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Been tracking the 996 market for a while now and am ready to pull the trigger as im kicking off my move to a new city. Job requires a 35 mile round trip commute, 70 miles total 5 days a week, mostly highway.
Lets call it 18k miles per year. Car im looking at from a seller I know is a 996.1 cab automatic with 70k miles on it. PPI came back with flying colors, car has been well maintained. We agreed on $20k. Is this a bad idea? Will I be burning through parts and therefore $$ to quickly making the car too expensive on an annual basis to practically drive?
I dont care at all about resale value as Id intend to drive this car till it dies. Itd be my baby and I would take care of it to the best of my abilities but compared to the unusually higher use compared to most 996's, at this rate how many years of life can i reasonably get. I know the significance of proper preventative care and can do most maintenance myself... I assume an annual checkup from a reputable mech would be smart thing to budget for.
If im going to drive 70 miles a day, I want to have fun doing it.. I know theres a premium required for that. If not then yea I know, get a prius. I dunno guys you tell me. God this car is so sexy. Thanks.
Not a bad idea at all. Short trips will be the death of this car’s engine.
but why not a manual transmission?
edit: besides regular maintenance items like fluids, filters and spark plugs, it’s recommended to also replace the water pump every 3-5 years. The fuel injectors are also recommended to be replaced on a scheduled interval, too. These items are replaced as a preventative measure; catastrophic damage can occur if you allow them to malfunction while on your vehicle.
motor mounts will sag and necessitate replacement.
Your AOS will probably need to be replaced, too.
Porsche parts are sort of expensive, but if you’re handy with tools you can avoid paying someone else to work on your car. You can also save a bundle by shopping around and purchasing online.
Despite the cost of the parts, I still think the 996 is well worth it. This car is so much fun to drive. It’s nimble like a Miata at low speeds, but also stable like an S-Class at high speeds. You can seat 4 people (if you must), and its size allows for excellent maneuverability in tight city streets or rush hour traffic.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have a lot of miles on the car as long as you address all the necessities. I’ve read of forum members having high mileage on their 996s, so it is quite feasible to join the club.
You will need a backup car for when the 996 is out of commission. Any car that is 20+ years old is going to need more care and feeding. Parts are not always as available as they are for other cars.
That being said, 911s are pretty stout cars. Much depends on your driving environment.
The cars will run as long as you keep fixing them. The engine has the most issues and can easily cost more than the purchase price to replace. There are fixes for all the motor's shortcomings and it would be wise to address them as soon as possible.
Incidentally, the 996 Turbo model has a different engine that is about as bulletproof as anything on the planet. There was a writeup about one owner that is approaching 1 million miles on his Turbo.
Whatever you buy, keep a slush fund in the bank for the unexpected and you will be happier.
18,000 miles a year? You could do it on the 996 but you will need a cheap-*** car as a back up when ...
1. The alternator is out and needs to be rebuilt
2. The gearbox is out while waiting for the slave cylinder in the middle of refreshing your clutch.
3. The flywheel is being ground
4. It took longer than 8 hours to replace your coolant tank
5. While replacing the alternator, you knocked the old filler tube and it cracked causing a massive vacuum leak and you have to buy another one.
6. Same with the little AOS vent coolant line
You see what I mean?
I put my wife in a 997 Tipt for years while she was commuting 50 miles a day. There were a few times she needed to drive my Auto-transmission BMW 530xi. The longest was 4 months while I rebuilt the 3.8L engine due to bore scoring.
I daily mine 60-70 miles a day. It helps to make the commute more fun as long as it is not stop and go. This car can get you in trouble though, because of how fun it is. @yelcab is correct. It is 20 years old. Parts are starting to become more rare and more expensive. I had a Prius from 2004 to 2018. I paid my dues and saved the planet. Now it's time for smiles!! And to be fair, my 996 get 25-28mpg on the highway when I'm not driving enthusiastically. Good luck with your decision!
No, just make sure you pay for a tow truck to be driving behind you.
Originally Posted by Tacotown
Lets call it 18k miles per year. Car im looking at from a seller I know is a 996.1 cab automatic with 70k miles on it. PPI came back with flying colors, car has been well maintained. We agreed on $20k. Is this a bad idea? Will I be burning through parts and therefore $$ to quickly making the car too expensive on an annual basis to practically drive?
.
Seriously, there are people that daily drive these cars, but they're rare IMHO. Most here use these cars as weekend fun cars and have another car as a daily. The most they drive a Porsche is about 5K miles per year. Think about it, the car you're looking at is a 996.1 and it ONLY has 70K miles on it. Do the math. Check the CarFax and you'll probably find it has a bunch of owners too.
These cars are a blast to drive, but when they fail, they'll put you on the side of the road. If you're buying this car for $20K, expect to pay at least another $5K getting the basics repaired. The engine needs to be checked for camshaft deviations, rough running, crackcase vacuum, emissions readiness status, and fuel trim. If the mechanic finds problems during the engine inspection and the engine need to be dropped out to replace Variocam wear pads for example, you might as well replace the AOS, RMS, and install a fresh IMS bearing as well as fuel injectors, plugs, coil packs, coolant expansion tank, water pump, thermostat, etc. That would easily add another $5K.
Therefore, budget about $30,000 for this new daily driving itch you want to scratch.
If you don't like scratching a German itch of this size, I recommend a Toyota Corolla.
I drive my 99 coupe tip daily, 50 miles round trip, without any problem. 175k mikes and counting. IMHO, the need for a spare car is overstated. Any car with a major problem will be in the shop for days or weeks. In the three years I have had mine it has been in the shop for more than one day three times; once for the coolant reservior, once for tires and struts, and recently for new radiators.
But it's 20+ years old car so you may want dependability. To get it, you will need to refresh engine parts and get yourself a durametric. Dependability costs money, so unless your a DIY guy, you are looking at $10-15k worth of engine parts and labor.
I see no issue with it. In fact I applaud it. But get your service record history lined up and cross check it with a robust list of refresh items that will be needed. If you are a DIY guy and you know the 996 and would prefer to replace parts as they fail during your commute, your immediate out of pocket costs will be substantially less versus a guy that needs an indy and wants it all done asap as a just in case. This is your call. We have all types of members here with different preferences.
The $10-15k I mention above doesn't not include tires, brakes, suspension and exhaust, which may or may not be in decent enough shape. Your looking at $5-10k for a suspension refresh and $5-10k for an exhaust refresh.
I say go for it. If it was my car, and i was going to DD the car, I would refresh everything needed on the engine first. But hey, mine isnt a DD, just a weekend car. However, i have just gone thru my second 10 year engine refresh because I like it to run at all times with fresh parts. Not to mention I like taking it on long distance trips any time I want without fear of it not working. The car is too great of a vehicle not to take care of it and enjoy.
Just make sure you run great oil and change it frequently and often to keep your bores well lubed with clean fresh oil. With your mileage, i would do it a min of every other month. But it won't be cheap.
I am sure between all of us, we can come up with a "must do" bullet list for you if you want.
Good luck with it
ADD: but it's important to know the condition of your engine before you try this. So it will be beneficial to(1) test the oil to see the condition of your engine, (2) drop the sump to see what in it, (3) scope the bores to see their condition, (4) cut open the oil filter to see what's inside, and (5) review in depth the service history to see what has been done amd even more importantly, what has not been done for service and parts replacement.
What’s involved in an exhaust refresh, and why would it be a good idea? I’m assuming you’re addressing rust issues?
I agree with your post, but especially so about the engine oil.
Yeah. If its 20 years old you may have rust issues or the cats may come apart from the inside. Rubber, plastic and metal all wear after awhile. More if you drive it year round through the seasons. Not a bad thing. Just what happens. If it's a weekend car, it's no big deal. You deal with the parts over time. If it's a DD, you don't want to be stranded right before the most important business meeting of your life.
The 996 can be as dependable as you want to make it. But it will cost you an outlay of capital. To me it's worth it. To others it's not.
05-25-2024, 04:13 AM
Is a 70 mile a day daily-driver a bad idea?
