Hi guys - I have always wanted to own a 911 and I told myself I'd buy one when I am 40. That time is a few months away but I have been collecting information. I think I am fortunate as the new 991 is coming out as well so I could be buying a vehicle early in its life with the latest improvements.

I intend to buy it for a longer period of time and I dont intend to make it a garage queen. I intend to drive it everyday to work, drive it over weekends, drive my kids around in it, and even take it for vacations. Once or twice a year I might go to a track and pretend to be a race car driver. In short I intend to put a bunch of mileage on it and enjoy it.

I have always assumed that Porsches are built to last, however most cars I have seen are low mileage cars; and even with low miles and even after pampering their cars, some people seem to have problems engine/fuel pump/RMS etc. I get the impression that owning a Porsche outside of warranty is almost a financially irresponsible thing to do.

I am wondering ...
Are there any owners with super high miles on their cars out there?
Are there people who have 100K miles on their cars and have not had any issues - with regular maintenance?
Is it even prudent to buy a 911 with the intention of using it as much as I intend to and expect trouble free usage?

I would really like to fulfil this **dream** but I am unsure if my expectations are realistic. I would buy extended warranty for extended peace of mind but do owners feel confident in their cars to take them on cross country trips without the fear of breakdown - say like a Lexus. You just start it and go. Can you do that in a Porsche?

Porsche usually is ranked high in JD Power and Consumer Reports surveys, but they usually focus on initial quality and I am wondering about the long term dependability.

I'd appreciate to hear your opinions on this.
Cheers!

 

I'm no expert but I do know the older air cooled 911's routinely went 150K miles with routine maintenance.

The new water cooled, fuel injected motors should do that and then some since they are computer controlled and you dont get a lot of excess fuel washing down the cylinders.

In fact, LN Engineering claims your engine and IMS will last longer if you drive it a lot and keep the rpm's above 2,500 on a regular basis. It's the garage queens that have the highest IMS and RMS failure rates.

Your cost of operation will be a little higher than with some cars because the HP tires on the 911's are made for traction and not for mileage thus you replace them more often. Just perform the routine maintenance at the proper intervals and it will go for a long, long time. Learn how to do the simple things yourself like changing the oil, air filter, cabin filter, etc.

Heck, my daughters Ford escort has over 300,000 miles on it and is still going strong. It gets a timing belt every 50K, oil changes at 7k, spark plugs & brakes every 100K and a clutch at 200K. If that crappy little car can last I'm sure a Porsche can do it too.

 

Thats what I want to hear
I have seen some older (almost vintage) 911s on the road, usually some middle aged or older dude is driving one - I imagine myself in that situation some day i.e. driving my (then) old 911.That gives me the confidence that these things will last.

Really if an economy car can last 150K miles then there should really be no reason for a Porsche to not do the same and even more. I just dont want it to be high maintenance.

Tires I can deal with, being stranded on the road with my family in the middle of nowhere or oil leaking in my garage or car heating up - that I am afraid of even if its coverred by warranty/entended-warranty.

BTW - good going on the Ford Escort !
Cheers!

 

Yes, absolutely. The nature of a sports car means that you're not as likely to find a 5-year old 911 with 120,000 miles on it so much as you are likely to find a 5-year old Toyota Camry with 120,000 miles. But you will find a lot more daily driven 911's than you will daily driven Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, etc.

Again, yes. You will read about RMS/IMS issues. You'll read about coolant pipe issues on the original Cayenne. Porsche isn't without their hiccups. But overall, the major components of the 911 (drivetrain, suspension, etc.) are very, very well designed and built and if properly maintained should last a long time. Having said that, realize that the maintenance (and not just tires) on a 911 you drive 15,000 miles a year is going to be quite a bit more than the maintenance you have in a Camry you drive as much. Oil changes, even if you do them yourself, are a lot more expensive because the dry sump motors need a lot of the good stuff. And it's roughly a $100,000 car new so when something needs to be replaced or does go bad, it's not like replacing parts on a $30,000 car. But again, it's all relative. Maintenance is A LOT cheaper on a P car than it is on an F car.

Absolutely. Just go into it eyes wide open. A 911 isn't going to be as quiet as a modern day MB, Audi, BMW or Lexus but makes a really wonderful road trip car. Fanstastic seats, wonderful steering feel, and all the power and brakes you could ever need. The real beauty is that you can drive 6 hours to a race track, put on a helmet and do track days, fill it back up with gas and drive home. Not many production cars can honestly do that.. witness the major publications who have crashed current Nissan Z cars that had brakes that worked great the first lap and then gave out.

Again, yes. Witness how many people just drove hundreds or thousands of miles in their Porsches to attend Rennsport Reunion IV in Monterey.

My honest opinion is that the 911 is a well designed, well built super car than can be driven every day. I don't think any other car can legitimately claim that (maybe the Audi R8 or Nissan GT-R but my experience owning a current Audi puts that to question and the stories of GT-R transmissions imploding after using launch control has me questiont that too). Like most German cars, I don't think the electronics are as well thought out as they are in say a modern Lexus but the offest is that you have a car you can truly enjoy driving vs. a largely sanitary driving experience. And I'm no Lexus basher... my third car is a 1997 LS400 that's been in the family since new and it's got 160,000 absolutely trouble free miles on it... but it's like driving a baralounger down the highway... boring.

My advice... join the PCA now, before you guy your car. Find a local independent (here in S. CA we have many to chose from) and get to know them. Unlike the dealer (who can be very good to service too) they have no vested interest in you buying a new car and will give you a good idea of what you can expect. Plus, it's always a boon to know a good wrench.

Good luck in making your dream come true.

 

Thanks for such a detailed and candid response. Reading what you said has put my mind to ease quite a bit already. I'll join PCA as you suggested.
Much appreciated.
Cheers!

 

You're welcome. I hope you find, as I did, that the PCA is full of good hearted people that love their cars and are all too happy to share their experiences (good and bad) and welcome you to the cult.

I hope your dreams do come true and wish you many happy, safe miles.

 

I'm doing the same thing. Brand new 997.2, 5 months later 24,000km on the odo.

My commute is a blast, nothing like punching it home after a long day.

I remember on drive home, tired to the bones, when a 997.2 tt came up next to me. Vanity plate suggested he was a professional colleague also treating himself to a dream car, and we abused the 401 all the way home.

I treat my car to weekly washes, 94 octane gaz, and scheduled maintenance. I have one awesome track day behind me too.

Will it work out for me in te end? Who knows, but I'm never selling this car, my 3 boys can use it to take their girlfriends out in 7 or 8 years.

And one day, maybe they'll bury me in it.

The end.

 

These cars are built to be driven regularly. I've had a troublefree 4 year ownership experience with my 997.1S as a daily driver although I did get a 3 year extended warranty for peace of mind once the OEM warranty expired this past June. My friends with F-cars and Lambos treat their cars like pieces of fine art, short weekend drives only and with the objective of keeping annual miles under 1000. I prefer something more practical that can be used daily as the 911 bridges that gap with racecar performance.

 

I agree with Da Hapa completely, and I doubt you need another endorsement, but here's one from another guy who wanted one since the sixties and just got around to it a couple of years ago. Our 2009 wasn't expected, like some babies in the old days. We really thought our NSX would last our lifetime, but the dealer wrecked it, so I figured "what the hell?" and finally bought a Porsche. With no serious need for anything except a golf cart at my age, I grumbled for months about our lost NSX. Gradually, I realized this C2S had wormed its way into my heart.

Great cars, and I can't say I'm likely to drive enough years longer to get this one to 150k miles like the fine cars we've owned in the past, but I don't doubt the car would make it. (Just not me.) So far, it has 29,392 miles and feels like it might be broken in soon. Honest. Car feels and drives better than most cars off the dealer's lot. Comparable cars I mean. The "rest of the world" need not apply. I put in half a quart of oil after my third track day and that was the first time I had the engine lid open for any reason but pride.

If no one has mentioned this, consider that the 911 is the single car model worldwide rated highest in overall reliability by J.D. Power. I agree with the comments about it costing more intrinsically to own a $100,000 car. Of course, it does. But it is the most reliable $100,000 car you can buy. And it may be the one car that could have succeeded like this as filling the daily driver role of an NSX without having me grumbling every day about 'idiosyncrasies' instead of enjoying the occasional run through the mountains to get to the golf course the back way.

Good luck in your search. You'll love the end result,

Gary

 

I agree 100% that these cars are well suited for daily driving and fairly high miles. That being said...you have a choice. You could buy a 997 for a discount. It has been on the market since 2005 and basically all the bugs that they are going to work out are worked out. You second option is buying a 991. I am assuming based on timing you would buy a first year car. I own a first year car (2005 CS) and love it, but it has an overhang based on the IMS.
Anyhow...think about which one makes more sense. Buying a 997 for 15% below MSRP or a 991 at or above? Your calll...

 

I just saw this blurb that says 96.8% of 1 to 25 year old Porsches are still on the road and Porsche claims 66% of ALL Porsches ever made are still on the road.
http://www.autos.ca/general-news/toy...ity-desrosiers

 

I bought a 2005 C2 with over 40K miles and I've driven it daily for over two years, only not driving it when there was snow on the roads. It now has 71K miles and doesn't get driven nearly as much, because my work is now much closer to my home than it had been previously. I wash it weekly and follow the Mother's three step wax and polish system to a tee and it is garaged nightly. It also has the 3M clear bra applied to the front, mirrors, and door edges.

I've had one unscheduled maintenance problem that cost about $400 to repair. Everything else has been scheduled maintenance and replacement of normal consumption items (tires, brakes, rotors, oil, etc.). I've had it mainly maintained by independent mechanics, but did have the dealership do some of the services.

I keep a spreadsheet of all maintenance and I've figured out that it has had a maintenance cost of about $.09 per mile to this point.

It is meteor gray metallic, which I think is a good color for a daily driver. That said, I think staying on top of the washing and waxing has really preserved the paint's finish. In the interior, the leather still looks fantastic-- no side bolster wear, for instance. I attribute that to being careful getting in and out, but also using leather cleaner and conditioner on a regular basis. The carpets are kept clean and they show only minimal wear. The rest of the interior has some small scuffs and I've too suffered from the rub off issue that tends to plague some of the center switches on the console, but I've tried to guard against that as well by not placing my fingers directly on the affected spaces. I would say that at 71K miles, my car is a 9/10 on the interior and a 9.5/10 on the exterior.

So, in a long-winded way, I'd say you can easily have a 911 daily driver that stays looking very nice and is cost-effective, as long as you put in the requisite work.

 

Don't forget the High Pressure Fuel Pump problems with the new direct injected motors 997.2 and probably the 991. Hopefully they'll get this problem fixed.

My car just turned 30k miles and runs beautiful. Two sets of tires (another set soon), 4-oil changes, basic maintenance. Car look new inside and out and it's 3.5 years old.

Oh...You may have difficulty getting to kids into the back seat unless they are contortionists. Just say'n.

 

Now thats love

 

Hope you get to drive it for a long long time.
I am loving the passionate posts.
Amazing how a car can generate so much emotion and passion.

Cheers!