MeddlingKid

I have been researching a potential 993 purchase (and also looking at the 3.2 Carreras) this coming summer. However, I wanted to see how many people use these cars as their daily driver/primary vehicle. I live in a large city with a snowy winter, so this car will only be driven during the clean street months. During those months, I plan to drive the car each day to work and back, which will likely be a fairly short commute. The public transportation network out here is pretty solid, so I could just hop on a bus or train if the car needs work done or is in the shop for one reason or another.

Given the availability of alternate methods to get around, it seems feasible to have a 993 as my only vehicle, but I wanted to see whether anybody else has been in a similar situation and may be able to help me think about details I may not yet have considered.

Thanks in advance!

ga993

I use my car as my primary vehicle. However, I work from home and don't have a daily commute. I drive it to the airport once a week and all around town for errands. Having said that, I put 10k per year on it and have never had an issue. I also live in Georgia, so year round weather is pretty good.

porschemikeandnancy

I use my '95 Cabriolet (with Tip tranny) as my daily driver. I also work out of my home. My wife has what I would call our "local" car. If I have to do a local errand, I try and use her car (which gets used daily so it is almost always "warm" plus it sits in a heated garage. I try and not use the 993 for very short trips.

So it winds up at about 7000 miles/year. I do a once/year oil change. Other than routine maintenance, I've not had to do any major work. The 993 is knows for having weak valve guides. Symptom of a worn guide is excessive oil consumption (Porsche defines this as more than a quart/600 miles). Figure on about $7k for a top end rebuild - which many 993's have between 50k and 100k miles.

UserA

I would DD a 993 before a 3.2 just for the AC alone.

MeddlingKid

Thanks for the responses, everybody. Yeah, I've heard those 3.2s aren't the most comfortable cars to drive around in the summertime. The 993 prices seem to be somewhat reasonable, so it seems I can get a pretty good lowish mileage example for around $30k or so. The 3.2 is still attractive to me due to the lower purchase cost and "bulletproof" engine.

In regards to the top-end rebuilds, can a PPI provide some form of estimate as to how long the engine may have before it will need the re-build completed? I'm targeting cars with fewer than 75,000 miles so I could be right in that sweet spot for the re-build (I don't know that I would be able to handle a $7k expenditure in my first year of ownership).

michaelh993

I drive my C4S as my DD, except in the warmer months, when I ride my motorcycle. It snows alot here in Utah, and there were iffy days until I purchased a dedicated winter wheel/tire combo. I do not have a garage, but manage to keep the car looking good. Great cars are for driving.

syzygy

If your commute is rather short as you say, I would forgo any air cooled Porsche as a DD. They really want to be warmed up completely when you drive them. Otherwise, I don't see an issue with a well sorted car.

Rinty

One thing you would want to consider is whether the commute is long enough to get the oil up to temperature. I have taken mine to work a couple of times in the summer, a 10 km trip, and it comes up to operating temperature just before I get there.

If that was the case with your car, you might want to consider more frequent oil changes.

Now I know there are some owners who don't worry about this kind of stuff...

logan2z

I drive my 3.2 Carrera daily and think it makes a great commuter car. My AC doesn't blow cold but I never feel the need for it here in the SF Bay Area (if I lived in Florida or Texas that might be a different story). It's not a lot of fun in stop-and-go traffic, but the same can be said of any car with a manual transmission. It's kind of noisy as well (in a good way!) so it's not easy to take part in a conference call if you need to do that during your commute. A 993 would be another great choice if you feel the need for a few additional creature comforts, like good AC, better sound deadening, etc.

Re: valve guides, the 3.2 Carreras aren't immune to valve guide wear either (just ask me how I know ), so I wouldn't let that be a factor in your choice.

Both cars would be great at DD duties, but they are fairly different animals. Test drive a few examples of both and see which one fits the bill better for you.

logan2z

There are?? You mean I don't have to drive for 20 minutes to the Starbucks that's 1/2 mile from my house?

Wilder

+993.

993c4_Toronto

My 95 c4 is a daily driver from April until December. I also have a short commute - about 4 miles each way. I have been doing this drive for two years and have no problems. Traffic is bad in Toronto so the short commute still takes a while.

IXLR8

You're supposed to use the first six gears...not reverse.

Ed Burdell

A 993 is practical enough as a DD. I alternate between using it and my F150 pickup - On prettier days and party nights, the 993 gets the nod. Mine's a tip as well, so stop and go traffic is not an issue.

993/907

I bought my '95 new and drive it as a DD summer and winter here in Anchorage.
Short commute, 4 miles or so; oil does not get warm.
Garage at night, but sits in the cold during the day; sometimes minus 20F.
I start it several times a day when it gets that cold.
So far so good, 75k miles and no engine issues, knock wood.

Biggest problem I have is having the brakes freeze to the rotors after driving in snow.
The only cure I have found is to carry a rubber mallet and 8" steel rod from my toolbox...a couple of whacks on the rotor near the caliper will free the brakes.

Gordo