Daily Driver

[JAAY]

I drive mine rarely. I had it in the snow once. Not a good time. Sorry I have no good input for this one.

[conradtan]

Just bought mine three weeks ago. Getting about 25 mpg. Commute (one way) is about 55 miles and I enjoy every minute of it. No problems yet. Get one. You won't regret it.

[Cloudsurfer]

Boxsters dont make bad daily cars as long as you can live with the compromise of only having one extra seat and not alot of cargo room. When driven nicely, they certainly get good mileage.

As to the winter question, I'd do it if you had to, but I certainly prefer not to. Salt is definitly not your friend, and no matter how religious you are about washing it frequently, it will still take its toll on things like brake rotors, suspension components, any steel fasteners, exhaust components, etc.

On the flip side, as 986 girl will tell you about her experience this past winter, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to pick up a winter beater for the cost of winter rims/snows and not have to put money into it. If you can afford roughly $5k (in my opinion) you can have a reliable, safe, second car to drive when its yucky out or to go pick up a new air compressor in.

If you do choose to drive the Porsche in the snow, getting snows for it is absolutely a requirement. Contrary to what DJ pointed out, the issue isnt driving on actual snow (which you certainly will have to do at some point, and winter tires are a fantastic advantage here) but rather driving on roads that may be wet and below the freezing point. If you live in say, VA, and your car may see snow a handful of times during the winter, you could get by with running Z rated tires all year and just be SUPER careful on those few days. An all season tire will provide plenty of winter traction in that case as well. Now if you're somewhere where you actually get a real winter, real snow tires become a necessity. Z rated summer tires are worthless below 40 degrees, and offer no grip at all on frozen roads. Any of us who have gotten caught in an unexpected snowstorm on Z rated tires can attest to this. If its your daily, and you're running around in the winter on summer tires, all you need is one place where it hasnt been salted enough where you need to slow down or turn and thats game over.

The way I always explain this to those who dont get the importance of proper tires, is to compare the cost of snows vs the cost of your collision deductible. One stupid mishap that costs you a bumper would have paid for your snows (which would have lasted you probably 3 winters so really, divide that cost out some more). Obviously, the worst case is a totalled car and you in the hospital, or the graveyard.

Just my $.02....

Patrick

[djomlas]

you are very right, they are not good tires, but i just never got any.
before winter i will pick up a set of winters for cheap somewhere and put them before winter, so i will be set, no one really needs winter tires in the summer, so if you shop around you can get them faily cheap

[fab]

If your thinking driving in the SNOW, think of purchasing a HARDTOP. Could be cheaper puchasing during the summer.

[Hugh D]

hard top is definetely a good idea....

I bought mine with a hard top and intended on selling the hard top later, but after using it... it's just too nice.... especially those days that are very cold or very hot or rainy but you still want to take the boxster out (I dont use mine as a daily)

if youre getting a boxster as a daily, just get one as low miles as you can (considering it's not old and low miles)

[cfos]

I use my car as a daily driver and have a set of "winter" tires and wheels that I just change off.

Having said that, you have to figure out what you would be comfortable with. Some people don't like to drive their car in rain, snow etc., others aren't so picky. Personally, I view it as a car -- not an investment. Salt, tiny rocks, whatever are going to mark up your car -- you will eventually get a scratch in the paint and a chip (or three) in your windshield. This can all happen on a summer drive under perfect conditions. This past winter (Utah), I had maybe 2-3 days when I didn't drive the car (either took the wife's or carpool'd with her). Of course, her car (Mini) didn't do THAT much better in the snow, but sometimes there really isn't anything you can do when you get a lot of snow. It doesn't help that people that have 4-wheel drive think that THAT entitles them to drive 60 mph+ on non-highway roads, but... that is a separate issue. If you go the "beater" route: one thing you should ask is how safe and reliable will the cheap "beater" be? You probably may need to spend a fair amount. So it goes.