///msw3

I'm curious if anyone here has driven both the e30 m3 and the 993 c2/c2s. I currently have 2 e30 m3's and love the driving experience. I am looking at another e30 m3, but man I really want a 993, they're so frigging beautiful From what I've read on this forum, almost everyone loves driving the 993. The only negative I hear from some people is that they lack serious power, but my e30 m3's lack even more power so that is not a problem for me. I am not looking for a beast that kills in a straight line, I am looking for the driving joy that you get when in the mountains or canyons with a great driving car, the kind that leaves you laughing Any thoughts or comparisons would be much appreciated. It will not be a daily driver, but it will be driven! Thanks!

TRINITONY

Do seach on member atam888; he's got a few, one was on the cover of some performance magazine recently.

mooty

i had both.
both are great driving experience. if you like E30m3, you will like 993.
however, do keep in mind you probably put in $ in the m3, most 993 are pretty old now. and many are on original dead shox. so keep that in mind when you test drive. with new pss9 or motons, the 993 is an incredible experience.

any of your m3 low milage?
are the alpine weiss and salmonsilver? int in red or black?

nile13

E30 M3 is fairly different from a 993 in my opinion. M3 needs to be revved constantly, the engine sounds like a lawnmower on drugs (in a good way), the car is lighter and... we all know it's not really a street car.

993 is more of a GT when compared to E30 M3. It's heavier, it's quiet, it has a bit more power, it doesn't like to rev nearly as high as E30 M3, but it's much more suitable to living with and driving for hours without getting a splitting headache in addition to a silly grin. It'll also bite you in the *** with oversteer and it's much more difficult to control anywhere near the limit. The range between "oh ****, correct" and "we've just came from that direction" is much narrower in a rear-engined car.

C2S seems to be a step in a wrong direction if you are looking for something similar to E30 M3. It's wider, it's heavier. It might be prettier, but other than that... It's also significantly more expensive.

One more thought. 993 is a better built car than an E30 in pretty much every respect. But there is a P-tax, the same as there is an M-tax. Although not M-specific E30 parts are much cheaper than 993 parts.

Birol

I had an E30 M3 about 18 years ago.
Handling then was one of the best a car could have, brakes too.
Although I love cars to be revved I found the M3 not very powerful.
Dawdling until 6000 rpm, real acceleration between 6 and 7000.

By the way, I had the 195 hp catalyst version which was not so offhanded like the original 200 hp car without.
Throttle reaction for such a car was quite slow, and something always displeasing especially when compared with similar motorized cars like the Lotus Excel.

Ok, it was intended and aimed for racing and homologation, but in real life any 911SC with less engine output was except on top speed the faster car.

Driving a 993 is in my opinion something different, more modern in a certain way,
much better brakes and needn´t to say, better performance.

Technical quality on the 993 is on a higher level,
brake discs on the E30 M3 got cracks soon when pushed hard, catalyst didn´t make it too long and the fuel injection had the annoying additional air problem.

Maybe you hear it out the car didn´t help much to make me a huge BMW fan ,
in the end when I think back it was a car I had to rev out to get the feel it drives fast.
In any 911 you can drive a bit faster than slow and you think you´re fast.
And the big thing on 911s is,
they can be 20 years old and still drive like you´re still in the 80´s or 90´s.

But: The 500 units 2,5 l-Sport Evo-M3, although maybe 90% the same car, was a different experience.
I still haven´t forgotten the 30 min test drive, one of the very best driver cars BMW has ever built!

Stealth 993

Let me tell you, a lot of what makes the E30 M3 so special is in the 993!!!!!

While they drive totally different, they are both very good drivers cars. I will tell you this, the maintenance on the 993 is cheaper then the maintaining the S14. 993 are a little more reliable. To get a E30 M3 to 993 performance will take a TON of $$.

On the go fast parts, it's lot like Motorsports parts, all factory, all the Carrera RS, & other special models of the 993 part will all fit a standard 993. The parts also cost less then Motorsports parts.

I owned a E30 M3 for a little over 11 years, tracked it very heavily, built a 300+ hp S14, that cost as much as a nice 993. In the end, I was scared to drive it, had way to much invested in it, & the car started to own me, so I sold it, then got my C4S, stock it's 85% of what my very modified M3 was.

While the E30, will feel more nimble, the 993 wins every where else, better brakes, better HP & torque, it's also confidence inspiring. It's a easier car to drive fast. It has the same fun factor, & about the same loyal following. Other 993 owners will follow you, wave at you, & every car guy wants to talk about it.

Honda's don't seam to want to race you as much, you've moved on to Subies.

daltvater

The E30 looks a bit easier to drive. Put this kid in a 993 and he would have been backwards within the first minute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNd0_ctaOSk

NN3

+1 on both

///msw3

Thanks for the replies! you guys are awesome, I love rennlist

the alpine/black is 24K miles and the silver is a now faded sterling silver/grey with 93K miles on it. Next to atans sterling dinan turbo, mine looks like white silver needs new paint.
man that is the truth, on my first e30 m3 drive, I was thinking maybe I'm in neutral, no, I am in first. You really got to be on it all the time to keep up, but I love how you never have to hit the brakes, just turn.

I thought I recognized your c4s, If I remember right you had posted it on s14.net when you picked it up, she's a beauty. I was going to get a third one to do a 2.5, but then I'll never want to drive that one either. Plain WRX, or do we get STI's?
Thanks again guys, I will hunt one down in the next month or two, a silver or black C2!

mooty

wow 24k mile e30 m3.... keep it.
much rarer than 993's.

JM993

I restored an 88 M3 to EVOIII + specs. It was a fun car, but IMHO the 993 is superior in every way except cargo space. You'll love it. In comparsion to my old EVOIII car, the 993 is much faster (the 993 will leave a US spec M3 for dead). Similarly, the steering and brakes of the 993 are far superior as is the build quality.

In the end, I sold the M3 and modifed my current 325is with M3 suspension and steering parts. It was a pretty car though......

atan888

Let me help you think. Take both and have best of both worlds. They are the best of the best. They are both awesome cars.






63k miles Dinan turbo 1 of 6 ever made.

SuperUser

atan888,

The LM's look perfect!

///msw3

That is a pretty car I like it! And thanks for the info, I like the differences you mention.
I like the way you think! Yes, having both sounds best to me also. I see the new interior is in the dinan, nice:

Surj-993C2S

I had both when in England but not back to back, I had an M Coupe in between.

Loved my E30, it was brilliant in every way. I worked in Europe and drove it there most of the time. I found it to be fast and very adjustable and responsive. Steering and susp was great. When I got my C2S it reminded me a lot of the M3 in terms of the great steering and susp feel (after I had added Bilstein HDs), only more so!

You will absolutely love it as you're already in the mindset.

You're not very far from me - Danville - if you want to meet a 993 in the flesh, let's set something up. But you have to bring the better of your 2 E30's tho!