Winter daily driver?

[emayer]

Hope everyone has been biding the winter months well in anticipation of letting our P cars loose again soon.  I know we generally like to take good care of our cars but after spending time with a C4S in Germany this winter, I can't but help consider something like this as a daily driver.

Anyone here drive their Porsche year-round?  Certainly winter tires are a must, but I'm interested in feedback, experiences, and advice from those who've taken that step....  -E

[larrybard]

Not sure if I have any special advice, but despite alternatives like my AWD minivan and modified S6 quattro, my 993 remains my vehicle of choice year-round -- yes, with snow tires at this time of the year -- unless it's way too cold (the ability to defog my windows without venting cold air at the windshields is disappointing) or the snow is too high and I'm clearance-limited.

[Porshagod]

I suggest you get a front wheel drive '95 "Oldsmabuick" for the winter. You may have to lay out some big bucks for one, but it's worth it!

Remember, when it comes to winter driving, it's not how good you are, it's how BAD everyone else is!

So the question is, what car would you want to be driving when some jacka$$ runs into you?

[larrybard]

This may sound more than a bit heretical, but for a few initial moments I thought that perhaps I'd want to sacrifice my 993 in a crash.  Assuming that I wouldn't be physically vulnerable, of course.

My thought was that I'm pretty sure I am way overinsured, having failed to ratchet down my specified value insurance coverage.  No way the car is now worth $35k, with nearly 90k miles and a significant number of track events.

[emayer]

Dave, don't sacrifice the Oldsmabuick man!  A classic in the making for sure..... 

As for some bonehead crashing into the car, your point is valid but that could happen anytime of the year for that matter.  My question- is the joy of driving something fun year round worth the risk?

Thanks for the feedback Larry and glad that you're making full use of the 993.  We focus so much nowadays on the performance aspects of the 911 that we tend to overlook the practicality of this car especially in its class.  Track beast- check.  Rear seats for kiddie transpo- check.  Reasonable gas mileage- yup.  All wheel drive capability- yah!  Methinks I need to dig up another car....

 

[APXD 30]

emayer wrote:

Certainly winter tires are a must,

Winter tires are a must. The A4 just made it back from Harrisburg in sleet & snow today at rush hour. I drove past several accidents without incident.

Thanks again to Jeff Conklin for setting me up with the set from the forum.

[emayer]

I made the switch myself for our SUV and sedan this year as they both had AMG rims/ summer tires.  Huge difference in performance, I can see why this is mandated in Europe.  As a bonus, this saves wear on the OEM equipment for 4 months a year thereby covering cost.  Not to mention the cost of replacing an OEM rim after a slide!.....

[Porshagod]

Porshagod wrote:

I suggest you get a front wheel drive '95 "Oldsmabuick" for the winter. You may have to lay out some big bucks for one, but it's worth it!

Remember, when it comes to winter driving, it's not how good you are, it's how BAD everyone else is!

So the question is, what car would you want to be driving when some jacka$$ runs into you?

As for bad drivers, case in point. Check out the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i8sE6ICRws

[emayer]

Great clip!

Well guys, I bit the bullet.  I "exchanged"  my sedan for a 2009 997 tt with 700 miles on the odo.  Under normal circumstances I would never consider the prospect, but the relative depreciation made this possible and heck, I missed the car!

I can ride out the rest of the season but will be hunting for a winter tire/ wheel package.  BTW, if you are interested, there some good Rennlist posts from those using 911s as winter drivers.  They aren't becoming more valuable over time so we might as well enjoy them to the fullest!