Pay the 60 bucks and get AAA membership - you'll be covered.

I recently started a new job here in the States after working mostly overseas and i've been driving the 911 in every morning - even some stop and go and I love it. Manual is fun in all situations.

Now the question for me is when will I get the guts to drive my Boss302 to work,quite a handful at 5am in the morning but I think I should still do it once in a while.

Nothing like waking up to my freshly waxed 911 and firing it up to go to work.

 

Woohoo! Glad to hear that you've made your decision and joined the club. I certainly understand the adrenaline kicking in to get you up and out early... as someone once posted... "it's not just a commute, it's practice". I still look forward to each and every drive.

If you with AAA or something similar and have to make a call for a tow, make sure you tell them what car you have and that a flat bed with an experienced operator is a must. AAA is cheap and doesn't always get you immediate service from what I hear (I originally bought it for my kids when they were driving back and forth from college on weekends). If you are cheap like me, you can get the cost back using AAA discounts at hotels and restaurants.

 

I drive my 2005 C2 which I had since new to work as much as I can lately 2-3 days on I78,turnpike, 22 in to and out of Jersey City. Road noise is not bad with Mich SS's and ride is not bad with 18 inch rather than 19inch. I look foward to the ride home every time . On long stretches (like I95 I row thru the gears, change lanes (sharply but carfully) it is way more fun than my MB 2012 E350 (my DD) which is boring and I don't look foward to the drive home nearly as much. Driving home in the 911 is the added bonus in addition to the end of the workday (for the most) .

 

Congratulations on the acquisition. Now, simply, drive if every chance you've got!

 

Also got an '08 Targa 4S but in September with 18K miles. My short (3 mile) commute is a lot of fun but I can tell you it is impossible not to go crazy on the accelerator from starts

Accelerating (0-60) and cornering is all the fun (especially on a short drive)

 

" I have to admit that it gave me pause that this car has no spare tire. Anyone find road-side assistance a must? "

I just bought an '06 that includes the optional spare tire kit...never used and with all the tools intact (the car still had the original factory tires). The kit is a PITA...heavy and takes up space in the front trunk (where it can damage your bonnet) or on the rear parcel shelf. I removed it and will be relying on a plug and inflator kit.

 

Congrats on joining the club!!!

Get CSAA extended and you'll have peace-of-mind.

My commute is from upstairs to downstairs office in pajamas past the C4S. I oftentimes commute back upstairs, get dressed and take an extended break firing up the beast and getting some morning practice rowing through the 6MT, and in the process, waking the cows up in West Marin.

I typically awaken up with a smile on my face, however after some AM practice in these machines, I get an even stupider smile on my mug!

Enjoy your new ride and I hope to see you on one of the NorCal practice sessions!

P.S. Have we seen pics of your 997?!

 

I paid $29k for my 03 996 C2 with 39k miles on it. I bought an aftermarket service contract/warranty that covers the meat and potatoes. Using a 911 as a daily driver is not about what the miles will do to the price when you sell it, it is about the value it adds to your life as you live it. You might even find you love the car so much that you won't want to sell it...ever. Such was the case with 1964 356 I read about. The father bought it new in 64 and sold it to his son in 1968. It has been the son's daily driver ever since, with standard long drives as part of his business. It is just about to turn 1,000,000 miles...yes one million miles. He has rebuilt the engine every 300,000. The longer the owner has had the car the more he loves it. I can't think of a better Porsche relationship to experience.

 

I use my 996 as a DD. Not a lot different from a 997. Excellent commuter car.

 

Plug/fix-a-flat and inflator kit only works for small tread punctures like from a nail, not sidewall blowouts or major tread damage. And roadside assitance is useless other than to flatbed you to the nearest Porsche shop or tire shop (which probably would need to order a tire if they can't fix it). Another reason I never take my Porsche on trips or more than an hour's way out in the boonies. In fact whenever I have to go 2-3 hours away I rent a car, that way if something went wrong I 'd just call the rental company and they'd send me out another car. Had it happen more than once...they sent a new car on a tow truck and towed the old one away, didn't have to inconveniece myself trying to get my car repaired.

 

I drive my C2S Cab to and from work perhaps half the time regardless of (Seattle) weather. Much more fun, but be forewarned: With my pickup truck my normal commute is 8 miles, or about 15 minutes. With my 997 it is about 20 miles, or about 30 minutes. More fun car = longer commute.

Also, the "S" has an auto-adjusting clutch, so heavy clutch is not an issue in my case or yours. However, less fun in heavy traffic, which I generally avoid.

+1 on Michelin Pilot Super Sports. While not exactly quiet, they are quieter than Pirelli Rossos and seem to last a little longer. I don't worry much about long drives, but I do carry tire plugs in board as well as the goo as a last resort. If you don't already feel comfortable plugging a tire, have your tire shop demonstrate and let you practice on one of their worn out tires.

My biggest concerns have been avoiding the multitude of gravel trucks that swarm in this area (it has already cost me one windshield -- I now keep back) and parking in a safe spot. At least at work I am okay as I own the company and can select my parking spot first. My parking anxiety has gone down as I treat my 997 more like my normal car over time.

Driving a lot means having to wash the car more often. I find it an enjoyable way to relax except for cleaning the 15-spoke SportDesign wheels, which is like brushing teeth of a family of hippopotami and takes considerably longer than washing the car itself. From the vanity standpoint, I put on Hawk ceramic pads. In the past my OEM pads made my wheels look filthy in less than a week. Comparable Hawks take two or three weeks to start looking as bad, but they still have to be cleaned periodically. Frequent use of my car has me appreciating and coveting other wheels with merely 5 spokes.

 

"Plug/fix-a-flat and inflator kit only works for small tread punctures like from a nail, not sidewall blowouts or major tread damage. And roadside assitance is useless other than to flatbed you to the nearest Porsche shop or tire shop (which probably would need to order a tire if they can't fix it)..."

Very true. I once managed to blow out two runflats on a BMW 135 after a snowy night time slide into a curb in DC that slit two sidewalls. I used AAA roadside assistance to get me and the car home (instead of BMW assistance that would have taken me to a dealer).

One advantage to living in the tropics (am now in Dominican Republic) is that we have informal roadside tire repair shops all over the country. My last flat was on a remote highway driving my '13 Mini GPII which came from the factory with Kumho Ecsta semi slicks. The car's inflator kit was good enough to just get me to a roadside repair shop about 3 miles down the road. The tire was unrepairable, so we mounted a crappy old (but functional) used sport tire that got me to my destination and back that day.

Prior to that I had a front thorn flat on my '13 Husky Terra 650...was able to nurse it to a roadside repair about 1 mile away to get the tube patched.

The plug and inflator kit is not for all situations but it should cover most of the issues I'll have with tubeless tires here. I carry it in my 997S, Mini GP and on my KTM1190 Adventure. For all others, I'll be hunting down the nearest tire guy.

 

I waited 32 years for my first 911 (09 C2), so I have been driving it as my DD. I have put nearly 30K on it in two years and have loved every minute of it. Will keep this car for a long-time and hopefully pass down to one of my sons. The only thing is maintenance costs hit you a lot quicker! Tires, pads, rotors, oil changes, etc... I am a DIY kind of guy so I have already saved around $2500 + so far. Still have another year on CPO thankfully! LOVE MY 911! Buy it, drive it, enjoy it!!

 

Eloquently put. I've a high-mile 997.2, bought it with 82k now it has 92k miles and I have a 100 mile commute. I struggled initially putting all those extra miles on it. I'm now over that and just enjoying the fact its a daily driver. Every morning before I leave work and evening when I leave the office, I get a little bit excited thinking that I get to drive that car.

 

Yup and the nice thing about a 911 is that excitement is permanent - over 5 years commuting with mine and driving to work at 5am is something I really look forward to. Kind of wish my commute was longer actually - only about 14 minutes (25 if there's heavy traffic). Would be cool to get a solid 45 minutes in before work. Still nice though.