C6 Man

I've owned a 2008 Z06 for the past five years. The Vette has never had a single issue. I've enjoyed the car immensely but only use it during the warm months. I live in hilly country and the Corvette can not handle the occasional ice or light snow. I really want a sport car that I can drive every day all 12 months of the year. I also want a car that I can have a 10 to 15 year relationship with, I tend to keep my cars a long time. This vision has lead me to the 911 C4S. In regards to the C4S, how is this car as a daily driver? Can the car be counted on to be dependable? Is she a keeper? Is it wrong to drive the C4S in the nasty winter stuff?

82_930

I have already owned 4 Porsches, two of them being C4's... Great, dependable cars! You will not be disappointed. They also will handle much nicer than the Vette's

As far as driving in the snow, the engine weight over the rear wheels helps a great deal. A set of dedicated snow tires will also make a big difference.

PHX 911

You are very fortunate to not had trouble with your C6 Z06. The LS7 in your car likely has an exhaust valve issue, that has grenaded quite a few of these motors. Have a look in the corvette forum under C6 Z06 sub forum.
I got rid of my 06 Z06 due to this issue.
Relative to your question about drivability in the Winter, a plain C2 is a tamer vehicle, and a C4 I would think would be that much better, although I don't have much experience here in AZ.
I have owned and driven both cars, though, and the Porsche has much better manners, and the Z is more visceral.

powderzone

I drive a 4S for seven months of the year including early spring and late fall in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. By "late spring and early fall"...I mean periodic "snow". I've got a second set of rims with winter tires that I use in April and October/ early November and the car corners like it's on rails...even in the snow. Very well planted.
The only reason I don't drive it year round is that they use sand and gravel on the roads in winter and I'd rather not have my car look like it's re-entered the earth's atmosphere. Also it's a cab so not super practical once it gets really cold.
Cheers

TommyV44

I drive my C4S all year round and New jersey can get some snow....sometimes a of of it!! It's great in the snow!! This is my 3rd C4S!

I put my snow tires on in November and take them off in April. I drive it all winter long and it's my only car.

My wife has an SUV but that's her car and she uses it so when I need to go in snow.......it's the Porsche and a smile!



Buy her and enjoy her!

Tom

kosmo

YES, except in the heaviest of snows, when one shouldnt be driving anyway.

extanker

i too had a c6 z06 which i put 50k felony fun miles on it with no trouble but it was time to slow down.....so i bought a porsche. why not keep the vette and buy a cheap winter beater

USMC_DS1

Regarding reliability... my '08 C2S has 61K miles on her and so far the warranty and CPO has replaced two TPMS sensors. I DIY the maintenance and practice preventative measures to insure that she runs well. GL and you'll do well maintenance wise with a C4S provided you maintain the car.

Para82

I can't think of a better all around winter sports car than a 911 C4S.

Also you might want to check out the 07-09 Turbo, the prices are way down.

USMC_DS1

+1 especially since you're considering an AWD model.

JohnnyBahamas

Classic description of winter driving aftermath.

I'm stealing it.

BTW, OP, snow tires on the Vette is the way to go.

Adapt. Adjust. Overcome.

Ynot

C4S is great with proper winter tires, you can definitely drive it all year around.

beden1

I sold my '09 ZO6 last year and then got my '12 GTS convertible. With only 4,200 gently driven miles on the ZO6, the complete exhaust valve assembly had to be replaced under warranty. This was my third Corvette, and unfortunately, I lost total confidence in my car. Corvette Forum is loaded with threads about this same issue. I was fortunate to catch my problem before the engine had more serious problems.

I went to a Chevy dealer this week to look at the new C7. I think GM did a great design job on this new Corvette, which is best appreciated in real life. But, I love my Porsche so much that I had no interest in getting another Vette.

I've always had an SUV for the bad weather and a sports car for fun drives in good weather conditions. It's the best of both worlds, IMO.

Atlas_Shrugged

Same here. I have owned 4 consecutive Corvettes and sold the last (2008 Z06) to get a Carrera S. I have no plans going back. A wise friend told me "the Corvette is a meat clever, the Carrera is a scalpel".

beden1

The ZO6 was fast as hell, but I can actually use the power of my Carrera on public roads.

I love the manual transmission setup, the responsive throttle, and the front end steering feedback I get with the engine in the rear. It is a different driving experience that I'm very happy with.