34 replies to this topic

[desmofan]

I am changing positions, and going from working from home to being out at clients 3-5 days a week, probably 15k miles/year. I am looking at two different coupes right now, 60k and 68k miles. How are these vehicles for everyday use? I am looking for something that won't be too unreliable, will be comfortable for constant in and out of the car, and be able to carry two sets of golf clubs and a passenger, and that I'll be able to get 3-5 years use out of. Any comments? I am also a bit cocerned about the dreaded bearing issue.

[flash]

first off, there is no quick easy answer to your question - way too many variables, and at least as many varying opinions - i would recommend doing some reading here - the search engine is excellent, and will likely turn up the answers to most of your questions

[Mark]

There are several people who daily drive them year round including snow. Mine is a fair weather DD.

[whakiewes]

Daily driver here - often have two sets of clubs in the car, although it is tight. Have to put the rear seats down. Doubt you could do it in a cab. No problems really other than bad luck or user error. Great car around town, gets a lot of looks. Occasionally it can get a little annoyingsome with my suspension, but for the most part I love it.

Downsides - somewhat limited space for a DD, big bills if car isn't taken care of, and it likes to be driven. My car hates being pedaled around. Make sure you buy one with all the maitainence done, or plan on doing some work yourself. Since I am fairly mechanically inclined, I opted out of a perfect maintained car in choice for a car with the options I wanted. I have spent about $1000 to date on maintaining, and about another 1500-2000 on bad luck (broken strut, busted tire, rear hatch). Insurance covered some, but not all.

Wes

[RPM]

I have daily driving mine for 2 1/2 years now - ~27k total miles in moderate traffic, both city and interstate. No real choice, if I want a Porsche, and a nice car for my wife, and a decent car for my daughter, and keep my truck.

I think the biggest comment I would make is the most obvious - stuff wears out faster and breaks more often if you use it every day. There always seems to be something that needs fixing. The latest was the ignition lock cylinder. Some of the tumblers wore to the point of no longer working. Eventual fix was nearly $600 in parts and labor. The paint and body work also suffer from daily driving, whatever the weather and road conditions. I try to keep it as clean as possible and with a good coat of wax. Gets hard in the winter.

As for comfort, space, and passengers, no problems. The car is very comfortable, there is lots of space, and easy in ingress/egress unless you are particularly unflexible.

[desmofan]

"particularly unflexible"...lol

Thanks folks, this is the type of info I was looking for. Quirky I can handle, as I've always driven unusual cars (current vehicle is an '87 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde, and there's nothing quirkier than Alfas, not to mention zero parts availability...lol). I'm leaning very heavily towards a 968 coupe, as I really think it fits my needs for a bit of room, and fun to drive. The repair issue does not really bother me, as I am pretty mechanically inclined (own several antique cars/motorcycles which I restore/maintain/etc.), and I do have another vehicle to use when the 968 would be off the road ('96 Ford F150 4x4 for hauling said motorcycles/firewood/lumber for woodworking projects, but is WAY too expensive to drive on a daily basis). Thanks again!

[flash]

one thing to remember is that it is at least 12 years old, and as much as 14, and will have the same kinds of issues as any old car - add to that the complications of being a performance car, with a decreasing source of parts

hence, not my choice for a daily driver, but one heck of a fun toy

[ether_joe]

hey desmofan welcome!!

mine is my DD and only car. . . I've put close to 15K on the car in the past 9 months. Approaching 90K now. Whoohoo!

The car works great for me as a DD and commuter car. Mine is pretty much stock and I absolutely adore driving it. This is my first Pcar and first real performance-oriented car so I can't compare so much to other cars.

You should plan on a decent budget (~$2000) per year for maintenance depending on how much work has already been done on the car. There was a thread recently about hydraulics - you should check to see if the clutch hydraulics have been replaced and if not plan on doing that soon. Also the heater control valve fix and a spare DME relay . . . about 75 bucks there.

I don't mind the expense because the car gives back so much in handling, spunk and personality.

Also - I do a lot of musical stuff and I can put an upright bass in the hatch! How bout *them* apples?!!

[desmofan]

hey desmofan welcome!!


You should plan on a decent budget (~$2000) per year for maintenance depending on how much work has already been done on the car. There was a thread recently about hydraulics - you should check to see if the clutch hydraulics have been replaced and if not plan on doing that soon. Also the heater control valve fix and a spare DME relay . . . about 75 bucks there.

I don't mind the expense because the car gives back so much in handling, spunk and personality.

Also - I do a lot of musical stuff and I can put an upright bass in the hatch! How bout *them* apples?!!

The annual expense does not bother me, as my other choices would be newer P cars (Cayman S) or more expensive P cars with the same maintenance costs (911 Carerra), or a 3 series Beemer, which has a LOT more expense built in due to depreciation still left in it (older ones just don't appeal to me). I figure if I can get a nice performing Porsche in the teens, with a couple grand a year for expenses, AND can fit golf clubs in it (a bit smaller than an upright bass...lol) then I'm golden.

[whakiewes]

The reason I bought a 968 over a 951 (faster with much more potential) or a 964 was the fact that everyone I talked to and everywhere I read said that the 968 is the safest Porsche ownership. Its engine isn't anything over the top, and everything is pretty basic. A 911 requires maitainence that is typically above user friendly (adjusting valves, head rebuild, oil puking, etc...), and the 951 while not always expensive, can be VERY expensive. I owned several BMW's before this car (88' M3, Built 92 325is, 525i) and it is a completely different ownership. People don't look at you like a snob such as when you are driving a BMW, but you get the 'nice car' look. Another feature of the 968 is there is always a market for them if you choose to resell, and going buy current ebay and Autotrader listings, there aren't many for sale. I am soon retiring mine from daily driving, but for the current time I love it.

Wes

[Chris Vais]

I have a 94 Coupe. It has been a daily driver for the 10 years that I have owned it and in that time I've put 100K miles on it. The car is well maintained, kept cleaned and waxed and garaged. On a job site it gets covered during the day. In terms of major failures, I replaced the pinion bearing and took the opportunity to replace the syncros and some other stuff at 90K miles. The clutch hydraulic line failed as I was coming home from work last year, so I just drove it home without the clutch.

The only concern I have with it's continued use as a daily driver is thatI'm starting to see minor electrical problems crop up. It is my mechanic's opinion that the ultimate demise of this car as a daily driver/occasional driver will be electrical problems. This actuially probably true of most cars built in the last ten years. American have a fascination with computer driven electrical devixes in cars that are probably mopre likely to fail than the mechanical parts.

Prior to the 968, I had a 944 that was a daily driver for 1o years, same story and it is still going at close to 300K miles.

If the car that you ultimately purchase has been well maintained and you continue with a full maintenace program you should be rewarded with an entertaining daily driver and if your in the consulting business as I am you're clients will love riding in the car as long as you don't scare the crap out of them by driving the car in the manner in which it was intended!!!!!

[sasilverbullet]

Chris - side note: you're electrical gremlins are probably the result of corroded/loose grounds. There's a couple of good threads on the location of the grounds. Not hard to do and usually fixes the issues.

[Chris Vais]

Thanks for the tip. You are correct, many are bad ground related problems. Things will slow down over the
holidays so I'll be able to pull up the information and have at it.

[968rz]

My 93 DD coupe is fantastic! I got in it May and already have but 10k on it with 2 repairs- #1 water pump(cheap if you do it youself) #2 battery. Like Sean my car is stock, fun to drive ,reliable and plenty of room for a normal person (tight for a family car).

[desmofan]

plenty of room for a normal person (tight for a family car).

Just another reason I don't have kids...

BTW-love the mini trail. That was my first bike when I was 8, back in '71. I was at Mid-Ohio for a vintage motorcycle race weekend this summer, and those things were all over the place as pit bikes, and for sale in the flea market. A nice one sold for $1500-$2000!

[Scott Collins]

Just go for it!

Between an '87 944 n/a, and my current DD '92 968 ( that just turned 50K last month), I have
driven nothing but Porsche for the past 7 years. My skin crawls when I drive my wifes 2002 Avalon.
EEEK! I've become such a snob, it's not even funny.....

I know that the car has saved my but numerous times on the streets. Just due to the nature of
it's handling and responsiveness, I have nimbly avoided so many knuckleheads, dropping their
cigarettes, or cutting in front of me while chatting on mobile phones. Nothing I have ever driven
has so much control when you mash the brake pedal to the floor in panic stop. For me, this
absolutely justifies the type of stupifying repair bill that goes with Porsche territory. And lastly,
and most importantly, the car is hot... I have manufactured many an excuse, if only just to drive it
for 10 minutes. Everyone loves it, and some folks think it is a new model.
(Until they take a good long look at the headlights... Got to get something to upgrade that look...)

Plus you will have plenty to talk about with other insane 968'rs! Go for it!

[au968]

I'd like to add my voice to the 'do it!' camp.

I've had my '94 CS for about 7 years, 5 of which it was my DD. It's been in storage while we do renovations, but it will be back soon!

As a DD, they are just great. The car is made to be driven, and the payback is great handling, sharp steering, and a balance of performance and feedback that is still gratifying, even if it won't easily blow away some of the latest over-engined machines on the market these days.

As for aging electronics, I disagree. Our cars have relatively little to go wrong compared to newer cars, and despite a few nagging problems like the DME relay, they are very well built.

I would estimate that in another 10 years time, the 968 will remain easier to maintain electronically than a new car bought today or in the last 5 years. It comes from an era when electronics was employed to best use without the massive integration of all systems that we see on new cars today.

Parts availability and prices is the thing that will eventually make a 968 difficult to employ as a DD. We aren't there yet...

Michael

[Scott Collins]

Whoops- almost forgot about the practicality, that has been mentioned on this forum. Ether Joe had
the double bass in the back. Sweet!!

I can report that mine had a 7 foot Christmas tree in it last year, that
I transported from our local fire house to my living room. Relax everyone, I covered the carpet with
an old sheet.

[au968]

I can report that mine had a 7 foot Christmas tree in it last year, that

Cool. I can raise you by an 8 foot retractable video screen. It was tight from the passenger footwell through to the back of the hatch.

[douglas751]

You and I know that a 968 is not that expensive. We know that it is 10 years old or more. However, your customer, the receptionist at the place you are visiting and police do not know that. They only see Porsche. So do rice boys that will floor their coffee- canned civics when they see you, and hill-billies will not let you out of the parking lot in front of them in traffic.

I do not know what line of work you are in, but if you are in sales, it may be an issue. A red 968 is pretty flashy for a regular driver.

As for how the car will perform, I will say that for $20,000 you get a top of the line, really, really nice 968, expect to spend $3000 or so to sort out the minor issues and leaks and you will have a sweet car for the price of your Neighbors new Camry. Expect to spend a couple thousand a year for maintenance and "issues". The car drives great, but stick to 16" wheels for everyday use. The interior is tight, especailly the head room, but leg room is fine. The car is easy to drive in traffic if you have a good clutch and have the motor mounts replaced to tighten up the driveline lash.

The hatch back is great!

If you are young and the "image" is not a problem in your geographical area and for your line fo work, I say go for it. Try to get a Silver, Blue or Black 968 Coupe.