How many of you came from an E46 M3?
06-27-2010, 05:00 AM
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How many of you came from an E46 M3?
I'm likely going to sell my much loved E46 M3 in order to get a 996 911 C2. As an all rounder car, the M3 is really hard to beat and as a daily driver superior to the 911, but now that I've moved back to a city where it makes sense to own more than one car I can afford to have a car that's not quite as practical.
Wondering how many of you are past or current M3 owners - would be great to hear your experiences between the two.
Wondering how many of you are past or current M3 owners - would be great to hear your experiences between the two.
06-27-2010, 06:51 AM
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06-27-2010, 06:52 AM
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I really don't know if this is true or not, but explain why you think this is true?
Obviously the M3 has more backseat room, but what other daily driving compromises do you expect to suffer with in a 911? A 996 seems like it would be pretty easy to live with? I daily drive my 964 (seriously needs a AC recharge!!) and love it. I would expect a 996 to be a dream in comparison...
Obviously the M3 has more backseat room, but what other daily driving compromises do you expect to suffer with in a 911? A 996 seems like it would be pretty easy to live with? I daily drive my 964 (seriously needs a AC recharge!!) and love it. I would expect a 996 to be a dream in comparison...
06-27-2010, 07:32 AM
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This is an individual decision of course, but I did this and haven't looked back.
The motor on my '03 M3 was sublime; but I found the hard shifting transmission combined with the touchy brakes made it very hard to drive smoothly.
In contrast, the '03 996 I bought was a driver's delight and enjoyed every second I spent with it (I have an '08 997 now which is even better!).
Only downside for everyday driving is, as you mention, the inability to carry two adults in the back seat. Driving pleasure wise, for me, is absolutely no contest - the Porsche wins hands down.
Good luck with your decision!
The motor on my '03 M3 was sublime; but I found the hard shifting transmission combined with the touchy brakes made it very hard to drive smoothly.
In contrast, the '03 996 I bought was a driver's delight and enjoyed every second I spent with it (I have an '08 997 now which is even better!).
Only downside for everyday driving is, as you mention, the inability to carry two adults in the back seat. Driving pleasure wise, for me, is absolutely no contest - the Porsche wins hands down.
Good luck with your decision!
06-27-2010, 01:14 PM
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911Jetta, drop me a PM if you'd like help with your A/C! 
Other than the backseat issue, I prefer the 996 as well. The M3 feels very big and impersonal. To be honest, it is smoother, and a tad faster than an MK1 car. It is nowhere near as fun to drive or to live with in my opinion though. I've owned several older Porsches, and e36 M3s, but never an e46. I will admit that steering feedback is better than earlier M cars though.
Other than the backseat issue, I prefer the 996 as well. The M3 feels very big and impersonal. To be honest, it is smoother, and a tad faster than an MK1 car. It is nowhere near as fun to drive or to live with in my opinion though. I've owned several older Porsches, and e36 M3s, but never an e46. I will admit that steering feedback is better than earlier M cars though.
06-27-2010, 03:32 PM
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Before to buy mu 2000 994 C4 i tried an M3 2003 full equiped.
A world of difference between those cars.
First the M3 is heaver then the Porsche and driving the car is totaly different feeling of driving is friving an not as fun as driving a 996
Second the engine sound of the M3 is really s?%t when you compare it to a 996
Third The suspension of the M3 is like...you really feel like no suspension at all really hard rock suspension
My delay driver is a BMW 2000 3 series..really reliable car thout
Finally if i bought a 996 is just because of all these difference and many others....
A Porsche is a Porsche and when you tell to anybody that you drive a 911 Porsche there's eyes change and they want to see it but when you say you drive an M3 BMW most people don't even know what is an M3......a good car but really not as attractive as a Porsche and believe i know what i'm saying.
I'M driving Porsche car now for more then 22 years so.....
If you want to drive something different and have fun... buy a Porsche but if you just want a fast car with so and so pleasure to drive and seats for you grand father and grand mother then stick with your BMW.
Robert
A world of difference between those cars.
First the M3 is heaver then the Porsche and driving the car is totaly different feeling of driving is friving an not as fun as driving a 996
Second the engine sound of the M3 is really s?%t when you compare it to a 996
Third The suspension of the M3 is like...you really feel like no suspension at all really hard rock suspension
My delay driver is a BMW 2000 3 series..really reliable car thout
Finally if i bought a 996 is just because of all these difference and many others....
A Porsche is a Porsche and when you tell to anybody that you drive a 911 Porsche there's eyes change and they want to see it but when you say you drive an M3 BMW most people don't even know what is an M3......a good car but really not as attractive as a Porsche and believe i know what i'm saying.
I'M driving Porsche car now for more then 22 years so.....
If you want to drive something different and have fun... buy a Porsche but if you just want a fast car with so and so pleasure to drive and seats for you grand father and grand mother then stick with your BMW.
Robert
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06-27-2010, 05:36 PM
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Oh I'm not in need of convincing to get a 911 - right now I'm mainly just test driving 964s, 993s and 996s to see which tugs at the heart strings the most while not tugging too much on the purse strings
This is definitely not the first time I've considered a 911 - before I bought my M3, I took some 996s around the block but again being limited to only one car living in SF (honestly sometimes I felt like having a car at all was questionable) the M3 was the smarter choice.
911Jetta - I say it's a superior daily driver for purely objective reasons. The suspension is not quite as harsh (in stock form apples to apples), both interior as well as storage space is hugely more spacious in the M3 (I've fit 6 people including myself in my M3 and on other occasions have fit a full set of 19" rims and loose tires with some clever positioning), rearward and side visibility is better, interior quality is improved with better ergonomics, creature comforts such as silly things like cup holders, seat heaters, etc are common on the M3, clutch requires lighter pressure (important when you're hitting max speeds of 10 mph at times during a crawling commute), and lastly depending on who you talk to the M3 is more reliable (to be clear though, I'm not convinced of this - the M3 definitely has its own share of issues).
I say these not as a criticism of the 911 though - because they are cars built with different focuses. The M3 is a GT that's designed to do everything superbly and of course there will be compromises in terms of how sporting it is compared to the 996 - which is proper sports car with some noddings toward luxury especially in the 996 and up models to make it more palatable to those who purchase it as status symbol instead of for its sublime driving experience. It'd be like criticizing a cheetah for not having much meat on its bones because its designed to be fast.
That said, the mk1 996s I've test driven definitely are not as fast driven back to back with an E46 M3. Not that concerned about that - the 996 is still fast enough to get me in trouble! I am a little concerned about the seat ergonomics and lack of adjustability compared to my M3, but not a deal breaker. Parts costs on the 996 are actually comparable to the M3 which I was not expecting - I guess that's another positive of a higher production run car, more companies to manufacture spares. Typical consumables like filters, clutches and brakes are about the same price wise.
This is definitely not the first time I've considered a 911 - before I bought my M3, I took some 996s around the block but again being limited to only one car living in SF (honestly sometimes I felt like having a car at all was questionable) the M3 was the smarter choice.
911Jetta - I say it's a superior daily driver for purely objective reasons. The suspension is not quite as harsh (in stock form apples to apples), both interior as well as storage space is hugely more spacious in the M3 (I've fit 6 people including myself in my M3 and on other occasions have fit a full set of 19" rims and loose tires with some clever positioning), rearward and side visibility is better, interior quality is improved with better ergonomics, creature comforts such as silly things like cup holders, seat heaters, etc are common on the M3, clutch requires lighter pressure (important when you're hitting max speeds of 10 mph at times during a crawling commute), and lastly depending on who you talk to the M3 is more reliable (to be clear though, I'm not convinced of this - the M3 definitely has its own share of issues).
I say these not as a criticism of the 911 though - because they are cars built with different focuses. The M3 is a GT that's designed to do everything superbly and of course there will be compromises in terms of how sporting it is compared to the 996 - which is proper sports car with some noddings toward luxury especially in the 996 and up models to make it more palatable to those who purchase it as status symbol instead of for its sublime driving experience. It'd be like criticizing a cheetah for not having much meat on its bones because its designed to be fast.
That said, the mk1 996s I've test driven definitely are not as fast driven back to back with an E46 M3. Not that concerned about that - the 996 is still fast enough to get me in trouble! I am a little concerned about the seat ergonomics and lack of adjustability compared to my M3, but not a deal breaker. Parts costs on the 996 are actually comparable to the M3 which I was not expecting - I guess that's another positive of a higher production run car, more companies to manufacture spares. Typical consumables like filters, clutches and brakes are about the same price wise.
06-27-2010, 05:39 PM
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Nice, I see you've also owned an E39 540i. I've actually owned a couple of them - great cars.. until the timing chain guide cracks, allowing the chain to flop around and cause catastrophic engine damage. How would you compare the C4s and the M3?
06-27-2010, 05:49 PM
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This is an individual decision of course, but I did this and haven't looked back.
The motor on my '03 M3 was sublime; but I found the hard shifting transmission combined with the touchy brakes made it very hard to drive smoothly.
In contrast, the '03 996 I bought was a driver's delight and enjoyed every second I spent with it (I have an '08 997 now which is even better!).
Only downside for everyday driving is, as you mention, the inability to carry two adults in the back seat. Driving pleasure wise, for me, is absolutely no contest - the Porsche wins hands down.
Good luck with your decision!
The motor on my '03 M3 was sublime; but I found the hard shifting transmission combined with the touchy brakes made it very hard to drive smoothly.
In contrast, the '03 996 I bought was a driver's delight and enjoyed every second I spent with it (I have an '08 997 now which is even better!).
Only downside for everyday driving is, as you mention, the inability to carry two adults in the back seat. Driving pleasure wise, for me, is absolutely no contest - the Porsche wins hands down.
Good luck with your decision!
Someone else has mentioned the engine note, and I grudgingly agree that the 996 does have the superior sounding engine stock for stock. With an X-pipe to get rid of the rasp and some supersprint pipes, the M3 can sound brilliant but the 996 doesn't require nearly the same amount of surgery to get a musical exhaust note.
06-27-2010, 07:26 PM
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06-27-2010, 07:34 PM
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06-27-2010, 09:56 PM
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I had a 2002.5 M3. I bought a 1995 M3 from an old co-worker and found myself not needing 2 M3's so I traded the E46 off for a 996 C4S (then traded that off for a 996 Turbo).
If I could have just one car, then it would be an M3. You can daily drive the 911, but I like the M3 because of it's practicalness (it does ok for trips to Lowe's or Home Depot) and it's low-key appearance. And if I'm going to a place where parking is questionable, then I'll take the M3. Heh... a friend and I went to get some sodas for a poker game yesterday and 4 12-packs of Coke were the only things that could fit in my Turbo's trunk, LOL.
My E46 M3 had an Eisenmann exhaust and it sounds very nice at WOT towards the 8k redline. My buddy has the Euro headers/cats and Dinan exhaust combo and it sounds even better than mine! I found the steering to be sluggish, the 996 has razor sharp steering -- sneeze and you'll find yourself in the next lane. The seats on the 996 fit me like a glove, in fact, my g/f said she could fall asleep in the 996 whereas she never said that about my M3's.
At the track, the M3's have a bit of understeer (of course), but the handling is predictable and the car is easy to drive. I have not taken my 996 to the track yet (and probably won't until I can afford to write it off).
If you have no problems w/ my concerns (needing backseats/trunk capacity, parking, etc), then get the 996 if you have the means. You only live once and should experience a Porsche at least once in your lifetime.
/m
If I could have just one car, then it would be an M3. You can daily drive the 911, but I like the M3 because of it's practicalness (it does ok for trips to Lowe's or Home Depot) and it's low-key appearance. And if I'm going to a place where parking is questionable, then I'll take the M3. Heh... a friend and I went to get some sodas for a poker game yesterday and 4 12-packs of Coke were the only things that could fit in my Turbo's trunk, LOL.
My E46 M3 had an Eisenmann exhaust and it sounds very nice at WOT towards the 8k redline. My buddy has the Euro headers/cats and Dinan exhaust combo and it sounds even better than mine! I found the steering to be sluggish, the 996 has razor sharp steering -- sneeze and you'll find yourself in the next lane. The seats on the 996 fit me like a glove, in fact, my g/f said she could fall asleep in the 996 whereas she never said that about my M3's.
At the track, the M3's have a bit of understeer (of course), but the handling is predictable and the car is easy to drive. I have not taken my 996 to the track yet (and probably won't until I can afford to write it off).
If you have no problems w/ my concerns (needing backseats/trunk capacity, parking, etc), then get the 996 if you have the means. You only live once and should experience a Porsche at least once in your lifetime.
/m
06-27-2010, 11:32 PM
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I do not understand why you come to this site to talk about M3.
If you finally prefer the M3 and if the M3 got all the quality you are looking in a sport car just stay with the M3 and go to the Bimmerforum....there you can talk about your lovely M3 and let us talk about our 996.
We are not on this site to try to convince anyone that our car are better then others so please stay away from this site.
It is not by saying that the M3 is better then a Porsche....anyway you know what i mean.....
Have fun with your lovely M3
Robert
If you finally prefer the M3 and if the M3 got all the quality you are looking in a sport car just stay with the M3 and go to the Bimmerforum....there you can talk about your lovely M3 and let us talk about our 996.
We are not on this site to try to convince anyone that our car are better then others so please stay away from this site.
It is not by saying that the M3 is better then a Porsche....anyway you know what i mean.....
Have fun with your lovely M3
Robert