frayed

Gotta agree with that.

I'm a huge BMW fan and am building an E36 M3 track car, and am practically a lifelong BMW CCA member. In fact, as child, I lusted after bmw's, not porsches. As an adult (well sort of, hahaha), I made fun of all the Porsche drivers at DEs, who should drive with a little more conviction.

I then moved to Porsches b/c the new BMWs are heinous, and the E46 M3 (last of the decent BMWs), is a pig of a car (as viewed from the perspective as a sports car). Undersized brakes, too heavy, poor handling balance, and poor steering feel.

The 997 is a first among the 911 iterations to do so much, so well, with such personality. I'm not a long time porsche guy, but have driven a bunch and owned 4. But the 997S is really *that* good, that it is in a different league from the E46 M3.

Lori, don't sweat the details such as LSD; Porsche truly did their homework on this car, don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

BTW, you have an **** dealer. I got 3, 1 hour test drives in 3 different 997S, SOLO. I took these cars out for a some spirited driving w/o the distraction of a salesperson, and did my best to get to know the car in the time constraints I had. Truly a spectacular car.

boolala

Now is it "**** dealer" or "****-dealer"?

JohnnyBahamas

I don't want to see the showroom.

frayed

I'd reckon most Porsche dealers are both. (i) they are uptight, and (ii) they gotta sell you a new one of those after they have their way with you.

Sunshine

I agree whole heartedly. The M3 is an awesome car. The performance is there and it looks like a million bucks. The Porsche 911 has always been the car of my dreams and the M3 is a very close second. I wouldn't discourage anyone from considering the M3. It's a beautiful car. There will always be a special place in my heart for the M3.

Superfans

No doubt that M3 is a great car at its price. However, if you have watched the latest Top Gear comparison of the M6, AMV8 and 997 S, then you will appreciate why the 997 is way ahead of the M3 (even with the upcoming V8 M3 I suppose). On paper, it should be an uphill battle for the 997 S since it is approx. 140hp short of the M6 and approx. 25hp short of the AMV8. However, the 997 S managed to have a 6 second lead over the M6 and AMV8 on the country road of the Isle of Man. So, the question should be - can the M3 compete with the V10 M6? If not, it is difficult to see how it can compete with the 997. Just my 2 cents worth.

MMD

Lots of guys go right to the M3 when they need the room for passengers and luggage not offered by the Carrera. Both cars are excellent, both are "fast," both are fun to drive. The $50K you saved allows you to do airport runs ahd have a ball doing it.

Christer

This is just confusing things further. An M3 doesn't compare too well to a 911 let alone either of them against a big bus like the M6...even with 500hp....

///Mous3

OH God.... please stop this stupid comparison of a saloon based car with a car that was designed from the start as a "sports car".

The only thing comparable between the two car is that they both have two doors and four wheels; period.

Buy what fits your need.

P.S. Why don't you go ahead and post C6 Z06 vs. 997S. And do that on Covette forums.

MMD

Nah..., everything's fine here. What's different here is the M3 is always the first car on people's minds when they consider alternatives to the 996 or 997. So, the similarities/differences are in some ways more significant than number of doors and wheels.

Riz

A more fair comparison would be the regular 997 C2 vs E46 M3. As a sports car the 997 C2 outhandles/out brakes the M3. If you need to carry more people then M3 is obviously better. The M3 can't even compete with the regular 997 C2, forget about the 997 C2S. I've owned the M3 and now own the 997 C2, but have driven the 997 C2S.

///Mous3

No it is not!

Guys... there are those who bought 997S after the 996 GT3! That sums up what it takes to be a "driver's car."

The rest of you are just fooling yourselves if you think that a 6-year-old (at least!) E46 M3 is "an alternative" to the 997S. This is not to say that E46 M3 is not a great car. In fact it is an awesome automobile that exceeds what it was intended to do.

997S is at least $40K more than a E46 M3 (65%+ increase over the M3) and is a "true" Sports Car. How on earth can that be an alternative? Why not a 360 Modena at $50K more be the alternative? And why not the C6 ZO6?

Screw that... why not pay $50K more and get a 997TT or 997 GT3 later in 2006, that is if you think +/- $50K is the range...

If you want "double take" like some of you enjoys... 997S won't do it in a couple of months. In OC, California at least... especially you bought a sissy soft-top.

The problem in this comparison is the "need for the Porsche owners to feel upgraded".

Think about it; what would be the next German Coupe to get after the M3 in the US? Of course the 911. Not because it is "close," but because it is the only German Coupe that gives the "image of performance" to the onlookers or you would be comfortable in a car like Merc!

P.S. If you still thinking E46 M3 as an "alternative" you do not have $$$ to play; period. Come on!

Sunshine

I should have known this thread would ruffle some feathers.

fast1

I use to own an '02 M3 and I visit some of the M3 Boards and I would have to say that 99.9% of M3 owners look at the 911 as a big step up. That was true of the 996 and it's doubly true for the 997S. When family demands change and when financial situations improve, I've got to believe that many former M3 owners will become 997 owners.

frayed

And vice-versa, you can find many threads on this board in various forums giving props to the M3. It's a well built, good looking, beast of a car with a very visceral motor that can carry 4. And, it's a great value. It is however, not a Porsche nor does it pretend to be.