling out to me the most for now.