964 as a daily driver?

[Joss Walker]

I'm thinking of going for a well sorted 964 to be my daily driver (approx 7k miles pa) up to now my experience with my 944 Cab has been that there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche, just some are cheaper to buy. In the first couple of years I have spent more than the original purchase price getting it sorted. Would I have a similar experience with even a good 964? what would you see as the disadvantages to everyday use of a 964?

Any opinions/experience welcomed, thanks.

Joss

 

[tim_haskins]

Servicing is expensive on a 964 even though you plan to do only 7k a year.

Really it's the general upkeep that costs the cash...budget on about 1-2k per year for servicing and maintenance (a clutch can cost 600-800 pounds to be installed! And a major service is about £600). Not sure I would use a 964 as a daily driver. It's not as practical as a 944 in my view. Yes they are great fun and I am sure you will enjoy it but for me they are too loud and uncomfortable for longish journeys. + the more miles you do the greater the bills!!!.

I use mine on nice days and would not be without it.....but I am happier knowing I can put it in my garage when the bad weather comes and not worry if it needs money spending on it...as I have time to save up.

If mine was a daily driver I must admit I would personally have sold it along time ago....
I think the bills etc will just take the fun out of owning one.

Just my view....I am sure others will disagree and agree...

 

[Steve Brookes]

Hi Joss, you send like the sort of bloke that likes your cars to be looked after as they should be. Good for you. So, yes, speaking from experience you can easily spend the purchase price again in the first few years. In my case that was largely down to having a full engine rebuild done. It would probably have gone on a good few years without one but I decided it deserved one so bit the bullet (there's very little science/engineering to when a rebuild should be done and it often comes down to gut feeling). In theory, the more you pay for the car at the outset, the less you should spend on maintaining but there are plenty of exceptions to the rule.

Personally I wouldn't use one as a daily driver because of the worry of where it might have to be parked and the attention the 964 attracts from Joe Public. If I did go for one I would choose a tiptronic or a C4 for the benefits they bring to daily use.

 

[C2dweller]

My opinion - its a bold daily driver, because of the potential repair costs.

My experience - I purchased a cherished, serviced, 4 owner car and then spent about half again doing jobs (although half of this was on a respray). I don't regret any of it - but getting it to a good state has meant I don't wan't to use it everyday - just weekends and nice days in between.

The perfect combo for me is 924s for the work hack - this gives me a cheap Porsche thrill, but not enough to put me off the 964. Any repairs (so far) are peanuts.

The caveat would probably be a good dealer sourced car - where they know your intended use. Hartech and their service plan sounds ideally suited IMO.

Good luck .

 

[38F3E1]

I had one as a daily driver for about 2 and a half years. Between 15 and 18K miles a year. Petrol costs are high (although only requires standard unleaded not super unleaded) and servicing every 12K adds up to (especially if you go for proper 12K service which includes plugs and tappet adjustments every time). It was a C2 and it was good for all weather except snow. If the weather is bad just treat it with respect and no need for a C4 to hold your hand but C2/C4 is personal preference. Would agree if there is a fair amount of town driving the clutch can seem heavy after a while. Standard suspension set up is really lovely for a daily driver if in decent nick so no real need to go to anything fancy unless you have the track bug.

If you buy well bills additional to the above are reasonable but if you don't they can cost a packet bring up to standard. That can be the big problem - finding a nice one.

I loved mine BTW.

Ian.

 

[colin129]

I used my S2 as a daily driver for over 10 years and it was only when I had to drive it 20K per year in a different job that the services costs got 'out of control' meaning 2 services a year and a full set set of tyre each year. When I eventually brought a 2nd car, I would say it cost me no more to run both, than the 944 on its own doing all those miles.

If your annual mileage is only 6 or 7K, you'll still only need an annual service, which you'd need anyway, so I wouldn't have thought your costs would be that much more tbh.

 

[MarkK]

My wife uses our 1990 C4 as her daily ,it goes out in most weathers,today she did school run and IKEA[]
Must say we have found eats tyres [&:](and fuel)[&:]

 

[gregmarshall]

I used my 89 C4 as a daily driver for the last 3 years and only recently stopped as I prepare to do a load of work on it. I have to say I love getting in it every day and blasting to work. I obey all the rules with service and maintenance. I previously had a 911SC as a daily driver of 5 years. We also do holidays in France, Le Mans 24 and we drove to Italy and back 2 yrs ago. Commute wise- I'm lucky that I have secure indoor parking at work and it's always garaged at home so concerns about getting it nicked, damaged or broken into are less for me. I would be a weekend driver if I didn't have the parking option but it puts a massive grin on your face every morning as you annoy the neighbours with a de-cat/G-pipe 3.6

 

[Gordon Attar]

ORIGINAL: tim_haskins

Servicing is expensive on a 964 even though you plan to do only 7k a year.

Really it's the general upkeep that costs the cash...budget on about 1-2k per year for servicing and maintenance (a clutch can cost 600-800 pounds to be installed! And a major service is about £600). Not sure I would use a 964 as a daily driver. It's not as practical as a 944 in my view. Yes they are great fun and I am sure you will enjoy it but for me they are too loud and uncomfortable for longish journeys. + the more miles you do the greater the bills!!!.

I use mine on nice days and would not be without it.....but I am happier knowing I can put it in my garage when the bad weather comes and not worry if it needs money spending on it...as I have time to save up.

If mine was a daily driver I must admit I would personally have sold it along time ago....
I think the bills etc will just take the fun out of owning one.

Just my view....I am sure others will disagree and agree...

I disagree whole heartedly. If you buy the right car to start with, make sure you get it checked by a specialist. Avoid the low end of the market

The car prefers to be used daily, when I stopped using mine as my daily driver it started playing up more, it started to leak a bit etc. Though a jouney of say 4/5 miles is not a good idea because it would not have warmed up your average looks over 10 miles so no problem.

Maintenance yes allow £1-2k pa. mine ended up just over £3k in 3.5 years and 25000 miles including soem paintwork
You should have an annual service most specialists inc the plugs and timing which is £420+v at Northways, you should be able to find someone that will save on this and do the std 12k without plugs every other year.
Budget on a set of rear tyres every 2 years and fronts every 3 years.
Clutches should be every 60-80 k with regular use.
Regarding the oil leak start of looking for a 93 model where the main issue was mainly solved and go backwards from then in model years, a top end is c£4k

Alternatively if you buy one thats had a rebuild and clutch then no worries.

Regarding the noise I had a cat bypass pipe and it wasnt ever a issue and I loved the noise when it bounced of walls or taking off.

By the way had a 944s2 was cheap to run and 944 Turbo was as well after initial new belts etc start up and they are perfect daily cars.

and finally if you have a good budget you may be in the 993 band as well with the way 964 prices are rising. Please remember that your 944 should be totally sorted now so is it worth changing

 

[Jon Kent]

I ran 964s (six in total) as daily drivers for nearly 8 years and now doing the same with a 993.
They eat up the long journeys and don't make much noise at all with std airbox and exhaust.
Cup pipe mod on the exhaust is great and doesn't give the 'boom' of a G-Pipe.
Cat bypass is not necessary for 'normal' use.
Std or Bilstein dampers with H&R green, progressive springs for a nice sporty stance, but still comfortable.
I think my record was 1350kms in a day, a quick blast to the UK and back (to collect a Jubi 964), but have done over 1000kms in a day several times.
964s certainly run better if used frequently.
So find a good one, treat her well and she'll be a loyal servant.
Another tip/recommendation
I've recently changed to Miller's Motorsport CFS5w40 (triple ester) oil and am astounded by the smoothness.
A buddy here has done the same with his 1992 C4 and it's noticeable on that too.
Check out Miller's site, but personally I'll not use 'normal' oil on the P cars anymore.

Jon

 

[DW964]

I've had my 964 as a daily runner for 4 years. 170,000 miles and counting. It eats motorway journeys with ease and is in fact the most comfy long distance drive I've ever had and passengers have regularly commented that the seats are some of the most comfortable and supportive they've sat in. I do around 10-12k a year with regular trips of 300 miles to Newcastle for the footy (yeah I know, never mind eh?) and its a joy. Remember that you will be doing less than 3500 revs in 5th between 70/80mph so there's really no stress whatsoever on the engine on a motorway.

Yes, it costs a fair bit of cash to keep it in good order but remember you get most of that back in the lack of depreciation.

It breaks my heart to see 964s stuck in garages to be run as toy 5 or 6 times a year, it really does. Apart from saving the bodywork, its counter-productive. Leaving a dry sump engine standing for any length of time is a recipe for big bills - at best you'll end up with a lumpy running car and a stiff clutch. 964s need to be driven regularly to get the best out of them.

Find a decent one, expect to get a little 'surprise' early on but apart from that, you'll have no regrets.

Oh and I saw a comment about parking a 964 on the street and getting unwanted attention - I don't know what your area is like but I've had no trouble at all in 4 years of parking mine on the road (I don't have a garage). If anything, I just get compliments (unfortunately from blokes and kids not girls) and even the vandals seem to leave it alone in favour of kicking the wing mirrors off the nearby people-carriers. Maybe just blind luck or maybe even vandals have taste!

 

[Melv]

ORIGINAL: MarkK

My wife uses our 1990 C4 as her daily ,it goes out in most weathers,today she did school run and IKEA[]
Must say we have found eats tyres [&:](and fuel)[&:]

Same here when we had a C4 in the late nineties. However, at 18mpg around town and bills of £2-4K per year economics put it into weekend car status and cheaper to run a Ford Ka fir commuting

But why not? Never ceased to make me smile. Even a trip to the shops was an event. Being a weekend car I'd forget how quick it was....(292bhp Geoff Everett hot film, revised chip....)

 

[AlphaWhisky]

If I had the money....errrr....more to the point, had a job to earn money in the first place!! then I would certainly run my 964 several times a week.

They are an absolute delight to drive. Far from being uncomfortable, the seats are supportive and on the standard suspension, the ride is smooth. The engine is never stressed in any situation and around suburban areas you can pootle everywhere in fourth gear. I will agree that the clutch can start to feel a bit weighty if you're stuck in very heavy traffic for a long length of time and of course, there's the potential for the engine to get rather hot too if you get stuck in a tailback.

On a mixed urban/motorway drive I can average 35 mpg, which given the engine cc is not bad for the twenty year old girl with 103,000 on the clock. In fact the mpg return on the 964 is often better than my Boxster!

You pays your money and you takes your choice. No Porsche is cheap to run, not even a Boxster, but both are an enjoyable drive and for that reason parting with them would be a hard wrench.

 

[iangray100]

Amanda ,

Are you sure you typed the right figure for the 964 MPG as I have had my car for 7 years and use it most days and its kept in A1 running contition and I've never got close to your MPG with a mixed run .. more like 24MPG and thats the Porsche dial telling me as it has the digital readout .

 

[Gordon Attar]

I averaged 25mpg over 3.5 years and they never cost me much more than any other car to run using a specialist, though with the price hikes Porsche GB have introduced in the last few years on parts this has changed the situation but shopping at Europarts and using your 10% PCGB discount can help.

Just to prove the point I had a Xantia for motorway mileage when I had the 964 and it cost me more in maintanance and servicing than the Porsche only thing that was more expensive was the tyre replacements

 

[AlphaWhisky]

ORIGINAL: iangray100

Amanda ,

Are you sure you typed the right figure for the 964 MPG as I have had my car for 7 years and use it most days and its kept in A1 running contition and I've never got close to your MPG with a mixed run .. more like 24MPG and thats the Porsche dial telling me as it has the digital readout . 

Absolutely certain on the mpg and absolutely certain that I do get more mileage for the gallon from the 964 than the Boxster! I've also done geeky notebook accounting like Gaz (K90) - I have to...I'm still jobless and with very little money I have to plan my petrol and mileage costs in the 911 almost to the penny!!!

Maybe I just have a very smooth driving technique [] My other half is a Police Advanced Class 1 driver (traffic officer) and I'm also up to the RoSPA Gold Award standard, similar to the police Class 1, so hopefully I pose a much smaller menace threat than some motorists do on the road.

 

[MarkK]

When I posted my reply I mentioned tyre wear....guess what it's back In at Leicester having some more rears I like Contis and always defend them when people knock them but boy do they wear out quick,maybe my wife has taken up drifting[&:]

 

[Steve Brookes]

ORIGINAL: MarkK

When I posted my reply I mentioned tyre wear....guess what it's back In at Leicester having some more rears I like Contis and always defend them when people knock them but boy do they wear out quick,maybe my wife has taken up drifting[&:]

How many miles Mark? I too am a fan of contis and always use them as road tyres. I get about 8,000 miles out of a set of rears.

 

[vitesse]

We initially had Bridgestones on the 964(tears of regret) that did 10k before being replaced with Nexens which had done 35K before I fitted Cup 2's
with Khumo's.
I have the D90's with the Nexens,still having 5/6 mm tread left for sale -£300 ono.
As to consumption,-day to day Wife's useage-22mpg--longer mixed journeys--25/26 mpg--long motorway runs ie to Inverness or Le Mans--28.5 mpg.All on 95 Ron.

 

[Gordon Attar]

You will find your mpg will improve, how much is down to the individual car, chipped and usage but 2 mpg was not uncommon from memory.

You need to do a full tank test and see how it goes!