blraider97

I came out of a ‘17 F80 M3 Comp before moving to my ‘17 C4S. I daily drove my M3 and planned to do the same with the Porsche; however, I put quite a few miles on my daily (20k miles/year) and thus felt like I was doing myself and the car a disservice by putting tons of boring commuting miles on it so I bought a practical daily pretty quickly. I now enjoy my Porsche seat time much more and can also keep it much longer due to less annual mileage. I also never realized how often I had previously drove with others in the car, particularly clients and co-workers which you simply can’t do in the Porsche.

As for running cost, the BMW was considerably less - tires last about twice as long (particularly the rears) and normal service was included for 50k miles. If you haven’t researched the cost of the recommended Porsche service items, I would do that pronto so you don’t get caught off guard. I also cross-shopped the C63s when I purchased the M3. The Mercedes interior and engine was phenomenal but it had a VERY harsh ride and drank gas like nothing I’d ever seen. Also didn’t care for the Mercedes driving dynamics. I will likely always have a 911 in the garage and won’t hesitate to recommend one to others but only their budget can absorb the incremental running costs and inflated repair costs if it’s out of warrant.

If I were in your spot, I’d go with the M3 or M4. It’s a great car for the money and by most accounts pretty reliable. The 911 is a superior car in every way but that comes at higher cost both initially and long term.

Infectionitus

Okay so if I do get an m4 I should go for the competition package does it need to be at least a 2018 or would a 2016 or 2017 be okay also. I can find 2015 m4's with about 30,000 miles for around 40k and the newer years with the competition package seem to be closer to 50k. I guess my question is does the competition package make that much of a difference?

I'm still looking for 911 991's but it's hard to find any in my budget of 65k max that are under 30,000 miles with a clean carfax.

dkhm3

some swear its better, some don't care. its got some cosmetic enhancements, with some tweaks in suspension and some added horsepower- bmw programmed down the torque so it is more linear, that's why the 0-60 times the comp package is a tick slower.

drive them.
If you're in socal, im selling mine in a few months, getting an suv as a daily, need a bit more space. Not a coupe though, never modded. all stock. new bmw front brakes disc and pads, pm if interested.

911mhawk

991 all the way.
Best resale, least cost to own, best handling.

I looked at the bmw too a couple years ago and have had several, still have 3 of them, but for a dd for yourself that's a true sportscar you get a 911

The BMW and Merc will sink you comparatively in maintenance and repair.

997c2sla

Stretch your budget by a couple grand and buy a 2016 Mercedes AMG GTS
At that price point it can't be beat.

96redLT4

I was thinking about upgrading to the M4CS which has gotten some pretty good reviews and has been pretty heavily discounted. New M4 is supposed to be released, I think later this year and I bet it will be a pretty impressive car for way less than a new 911

nstar8

I'm curious as to what type of driving experience you will be expecting. I was in a similar position about a year ago where I was looking for my next car which took me about a year to finally get...And, in all my searching and question asking I never asked myself what "type" of experience was I expecting to get out of my next possible daily driver (summer mostly)...I ended up with a used 2014 Carrera S with 14K miles on it...I absolutely love this vehicle and drive it daily depending on weather (no snow driving). What surprised me the most was how the car drove vs. my other vehicles. This is my first rear engine vehicle, as I have been traditionally driving V-8 front engine, high horsepower, rear wheel drive cars, with the exception of my wifes Cayenne TT.

I wish I would have defined the type of experience I was expecting at the beginning, as it would have saved me a lot to time and energy searching...Currently IMO you are not comparing apples to apples since the Porsche are rear engine and your other two subjects are front engine rear drive...Big big difference in how the car drives. If you are like me, and end up with the 911 you'll continue to ask yourself why you didn't select this car initially...and as you drive it, you just want to keep driving it and driving it...I've owned alot of vehicles in my life, but none that provide the feedback or leave you wanting to keep driving them like the 911..I daily mine as much as possible since the feedback from this car is absolutely superb...It does everything you ask of it, as you're asking, and with a high degree of precision...

Hope this helps...

SH2

If you’re in no hurry, you might as well wait for the C8 Corvette. You’ll likely have enough by then to purchase ‘new’ with a little left over for therapy sessions, if needed of course.

Daft Porsche

Personally, I would find one with the comp pkg. BMW made a few noticable improvements. If you check out most of the reviews, most ppl say the comp pkg is the way the car should've initially been. The LCI isn't a must if you find a cheaper 2017.

garfunkle

911 is built the best by far out of the 3 and will by far age the most graceful. The 911 is by far the most nimble and fun to drive as well as the most capable.

If you want a loud V8, German mnuscle car - the C63 is amazing.

blraider97

I never drove a non-comp package M3/M4 so I can’t compare. I’d encourage you to read the reviews on some of the more popular BMW forums and go test drive both. I went comp just because it was the most current version of the car and reviews were very positive.

As for those suggesting a 911, I sense a budgetary concern so I’d recommend the BMW on that fact alone. At the end of the day there’s no sense in pushing the budget when the M4 will still be a handful and plenty of fun. Just know that if you drive the 911, you’ll want it and it will be clear as to why, just one reason why I never drove one until I knew that I could easily get what I wanted without much concern on the budget front. I’m in the banking business so conservative by nature hence my advise to go in eyes wide open with budget in mind.

Good luck with your search! Car shopping is tremendous fun!!!

Bud Taylor

By far is a better daily driver. 911 is a pure sports car. Mercedes still make me think of the last stop before the old folks home.

Problem with the BMWs now is the silly pop up screen that looks like and 8 year old duct taped an ipad to the dash. Im an interior guy and the current selection of BMWs fails due to this design flaw. You would have to go back to 2016 or older and no 4 series to avoid the flinstones looking screen.

Daft Porsche

I liked the BMW screen It functioned as a nice phone holder whenever I used Waze.

snake eyes

The bonnet is just too long!

I would take a porsche over BMW M Cars but I track my cars, BMW's arent the best track car
exception

THE X5M IS JUST NUTS! GET THE X5M NO SUV SHOULD DO WHAT THIS THING DOES

I bet the X5M is faster around a race track than a base M3/M4

minthral

The cars aren't really in the same league. The 911 is a step up in status and much closer to 'sports car.' Its by far going to be the best handling and driving experience.

Used 911 with 20-30k miles will hold value well. The BMW and Merc sport sedans will tank, but they're probably more comfortable/practical cars. I think the Porsche will be more reliable especially long term. All of them are quick enough to not disappoint and will take corners faster than most are capable of handling safely.

Imagine that... a 500 HP benz does 60 in 3.8 seconds or a 444 HP M4 does it in 4 seconds, but a base 991.2 does it in 3.4 seconds with (only) 370 HP, but then you can get a loaded GTS/GT3 that does it in 3 seconds. The M4 is similar to the benz...and all of them weight about the same. 0-60 times are kinda stupid, but this comparison gives you a idea of which car is better designed.

It think it just comes down to which one fits you best and you like driving + some emotions. All those cars have their charm honestly and you just need to figure out which one you like.