4C as a daily

MrCoop

Junior Member
Messages
410
Can any of the resident 4C owners comment on having it as a daily. Looking at the 2nd hand market, they all seem to have low low miles which makes me think that they're weekend cars but if I was going to spend £40k+, I'd want it to be a daily.
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
Having been in one, I would say defiantly not.

Pat will surely be along (Maser Sod) to give you the low down but my comment about my short drive in one was "an hour is more than enough"
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
From the brief experience I had in one no, well unless you want you body to be wrecked after a month or so
 

leeq61

Member
Messages
356
I hired a 4C for a long weekend back in April. Lovely car but definitely not a daily. We did a trip from Manchester to the lakes and by the time we'd got there i felt really achy. Lovely to drive for short journeys and what a good looking car it is too, I personally couldn't use one as a daily driver though.
 

StuartW

Member
Messages
9,306
I think the reviews said the same, not built for comfort but boy it is a good looking beast - if you can forgive those headlamps of course!
 

IainS

New Member
Messages
11
I've owned a launch edition coupe for over 2 years. Some owners are using it as a daily driver but they are in the minority as most owners seem to have it as a weekend toy. It will handle sitting in slow moving traffic without issue if put in Normal mode on the DNA selector combined with the auto setting for the DSG box. Visibility out of the rear is not great but depends upon what you have been used to. Rear parking sensors are a must have for using it daily I'd say. It is a very wide car and you require a fair bit of space when opening the doors to get in and out so it isn't very car park friendly. It is also a very low car and large speed humps will potentially cause problems. There is very little sound proofing in the cabin and as a result it can get a bit boomy especially if the car has the optional racing exhaust fitted. There are after market exhaust options that can cure this though. The boot is tiny and there are no drainage channels on the lid so it will drip water onto anything you have stored in there if you lift it open during a rain shower. Overall it is a fantastic little car and a lot of fun. I've owned a number of Ferraris, Lamborghinis etc and can honestly say that in terms of bang for buck and grin factor it is near the top of the pile and I cannot envisage selling mine. You'll find a wealth of info at 4c-forums.com
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Don't see why you can't use it daily....as long as a two seater sports car suits your needs. I used Elise's and Exiges as daily drives and found them OK.....Until I had children that is.
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
But the 8C is very different to a 4C. The 8C is a GranSport, so certainly useable as a daily. But the 4C is more akin to an Elise, so as a daily demands more compromises of the driver (such as requiring no comfort or practicality), and that's coming from someone who used a series of 3 Diablos as my daily and only cars for 3 years (back in days before before marriage, children, etc). Those were the days!
 

Maser Sod

Member
Messages
1,962
Pretty much what Iains said.

Great fun car, but it is just not a daily driver in so many ways. Unless your daily route is very forgiving and you carry little with you.

I did use it as a daily up to Aztec West from Portishead, but that's only a 15 min drive at best.

I use my Abarth 500 as a daily, that's fun enough and then I use the 4C on the weekend.
 

MrCoop

Junior Member
Messages
410
Ok, just so that I understand correctly, no one recommends the 4C as a daily?

I didn't think it would have been but better to hear from actual owners.
 

IainS

New Member
Messages
11
You can use it as a daily but it all depends on your expectations of comfort, where you are able to park it, how much cabin and boot space you need etc. My better half drives a 981 Boxster S with PDK as as a daily and it feels like a luxury GT in comparison to the 4C. Having said that she had an Audi S3 before that and my 4C is actually better to travel in over many badly surfaced local roads than that car was.
 

Evo Cymru

Member
Messages
688
You could also throw into the mix that Alfa Workshop (Jamie Porter) have/has developed some interesting suspension/engine/exhaust mods that may change the perception again!
 

Maser Sod

Member
Messages
1,962
You could also throw into the mix that Alfa Workshop (Jamie Porter) have/has developed some interesting suspension/engine/exhaust mods that may change the perception again!

I'll be booking in with them shortly, but the changes I envisage will make the car even less likely to be a daily!
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Ok, just so that I understand correctly, no one recommends the 4C as a daily?

I didn't think it would have been but better to hear from actual owners.

I do....only because you can use any car daily depending on you needs....As I said I've used a Lots Elise as a daily drive which I loved and the 4c feels a bit more usable than a mark 1 or 2 Elise. Think you would need to get a drive one and see if it suits.
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
If a car starts, stops, and drives, it can be used as a daily. It depends on a personal level of comfort/discomfort. Back in the day I used a 1969 Lotus Europa as a daily. Waist high, good for free parking in multi story car parks! But used to fill up with water , so you sat on polythene lol. Different days ;)
 

NickP

Member
Messages
1,623
If you are looking for comfort then I can recommend these covers, they are great for the elder gentleman looking for a degree of comfort and sophistication.

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