D.D.

As I said.....the BMW is....and always will be.... JUST a sedan.....NO comparison!

E39 in Philly

Actually, your response (which you somehow felt the need to reiterate) did not address the question in any way. You bring up the 330XI... a completely inappropriate example. The question posed was whether the acceleration advantage of the M5 would reflect poorly on the driving experience of the 911. The 330XI doesn't even come close to having that advantage, and is wholly irrelevant to the discussion.

As many have said, the M5 will not likely diminish the driving experience of the 911, but for reasons having more to do with the 911's merits than with your simplistic dismissal of the M as "just a sedan".

ringmeister

Hasn't diluted it at all. Two completely different cars.

johnlee

I have test driven the new M5, and as it had only 100 or so miles on it, I did not drive it hard. I can say that the level of refinement and comfort is quite high, and the SMG can shift smoothly as long as you lift the throttle during upshifts. It certainly has a level of practicality and refinement that separates it enough from the 911 to make sense as a daily driver. The question I posed was my main concern. The other is the M5's dismal fuel range. If I can get over that...

esef

I just traded in my 2003 E39 M5 (last year for the E39) and bought a 997. The biggest difference is that the M5 feels very fast in lower revs. The M5 felt more solid or maybe heavy is a better word to describe it. I don't mean heavy in the bad sense, the M5 just made you feel safe like you were in a bank vault. It could go over bumps without jarring your teeth and still handle curves at incredible speeds. I could out run most cars on the road either in twisties or in straights. The M5 could fit 4 adults comfortably and haul *** at the same time. Put snow tires on and it was truly an awesome all year daily driver.

Having said all that about the M5, the 997 gives me a completely different feel. Hard to describe. I don't feel the power of the M5 but the 997 is just as addictive to drive as the M5. Just the view from the cockpit and the way the steering feels when pushing high speeds through turns is more fun in the 997 than the M5. I feel that the 997 reads my mind and takes the line I want without much effort from me.

I would love to have kept my M5 and get the 997, but it wasn't an option for me right now. Maybe next year I'll get the E60 M5, but who knows, the 997TT is very tempting as well.

You can't go wrong with the M5 and no, it will not dilute your 996 experience. The cars are too different.

devon7

I would not get an M5 as a daily driver - the SMG is great at speed but hard work to keep smooth in traffic. I had one on order but cancelled after several test drives. Agree with Eggplant that the new 535 will be good as a daily - while the 535 diesel is simply outstanding!!

esef

You can order the M5 in manual now.

Likemystoppie?

Check out the E550 Sport. It'll do 0-60 in or around 5 seconds and you'll save a lot of money off the M5. It'll give you plenty of power, and the updates on the car are beautiful. That way you have the best of both worlds. Otherwise, I say forget the 996, trade into a 997C4S and buy a 3 series or a C Class.

daniel sa

Dmoney;your comment is completely useless to this discussion.

If you can own both the E60 M5 and the 996 C4S ,I would say,go for it.Both are,in there own way,great cars and will only complement each other.On the other hand.A 550 i and a 997 is a good suggestion as well.

Good luck with the problem!

Jeff911S

Im not sure what all of this desire for speed is rooted in, but Im not sure that one ever gets to use these cars to their full potential except perhaps on a track. I dont even see the need for a TT, although I could afford to get one, because a $40,000 upgrade to gain a COUPLE OF SECONDS...well Im not sure why? ( although I love those sculpted air vents) The Idea that you may oneday find yourself on a desert road in say, Nevada, and have a 430, and say, a Lambo chasing you, well if thats your thing then perhaps. As has been said before, these cars while very very fast compared to 97 % of what ever else is on the road, and are philosophically designed for a true race like handling and with the cab, perhaps more of an high velocity open air toy for when conditions are right. We cant say whats right for you only you know that, but whats all that reserve power going to mean with 50 Toyotas, minivans, hondas and the occaisional Mercedes E clogging up that road to the mall. Now if your from Germany, and have the autobahn, well thats a different story, but if it were my choice, I would buy a regular 5 series, and with the savings scrap the 996, upgrade to a 997, as far as I have seen these cars are night and day different, and I feel that you might enjoy the upgrade. Best of luck in your choice and I hope that I havent offended any 996 owners out there my view although shared by many, is purely subjective.

stevewilm

My dialy driver was a E39 M5. I had a new one on order but got scared off by the complicated electronics
9launch mode, etc.) WEnt for anE55 which is a great car but seems redundent with the 997 C4S Vert. I'm thinking of swapping it for a new X5 whihc seems liike a better station car.

ChipAZ

My solution is a Cayenne S for those moments when the weather or space for more stuff is needed. Over the MB's and BMW's I've had, the Cayenne outranks these cars just hands down for me. The Cayenne wants to be driven fast and for a car that you can take off road beats my former CL-500, E-55 and CLK 55 all to hell as a highway cruiser. I haven't had a BMW for awhile, but the Cayenne handles better than my ex 540i.

Then you would be all Porsche all the time. A decision that I never have regretted.

Chris C.

I used to have a 540i-6 (320 hp) and my 993 - I have to say that wasn't enough of a difference in functionality for me so I sold the 5-er for an SUV. Even though I never confused the driving experience of the cars (VERY different in drive style and chassis), didn't make sense to have 2 performance-oriented cars and no real hauling capability for stuff.

So, yes for me the M5 would diminish the sports car experience of the 911 even if they both perform differently. As other suggested, I would get a nornal sedan for less $ and upgrade the 996.

Drive a Lexus GX now...night and day from my light agile rough riding sports car, and I like it that way!

johnlee

Oh crud...opinions are all over the place now . I'm seeing basically three recommendations:

1. Get the M5 and keep the 996C4S as the personalities of the two are sufficiently different, and thus the power difference won't diminish my joy with the C4S.

2. Get a daily driver that, compared with the C4S, has less overlap in what it does well (ie Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5, Mercedes-BenzE550).

3. Get a relatively cheap daily driver (ie BMW 3 series) and upgrade to a 997S or 9974S.

Distilled to these three options, what would you do (keeping in mind the wife has an Infiniti QX56 and a Mercedes-Benz CLS500)?

icon

john,
do you want a two door or a four door?
if you only need two doors why the need for another car?
also why go with a four door if you only need two?
you need to decide how many doors you want first!