Daily Driver
 

Hi all,

As some of you might know, thanks to my WTB thread, I'm in the market for a 986. The thing is, I'd be using it as a daily driver. I would be sitting in mild traffic, driving back and forth to the store, friend's houses, spirited driving, et cetera. My question to you guys is do you drive your 986 all the time? How is it as a daily? Also, since I live in NJ, it snows. That means that I'd have to invest in winter tires and a set of winter rims to mount them on. Have any of you had experience with the car in the snow? A friend of mine's father has a Carrera 4S and he drives it in the snow. I realize his 996 is AWD, though...

Thanks in advance,
Jake

I drive mine year round, but I do have another car for snow and for times that I need to carry more than one passenger. I think that with a set of snow tires, a Boxster would make a good daily driver except in very deep snow.

My Box is my daily driver... but I live in an area of the country in which I can easily drive the same car year round... even on the same tires!

It makes a good commuter car.. if you're not heavy on the gas, it can get good gas mileage. (I drove from Austin, TX to Phoenix, AZ, and averaged 31mpg)

I drive mine all the time during the summer, except when I go to the farmers market because you have to park in a gravel parking lot which makes me nervous :/

I would never drive it in the snow though... salt is way too detrimental, even if you are religious about getting it washed. Just buy a cheap winter beater for about the same as it would cost you for winter tires/wheels.

i drive mine daily, and on the same summer tires even during the winter time.
during winter roads are celan, only when its a blizzard you are stuck driving ON THE ACTUAL snow, other than that its fine, snow is moved off the road and you are fine with any car at that point.
and you dont really need a hardtop at all, but if you have one its a plus couse it keeps the cabin warmer and noise down, and you get a read heated window)

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

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.

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

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

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

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)

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.

I live in NYC and use my Box S as a dailey driver....However, in heavy snow the Box will rest in the garage cuz of low profile tires.
I still have recurring nightmares with my old and gone 996 Cab being stuck on lower east side cuz of tiny slope & slush..I had to get help from a local bum to push my car up...

:matchup:

I use mine (mostly) as a daily driver throughout the year except for heavy snow days. You can easily pick up some rims and snows for under $1000.00 off of Ebay. They make a tremendous difference.

I will note that I have stopped taking it to work immediately prior and following a snow storm. I simply don't want to deal with the mix of slush and sand being thrown onto the car during the storm - nor the sand getting kicked up onto it after. A few hood dings and I'm done with that!

Summer ties in the winter
 

I just bought my boxster and live in CA. I don't get snow in my area, but do get a lot of rain in the winter. I notice my tires are summer tires. Does it make sense to switch my summer tires in the winter for all season tires? What do you all suggest?

Salt does not just mark up your car like a rock does. It physically eats away at the paint and/or metal, eventually can rot it through completely. It will hide up in all the trim pieces where car washes cannot clean.

Also, heat speeds up the chemical reactions that can lead to rust... so any places near your exhaust/muffler are rusting at an increased rate, regardles of how often you wash your car.

n4ally2, on where we at, just get a all season tires..we don't need an special tires unless you are looking for a performance tires...

BTW..Welcome to the forum and post up a pix if you can :cheers:

six months on snows tires (Pirelli Snowsport) and six months on summer tires
(debating between Goodyears and Michelins).
I mount the snows as close to thanksgiving as possible.

I'm contemplating buying a set of Carrera replicas for the snow tires, those wheels can be had for less than $900. A good deal. Snow tires cost about $800.
This saves the hassle and cost of mounting the tires onto the same wheels.
Just switch wheels in the garage with the impact gun and proper jack. 15 minutes.

On snow tires the Boxster does very well on the road. I throw a couple of dumbell plates in the rear trunk for some added stability. But its risky because the danger is from you crashing but other morons on summer tires crashing into you. Some jerk smashed into the back car and ruined my bike rack, of course he forgot to leave a note...

Without the snow tires you have no chance. All season tires in this part of the country are useless in snow. And the weather around here is very unpredictable.
I may be driving in the rain NYC where is a few degrees warmer than New Jersey, and I've had instances where the it went from rain to snow in less than half a mile and the car was absolutely undriveable. Like I was in a drift racing competition -- no amount of throttle and steering would get it to go straight, while the SUVs sailed past 50mph. I Had to dump it until the snowstorm had passed two days later.


hardtops are nice, well worth the $1500.

Took the Box out this past Saturday..raining when i left for the evening then got a couple inches of snow...the Box was slipping all over the place. Have Pirellis factory tires on it...not a fun night and don't plan on doing that again...

I love how people fear the salt with the P-Car, but have no problems with the "other car" that gets subjected to the same crappy weather or worse and "that" car likely never gets the same care and maintenance as a Pcar would.

Porsche designed and tests their cars for year round use. They test in the artic circle and the sahara desert. Death valley. Tropical climates. The Alps. Porsches are fantastically tested and designed cars.

In the end, they are just a car. heck, I have seen parked on the streets of DC, 1960's vintage 911/912s. Sure they are rusty. Sure they aren't perfect. But they are 40+years old and still being driven. That is what a Porsche can be. Not many 1960s vettes, Ferraris etc on local city streets, but you will always find a few Porsches.

The Boxster is, in the end, just a car. Buy it. Drive it.

For your climate, the bigger limits will be depth of snow/rain. More than about 5-6" of snow and the Box will get stuck. Get a second set of rims with Snows. Consider sourcing a used hardtop and go for it!

LOL, my "other" car is an '87 e30 with more rust than you could even imagine. You're damn right I don't care about it as much as I do my Boxster. I paid $600 for the car.

Yeah, it's just a car, but it's also one of my most treasured posessions. I don't feel the need to drive it in the winter because I have other alternatives that wont damage the vehicle, just like I choose to drive with the top up in the rain. Hell, the interior is JUST an interior, it's not an investment...but why put it through **************** it doesn't need to go through? Besides, I beat on her during the summer at autocrosses, the least I can do is treat her a little nicer during the winter.

You can "test" a car in all the extremes, but that doesn't address the main issue. Salt is -bad- for the car, no matter how you cut it. I don't know about your Boxster, but mine wasn't built to withstand the chemical reactions of salt.

I agree, mine is a daily driver and treated as such, it is well taken care of but a couple rock nicks wont bring my world crashing down as a car is not an investment, it is a hole where we throw money hoping that the hole will get filled and we will be able someday to recover some of the cash. ;)

... which is why I'll just buy a new car in a few years. Of course, I'm not sure of your timeline -- when salt will eat through the paint and/or metal or heat will cause permanent(?) damage. I don't recall either happening to the oldsmobiles my family drove while growing up in CT nor the cars I had in Ithaca, nor permanent damage resulting from living on the Gulf (New Orleans and Galveston). Likewise, it stands to reason all of the above would happen to a "beater" car which would require additional expense in order to keep it running -- assuming you want to do that, right? My opinion is (contrary to some, I'm sure) that the boxster is simply... a car. So it goes.

Hey, you don't have to believe me, but it's simple physics and (to me) common sense. Take care of the nice things in your life so that they last longer.

I bought a beater for $600, used it over the winter, didn't care about washing it because it's, again, a beater, and just sold it last night for $500 to someone who is going to use it for the same thing next year.

A $100 loss versus unnecessary (and un-fun, really... don't care about having a sports car/convertable in the winter) wear and tear on my most prized possession is a simple choice for me.

I'll go ahead and end it as that, as saying it over and over again is pointless.

I really don't care (that much) to do any research on the physical properties of salt and the breakdown of metals nor thermodynamics of heat. I'm sure if either of us cared to wait long enough MNBoxster will have some longwinded reply with lots of words in italics or bold supporting your notions. Not that I' m disputing your claims, but face it we live different lives and value different things. You can take a $100 dollar loss on a beater that provided you service and be happy and I'll buy a new car in a few years and be happy. As for [z0ne], I suggest s/he just decide where s/he falls in the spectrum -- since that was the purpose of her/his thread, right? Asking people their opinions? As for common sense regarding cars -- my own bit of common sense: make more money and buy nicer things to replace the older ones.

My new car pic
 

Thanks guys for all your suggestions! I think all season tires would do the trick for me since I don't get snow where I live. I do have another question. I was considering getting a new set of wheels with the all season tires. I have 19" wheels right now. If I go get a new set of 18" wheels, would that be a problem? I assume that a simple wheel alignment will take care of the problem.

BTW, I can't get my pic to load. Let me know and I will post my pic of my car.

Thanks!

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...57_23_full.jpg

^ my last car was ten years old (when pic was taken)
Never garage kept, driven year round 110K miles.
Never a full repaint. Only the hood when I added the aero kit.
Sold it for twice the blue book value.

Salt is not a big deal if you prep the paint well with each season change.
Actualy acid rain is the bigger culprit. A good post wash sealant or dressing will guard against that. A paint decontamination kit will do wonders for paint that is more than five years old.

My new car pic
 

Let's see if this works or not.

Seal Grey with manual sport seats and a matching hardtop.
[IMG]IMG_0906-low-res.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_0907-low-res.jpg[/IMG]

Good looking Box, n4. :cheers:

Beautiful!

Boxster color
 

Thanks guys. I do like the seal grey and understand that Porsche is discontinuing the color starting on 2007. I think it is a pitty because it is the best look grey for the boxster! :)

Don't worry.. I am sure it will be available as an option for even more $$$ ;) - maybe even a "special wishes" color.

It doesn't snow that badly in Jersey. You will be fine.


I DD mine btw but it's a 987

^ what? when it comes to snow either way get it in a big way or we don't get it all. Last year we had 4 feet in two days.
see when it comes to traffic in Jersey we basically have more cars than people, and that's saying something because we are the most densely populated state in the country. toss in some snow and its just way too much evertyhing is already at capacity.

n4...that's a nice looking boxster! it's one of my favorite color..nice, very nice :D

pm me if you are interested to know local events in the bay area. We just did a PCH 1 overnight tour and most of the members are from Redwood City and Hayward

God I miss PCH... only times I ever drove on it when I lived in Cali was before I could even drive, and it was always in a regular sedan. I would KILL to get my Boxster out there!

I am interested in why you felt the need to take a shot at MNBoxster in this post? What was gained by this, other than you feeling kind of clever for a minute or two?

:mad:

The PCH is the BOMB. I get to drive it daily if I want.

That is a beautiful car.

The salt is really more of an issue with the undercarriage of the car, and for rust that works from the inside of the car to the out.

The Northeast is brutal that way, which is why I used to buy all my Porsche's from SOCAL owners.

I don't see it is a shot, just an observation. So you know, I really don't feel any need to be "witty", especially on an internet forum -- just check my post count and my posts/threads not that many for the length of time I've been here. As I said, it is an observation -- much like the observation of someone questioning my level of "common sense" regarding salt and physics or someone who purchases an older 911 as a "project car" without conducting a PPI as "...learning nothing here." Hmm... no comments from you on those "shots"... "who watches the watchmen?" :confused: Oh well, there is a need for some people in the world to give Tim Duncan two technicals, I guess. Maintains the status quo. There. That was an attempt at being "witty". Huh. I guess I do feel clever. ;)