spooky3042

What's it like to live with a 911 (or any sports car) in SF?

I just moved to SF (SOMA) from Chicago and finally feel like I can justify a sports car given the weather. But the potholes, the steep grades, and vandalism are all giving me pause.

Curious what other SF'ers think.

It was mentioned in another thread that Sport PASM suspension (30mm lower than standard) is something to avoid.

jnolan

I’m not going to bull**** you, it’s an impossible task if you don’t have a private garage at home and assiduously avoid driving around town if you need to park in a public (non-valet) garage, lot, or street parking. If it were just that people were careless about door dings and other minor offenses I would be upset but manage to deal with it, but the fact is that too many people in SF actually go out of their way to vandalize nice cars on the premise of “they can afford it and deserve to suffer”. Then there is the street crime... ever since CA decrimminalized supposedly minor drug crimes the property crime rate has skyrocketed. Included in the non-violent drug crimes was possession of stolen property, and what that means is that a crimminal needs to be caught literally in the act of breaking into a car to get arrested because the possession of property stolen from a car is a misdemeanor crime now... the offender gets a ticket. Car break-ins are now a way of life and people expect it to happen. Road conditions, well all I can say is that you should get a subscription at the alignment shop and have a wheel repair shop on speed dial.

The steep roads are no big deal, but my advice is to move to the Peninsula or Marin if you want to own a Porsche or other nice car, or just get it and plan accordingly to drive out of the City when you want to enjoy it.

geemman

I live and work in SF (live out by the ocean) and only use my car on the weekends for drives out of SF. I agree that you need a private garage as i own my own house and do not have to worry about parking on the street or even a shared garage with a lot of tenants.and cars. There has been a lot of car break ins, i must see about 2-3 shattered windows on a daily basis where I work due to number of drug users that are in the city just looking how to get their next fix. SOMA can be nice in some spots, but you are in the heart of SF and in any direction of a few blocks can take a turn. If you have a garage or tenant parking garage you should be ok. After all that's why we have insurance.

I say, get want you want, life is too short.

Natey

When I was a kid I lived in SF with my mom for a while. One thing I remember clearly was how the stereo in her Alfa Romeo kept getting ripped off. They'd slash the 800 dollar top to steal the 150 dollar stereo. After it happened a few (dozen) times she ended up just buying a boombox and leaving the gaping hole in her dashboard and the top down at night.
She also threw sail boat bumpers over the door sills when she parked to keep people from dinging her doors....lol Come to think of it my mom was pretty cool.

That poor car though. I agree. if you don't have somewhere to park it, your car's gonna take some abuse...or worse.

sampelligrino

I'm weighing the exact same dilemma as I am prepping for a move to the Bay Area summer 2018 and I'm fortunate to be able to choose where I want to live (SF or Peninsula) with an incoming GT3. Because I do love driving so much, I am leaning towards the Peninsula and being able to enjoy the open roads down there, then take Cal Train or uber to the city for a visit every other week or so. My fear is that if I lived in the city proper I would just stress too much over the car leaving it parked on the street/in parking garages when running errands, or be bottlenecked in traffic trying to leave the city for some nice drives.

scsuperfan

I've lived in the city for the past 5 or so years. For the first few years i parked on the street in a 335 BMW. Never had an issue. Earlier this year I purchased and M3 and moved to a place with a garage. The roads were never an issue, nor was parking. I'd advise not to park in areas where you have to question whether you should be parking there - do that and there wont be an issue.

I did have a pothole issue, but it was on the road to the point reyes light house. Had to replace a $1300 front wheel on the M3 as a result.

My 911 will be here in a few months, so can't comment specifically on it, but living in the city with the m3 was never an issue.

sampelligrino

Thats good to know and sounds like good advice. I looked at a couple condos in the SOMA area that were nice with gated secure underground parking, those are still in play based on prices I am seeing in the Peninsula...

scsuperfan

I bought a small Honda scooter that I use sometimes. Very easy to get around/park with it.

SOMA does have quite a few window bashings and the neighborrhood is somewhat sterile for me, esp on the weekends.

I think the best neighborhoods in the city are Pac heights, Marina, and Russian hill - I'd find a place with a garage there.

spooky3042

Thanks for all the input & advice. Unfortunately I can't change where I live easily, due to commuting constraints (Caltrain station in SOMA). I do have a spot in an indoor parking garage for the car. It's not a private garage but... that's too much to ask for given SF rent

Even now with my Audi, I almost never use the car to drive around / park within the city itself - mostly just use Lyft to get around and get in the car when we're leaving the city (going for a hike, driving to peninsula, etc). There are exceptions... the other day we drove over by golden gate park / lands end, but the parking there felt pretty safe. I guess we'll have to cut down on those exceptions.

Seems like it's not a dealbreaker but definitely will have to be more judicious about using a car for everyday tasks. It also sounds like it doesn't really matter if I have a 70K or 100K car.

jnolan

It will work out. Living in SF with a car, any car, is about compromise and living with constraints because you can’t enjoy it driving around town anyways. As long as you can park with peace of mind, you will be fine.

_Remi

I live in the avenues, rent a spot about 10 blocks away, it's not perfect but hey, it was only $275 per month!

It's all about compromise, I drive it to work down south once a week and it is not my only car.

I would not change a thing though

bkrantz

You guys make SFC sound like a human disaster, at least for humans that like nice things (and respect property).

wjk_glynn

jnolan

rockdoc

Ok, I'll weigh in here. I've lived in SF for over 20 years. I've had a few Porsches, BMW 3, 4, 6 series (wife loves BMWs) and various other sports cars. Yes, I can say I've had my share of incidences but if you don't want to have a garage queen that you expect to double your money, you can keep your car in great shape if you have a garage. As you get to know the city, there will be places to take your car without any problems with dings and break ins. Just like any city, these things can happen. Yes, I use Uber all of the time to go downtown or the Mission. Usually in no shape to drive after going to clubs so it's a safe bet anyway. I drive and park my turbo in the Chestnut/Marina, Noe Valley (very large parking spaces on 24th street, and back and forth to work in So. City on a daily basis. The worse accidents I've had were drivers are backing out of diagonal parking spots and can't see the Porsche. I wish everyone else would have back up cameras. I would not sacrifice the joy of driving my car because I live in the City. Yeah it's pricy to park in good parking lots, but It would cost me the same price to park a beater honda or VW. Go on drives with the Renlisters on the board or PCA. Or drive down to Half Moon bay for lunch if you want to get a good drive in. I timed it once. I made it to Dad's luncheonette via hwy 1 in HMB faster than to A16 on Chestnut street. Dad's has the best burgers in the bay area.
Best
Alvin