pur sang

Greetings. Looking to buy 996 TT Tip as year-round daily driver, even during the Chicago winters. Would it be better to purchase a lower mileage car (about 30K miles) or a higher mileage one (about 60K) and put the money saved for maintenance and inevitable repairs? Depreciation is not a concern, I plan to keep the car for a very long time. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

rmc1148

On average the lower mile car will be a better car but there are always variables. Depends on your budget. I would not choose this car as a year round daily driver= this has been discussed recently as has the question about the miles on car . Search and read to make an educated decision as there are a lot of opinions here.

jeanmarcboilard

I wouldn't drive this car in Chicago winters. Just because it has AWD, doesn't make it a good winter vehicle. It's way too low to the ground. Unless you plan on using the aero front lip as a snow plow.
Buy a clean higher mileage one, and with the extra money, buy a winter beater.

dhc3

I did buy my car thinking that I would if necessary drive it thru a Chicago winter. In reality, you do not want to do this. As mentioned above, you will be snowplowing thru drifts. The huge amount of salt they dump on our roads is not something you want to subject your TT to.
And that being said, I have driven it thru a major snowstorm (yes with PS2's), driven it on clear roads at 25F, but all the while I was freaking out that might wreck it, or some aggressive idiot in a 15 year old rust bucket would take me out.
Buy a nice car, drive the hell out of it for 9 months, get a winter beater. Chicago winters are just not that much fun in a TT.

ReidN

I live in Chicago as well but only drive in the winter when the roads are dry. Mine is lowered 2" so makes it impossible to drive with snow on the ground unless I removed my lip spoiler. But if you get one. Hit me up. Love to take long drives. Mine is a tip as well but I put a paddle shifter steering wheel on mine makes it a different car to drive. Good luck.

Carsly

I have a 996TT in NJ and would not consider using it regularly during our winters. Between the snow drifts, salted roads, hidden ice slicks (frozen potholes) and other hazards it's just not worth it. I do try to run it 1-2x/month in the winter to get the oil flowing but only on those rare days when the roads are clear and preferably when it's a bit warmer - 40's instead of 20's - and ideally if it has rained the day before. The rest of the time it rests comfortably in my climate controlled garage.

Winter is SUV weather, my BMW X5 4.6is loves it.

pur sang

Thanks for the replies. I should have clarified: I have another AWD car for winter use, so the 996 would not need to be used on the worst winter days. The broader question is this: If you want to use the 996 as a driver, not a low-mileage garage queen, is it better to buy a higher mileage car vs a lower mileage one? My budget is 40K max. There are some tempting deals out there on now on higher mileage cars, and these prices will likely come down some more now that summer is ending.

Atrox

In reality the price diff between a 30,000 mile car and a 60,000 is really isn't much. Find something you like buy it drive it.

You are having what I call turbo-itis. Turbo-Itis is an obsessive sickness that will make you eat, sleep, dream, the 996 turbo. Symptoms include but are not limited to:

1. An obsessive need to check auto trader every 15 seconds.
2. Cleaning the garage months before car is even bought.
3. Using a magnet sweeper down your entire alley (neighbors like this)
4. Posting hypothetical questions.
5. Watching every video on a 996 via YouTube
6. Calling on cars you don't really want to buy, but gives you a fix.


Any others feel free to add to the list.

Ridin Dirty

Ha I've driven many AWD sports cars in the snow.... and the 911's are the best! But that's when I was young and stupid. I'm still stupid but I know enough not to drive these in the snow on a permanent basis but mostly b/c of the road salt. Yes the road salt will corrode these vehicles. For example no collector (worth his salt) would ever drive in snow. And unfortunately for you it will cost $ in the long run b/c you are planning on keeping it. Don't do it.

Okay That said to be devil's advocate with the right tires (all season with sipes) a 911 is essentially a snow-cat in up to about 5" ...above that you will be snow-plow....and it will plow too...ha!

Story: My driveway is a football field long and a 15 degree incline all the way up. For some reason I was driving my 993TT home from the dealer and it just laid down some fresh snow. My work mini van on new tires could not make it up the drive.... not even halfway/stuck. I tried it with the 993TT and a friend video taped it and THAT's when i noticed that my viscous coupler was not working..... meaning I only had rear wheel drive!!!!!!!....but it still made it up the driveway!!! I would have never tried had i known i only had rear wheel drive. But that was impressive. Here's vid of me sliding all around. What's crazy is it's really difficult to tell if your VC is bad....again I would have never known had i not tried to play in the snow a lil.

993GT

They are perfectly fine for winter and IMHO are way more corrosion resistant then most cars out there...yes it will take its toll on hardware like any car, but Porsche does an outstanding job with metal quality/coatings and holds up very well.
Buy a much higher mile car (well above 100+) that no collector wants(ie. cheap now, cheap when sold) and use it. Proper winter tires, Cosmoline/undercoat critical areas for added peace-of-mind, and ensure the car's fluids are frequently up to full temperature will ensure a happy ownership.
Make sure to post pics
Cheers,

rmc1148

I have had to drive my Audi tt a couple times in winter for unforeseen reasons the second time a ice pile put a hole in the front bumper big enough to put your fist in = 3000 or so to repair. It may be cool or more fun to drive a 996tt in the snow but makes 0 sense as your taking a chance of ruining a perfectly great car when common sense would say drive a SUV. Its like driving a nail with a sledge hammer, it can be done but with no finesse or common sense.

yjoseph

OK these cars are not a true 4wd system. The front tires at low speeds don't have any pull to help you in the snow.

here is a c4s, its basically a rwd car at low speeds.

The awd system is made to help to help owners from wrapping these cars around trees at high speeds.

rmc1148

^ Idiot taking a chance of hitting all the cars around him=lucky I'm not his neighbor.

Atrox

No kidding, he's to cool for school.

yjoseph

He, like alot of owners, probably thinks he has a true 4wd car.....