911Stalker

As someone planning to buy a 911 to use as a daily driver, I'd be interested in some thoughts from people with Porsches as daily drivers as you think about the times when you specifically DON'T or WOULDN'T drive it, even though it's meant to be your primary transportation. In the strictest sense, that means you'd choose to drive a different car (or not drive at all) in these situations. I'm trying to get a sense of whether I'd want to keep my current ride or dump the backup concept altogether and use the wife's SUV in a pinch. FWIW, I'm in the Chicago area and I'm leaning towards a 991.2 CS4 Coupe w/PDK and I'm planning to keep it a long time, so I'm not overly concerned with racking up miles.

Here's a list of the most obvious times that I can think I'd want to drive a reserve car instead of the 911:

• On bad snow days with several inches or more of unplowed snow or severe ice days
• When I need to haul anything of size (although it looks like the golf clubs will fit)
• When I need to transport more than one additional full-size passenger for any distance
• When the car is in the shop or broken (not really a decision, but technically a day when it's not driven)

Here are some iffy situations that I'm not sure how one might handle:

• When you know you'll have to valet park it
• In large, urban parking garages (think downtown Chicago)
• In large parking lots for multiple hours (i.e. when shopping at the mall)
• A long road trip that's not designed to be all about the driving experience (like Chicago to Florida for vacation)

What am I missing?

Maybe an alternate way of phrasing the question is: "When/where have you driven your Porsche and regretted driving it?" And why?

Bxstr

In Ohio, our winters and the amount of salt that is put down prevents me from driving it. I like to keep my cars in good condition, so having a car that can stay in the garage clean all winter and come out when the roads are clean is smart. I also drive 20k miles a year, commuting to and from work, so I would prefer to use something more economical for that. I also want to have a daily driver that is an automatic and a weekend car that is a manual. In your case this doesn't apply since you are going with PDK. When grocery shopping, I would rather take a different car along with most other shopping. When driving another car most of the time, your 911 feels more special when you get in it.

Truth be told, I would drive a 991 C4S everyday if I had the means to. There is really no reason not to.

fastcars914

Depending on what part of town you are in, the large parking lots may be completely fine, or they may not be. You will have to use your judgement there. Same with valet, if they valet looks like a hooligan, maybe request to park the car yourself. As far as long road trips, I drove mine 7507 miles over 19 days and was actually rather comfortable. Stopped about every 3 hours for gas and a stretch and off we went on the next leg. It was two people plus 10 days of luggage for each person in the car, back seats full of luggage. It never even came close to the point of unbearable. Granted, it was no Rolls Royce, but I thought it was vastly more comfortable than my Lexus LX570. Honestly, I would daily mine if it wasn't for the gas mileage, salt, and the area that I work at. The only time I could see daily driving a 911 being an issue is if there is a lot of snow, or you need the extra cargo capacity. Salt is also a big one for me, but if it doesn't matter to you, well, more power to ya!

Mark in Baltimore

My Macan GTS is one of my "daily drivers." I recently bought a manual gearbox Acura TL as a winter/rainy day beater and if I know parking is going to be tight. I also have the Miata for parking-challenged areas.

I try not to drive the Macan in the snow or even the rain if I can help it since I have the Acura. The thing had 117,000 miles when I bought it and cost $4,000. It's so nice to be able to stir gears on a daily basis, and, in some ways, it's more fun than the Macan because heel-and-toeing and double-clutching is so much more of an involving experience.

ldamelio

Deep snow a no go and I have a personal no valet policy based on a couple of bad experiences. Other than that, a C4S is a perfect daily. You may want a winter wheel and tire set.

LargePuppy

I've been daily driving my 991.2 for close to two years now in the NY/NJ area. Summer time I'm running on Michelin P4S's and winter time I'm running on Michelin Alpines - witnessed all types of weather, and where other vehicles would pull over or not be able to continue with much confidence, I kept chugging along! As far as keeping it looking nice and new, I have a PPF on the front, and a ceramic coating to make washing easier. It is also tuned, has bolt-ons, and lowered for added fun!

My dog goes everywhere I go, I've done Target and Costco runs regularly, heck I've even purchased a 10 foot ladder from Home Depot and brought it home with no issues. These cars are meant to be driven and used, so why not DD it?

CarsFan

OP, I'm in Chicago (city) and drive my 997 C4S everywhere. I have winter wheels and tires for the winter, and all seasons for the rest of the year. I haven't found it to be an issue. I drive everywhere, including groceries, home depot trips, the loop, road trips, etc. etc. I park in self-park garages vs. valet (I've gotten through 4 years with maybe 1-2 times of needing to valet). I have PPF and ceramic coating to keep it decent. I drove through the polar vortex and our big snow days - our roads are pretty well cleared. Don't get it lowered and don't run the largest size wheel in the winter when our potholes resemble the great lakes. I love daily driving the 911 and am impressed with how practical it is. In a pinch, I've also taken 4 people in it from event to restaurant. Great all around car (with some obvious limitations).

Editing my post to include some downsides, most of them common to any nice car - Even with a 997, I still think ahead about parking when going places, and on some evenings, I'll just jump in a ride share to avoid the hassle. Parking in a garage is not mindless, I do have to drive around a bit looking for that perfect spot and angle where I am likely to minimize door dings; I don't just hand off my key to any valet; parking downtown has also left two scratches in my front bumper despite the PPF and lots of care - so my point is that it requires a bit of thought, as with any nice car. With a new 991, I might lean towards even more careful, which reduces the usability a bit. Also, taking more than 2 people is only good for a short stretch, I borrow a larger car when I need to carry 3 people for longer distances. The 991 is supposedly more comfortable than my 997, but it's still probably not a luxury sedan or SUV. These limitations work for me - Chicago is convenient that we have easy access to alternative transportation when needed.

Hope you get the 911 and drive it daily! It's worth it when you open it up on Lower Wacker ;-)
Happy to chat more.

911Stalker

Great to hear your experience. Your runs sound like a day in the life for me on any given weekend: Home Depot/Menards, Costco/Meijer, Target, etc.

Do you have a 2 or 4? I’m leaning hard towards a 4S still for better all around traction. I’ve heard that a C2/S is capable in the winter with snow shoes on, but I expect I won’t get to test drive any that have winter tires.

911Stalker

Good to hear from another Chi town guy. It’s funny...I actually don’t see all that many 911s out here (west burbs) though maybe I wasn’t really paying attention over that last year. Now that I’m shopping, I’ll probably notice them everywhere when it warms up.

Im really taking inventory of how/when I’d tend to use the 911. I live out west and work from home, so there is no daily commute per se. when I have meetings downtown, I do tend to drive and park in self-park garages, and it’s sometimes a challenge to find a spot that’s not too vulnerable. Of course, I could also park at the Metra lot and train it in, but I like having flexibility on travel time and enjoy spending time in the car (which I expect to increase in a 911]. Other than that, my daily use would be similar to yours and Puppy’s...just out in the burbs.

I do worry a little about the random a-hole who can’t stand someone having a nice car and decides to key it, but I guess I can’t let that stop my pursuit...just have to consider where I drive and park it.

Which wheels/tire sizes do you run in the winters?

911STHLM

I live in Stockholm, Sweden and drive a 991.1 C4S. I live centrally and don't really need a car to commute to work so the Porsche is more of a hobby thing, but I do find myself using it a lot in my every day anyway since it's so much fun. I don't have any winter tyres on and the plan was to not drive it this winter but this year the climate has been extremely mild, rarely below 32F/0C. In the last month I guess the average temp has been around 42F/6C.
I can only agree with above comments - the 991 is a great daily driver! I have taken my car to basically everywhere but IKEA. Also, I have three small kids so if the whole family needs to go somewhere I rent a Volvo station wagon or SUV. The traction on the 4S is great, even with summer tyres you can give it a good trashing in cold weather (let's say 34+ F) not to mention wet conditions. The four wheel drive gives you the confidence to push the car harder. Obviously the car will skid, but it will also gain control very quickly. A 4WD Porsche is made for having fun in **** weather conditions.

There are a couple of places that makes me worried though:

- Big grocery store (hypermart) parking lots. I got a dent on my previous Porsche 911, it totally ruined the day. For some reason people tend to flock around your Porsche even though you parked on the far end of the parking lot. Sort of like desperate guys flocking around the one hot chick at a ****ty nightclub scenario.
- Roads with lots of gravel.
- Parking on streets with lots of buses and heavy trucks (dust and small rocks flying all over the place).
- Outdoor parking over night. Anything can happen, from dents to bird **** to theft.

To answer your specific issues:

• On bad snow days with several inches or more of unplowed snow or severe ice days

• When I need to haul anything of size (although it looks like the golf clubs will fit)

• When I need to transport more than one additional full-size passenger for any distance.

• When the car is in the shop or broken (not really a decision, but technically a day when it's not driven)

• When you know you'll have to valet park it

• In large, urban parking garages (think downtown Chicago)

• In large parking lots for multiple hours (i.e. when shopping at the mall)

• A long road trip that's not designed to be all about the driving experience (like Chicago to Florida for vacation)

ClassJ

I drove my 981 CS daily in all weather in NJ except the snow for the first couple years of ownership. Was it a problem? No. Was it enjoyable? Well not always.

Salted roads in NJ can be a very disheartening thing. That limited use for me a bit just to keep the car in nice shape.

On days when it is 20f outside, and you are getting in the car with clunky snow boots on, hoping you don’t rip the air dam off on a giant chunk of ice, it is just easier to be in another car.

As far as practicality, you get used to the space you have. When I drive my SUV I end up with more stuff hanging out in the car. Dog crates, etc. Just a fact of life.

I made many trips to Home Depot and Lowe’s and Costco in my Cayman. Never had a door ding. No one attacked it. It was quite practical in that sense.

Another down side is that when you drive something really special every day, it tends to become quite pedestrian. I found that not driving the car every day made me enjoy it more when I kept it nice and clean in the garage and drove it on nice days.

martinced

I daily drove a 1988 Carrera from 1999 to 2005. I'd daily drive a modern 911 without any problem if I hadn't a Panamera as my daily driver. Still have that Carrera from 1988 too and every time I start it I'm thinking: "I actually could still use it as a daily and it wouldn't blink an eye" : )

I was taking my 911 to any part of town: got keyed once, got the external mirrors broken. I'm not driving another car just because something can happen to my car. I much prefer to enjoy my car every single day, knowing once in a while something can happen, rather than not enjoying my car every single day. Same thing with the Panamera: I take it everywhere (took it to the snowy spanish mountains two weeks ago). Got one ding so far in the Panamera: I drive and most of all park very defensively but sh-t can happen once in a while. I wouldn't purposely take my air-cooled 911 in the snow but got surprised snow falling a few times: simply droves back home (being very light on the throttle) and let the car in the garage for a few days.

The valet thinggy: I'm the customer, I decide when a valet at my service drives my car, not the other way round. I think that one is a non issue. I've had several very nice valets walk next to the car, showing me good, wide, spots to park the Panamera. No problemo. (no valet drives my Panamera either). Heck last time at a fancy hotel for whatever reason my old Panny was the fanciest car around, so they wanted to park it at some VIP spot in front of the hotel: I said fine, free it and I'll park the car there and they free'ed the spot for me.

Socialpro

Daily drove my base 997, 6 speed for around a year and 10K miles. Half that time, it was a work from home setup. Never took it on any road trips at the time. Eventually ended up switching out of her for a more comfortable, sporty 4 door sedan. The 997s were plagued with lots of road noise, and manual got to be a bit annoying in this car after some miles (especially stop and go traffic).

Depending on where you live, I never saw an issue with leaving my 911s in public, even for an extended period of time.

The 991s are way more day to day compliant out of any 911s made, I suppose a 992 even more so. I would not mind daily-ing one of those at all, especially with a PDK, as they have def become greater all arounders with a better freeway ride.

My (sports car) porsches and other toys I now like to keep mainly for weekends and fun rides, as they feel more special to me that way then. Plus I keep them in top condition and daily-ing (especially with all the rocks and pebbles in AZ), tear up the car rather quickly.

CarsFan

If you're out in the West burbs and commuting into downtown, I think a 911 would be very much fun. You get a bit of the highways when you can open it up occasionally, and usually nicer parking lots :-D ! I think it provides a nice choice over the Metra when you feel like it.
Less a-holes in the burbs. I don't worry about the a-holes even in the city.... they haven't been a problem. The occasional thought comes in when I park overnight in an alley close to a friend's place, which I try to avoid. Otherwise no one has actually done anything. For some reason, when I'm somewhere where I might have reason to be a bit cautious, a person or two will say something admiring about the car - so they seem to actually showing admiration than jealousy.
I would do exactly what I'm doing if i were to do it all over again. It's been a lot of fun.

In the winters, I have a 18 in wheel, which is the smaller 'standard' wheel, and in the rest of the season, I have the 19, which is what the sport and turbo models came with. I believe the wheels are one inch larger in the 991. I run Pirelli Sottozeros, and I know there are comparables from 2-3 manufacturers. It's great in the winter - the 4WD and the winter tires make it very hard to slide even when trying, except on the occasional black ice. Piled up snow is more of an issue due to the low clearance than traction.

bkrantz

I used a 911 and Boxster for DD year round, in Alaska and Texas. That also included taking a road bike or mountain bike a few days each week for lunchtime rides. I flew for work a couple of times per month, and left them at the airport (usually covered parking). The only times I did not take the Porsche was when roads were flooded or when I needed to transport lots of people or big stuff.