Anyone driving an older model year round? What are your annual costs like?
 

Greetings,

I'm looking for someone that has an older model e.g. 2005-07 911 that drives their car year round to get some insights from.

I'm guessing the winter can bring added maintenance issues because of the extreme cold.

If someone has owned their car for a while, can you give me some details on how much you spend per year?

It would help if you give details like how much you drive per year etc.

I drive it year round as my daily driver, in Toronto Canada.

There are not that many winter specific extra costs, aside from maybe an extra set of winter wheels and winter floor mats. And even the winter wheels are not an extra expense per mile, when you consider that youll get double the life out of the summer tires, as you are only using them half the year.

Swapping the wheels twice a season is easy, and can be done in your driveway. Maybe add to your expenses a Spring detailing too.

One thing... According to Jake Raby, 996/997 cars driven in colder climates seem to have a higher likelyhood of bore scoring, than those driven only in warm temps. So, there is likely a higher chance that you will end up with bore scoring, if you drive your 997 in extremely cold weather. That being said, I dont know how much higher chance. It might go from a 1% chance to a 2% chance, for all I know. And there are other stories where guys get theirs out of storage for the Spring, and bang, cracked cylinder wall. I personally think it is better to drive it all year round then to store and sit for extended periods. But also a lot of it is probably just luck of the draw.

I love driving the car all year round. Go for it!!!

Current summer setup

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...60203c2512.jpg

Winter setup


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...43f9e998b7.jpg

I used to drive year round in Alberta, the costs were pretty much the same as summer minus what halo said about a separate set of winter tires/rims. Other than that I ended washing the car more often to keep it clean.

I typically drive 2-3 times a week, trips about 60 km each (so not much really).

As a warning (not to try to start an oil thread) but I ran 0w40 for 2 winters and everything was fine, but one year I ran 5w40 as that was put in after a clutch change in town, and my engine scored cylinders 4-6. I can't say for certain that it was the oil, but I think between that and the harsh cold starts it may have been a contributing factor.

If you're planning on driving in the winter, some type of oil pan heater might be worth looking into if you're facing -30C cold starts.

Good luck!