mrjonger

I see all the advice on babying the cars. One in particular is try to drive only if you can get it up to full operating temp.

My child's day care is a mile away and my next job maybe another mile on top of that. Would you guys get a separate daily driver? I was contemplating using the bicycle, but it's hilly where I live and lot of times the weather sucks.

Astro

TexSquirrel

Take the long way to work!
It doesn't have to be the most direct route, just the most fun route.

My daily commute it 52 miles.
It normally takes me a little over an hour both ways.
If I lived that close to work, it would still take me an hour to get to work and back.
I just would be having a more fun commute!

911Syncro

I think the question is to ask why there is advice to get the car to operating temperature? Well one reason is to cook off any moisture that may have condensed from the air in the crankcase. Also, I think another reason is that fuel can sometimes wash into the oil, and that will cook of when at operating temperature. Are there other reasons? Besides these things, is the oil more effective at operating temperature? For sure don't rev it too high, let's says avoid over 3,500 RPM until the whole engine is up to temperature (maybe 5-7 minutes), but that probably won't be a problem on these short trips.

We all like black-and-white guidelines -- always do this, don't ever do that. I think these things are always a matter of judgement, so perhaps you'll be fine if you get it up to operating temperature once a week when you go out with the guys every Thursday night, and then take longer drives on the weekend. All Porsches I've owned have been daily drivers, why not?

kromdom

OPTION1: spend $$$ on a "new" car IOT not spend on current car????
OPTION 2: just save the $$$ if/when current car needs it? and miss out on the "smiles per miles" while driving the 996?"

OPTION 2 gets my vote

DBJoe996

I daily drive mine, short distance or more...doesn't matter. Some days only a couple of miles, other days more. The car is damn reliable and fun to drive, even on errands of a couple of miles. Drive...enjoy and don't overthink it.

yelcab

Get a throw away car.

strathconaman

I think the consensus is that short trips are hard on these cars. The cars are very dependent on the lubrication, and short trips are not good for that system. Also, apparently, the enrichment warm up process "washes" the oil from the bores, creating more wear and the possibility of scoring. This is why it is recommended not to idle to warm up, and not to exceed 3-4K RPM while warming it up.

My understanding, and the way I drive my car now, is that until the crankcase is warm, the lubrication system is not capable of handing "Porsche-like" driving. For 90% of my trips/drives, I warm up the car until the oil pressure at idle is well below 2 bars. During that time I try not to exceed 4K RPM, and try to keep it around 3K.

Two days a week I head to the gym for early morning swims. Although the pool is 6 miles from my house, I take the car on a 40 mile loop around the city. The highways are clear, and the average speed of traffic is 75+. I do a couple of pulls to 7K. I autobahn through traffic in 4th gear. I demonstrate to people the superiority of pzero's in the corners. I keep the windows down; the engine makes noises that make me smile.

One day per week I take my two boys to their martial arts classes, some 2 miles from my home. Sometimes you need to use it as an SUV.

However, my highly tuned butt can tell when I have been driving like it like a 911 and when I have been driving like a Camry. I swear to you that it idles smoother and sounds better after driving it like I stole it.

dkraige

I don't think there's anything unique in there about Porsche engines; this advice is true of ANY engine! So if OP buys another car for short trips, it's still going to be exposed to these less-than-ideal conditions. I'd just drive the car as needed for practical use (it is a conveyance, after all!) and occasionally take it for a longer drive to get everything nicely warmed up, fluids circulated, contaminants burned off, etc. No need to buy a different car based on a particular route to work!

wildbilly32

It's a car...Drive it.

808Bill

Best part of my day now is my 12 minute commute to and from work!
I have a nice twisting up and down drive that's being repaved as I type...

charlieaf92

^^^

With previous cars I used to have a daily driver and what I found was that I never got to enjoy the 'fun' car. Sure, it puts more wear and tear on it, but that's how you get enjoyment from it. As others have said, not letting the car fully warm up isn't great for your oil. But, you can avoid most of those problems by making sure to get a good warm-up in semi-regularly to burn off any gas or moisture in the oil. I have a really short commute as well, and I typically just take the long way if I have extra time. I also don't shy away from taking an occasional long trip.

cds72911

Agree.

I don't see the point in buying a second vehicle, if it is just to preserve the 996. Most normally aspirated, non-GT3, 996 aren't expensive/rare/irreplaceable Porsches.

Personally, I take it easy on the car until it warms up, but that is no different than I treat any car. I also don't have worry beads about the engine, ims, etc. So maybe I'm not a good person to ask...

mrjonger

Thanks for the input everyone. Strath highlighted my main concern. Bore scoring on a 996 > $7K beater. Yes, the short frequent trips are likely bad for any engine - but (1) I trust a Honda or Toyota to be more durable (2) it will not cost as much coin if I grenade those cars. The other consideration is where I live - horrible roads in SF and a high incidence of break ins - would be nice if I didn't have to take the Porsche around when going into the City.

Agree the 996 isn't expensive. But it's still money I don't want to throw away. And I make time to drive the 996 every weekend, so I'm not worried about it not getting used.

I'm leaning towards an RSX Type S at this point. But my cheap *** is also reconsidering the bicycle and just driving the 996 when I'm in a huge rush or it's raining.

mayday1

My commute is about 6 miles each way, and my oil doesn't even get close to operating temperature when I arrive at work, it takes a long time to heat up 10 quarts of oil. So I don't drive it for commuting. My miata does get close to operating temp after about 5 miles, so at least I can get on it and have a little fun at the final mile of my commute.

I suggest getting a used fiat 500e for your short commute. It requires no warm up and you can do burnouts while leaving your driveway without harming the car, so you'll enjoy it much more than you can with a 911. A 3yr old fiat is 1/3 the price of an 996 engine rebuild.