MMD

To be that highly reliable as a DD I assume you equipped YOUR car with a spare.

nkhalidi

I'm faced with the option right now of 2000 mile trip over the course of 7 days. 80% of those miles are on major interstate highways. I'm taking my B7 S4, not my 997 because:

- might be more than two people in the car at a given time.
- quieter car at speed
- more cargo space
- S4 has nav, a better stereo (cd changer, mp3 cards, and sat radio), and more comfortable seats
- less risk / liability leaving it parked in what potentially are not the safest areas (city environs)
- attracts less attention

The only negatives I can think of are that the 997 is more fun to drive (negligible when driving 75mph in a straight line), that the S4 already has 7800 miles in 7 months whereas the 997 has 1400 miles in 10 months, and that the 997 gets better gas mileage.

Initially I wanted to drive my 997 on the street more, but the more I take it to the track, the less I want to drive it on the street. For awhile I regretted not having nav and the high-end stereo in the car, but I want to use my 997 as a special car, something I look forward to driving. I don't need the high-end stereo or nav in a track car. But I do want that in a street car. That's the beauty of having two vehicles.

also GT3 seats, a rollbar, springs, and r-comps a compliant street car do not make.

mglobe

I did!

Riad

I just removed the spare from my car... that's why God invented Porsche Roadside Assistance. 1-800-PORSCHE just give them your vin number and location of your vehicle and problem.

You need to be under warranty, or Pre-owned warranty.

MMD

Wow. You've got more faith than I do!

BTW, FWIW, after calling PRA get the name of the towing company and then call them directly yourself. Make sure they send a flatbed; saves time if they send the nearest truck which happens to be a regular tow truck.... .

Riad

I asked the operator one time to make sure they send a flat bed and she replied they never send out tow trucks, so maybe they changed their policy after they had to pay for some serious damage.

dstrimbu

Thanks for stating this one, Dario... when I bought the car, I couldn't stand to get it dirty. Now, I revel in driving the Hell out of it and making it clean again.

Okay, okay... if you're driving an F-car, mileage might be a factor. But not with a modern 911.

And why the heck would I want to own such a perfect driver's car, and keep it nice for the next guy? I bought my dad's E32 735i before I bought the 911; it's a 1990 and he only put 30,000 miles on it in the 14 years he owned it. I bought it for $10k, and the window sticker was North of $55,000.

45,000 + (insurance + fuel + maintenance) = ?? So he spent more than $2 a mile to drive the damned thing? Hey, I'm pretty happy (it looks superb, but had a lot of age related issues with gaskets and hoses - of course, I've changed all of them) - but what was the benefit to him? He got $10k for it (Kelly "excellent" price) instead of $7750 (Kelly "average" price). Wow, what a deal for 'ol dad!

I will not let this happen to the 911. If I can't get at least 10-12k a year on it, I'll sell it now.

The 997 is my daily driver - unless it's hailing. (No airport parking, though... that's what the Bimmer is for).

-don

allegretto

A.S.S. are the most comfortable seats I've ever had next to the thrones in an MB S-class. But the S-class seats don't support you in spirited driving. You won't regret them unless you have a very large butt I guess.

ronmart

Well said!

Coochas

Hi Sullic...
Welcome.
I use my C4S as a daily driver. If you live where it snows you'll need to invest in snow tires/wheels. As for the spare thing, I think Porsche Roadside Assistance is reasonable if you live in a populated area. I added a spare to my car just as a security blanket for road trips.
I think the 911 is a great daily driver - it's very comfortable to drive even on Boston roads!

rebe1

Just purchased my car last week and its already relegated to daily driver duties while my real daily driver is relegated to a corner in the garage somewhere (I'm hoping its there somewhere, don't really notice it much at all). I guess only thing is parking, but even then I just try to avoid grungy looking cars and big SUV's parked close to the lines. If it wasn't for my costco runs, my other car would be out the door.

Dariof

We think alike. Drive the hell out of it, have fun cleaning it, then do it again.

My neighbor has a 996 C4S. About 3 years old, has 2K miles on it. She hasn't even changed the oil. I don't understand it.

vitman

My Daily Driver is a 2006 997 C2S. I have the sport seats (I couldn't see spending crazy money for the adaptives.) It is a 6-speed and even in the traffic of south florida I couldn't be happier. The seats are great. Its incredibly reliable and always a blast to drive. I'm always asking my wife if she needs any errands done so I get another chance to drive. It's usually in sport mode with PSE. The engine doesn't drone. It sings beautiful music. I have had an M3 which is another great (and more practical) daily driver. But we don't buy Carreras for practicality. (That's what the wife's car is for.) There is no better daily driver than a Carrera.

Alan Smithee

That assumes (a) you have access to a phone or are in cellular range, (b) there is a contracted towing company near by that has a flatbed truck, (c) there is an open tire store nearby that is capable of dismounting/mounting low profile tires without damage, and (d) said tire store stocks OEM Porsche-sized tires if the flat is more than a minor puncture.

At least here in So Cal, even in relatively populated areas you will be SOL. A very best-case scenario is a two hour ordeal; worst case is being stranded for days with a nicely battered car in the end, vs. 20 minutes to put on the spare.

Alan Smithee

Sullic - I had an E46 M3, and the base 997 has a similarly stiff ride. The 997 makes for a great daily driver if you don't need the M3's back seat and trunk space. The 997 is actually more spacious for the driver and front passenger...much more headroom, but that's because the seat is much lower...therefore ingress/egress is a bit tougher, but the resulting driving position is better.

B-Line - I have the non-sport seats with memory and lumbar, and they are extremely supportive (equal to the M3's width-adjustable sport seats and my S4's Recaros). The benefit of the non-adaptive sport seats is shoulder support, as the bolstering goes higher up the seat. However, with my wide shoulders I find them too confining for a daily driver (would be a different story on the track with both hands on the wheel at all times).