Mildly considering to jump into one of these? 06 or 07 997S or a new M3. Any opinions/thoughts from owners appreciated. For reference, my current car is a 07 335i coupe 6-spd, stock, never got around to doing much to her. Thank you

 

I had the exact same two choices. Needless to say I'm on this board and not on the M3 board any more. I think Yrralis1 is the man to chime in as he has both and will give you the skinny.
For me there is no comparison, the only advantages to the M3 are the fact that it is a slightly more stealthy daily driver (stands out less) and the nice V8 sound.
Otherwise the M3 is a bit of a porker in terms of handling.

 

I had the exact same two choices, well, I also had the choice of a 997.2S.

For me, there is no comparison. The only advantage to the 911 is the porsche badge. Otherwise, the M3 handles better, has greater aftermarket potential, a superior motor, far more daily usability, and is a better balanced car (that has an LSD, unlike MKI 997's in the US).

 

Also had the same dilemma, e92m3 vs 997.2S, now have the e92 on order but It's not because I think the M3 is superior, just a little bit much for my age and a little bit out of reach for time being.

I agree with far more daily usability, but handling better, superior motor, better balanced car? Please educate me. I'm not bashing you by any means.

 

It's a totally different feel. My buddy and I drove his E90 M3 6sp back to back with my 997 C4S 6sp. The Porsche was a much more visceral sports car feel. In the porsche, the driver sits much lower and, with the factory sport exhaust, was much more aggressive sounding.

The design cues are different. The fake power bulge in the hood and the fake side vents on the M3 kind of bugged me a bit.

 

You would have to drive both cars to see which one fits you the best. I mean I personally prefer the Porsche 911 C2S, but the M3 has alot of power for a considerably smaller price tag. The Porsche does have better brakes(by far) and better history of mechanical reliability, not to mention its not as brutal looking as the M3. Either car is a win, but you wont know without real world testing.

 

The braking performance is not better, it is that they are more resistant to fade.

 

Just look at the specs and comparisons, the work has already been done.

Car and Driver has a good one: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...omparison_test

 

uh, no. not a 997.2S at least, maybe a standard 997.2...

the motors are a toss up, you've got another 3.7 hp per liter in the M3 but you have 7.8 less torque per liter. Both motors are over 100bhp/liter so they are both great motors. I would say the argument for the additional 3.7hp per liter in legs can be downplayed with the additional 7.8 in torque for grunt off the line and at lower rev driving. This assumes you aren't commuting to work between 6-8k rpm all the time...

and as for lap times the benchmark nurburgring is 8:05 for the E92 M3 and 7:50 for the 997.2 S. Same driver.

The M3 needs a diet to be on par handling wise with the 997.2S. There is only so much you can do with the weight disadvantage. Lighter cars make everything else easier...

For things like utility, the bigger back seat and trunk of the m3 win hands down. Though I'd argue you'll likely get better MPG in the 997.2S (especially a PDK). Both are great cars, but different. This is down to personal preference and needs. The 997.2S is more expensive, so that is to be considered as well. But to suggest the M3 is far superior in motor and handling is a bit much, IMO...

 

You own age might be a factor. Increasingly, I'm seeing the M3 being the leading car for the 20+ set. The #1 concern of most of them is that the techs at BMW service are going to joyride in their M3s.
It's a totally different crowd.
Speaking of the service, that was one actual reason why I went with the 997.1 instead of an 09 E92 M3. The BMW service here is somewhat of a McDonald-land experience.

 

Wasn't that 997S on R compounds? The M3 was not a DCT as I recall.

I do recall the M3 with DCT being 4/10's off the 997 turbo around Laguna Seca. Considering the power difference, the M3 was making up the difference in the corners.

The motors are not a toss up, the V8 is superior, period. Individual throttle bodies, V8, 4.0 liters, 8400 rpm, end of story. Not to mention far more room for aftermarket gains, cars have shown 600 wheel with 8 psi boost. The 3.8 direct injection unit is very good, but the S65 is superior.

You will get WAY better MPG in the 997S. You won't have a larger V8 motor though.

The M3 does not need to be lighter to top the 997, neither does the GTR.

What I am suggesting is not a bit much, it is the truth. This has already been done before, we might as well just close this and post a link to the previous thread.

 

Curio, is there any car that is faster and better then the M3 in your opinion. It seems in your world that no other car is faster/handles better/worth more in 5 years then the M3! I bet you beat a Veyron to 200mph.

The last time you came and visited the 997 forum I told you how I continually beat my buddy in his m3 around the track (he spent $30k in mods on his car including the Dinan throttle body and re geared the rear end, Brembo 380mm 6 piston brakes, CO's, etc) and two weeks ago he decided "to level the playing field", he bought a 996 GT3. I have never seen him so happy as the day he came by with his Porsche! I am now very certain that I will not be able to stay with him as he drove that M3 hard and was able to stay at least on the same lap as I was on.

So if you want to go round and round on this board I am sure that there will be a number of 997 people that will argue that the M3 is nothing more then a porky sports sedan trying to compete with a lighter better handling sports car.

 

I did not say that, you did. There are many performance cars better than the M3, the base 997 and the 997S not being them. The same goes for any 911. These are not the top performance cars. I don't want to bring up the Z06, we know it mops the floor with either.

The last time you told me about your buddy in his m3, I told you about my experiences with 997's. Look, I'm not saying what you experienced did not happen, but my experience is completely different. All I know, is the M3 is continually picked by the automotive press over several variations of the 997. I also would never want a 996 GT3 instead. Seems there are people on both sides.

I'm sure there will be a number of 997 people that will argue the M3 is a porky sedan. It is not better handling, the M3 is.

There may be people who argue the 911 is nothing more than a fixed up VW bug based on an antiquated design whose best days are behind it.

 

thank you for everyone's comments

a lil more info...

i am on the younger side....26

I have had 4 3-series....so kind of tired of the same thing...but I just don't see myself being dissappointed with the M3, but I imagine it would be like my car just a little better at everything. On the other hand, to me, the 997S is on a higher level so to speak. I have driven a Boxster S, I guess that would be my closest experience to the 997. I am not quite ready to pull the trigger yet so don't want to go waste people's time test driving until I am ready and my current car is outta here. Another concern is maintenance, my last car was a lemon, and the 335 has been in the shop with computer issues at least 8 weeks total since I got it about 20 months ago. Even though I am always taken care of and given loaner etc.... it's still a hassle at times. How is maintenance on a 997? This would be a daily driver, upwards of 18k a year. Back seat and storage space are non-issues for me.



thanks again...keep the comments coming

 

NorthVan...it is apparent you track your car. I want to start getting into taking my car to the track, doing DE, etc. For this purpose (not all-out accelration/speed), 997S better in your opinion ?