e9 daily driver - crazy?

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alanmcg

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hi gents,
after about a year search, am close to buying a coupe (#2, owned one many years ago). i will buy a car that has been fully restored, but not a garage queen, cuz my plan is to use the e9 as my daily driver (except when it rains).

am i crazy to use the coupe as my primary car? question is more from a dependability/comfort/safety stdpt than preservation/devaluation of the car.

appreciate benefiting from your experience.

alanmcg
 
"Safety"? Your only "safe" option is to never get hit or hit anything. I'm pretty sure under any significant collision, the car will fold like a cheap beer can, given how whippy it already is.
 
Drive it! Live it! Fix it!

I'm all for driving the car...e9 or an ancient P928GT...they both drive on rails at speed. They also need to be driven! Enjoy it!

Jon
 
Drive on

I agree. I drive my csi every minute I can. Maybe one day I'll have another to look at - but you can look at pictures...you can't drive them. ;)
 
Daily Drive

Drive it. You obviously know the car. Make friends with a decent shop. Keep some spares and consumables to minimize down time; but that's less of a problem today than when you had one before, now with airfreight and email. But some parts are hard to come by even now but that goes for some German new cars even today.

Get it sorted out and do a few things for reliability like electronic ignition or change points.

Comfort?- I have more shoulder room in my E9 than a new 650/645 and I can see over the guage cluster. (Didn't care for the heads up and the reason I bought another Porsche)

Safety- Never been afraid at 80 mph on Houston freeways, but I tend to drive to stay away from the pack and the Soccer Moms , SUVs, 18 wheelers that don't see me or anyone for that matter and slow down for the kids ( young and old) that are waiving at your car in admiration and envy.

Good luck with the purchase!:-D

61Porsche
Don't let up on the turns.
 
One issue might be insurance, you won't get a collector policy and a standard policy may not cover everything if there is an accident so check into that first.
 
Except when it rains?

Seattle? OK. As they say, it only rains twice a year in Seattle - August to April and May to July.

At least no salt in Seattle, but why not move to Denver (>300 dry and sunny days and no salt there either).
 
Drive it!

I agree with past comments on getting the car sorted very well first and you'll save a lot of headaches in the future. I'm using my coupe as much as the weather permits and the car feels and runs much better when its been driven regularly.

It's so rare to see a cool car on the roads these days amongs all of the appliances.
 
2270011 had tens of thousands of miles put on it before I bought it and tens of thousands more after I bought it! I cannot imagine owning one of these withOUT driving it, what'd be the point? If you want an "investment" buy land, they ain't makin' any more of it!
 
Too much of a consensus here so I say drive it only on week-ends. God did not intend for all days of the week to be the same, so that is one way of differentiating.

Mechanicals can be made reliable, comfort is great for me in terms of access, space, visibility, ease of parking, trunk. Safety is hard to say as there is no crash test data that I know of. A driven E9 will still devalue slower than a new car but you may be right in that pampered E9s with low miles may appreciate in the future as the car becomes really rare. There are many opinions and predictions on appreciation, don't know.
 
drive it, drive it, drive it,..

... but drive it as a classic !

be aware of the kind of vehicle you are driving, dont drive it as a fool

you can not drive it without considering some peculiar aspects: pay attention to sounds, temperature, oil levels, drops in the pavement when you stop,...

when you drive anticipate the response of other drivers, avoid dangerous places near to SUV´s, big trucks, fast cars,..., anticipate braking, you can not use it as a brand new car full of power, response, and electronics

safe ?, reasonably yes, but get the advise of our colleague, do not hit, and avoid been hited, you have no airbags, no surviving cell, not pirothecnic safety belts,...

try to "drive" the car in a pleasant and enjoyable way, but full of attention

good luck
 
DeQuincey hit the nail on the head- I drive my 2800 at least three days a week and that is a great summation of how I approach it.

Remember the car is older and you need to pay much closer attention to what it is telling you. The best part is these cars are so fun to drive, they "tell" you a lot. Avoid parking next to minivans and SUVs. Learn where all the puddles usually are and avoid them. Here in San Diego, sun can be harsh, so I'd consider keeping 303 on your dash. Use a windshield-type sunscreen to protect the interior. Don't forget to protect the tops of the rear seats. Chart out a thorough maintenance schedule and stick with it. The mechanicals are tough and will run forever if well maintained. Other than the safety issue, which is a personal choice, these cars are excellent daily drivers.
 
I drive my car about three days a week to and from the office and on general errands. 8 to 10 miles per day. The more it is driven the better it performs. I do not use it where I may be stuck in traffic on hot days to avoid potential overheating.
 
That's why I have two, One I have driven as my everyday car for the last 38 years.
5 years now in Florida and 33 years in Westchester NY in snow, ice, rain and heat.
The car was totally restored twice and is still rust free but highly modified (347 HP)

The other is 110 percent rust free, has 1290 miles on it and only goes to auto shows.
Buy it and drive the H*** out of it.
 
I drive mine almost every day, but I have a short commute and live in a small city. I have a modern car for when it rains or for when it's just too hot and I really crave for aircon.

Plent of great advice above.
 
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