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Background:
Late 1980s - I'm 16. I start learning about a car that is made by BMW and described as a "driver's car." The E30 ///M3 is born and I'm hooked. All my friends had pictures of Cindy Crawford and Ferrari Testarossas on their walls. Mine had Cindy Crawford and the E30 ///M3.
German cars are expensive, and my parents are practical immigrants from a 3rd-world country. We drive nothing but Toyotas for 25 years.
2000 - I got a new B5 Passat. That was the first german car I had gotten (not counting my Dad's 1968 Beetle). I realized from this point-on that I'd never be able to leave the german theme.
2005 - MB E500. Loved it, but heavy and felt like an "old man's car" for someone who was in their early 30s.
2008 - I put a deposit on a Cayman S contingent upon it having DFI. It didn't. The V8 E92 ///M3 was just debuting. WOW! The sound! The Practicality! Car seats! GOLF CLUBS!!!! Later I came to find that with the seats down and tarp on the cloth, you could fit your track wheels, brake accoutrements, and tools for any track day. Best all-rounder ever.
2015 - My wife knew that I had said that I wanted a 911 before I was too old to appreciate it (no offense to anyone older than me). I had been driving the ///M3 as my DD for 7 years. In retrospect, I can't believe I offered to trade it in so that we would have room in the garage. My wife said "no, you love that car too much." Get the Porsche and I'll park outside. Of course I wasn't going to do that (for very long!). I started learning about garage lifts and what was required in terms of space and money. Surprisingly they don't cost very much; and if you've got at least 10 feet in your garage, you can fit 2 sports cars on one side pretty easily. BOOM!
I knew I wanted a GTS. I always considered it the reasonable medium (for me) between the C2S and the GT3. If you want a C2S with the wide rear, then there you go!.
Colors: My ///M3 is Melbourne red. I wasn't going to go with Guards Red. Black, I love black. But man is work. White - sometimes I like white. My wife's Cayenne looks great in white. I have a friend who has a GT3 that's white. It looks nice. Someone somewhere posted pics of their new C2S in Agate Grey. Boom. Sold.
Cab/Coupe. As a purist in heart, I of course believe in the power (torsional rigidity) of the hardtop. But I have a track car already. This was supposed to be my FUN car all the way around. 911 Cabs have never been slouches, and progressively the Cabs have narrowed the performance gap on the track as well. The 991 cab, for most, will never even approach its limit. Like the brain, we probably only use 10% of its potential. Cab it was.
Manual/PDK. I've watched all the same videos you guys have. And yes, on a track, you probably don't care about shifting. And sure, if it's good enough for Jenson Button, isn't it good enough for me? I don't care. My dad taught me to drive stick when I was 12. It has been one of my greatest joys since. So it was decided.
There was one in the country. I interacted with 3 different dealerships. 2 of them knew where this car was. 1 of them cut the deal i wanted. BOOM!
I flew to DC with my 5 year old and we drove it home.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
1) This car feels light - in a good way!
2) The transmission (7MT) is unreal. Butter is the only word that aptly describes it.
3) While the ///M3 is, in my opinion, the best all-rounder, the 911 is the ultimate everyday driver's car.
4) The curve of the rear wheel fender from the doorjamb back is unbelievably beautiful.
5) The sound with the valves open is intoxicating. I can't believe it isn't the DEFAULT! Why should anyone have to press a button to MAKE that sound happen?
6) I'm falling in love with her
I came out of an E90 to an '14 C2S Cab in the same color as yours...they really are similar cars in a lot of ways, especially how they deliver power, but everything about the 911 just seems better. The materials, fit and finish, the handling, and of course the biggest one is the brakes. Enjoy!
I came out of an E90 to an '14 C2S Cab in the same color as yours...they really are similar cars in a lot of ways, especially how they deliver power, but everything about the 911 just seems better. The materials, fit and finish, the handling, and of course the biggest one is the brakes. Enjoy!
I totally agree. I will say, however, that the 911 wants to rotate even more easily than the ///M. Sometimes, when going home from work, I'll slide the ///M onto the highway (nobody is on the road when I'm traveling) just for a quick smile. A few days ago I was simply making a left turn in my neighborhood in the GTS and the car rotated into the intended path (granted, it has been raining for several days here in NC, and it was 6am). I was like "whoa! Noted!" So I'm now I'm a little gun-shy, which is unnerving because I'm SO in-tune with the M3, and realize that it's gonna take a bit to get the feel for the 991. Now I feel like I need to get some track time in the 991 so that I can try to figure out some of her "real life" limits.
Congrats dude! I thought first you went back to the M3 and was totally be prepared to hate on you at a very unhealthy and unreasonable level. LOL! Enjoy in good health!
I totally agree. I will say, however, that the 911 wants to rotate even more easily than the ///M. Sometimes, when going home from work, I'll slide the ///M onto the highway (nobody is on the road when I'm traveling) just for a quick smile. A few days ago I was simply making a left turn in my neighborhood in the GTS and the car rotated into the intended path (granted, it has been raining for several days here in NC, and it was 6am). I was like "whoa! Noted!" So I'm now I'm a little gun-shy, which is unnerving because I'm SO in-tune with the M3, and realize that it's gonna take a bit to get the feel for the 991. Now I feel like I need to get some track time in the 991 so that I can try to figure out some of her "real life" limits.
Thanks
note that there are BIG differences between the M3's DSC and the 911's PSM, my experience is that the M3's DSC will always intervene earlier than PSM, but conversely, the M3 is setup to oversteer more than the 911...
Congrats dude! I thought first you went back to the M3 and was totally be prepared to hate on you at a very unhealthy and unreasonable level. LOL! Enjoy in good health!
note that there are BIG differences between the M3's DSC and the 911's PSM, my experience is that the M3's DSC will always intervene earlier than PSM, but conversely, the M3 is setup to oversteer more than the 911...
Duly noted. Thank you. Will take care in learning the limits in the appropriate setting. I'm sure that even in 2015, 38/62 weight distribution takes some time to understand (?). Cheers.
note that there are BIG differences between the M3's DSC and the 911's PSM, my experience is that the M3's DSC will always intervene earlier than PSM, but conversely, the M3 is setup to oversteer more than the 911...
I don't know if its reality or just in my head but I always feel like the heavy rear end wants to switch sides with the front and its only the PSM that is keeping my ham handed driving from killing me. The M3 felt much more controllable to me, like I could take it to 9/10 of its ability (I am sure I could not) and the Porsche only 6/10. That said the brakes on the M3 really were unacceptable. Fade set in after one decent lap and I really had to back off.
She's a beauty!!! You are going to love it. I just took delivery of my Agate GTS Coupe, and I am coming out of a 997.2 C4S Cab. I seriously considered going with another cab, especially since the new ones look so beautiful. However, at the last minute I changed to a hardtop for something different from what I've had before. Regardless, seeing yours only confirms how gorgeous the GTS is in Agate/Cab configuration. Nice choice on going with the manual too! Nice to see lots of them being chosen. Long Live the Stick!
01-25-2015, 05:14 PM
///M3 to 991 GTS (Well, I kept the ///M3)
