Agreed with most comments here. I don't think one cross-shops from M3 to 992 since the price differential is enormous when buying new.
Many people aspire and move *up* to a 911, from an M3.
In my case, I loved my F80 and when time came to think about something new, I went looking at 911 knowing full well I'd be paying more, but getting a totally different experience and utility as well. As well, I could not stay with BMW because of how hideous the new G80 was. It's too angular, too squared off, and the grill design atrocious. There aren't many other choices that offer a manual transmission either, so Porsche was an easy brand to look at.
Luckily I was able to sell my F80 for more than the buyout price which made the transition a bit easier.


M

 

I cross shopped the new M3 comp x drive to a 992 and I ended up ordering 992 c2 at msrp because I just could not justify buying a bmw at msrp. I would never buy any bmws for less than 6% discount at this market or 12% at a normal market. These things depreciate like crazy. The used market right now will make it seem like even the bmw won't depreciate but when everything goes back to normal, other people will get heavy discounts off the m3 and I would be stuck with a msrp m3. I personally think that the 25k extra that I spent on a 992 will definitely pay off in the future in terms of resale.

 

Since you are sort of new to BMW, the new electronic power steering (old hydraulic steering had more feel) since 2015 or 2016 along with softer suspension killed the original ultimate driving machine as BMW moved from sporting sedans to Lexus like luxury market (Lexus lost a lot of market share). Porsche also moved to EPS but is tuned better than BMW.

Regarding looks, I am ok with M3 look but new designs seem to Lexus like especially the 8 series coupe. But hard to cross shop M3 vs 911

 

This was also interesting

 

I had an OG M2 manual, then M2C with DCT. Like a lot of BMW owners, I always wanted a 911. Now was the right time for me to move into one. I have a C2s with manual arriving in early March. My kids are 5-7 so they can fit in the back of the 911 for a few years. I would consider a new M3 in a few years if I need something more practical. That being said, maybe once I live with the 911 for a while there won’t be any going back to BMW.

 

Agree on the value proposition, especially regarding the buckets. I just don't understand why BMW is still making the driver's seat crooked/off-center of the steering wheel? Especially with that seat belt guide, or whatever that nub is, in the middle of the base. That said, on latest "The Smoking Tire Podcast", Jason Cammisa mentioned that BMW has a corporate policy of switching employees to new positions every (2) years, regardless if it was part of their original work/studies background (e.g. - someone in manufacturing moves to marketing, etc). Could be the reason why many question some of their decisions in recent years?

 

Ideal scenario is to get 911 and M3 both

 

The new M3/M4's spirit animal.

 

I can’t speak for other Porsche 911 owners, but my own opinion and those that I know who do own a 911, don’t, and have never looked at the M3 as a competitor to the 911…or visa versa. If nothing else, just from a price standpoint.

I have a 2016 M4 and a 2021 992S, and the two cars are vastly different…in almost every aspect. I still own both and drive both. They are used quite differently. For example, I find the 911 to be exceptional on windy roads….but not on long drives. The 911, IMO, is not a particularly comfortable car for long hauls. My M4 is, well, more suited for longer commutes.

But if I could only afford, or had room for just one car, between the two, I would buy the car based on how I (not someone else) planned to use the car…..after all, one is still a sedan, while the other is a sports car, and their utility and driving feel are quite different, IMO.

 

More posts about this here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/992/1244...light=m3+price


....and here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/992/1264...or-bmw-m3.html

 

Our family have owned a slew of BMW models spanning over 20 years and we enjoyed their products immensely. Clearly we were fans! My last BMW was the F82 M4 manual and while it was very capable, it felt like it lost some spark compared to previous gens. It wasn’t a huge deal. My plan was to keep this for a while as a daily driver and order the Lotus Emira when it finally releases! No rush, no rush.

During my time with the F82, it felt like BMW was being transformed into a car make that I would never have thought they would. I think it started for me with face-lifted G11 7 series with the enormous grill. I thought the proportions were a little daring but boy was I surprised as time went on! The F44 2 GC with front wheel drive and its stubby front end was very out of character. Then the G22 4 series was revealed and soon after, M3/4 leaks were coming out. This set off alarms.

To keep it brief, I do not like the front or side profile of the current M3/4. As a designer in the field I’m in, I find the new design language somewhat garish — handsomeness is now replaced with over-styled and over-compensation, with details that has no rhyme or reason for being. I highly respect design heritage, especially for car makers and I find BMW straying way off course recently.

Since then, the new 2 series coupe is somewhat better, but that strangely proportioned rear end design was enough to not consider the next M2 whenever that drops. And then the pair of doozies iX and XM…sigh.

It’s now very evident that I will be keeping my F82 for as long as I can — and enjoy it until the Emira comes out. But…no!

This has been mentioned on other threads but I had a catastrophic incident with my F82 back in October where I ran over some road debris. This destroyed the poorly located oil cooler and immediately seized the engine. Car is done and waiting for the Emira to be released for another year or two without a car was not possible. As a new potential Porsche customer, I miscalculated of how difficult it is to secure a vehicle, and especially in this climate. Mercifully I only had to wait about 3 months for a C2GTS allocation, being built in June!

I apologize for this long and opinionated rant.

 

I agree with you, I own a 2022 BMW X3 M40i as my family vehicle for 4 and 2022 992 C2 as my daily driver and commute to work. I would say M3 is a sports sedan that is much more family-friendly.

 

I was at Thermal CA BMW Performance Center last month and spent two days flogging all the latest and greatest BMW M cars, including the M3 Competition, and I have owned (6) BMW's of all kinds and (8) Porsches. My takeaway is that they are two different vehicles that are both highly capable, while at the same time they are dissimilar. They look different, they actually drive different, too. BMW likes digital wizardry in the dash and cockpit, Porsche has a more analog bias. BMW costs less and is heavier. Porsche doesn't look like every other 4 door sedan and is several hundred pounds lighter. You'll typically get higher resale from a 911 than an M3 as well. I find the 992 is a considerably better and easier driver when pushed very hard, such as at a track. The weight reduction pays off, and the car feels more natural then the M3, and is MUCH easier to brake hard with and turn in. M3 is a great bang for the buck though, All depends on your financial position and desires.

 

To help illustrate my point…,just yesterday, after all the snow has melted, I decided to take the 992s to our local liquor store to replenish after the holidays. Normally I take the M4, but decided since the Porsche hasn’t been driven in a while, I would take that car instead. I ended up getting a case of wine and a case of beer and some pretzels and just and a few other snacks. I mistakenly thought they would easily fit in the frunk of the Porsche…I had forgotten that my track helmet and a few other items were in the frunk….so, getting what I had just bought into the frunk was not an option. So some of the items had to go in the back seat, which was a bit of a struggle…but doable. Had I taken the M4, getting everything, easily, into the trunk would have been a breeze.

 

Stay with the M340i, it's plenty of car, plenty of speed, plenty of practicality, and it doesn't have the buck toothed grill.