[Espo]

Hello everyone. I made my debut post here earlier this year when I was contemplating moving from my C6 corvette to the GTR world, but since my wedding was late this summer, I wasn't in the position to make a car move, but now that I am happily married, I am ready to make a move. My plan is to sell the Corvette and my daily driven Acura and own just 1 car, a GTR. My other option was a 2014+ Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (I owned one a few years ago and absolutely LOVED it but sold it when I had the chance to pick up my third Corvette). The SRT8's are similar in price to the GTR's i've been looking at (well, GTR is a little more expensive, but its in ballpark).

So that brings me to the question i've been asking myself over the past 6+ months, where I live (with the crazy shifting climate) is a GTR worthy of daily driving? I live in western PA so its wet spring/summer/fall and snowy in the winter, plus the fact I go up the mountains a lot in the winter for cabin weekends and a lot of skiing and also take 400 mile road trips on occasion.

For those of you who ONLY own your GTR and drive it daily, how's that work for you? I'd put 10-15k miles per year on the vehicle the way I drive. I would obviously put snow tires on for the winter and have to keep up with maintenance quite often since it would get driven a lot.

A friend of mine has a 2014 GTR and tells me I'll love it but he isn't sure the car is made to be driven daily and says if I get one I should have a daily driver too, but I can't make that happen, and I refuse to buy a $4000 car as my 'daily' and drive the GTR when its nice out...if that is the case this idea is off the table for me because I visit clients too often to be showing up in a $4000 honda civic

If I do make this move, I will be hunting a 2012+ model in the spring of 2016 (when I can sell my corvette easier and for max $).

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[335irlz]

I put 16k miles on it from Nov 22nd to like June 16th before it went down for surgery.

You will NOT NOT NOT survive WINTER on OEM Setup. I'm down the road from you in MD winters on those dunlop stock tires suck and thats way better weather than you guys see in PA, so I really had to plan accordingly. I drove around a few times and would get stuck on mild incline on my damn driveway lol had to carry hot water jugs out to help it make it up to my garage on those summer tires... So if you get winter tires it will be tank with the FWD assist. But build that into the budget.

I enjoy daily driving it. Given you're in a more rural area I think you'd have even more fun than I sitting in major congestion.

I'd say its bumpy and stiff to a degree but the fun you can have to offset some of those moments in bumpy commute are worth its weight in gold. Plus it really isn't like any other platform where you can so easily tailor it to your preference from getting Pink carbon fiber paddle shifters to a A12 kit running low 8s lol I mean it really is outstanding

 

[Espo]

I put 16k miles on it from Nov 22nd to like June 16th before it went down for surgery.

You will NOT NOT NOT survive WINTER on OEM Setup. I'm down the road from you in MD winters on those dunlop stock tires suck and thats way better weather than you guys see in PA, so I really had to plan accordingly. I drove around a few times and would get stuck on mild incline on my damn driveway lol had to carry hot water jugs out to help it make it up to my garage on those summer tires... So if you get winter tires it will be tank with the FWD assist. But build that into the budget.

I enjoy daily driving it. Given you're in a more rural area I think you'd have even more fun than I sitting in major congestion.

I'd say its bumpy and stiff to a degree but the fun you can have to offset some of those moments in bumpy commute are worth its weight in gold. Plus it really isn't like any other platform where you can so easily tailor it to your preference from getting Pink carbon fiber paddle shifters to a A12 kit running low 8s lol I mean it really is outstanding

Thanks for the reply.
I would 100% get snow tires for the winter months as i've done with any car I drive daily. I drive less than 10 minutes each way to work on all back roads, no highways/congestion to deal with so that is no concern of mine. Being bumpy/stiff isn't a concern either, a lot of my other daily drivers (and corvettes) have been siff/sporty (STi, M3, SRT8).

 

[335irlz]

Thanks for the reply.
I would 100% get snow tires for the winter months as i've done with any car I drive daily. I drive less than 10 minutes each way to work on all back roads, no highways/congestion to deal with so that is no concern of mine. Being bumpy/stiff isn't a concern either, a lot of my other daily drivers (and corvettes) have been siff/sporty (STi, M3, SRT8).

Yeah I'd say its on a scale of 1-10 a 1.5-2 additional bumpy points over the e92 m3 with the larger wheels. So you're more like me in that you can deal with it and enjoy it...

If you get winters you'll be fine and it'll be a fun tank lol.

I think where you'll find the most enjoyment if you can deal with A. getting winter tires and B. the bumpy factor, is that once you own one just how unique you can tailor it to your individual preferences. If you want a canyon hilly car throw a JRZ suspension and cup2 tires on it and tear those back roads up. Or get some big turbos and radials take it out to 81 and go straight lol. Just so many options.

I get all my work done in PA so I'm up there quiet a bit off 15.

 

[Espo]

Yeah I'd say its on a scale of 1-10 a 1.5-2 additional bumpy points over the e92 m3 with the larger wheels. So you're more like me in that you can deal with it and enjoy it...

If you get winters you'll be fine and it'll be a fun tank lol.

I think where you'll find the most enjoyment if you can deal with A. getting winter tires and B. the bumpy factor, is that once you own one just how unique you can tailor it to your individual preferences. If you want a canyon hilly car throw a JRZ suspension and cup2 tires on it and tear those back roads up. Or get some big turbos and radials take it out to 81 and go straight lol. Just so many options.

I get all my work done in PA so I'm up there quiet a bit off 15.

Rt 15 is more towards the middle of PA, I am outside of Pittsburgh, in the south west, close to WV and OH.

I say this now, but I have no desire to modify (possibly some bolt ons or at the very minimum, an access port) so no bigger turbos, no crazy suspension, I just want a fun fast "STOCK" daily driver that I can replace my C6 vette and acura with...and not regret ditching the corvette (which has been my favorite cars since my first C5). Shit, I dont even plan to do an exhaust on it, I'm over the loud car thing anymore. My vette has straight pipes, no cats and an aggressive cam, which sounds AMAZING but gets quite annoying when taking road trips.
Not to go off topic, but yesterday the wife and I took the vette on a good 120 mile round trip to a pumpkin patch, I had to put the roof on because it was a bit cold out and with the loud exhaust we couldn't really even have a conversation, and that was the final straw for me. Being 30 now I'm over the loud car thing, especially for a daily. It was fun when I was 21 with a loud ass Corvette/Cobra/Import (300z, RX7, 3000GTvr4), but now I just want something more 'chill'

I have a few months before I plan to sell the corvette, so while shes sleeping for the winter, I have time to gather up as much info as I can before making the large investment (GTR) and see if it will suite my lifestyle before shopping for one.

 

[335irlz]

Rt 15 is more towards the middle of PA, I am outside of Pittsburgh, in the south west, close to WV and OH.

I say this now, but I have no desire to modify (possibly some bolt ons or at the very minimum, an access port) so no bigger turbos, no crazy suspension, I just want a fun fast "STOCK" daily driver that I can replace my C6 vette and acura with...and not regret ditching the corvette (which has been my favorite cars since my first C5). Shit, I dont even plan to do an exhaust on it, I'm over the loud car thing anymore. My vette has straight pipes, no cats and an aggressive cam, which sounds AMAZING but gets quite annoying when taking road trips.
Not to go off topic, but yesterday the wife and I took the vette on a good 120 mile round trip to a pumpkin patch, I had to put the roof on because it was a bit cold out and with the loud exhaust we couldn't really even have a conversation, and that was the final straw for me. Being 30 now I'm over the loud car thing, especially for a daily. It was fun when I was 21 with a loud ass Corvette/Cobra/Import (300z, RX7, 3000GTvr4), but now I just want something more 'chill'

I have a few months before I plan to sell the corvette, so while shes sleeping for the winter, I have time to gather up as much info as I can before making the large investment (GTR) and see if it will suite my lifestyle before shopping for one.

Gotcha lol I felt the same way since a stock 2013+ is literally near a 10second car [record for a 2013 was 10.8 lol], don't worry they have every kind of exhaust imaginable to make it user friendly lol I like mine in that its got electronic cutouts and vent to atmosphere turbos so if I wanna hear it make noise I can, if I want to just talk albeit over the shep trans PPG gears I can do that too vs. when I had dumps and it was ear killing loud.

Bottom line: If you found yourself purchasing one enjoy the car and I'm sure like most of us will find areas where you want to improve it and tailor it to your tastes as it took me a few 1000 miles before I tried tune [which instantly alone no other mods adds like 12% hp which is insane lol] and mid pipe/ dp and injectors, but regardless it'll be capable of any direction, and especially staying near stock or FBO or below it's relatively cheap compared to the BIG BIG kits. Although it'll be on the louder side interior ride wise vs. say an e92 M3 because of the lack of sound proofing vs. some of the other cars you've had. Nothing a good shop that knows dynamiting couldn't fix, but still worth noting. Audio system is not noticeably different then the B&O I had in my F10 M5, which kind of upset me given the B&O was a 3k option lol.

The main point I try to make with future buyers is their will be things you don't like, but because of the vast market the GTR has their is an answer and its usually a good one for all needs.

Good luck with the decision

 

[Alphastog]

I DD'd it this summer. I did the cheap daily thing and picked up a 97 4runner for 3k... and love it lol. Car gets to be babied and kept clean and a lot of the miles go on the 4runner now. Everything works great on my beater and I don't car to run up mileage or worry about dodging every pot hole ect... Its a nice relief from driving the GTR daily.

 

[MacDaddyG]

Given the option of having to drive my GT-R as a daily driven vehicle it goes without saying, HELL YES!! In reality though once you stop to think about it you come back to reality. Do you really want to expose yourself to the possibility of damage to your vehicle in daily driving (parking/commute/road hazard/weather) and just the increased costs (maintenance/insurance) related to putting substantial miles on your car? Everyone has their own opinion, but I chose to get a daily driver vehicle and make sure that my GT-R is pampered. I had a 2013 ZL1 Camaro prior to purchasing my 15' BE as a daily driver vehicle for a year and after the increased daily commute issues I chose to get a different daily driver car via cheap lease payments. I don't know about the rest of you, but it just stresses me out thinking of parking my car in a lot. I can't tell you how many times I've come out to find the biggest piece of crap parked next to my car after I purposely parked way out of the way to try and insure against anyone parking next to me. I know that driver has done it on purpose because of how far they had to go out of their way to park next to me and how close they parked. I hate jealous F'ers!!!

 

[mark896]

I DD mine, but I do have to roll the dice every time I park at the grocery store or whatever. It's fine, nothing drastic.

 

[Spooks]

curious about the snow - any issues experienced? is there a maximum amount of snowfall before you start feeling it in these cars? I'm in Canada, so snow is pretty common this time of year. I'm used to AWD and snow tires but the ride height has me constantly questioning.

 

[Espo]

My main goal of this thread was to see if anyone truly does DD their GTR, without a backup vehicle, how that goes for you, especially in the snowy climates.
From my little bit of research so far, maintenance is mileage based, so whether or not 15k is put on it in a year or in 3 years, I am assuming the faster I put it on, the more maintenance is involved (including and not limited to tires).

curious about the snow - any issues experienced? is there a maximum amount of snowfall before you start feeling it in these cars? I'm in Canada, so snow is pretty common this time of year. I'm used to AWD and snow tires but the ride height has me constantly questioning.

I've been reading and with a good set of snow tires these things are TANKS in the white stuff. Obviously if you're driving on un-treated roads (not plowed) and there is 12" of snow laying, the front bumper is going to be more of a snow plow than anything. Thats how it was with the STi's i've owned, anything under 12" of fluffy powder was fine, but anything more wasn't good. Then add on ice or heavy/wet snow and its even worse. Luckily they plow the crap out of my neighborhood and the county/state takes care of all the other roads around me, so that wouldn't be an issue.

My other concern is the ability to add a remote starter to a GTR, I will keep it in my garage at home but at work and when out in the winter, I do like to have the car remote started to get warm and melt any snow/ice on the windows.

 

[Stallionvb]

Go ahead and DD it. But, yes the suspension is a little stiff. But remember it's just a Nissan.

 

[streetdreams5520]

I daily mine but I drive more like 5k a year

 

[BoricuaSS]

I have always had modified cars/suvs and have been DD my FBO E-85 GT-R since I got it. And to me is by far the best car to DD. At least until recent since my ETC/FWD unit decided to take a crap. So I got a new Supercharged SS Sedan and been DD that one now, at least until I am able to get the GT-R fixed.

 

[jscott]

I have always had modified cars/suvs and have been DD my FBO E-85 GT-R since I got it. And to me is by far the best car to DD. At least until recent since my ETC/FWD unit decided to take a crap. So I got a new Supercharged SS Sedan and been DD that one now, at least until I am able to get the GT-R fixed.

What happened with your ETC/FWD Unit?

 

[jscott]

I have always had modified cars/suvs and have been DD my FBO E-85 GT-R since I got it. And to me is by far the best car to DD. At least until recent since my ETC/FWD unit decided to take a crap. So I got a new Supercharged SS Sedan and been DD that one now, at least until I am able to get the GT-R fixed.

What happened with your ETC/FWD Unit?

 

[MacDaddyG]

I guess I should have elaborated my answer further so that you don't think that I bought the car to garage it. I drive somewhere around 20-25k miles per year, most of it for work. I didn't buy the GT-R to use as a daily mainly because of the mileage. Trust me, I definitely drive it whenever I get a chance. I get a lot more opportunities living in San Diego.

Sent from my VS986 using GT-R Life mobile app

 

[mark896]

Exactly, just have to be a cautious driver/owner, park a few spots further away and walk, and dont let it stress you out.

So you drive yours daily, roughly how many miles per year do you put on it?
I haven't really dipped into reading about the regular maintenance yet, but I am curious whats involved when putting 10k-15k a year on it.

I've had it since May and have put over 10K miles on it. About to throw a set of tires on it, but mine would've lasted longer with a better alignment.. Oil changes I do every 5K miles and it's less than $50 each time. Next big thing will probably be brakes at some point. Other than that, nothing big really.

 

[BoricuaSS]

What happened with your ETC/FWD Unit?

It just took a $h&t. Most provably the balls or something inside gave up.

 

[zhound]

Its fairly inexpensive to rebuild the ETS. But if you can might as well take the opportunity to build the trans. I looked into Jack's packages when my ETS took a dump. He throws in the ETS rebuild for free if you decide to upgrade the trans. I opted to just rebuild the ETS for now, not even on E85 yet.

It just took a $h&t. Most provably the balls or something inside gave up.