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Is a 997 a sensible daily drive?

nlm13

Active member
Joined
20 May 2017
Messages
28
Hi guys,

I am looking for a bit of advice from the knowledgeable forum members regarding my next car purchase. I've decided that I need to get something a bit more fun as a daily driver before such things are taxed or legislated out of existence, but still need it to be slightly practical, so obviously a 911 came to mind.

My wife has previously had a couple of boxsters, a 987S and a 981, and now has a 991 targa, all of which were excellent for long trips away to europe when we took them, but as they were her cars she commuted in I rarely got to drive them just for fun, so it is time to get my own I think!

I am currently leaning towards a gen 1 C4S manual as i really like the wider body, and living in the scottish countryside 4 wheel drive could be handy at times and I'd like to be able to use it when going skiing etc.

I had seen a nice clean example on autotrader with a full Hartech rebuild, but unfortunately i couldn't get a hold of the seller until just after he'd taken a deposit for it.

Another couple that have caught my eye are this one with a Porsche warranty

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...rly New&onesearchad=New&sort=price-asc&page=2

And this one with no warranty but quite a few less miles

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...rly New&onesearchad=New&sort=price-asc&page=2.

So my question is, is this a crazy idea, or are these cars actually fun and sensible to use as a daily driver?
 
To answer your question (the last line of your post), not a crazy idea, and of course they are a fun drive and also ideal as a daily driver, just ask your wife.
 
Certainly fine for the commute, might want to consider the gearbox depending on how much is spent in traffic? PDK might be a good compromise.
 
I'm lucky in that my commute consists of some nice country roads followed by a short motorway blast, and as i work shifts I rarely drive in rush hour. I loved the manual box in the 987 we had and as my last few cars have been auto's I like the idea of going back to a manual again. Whilst I also liked the PDK in the 981 and the targa, I don't want to blow all my cash on a gen 2 car (even tho this is probably the safer option!) and I don't fancy a tiptronic.
 
nlm13 said:
I'm lucky in that my commute consists of some nice country roads followed by a short motorway blast, and as i work shifts I rarely drive in rush hour ....

It sounds like a 997 would be the perfect daily driver for you then. :thumb:
 
Mine is a daily driver. 2007 C2S manual cabrio. I work from home, so don't commute.

Works brilliantly as a daily, its happy just being driven like a normal car.

Make sure you warm it up properly then you can rag the hell out of it when you want to!

Amazing cars to drive. Try out a C4S and a C2S as they are very different animals. I hear you about 4 wheel drive though, I preferred 2, I could feel the extra weight of the 4 wheel drive system, C2S felt purer almost....
 
I did think about a C2S as I think it would be slightly better on the odd nice day we get up here (we do get them occasionally!) but i make quite a few trips to the ski resorts when there is snow, and I may also take it to the alps next winter as well (definitely in the summer!) so the idea of 4 wheel drive plus winter tyres appeals.

I noticed that the car I linked to above with the higher mileage and warranty comes with a second set of wheels with winter tyres. Makes me think its current owner does something similar.
 
It's not a crazy idea at all, i've used mine daily for the past couple of years, my commute sounds similar to yours and it can be a fantastic way to get to and from work! But, having said that, I'm about to trade mine in for an Audi RS4 Avant, i've just had enough of the lack of modern tech and the hard ride/loud road noise etc and am yearning for a bit more refinement. However, I don't regret using my 911 for the 20k miles I've put on it, I feel lucky to have been able to do it and maybe the RS4 will bore me and i'll be back in a 911 soon, because IMO there's no better looking car on the planet!

Do it!
 
I use mine for commuting too, admittedly 1 week out of three as the other cars need exercise too , though sometimes the others have to wait a bit if I am enjoying the 911 :grin:
 
I had a 997 C2S and ran it as a daily for 3 to 4 years 100% reliable .Bought another car to use for work and kept the 997 for weekends and the reliability dropped off nothing significant but they like to be used.
 
nlm13 said:
I did think about a C2S as I think it would be slightly better on the odd nice day we get up here (we do get them occasionally!) but i make quite a few trips to the ski resorts when there is snow, and I may also take it to the alps next winter as well (definitely in the summer!) so the idea of 4 wheel drive plus winter tyres appeals.

I noticed that the car I linked to above with the higher mileage and warranty comes with a second set of wheels with winter tyres. Makes me think its current owner does something similar.

If that's the case, get underneath and check for rust.
 
Yes, I live in the country, and I drive into the office, mabe do a bit of shopping, or retrieve a child from a hobby, and - in the summer - take in a couple of trackdays. Perfect.
 
nlm13 said:
Hi guys,

I am looking for a bit of advice from the knowledgeable forum members regarding my next car purchase. I've decided that I need to get something a bit more fun as a daily driver before such things are taxed or legislated out of existence, but still need it to be slightly practical, so obviously a 911 came to mind.

My wife has previously had a couple of boxsters, a 987S and a 981, and now has a 991 targa, all of which were excellent for long trips away to europe when we took them, but as they were her cars she commuted in I rarely got to drive them just for fun, so it is time to get my own I think!

I am currently leaning towards a gen 1 C4S manual as i really like the wider body, and living in the scottish countryside 4 wheel drive could be handy at times and I'd like to be able to use it when going skiing etc.

I had seen a nice clean example on autotrader with a full Hartech rebuild, but unfortunately i couldn't get a hold of the seller until just after he'd taken a deposit for it.

Another couple that have caught my eye are this one with a Porsche warranty

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...rly New&onesearchad=New&sort=price-asc&page=2

And this one with no warranty but quite a few less miles

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...rly New&onesearchad=New&sort=price-asc&page=2.

So my question is, is this a crazy idea, or are these cars actually fun and sensible to use as a daily driver?

A fine model choice :wink: if you haven't ruled out the 3.6 C4 i may well be listing my 2006 89k example in the coming months .
Decent spec with impeccable history & at a significant margin below the 3.8S shown above , lots of pics on my ig page https://www.instagram.com/andy911wheels/
 
I bought a 997.2 C4S recently with a view to using it as a daily and very quickly realised it wasn't up to it. Although low mileage and seemingly well looked after, the underside was trashed after being used in winter. I stripped the sill covers and under trays and all the powder coating was flaking everywhere and there was substantial corrosion everywhere. It's now having a underbody refurbishment and no way will I use it in winter.
 
I have used my Gen 1 C4S as a daily for 8 years.
 

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