That's not a daily driver, that's a daily Racer! Very nice...

 

Thanks --
BMW started offering those performance accessories after they saw the popularity with the aftermarket . It was not available when I bought my 08 car but in my searches i did see some do it yourself instructions on how it can be fitted to 08-10 cars . It had never seen it in person until I saw it on my own car .

 

I figured that if I didn't do it that my 08 car (with higher miles) would have had to carry me until the next gen M3 . For many years i drove my Porsches as daily drivers but the quality of driving skill of the average driver in my region has changed . Also I am older now and sometimes I do need a car with a little more space . The Honda does offer a lot of usefulness but going from Porsches to a Honda is quite dramatic so the M3 completes the picture .

I did at one point consider a Panamera . I felt taht this was the last of the V8 M3's . Also the Panmera is a big car and when I began to look the base turned into an "S" and then led to thoughts of the Turbo and it's just too much money for a DD .

There was one other aspect on the Panamera . I happen to like the styling of the car . However --Every time I mentined the Panamera to others about 80 percent thought the rear end was a dealbreaker ... not that their opinion swayed mine ... but i felt that if Porsche ever redesigns that rear end it will crush resale . I could not imagine buying a Turbo S only to see a future rear end styling change and face that type of $$$ loss. .

The M3 just fit my needs .

 

Rims are OEM with the Competition Package .

 

Glad you got is squared away and in your garage! Looks very nice. I'm close to 1k miles on mine now and have let the RPM creap up a bit. Man, the thing rips from 5-7k! Be sure to check out the exhaust note when you turn the throttle response to "Sport Plus"!

 

Nice car Larry, great for a nice drive on the 4th weekend.

 

Congrats...

 

Larry,
Very Nice. I am with you, not a big Conti fan. Had them on my Cayenne when I got it and and on the 03 996 Turbo. Both were much better when changing to Michelin.
Love the white.

 

Congratulations, BMW really knows how to make a car user friendly!

 

I now have 87 miles on it despite the rain . It's been fun but I haven't driven the Turbo in 3 days and the PDK car in over a week . I already told my girlfriend that the M3 key is ready for her so I'm looking at the two Porsches for tomorrow and going to make a choice . It all depends if it rains .. and I really don't know which i feel like driving. I only know that i miss both .

I will also add that for the 10 weeks as i waited for the new M3 --I really missed it .
I love the new car . The few changes and updates really make it feel like the last car with an awesome splash of novelty .

 

Congratulations on your new car and best of luck. I picked-up my M3 in Munich a year ago and am now using it as my daily driver. The car has a myriad of admirable traits but, alas, DCT isn't one of them. On the track, I have no doubt that it's superior. However, around town, it's a jerky ride, particularly as it decelerates at stops. If I had it to do over again, I'd get the manual, particularly since I rarely encounter bumper-to-bumper traffic. On the other hand, on the open road it's great fun.

 

Yep.. knew in advance to avoid the DCT . My 08 was a 6 speed and so is this new one . I am glad I got the PDK in my Porsche but I also have the manual Turbo . If i bought a new Turbo it would be a PDK. If i bought another 997S I'd buy a manual . In other words .. I's switch gearboxes .

BTW.. The M3's weakest feature is the gearbox but after three years with the last car I have adapted . The ill positioned lever and wide gaps is no where near the refinement of the Porshe box . However .. it is aceptable and the rest of the car is pretty amazing ... it makes up for it.

 

yrallis, can you comment on steering feel on the M Vs the 911.

I last drove an M3 on a test drive on 2009, and I cannot remember anything about the steering, except that it was faster in ratio that the 911.

One of the things that makes me not want to lose my 911, is the way the steering is always "talking" to you.

I may have to get a more practical daily driver soon and I was looking at the exact car/color that you just bought!

I do remember the gearchange on the M, and I was shocked that BMW made it exactly like my E46. (not good, but acceptable). I remember it made some of the same weird clunking noises that my M3 did.....
I also fully appreciate that this will be the last of the high-revving M-car V-8s. I would hate to miss the experience of owning one!!!!

 

Congrats Larry. Car looks sharp and enjoy her in good health.

 

First I'll say that I drove both of the cars today (M3 and 997S ) and feel that it would be difficult to choose only one and lose the other .

The steering feel is very different . The porsche with its engine in the rear feels like the car is being pushed yet somehow Porsche has defied the physics of keping the rear planted . The BMW has the engine in the front and most people find that more natural . Maybe they learned on a front engine car and it formed a driving root .

BMW has an interssting driving feature in this car called servotronic . It electronically adjusts the steering with increased speed . It can be set through the M sport settings(on comptition package) for sport driving . I haven't used it yet as I am still in break in period but it sounds incredible. I was told it will tighen up the steering at the higher speeds for more hands on driver control.

In my case I got my first Porsche 911 at around the same time as my first BMW 3 series . In fact I bought the first m3 in South Florida in 1994 (95 model) and i also bought my 993 in the same year . Driving thse cars is almost like asking someone who is fluent in two languages which one he dreams in . With these cars I feel fluent in driving both .. so to me botrh feel natural and I adjust my style equally with no favoritism .

My M3 is stock .. with only a peformance exhaust . My 997S is tuned .
They are both fast but again they are both slow compared to my EVT700 Turbo . So even in terms of speed I don't look at either of them as the king . The Turbo is the king.

I wish there was a way to blend some of the features of the two cars . I want the porsche gearbox and the BMW technology . I want the BMW enhanced premium sound stereo in the Porsche . But I don't want the BMW to drive like a Porsche or visa versa . I like them just the way they are for their differences make me a more versatile driver .

The sum of the cars .. make for a driving experience . I wish i could afford more cars but this is my limit and for what it offers I am very content.