hhackma

Was wondering how many of you use your 997 as a DD? I'm tossing the idea around and would like to hear from those that are.I live in the Dallas-Fort area and have a 30 mile(each way) commute. I have an older Porsche, but do not want to put the miles on that car. What has your experience been? What maintenance expense can I expect? Any issues with the cars. Your thoughts would be appreciated..

Fahrer

I think there are two areas to consider in my opinion;

1. Tire wear - the rear tires will likely last about 15 K miles. The fronts will last about 30K miles.

2. Hood damage - the cars are very susceptible to damage from road debris.

The cars are otherwise, reliable.

Dennis C

I drive my 997 TT cabriolet every day. It's a great daily driver! I have extensive clear bra on my car to deal with the issue noted above.

Falcondrivr

Get one with PASM and lots of the luxury options and you will love it as a daily driver.

malahhaor

Mine is a DD. Something getting used to (I came from MB S550 as my DD) but can be done. More I drive it, more I love it.
As long as you do the proper maintenance and get some sort of protection for the bumper and the frunk, you should be fine. My only complaint is the warm-up time in the winter, it takes a long time for the car to warm up everything (oil, trans, suspension etc...) but should not be an issue if you're in TX.
If i'm better off financially this year i'll probably get something for the winter for those extra cold days. Always wanted a G class

malahhaor

+1, the stiffness of standard shocks is getting to me. on DD its a bit much for my taste. I'm looking to get PASM retrofitted. C2S I test drove was just right but couldn't get it at the time.

garyinseattle

My Wife, daughter and I have 4 cars. Two of them MB's and One MDX. I use my 997 as my dd and it works out great. The other cars are more traditional dd's, but why pass up the chance to drive the 997? I have had a P car of one model or another for over 20 years. I have had points in time with long commutes where the P car was a weekend car, but I have changed my thinking as I age. I only drive 3 miles each way to work, which does help i guess.

SamDaMan

I'm a noob P-car owner; bought it with the intent of using it as a DD. I'd been using an SLK for the past decade as a DD. Here are my early takeaways (5 months, ~2,200 miles) from using the '12 GTS cab as a DD. My commute is 12 miles each way through traffic.

1) The ride is stiff, and potholes/winter roads make it worse. PASM doesn't seem to make much of a diff in softening the ride.
2) Tire pressures matter a lot to (1) above. Harder to get right in winter given PV=nRT, but I've found 32/38 to work best in this weather (cold tire temp).
3) PDK is essential to my commute - I couldn't bear to be rowing through MT in traffic
4) There is plenty of room for everything between the frunk and the rear seats - for groceries, off Home Depot runs. The only thing I can't seem to do is to bring back a large dry-cleaning load - no place to lay it flat!
5) As others say, get the front clear-bra
6) Sports mode is awesome, and I rarely now drive w/o it. Seems to reduce mileage by ~3mpg, fwiw.
7) Having the option to turn down the sound (PSE) is useful for me so I am not p&^%ing off the neighbors
8) The chin scrapes on my driveway. I've come to live with it, and will I guess re-paint a couple of times a year. It's low enough that you have to be careful pulling into some parking lots.
9) The steering is heavy at low speeds and rear-sightlines (at least in the cab) aren't great, so backing out of a parking space is to be done verrrrry slowly!
10) All good list have 10 things - so - even after all of the above "concerns", I'm totally jazzed I traded up - the handling, the sound, the spirit, the precision - I get to use that every day and feel GREAT!

Sooner

I use mine as a DD. 2009 C4S. +1 on the PASM. In normal mode it's very comfortable on my 25 mile commute, actually a bit soft. Nice to be able to hit the sport button and have it come to life. I think PDK is also a must have if you are commuting in traffic. I spent 5yrs commuting in a 993, which I loved, but the 997.2 is much much more comfortable as a DD. It also blows people's minds that I can get nearly 30mpg commuting in the 997.

beers4all

I use mine as a DD. My commute is 200km (120 miles) round-trip daily. Even through a harsh Canadian winter the car performed flawlessly and is a joy to drive.
Stick to the service intervals and get 3M or similar protection. These cars are built to be driven.

tomc_mets

+997 on all the above. I live in DFW, own a 997, but don't DD it. I especially re-emphasize the point above about trying to get one with as many of the creature comforts as your budget allows, if you are going to use it as a DD, to make the commute a tad more bearable. If I'm in the car more than a couple of hours having the seat warmers are great (for the cranky old back) is a nice feature, and seat ventilation is a great thing to have in Texas during the hot weather….T

SJP3003

I used my first 997 as a DD in Miami. It was (as is my current 997) a MN6 with PASM. I didn't mind driving it in Miami's heavy traffic. I covered the front bumper with a clear shield when it was new.

Now I do not use my current 997 as a DD...main reason is traffic is not only heavy but crazy in the Dominican Republic and I value my car too much to be trundling around with bicycles, small motorbikes, and maintenance deprived cages and trucks inching by. Sometimes I can't resist and drive it regardless for the daily commute, but I usually stick to my X5 50 or Mini for city commuting.

On weekends and evenings, however, you'd need to pry my fingers from the 997.

7391420

I use mine as a daily from April-Snow flies

I came from an 86 911, and was driving that car so much that I decided that I needed to get something newer/safer...

I'll eventually get another air cooled car- likely a 914 and build a 6 out of it-but will try to hold onto this one as it is such a great daily driver.

997_Toronto

Get Opti-Coat and you don't have to worry about paint nicks due to debris.

Wayne Smith

Point 10 ... Point 10. Life is too short.

My commute is 30 miles one way, mostly freeway, unless I get an early start and take the back roads (45 miles done right). Done this for almost 7 months. With several trips between Northern and Southern Cali I've got 12K in that time. The 2010 C4S with PDK is perfect for this. It's such a relief to have an option to driving my wife's Lexus!

These cars want to get warm. Shorter commutes might not work as well. But the OP said 30, and that is a sweet spot!