Ok look. 2 cars a e46 M3 and a 996 3.6 Carrera. 2 equal drivers. Who wins a race from a straightline 0 - 60. Haha

 

M3 wins, it's quicker, but you're right, the 996 cost more to buy and maintain

 

Any more M3 fanboi's care to chime in on this thread??

 

I'm not flaming on them, I love M3's - but it's like the same people who compare Vettes to Porsches. They may be as fast or faster, but they are Corvettes. Same with a BMW --THEY ARE NOT PORSCHES.

I mean, you don't see me comparing 911 Turbo's to Ferrari F430's do you? Just because the P is faster, it ain't no Ferrari. Same is tru w/ the Bimmer. An E46 M3 may be as quick as the 996, but it ain't no Porsche.

(For you educated folks, ain't = is not)

 

Like i said when i had my e46 m3 i went up against my friends C4S and they were a lock. Actually dead even through 130 mph. But now that was a C4S and a cab. Maybe a coupe may be quicker. My 03 C2 Cab feels quicker and a little stronger through gears too me. But very close cars. And again neck and neck but hadling is hands down 996 C2 or C4 ....having both cars i would take a 996 any day

 

C2 is faster than C4S 0 to 60. Apparently, C4S is faster on a track.

 

I am going to take back my thread now.

This wasn't a question of 0-60, plastic to dash ratio or "if a 996 was on a train heading north at 80 MPH and an M3 was heading west...." questions. It was to drive home what I already knew; the intangible aspect of a 911 is hard to overcome. I thought that I made a pretty good compromise buying the M3, but it was a compromise. What I gave up to be able to drive my car and visit a jobsite without 100 questions wasn't worth the down side of the equation for me and I regret it.

The M3 is a great car that doesn't carry the same financial stigma that many equate to a 911, but it wasn't the car for me. It is for sale now and will be replaced by a 996 and a beater.

Great problems to have.

 

I went from an '04 E46 M3 to my 40th Anniversary 911 with the 345 HP X51 motor. The M is/was a great car, fairly quick, easy to just get in and go fast right away, and very versatile...but it's a heavy pig with overboosted steering, wallows in corners and is in general just a bit "insulated" for my taste. The steering feel and handling of my 911 are in another league altogether. Anyone who says the M3 is fast is correct; but anyone who says the M3 is as fast/faster than a 3.6 996 is deluded. It's really not even close; as another poster said, 500 extra pounds cannot be ignored.

 

my point is it IS close. the two are in the same performance class when you put the numbers togehter and more importantly than numbers when you actually get out on a track or even a canyon one is not pulling away from the other.

yes i agree, the steering and suspension and the sound of the 911 is great, but guess what... the E46 m3 is solid as well, but just goes about doing it differently in a more GT coupe sort of way.

sure the 911 is a great car... the Gt3, the gt2, the turbo... the 911 carrera...???? 997S makes it finally a cut above with that 3.8, but the 996 carrera is not which is the model line we're talking about here.

and fellas, there's no way in hell a 996 carrera is 2,900 lbs. that's honda s2000 weight or carrera weight dry. it's more like 3,100 wet.

at ease, soldiers. we're just talking cars, not about your wives.

 

I'm lucky enough to own an 01 M3 & 99 911. As all have said, fantastic cars..but different beasts all together. If I could only have one, the M3 would stay. More practical, and in today's world, subtleness has its advantages. But I don't see where the M3 can keep up with the 996 (in straight line or twisties) if it even matters. The 996 is so much more nimble and if you let it rev, it "feels" so much faster (I haven't timed either one). I would really be surprised if an M3 can run with the 996. I like the old adage, the M3 is a street car you can run on the race track, and the 911 is a race car you can run on the street - or something like that.

 

I'd definitely take an M3 if I could have this setup:

http://www.supraforums.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=407624

Shawn

 

More spin. Your point a few post ago was that the M3 was perhaps faster than the 996. You also made the statement that you'd rather have the M3.

However, in earlier posts you said the 996 was faster and you posted "Carrera > M3."

Are you confused, because you sure seem to be???

The 996 is lighter and has a better power to weight ratio. The 996 has sharper handling, better braking, better aerodynamics and a much higher top speed. The 996 will turn a faster lap around a road course (i.e. it will pull away from an M3).

Yes, the M3 is one hell of a sports sedan. It is very fast (faster than many actual sports cars). However, when I drove it I found that it was heavy, understeers much more than I liked, and generally lacked a sharp feel. The again it is certainly cheaper and more practical than a Carrera.

What car do you currently drive Ben? Do you even own, or are you looking to purchase either model?

 

i will level with you ray since you seem like an enthusiast though maybe a tad bit sensitive if a friendly "interloper" like me perhaps comes in here to ruffle some feathers. but hey i like the attn

i drive an '04 m3, i have a '99 jeep cherokee for a beater, and a used 997 (3.8) being seriously considered while prices are winterized if that is a word.

i picked up the M back in spring of '06. at that time, i was looking for an 2000-2001 aerokitted 911. i drove both cars and picked the M3. i had more seat time in the 911 in both the 3.4 and 3.6 versions. i simply loved the way the '99-'01 aerokitted cars look. now that i've been running the bimmer for a while now, i will say the M3 with a decent set of street coilovers (I run TC Klines) sticks and feels nearly as good as the 911 on a set of pss9s (RE050A PP tires). sound wise, the rasp has grown on me because it's coupled with a larini exhaust (uk make). just as the 911 has the trademark jet engine sound, the M3 has this raw motorsport sound that you either love or hate. power wise, the M3 feels quicker than the 3.4, and runs about as quick as the 3.6. steering the 911 still takes it. suspension... about equal (i never run stock suspension as i always lower my cars on upsized wheels).

formerly, i had a supercharged s2000 lowered on 18" Fikse FM10s so both feel the euros feel inspired by grilled bratwurst to me.

the understeering can be dialed out with camber adjustments up front to which you can only do if you get camber plates which i did. it greatly enhances the feel to which you felt lacking and i did as well.

as for pricing, they're in the same ball park in the used car market. the 996 (both carrera and the GT1 series cars) for the betterment of the interested market has taken a beating. the M3 never really gets hit too badly because it is the top of the line. heck, i could pick up a nice low mileage aerokitted '01 for high 30s right now.

now i've managed some seat time over the months in a 3.8 S and a 996 Turbo. the 3.8 does everything a bit better than the M3 stock to make it worth the extra $20Gs+. the 996 Turbo is f-qin quick, but you feel more detached than the 997S.

i've come to learn, Ray, that when cars are priced at $50K-100K let's say... there's always some sort of tradeoff. it's never a clear win. now from the pure performance aspect, i will stick to my guns again and say that the M3 and the 911 carrera (996) is in the same league. not one is outgunning the other to make it anything more than hairsplitting.

and since i dont' practice listing my cars in my sig for all th eworld to know pretty much might mean i dont' want the world to know, but since you asked and for the sake of this conversation there u go. i've opened up a bit. hehe i'm in my late 20s and just got started with my love for cars maybe 6 years ago so i'm sure you've got a lot more experience driving cars and learning about them. for me, i keep a very open mind and have come to accept that these things are toys and there are all kinds of toys that are fun to play with. i love SUVs on 24" wheels, i love big body sedans like a 7 series on 22s with the full ac schnitzer kit... i love my bulldog stance M3 with its OZ superleggera IIIs. heck, i might love my jeep cherokee the most for its legendary inline 6 and tranny and diff!

i love 911s as well... even from the lowly 996 carrera (I'd still sport one) on up to the crazy lovely 997 GT3. i love them all. and can appreciate each for what they do. and again, very rarey do cars absolutely annihilate each other where one is a CLEAR and present win over the other unless you're spending a good chunk of change to "upgrade"

 

Those lowly carrera's costs more than the M3 coming out of production, so that makes the m3 lower than 'lowly cost'. The M3 is not even considered as a real sports car, so why bother to compare apples and oranges.

 

Ah, Porsche owners continually need to find justification for paying so much for their cars. They are great cars, but there is a reason that Porsche is the most profitable car company in the world. It is because they charge so much for their cars and there are enough people willing to pay the inflated prices.