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Anyone use their 981 GT4 as a daily?

Duncs04

PCGB Member
Member
Hi All,
We are looking to swap my wife's Macan GTS for a 2016 981 GT4 and use it as her daily. Her business has confirmed 50/50 split between working at the office and home, so she will only be travelling to the station 2 or 3 days a week and its only 3 miles away. It will then be used by me on a weekend and on road trips :)
The Macan just doesn't quite hit the spot for an occasional use car for us. the Macan is her first SUV and she is used to sports cars so there is no issue with her driving it.
I’m not worried about parking it up places (thats what I have insurance for) and I’m not concerned about the resale side of things with regards to millage as I buy the car to use and not as an investment.
I guess what I would like to know is what are they like to live with day to day? Are there any things that I should be particularly concerned about such as ride height? Is the height so low that speed bumps are a considerable hassle, for example?
I appreciate your replies.

 
Slopes, ramps and driveways can be a problem more than speed bumps. Multi-storey car parks for example are a complete no-go.

That's the biggest issue with dailying a GT4...

 
My main worry is that the engine won’t warm up properly on the 3 mile drive to the station.

Macan GTS warms up far quicker

 
The height of the front splitter is the main issue as stated but the other thing to be aware of is that the clutch is reasonably heavy. Absolutely fine for normal use but if the 3 miles to the station is a crawl in traffic then that could a bit grating after a while.

great car otherwise though and you’ll be delighted with it for the other use case!

 
Thanks for the information everyone, we are going to take a look at a spyder and a GT4 this week and see what we think

4.0 GTS or 25th anniversary boxster may well be the most sensible option but GT4 just seems so special, and ive hankered after one for a long time.

 
Warming up should not be much different to the Macan. One issue could be winter weather. Wider tyres, less weight, poorer visibility etc. the GT4 certainly has disadvantages. Simply parking the GT4 is more difficult in respect of kerbs and overhangs, and getting in and out of the car when parked close to another one is more tricky. The GT4 could take the punishment of a three mile commute, but would you really want it to? Buy a Gocycle perhaps.

Most of the queries I have seen on this subject relate to using a GT4 daily on motorways and general transport duties where noise vibration and harshness is an issue. Personally I don't find the GT4 much noisier than the GTS, but then I have not had the good fortune to spend long periods in the GT4.

I would still go for it if you have the opportunity!

 
Warm up is an issue after 80 odd cars the 981 GT4 was the longest warm up of any car I have owned and the lowest MPG bar a V8 BMW.

also you cannot park it in multistory, so no imo not a daily in anyway. also a lot of road noise due to big tyres.

I bought mine 6 years a go as a daily but gave up on it for that duty. 17 mpg and 5 mile warm up times wears thin along with once getting stuck in a car park.

hoon the car you get 11 mpg , track it you get 5 ! but the warm up time was comic long and very annoying which means you are not using it for local runs out to shops etc. (i treated my GT4 well it was to be a keeper) Add then Cup 2's it's then only a car you can use 7 months of the year, unless you change tyres. 981 Spyder I DID use as a daily but same issues and a manual roof ment I really never put the roof down !!! and I did not care that much about short trips as I knew I was selling it within a year, so different mind set vs my GT4.

IF you can get over the long gearing of the 4.0 GTS then it's a great car, I could not (ruined the car for me as it did in the GT4) less so in the 981 Spyder as I used that as a life style car so my daily is another make of sports car now days. It all depends what you want, people daily a RS in london and say it's fine !

 
milnsey said:
My main worry is that the engine won’t warm up properly on the 3 mile drive to the station.

Macan GTS warms up far quicker

this the GT4 is shocking bad warm up times ! :-(

 
My car warms up quicker than a previous 981 Cayman S PDK and much less than five miles ... a mile at 30, another at 40 another at 50. To get temperatures into the 80`s, all this in `initial mode` - not Sport

 
Tried it in “normal mode” several times, still doesn't decrease warm up time for mine (GTS).

In winter it takes at least 15mins on A roads to get temp into 80’s

 
AndrewCS said:
My car warms up quicker than a previous 981 Cayman S PDK and much less than five miles ... a mile at 30, another at 40 another at 50. To get temperatures into the 80`s, all this in `initial mode` - not Sport

oil not water :)

 
Warm up times for my cars yesterday for oil to reach 80C

Macan GTS 11 min, starting temp 12C

Cayman GTS 15min, starting temp 16C

Add at least 5 min in winter.

Revs limited to 2k until 60C then 3k until 80C. I enjoy being mechanically sympathetic.

 
I'd hate a 3 mile journey on the engine.

I bought a 453 Smart Car for my station trips, much more relaxing to leave unattended all day

 

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