So here is the deal. I currently drive an 06 (e90) BMW 330 and I am on the new M3 waitlist. It's my first BMW and I love it. My problem is that something about the M3 concept just doesn't sit right with me and thanks to the 997S I think I have talked myself out of it. I haven't even driven the 997 yet because I know that will seal the deal.

I think I am afraid that the new M will be more of the same of what I am used to. Don't get me wrong, its a different car, but how much?

I love the classic lines of the P-car and here is the dilemma part. If I get a 997 will I tire of it as well? (I know how dare me even say it) Then what do I do from there? A 997 is already a pretty outrageous daily driver. If I eventually upgrade to a turbo will I again think its more of the same?

Maybe I will just never be satisfied, but I am trying to justify such an expensive car. I must be pretty spoiled to think that an M3 isn't really what I am looking for.

I'd love to hear from you long time owners about you experiences with your cars especially compared to other cars you have owned.

 

Cannot comment on M3 as I have never owned one.

I had a 993 for 9 years before I upgraded to 997S. Even though they are both just 911 (not turbo or GT3), the improvement is significant in many ways. After owning one 911, I have never looked back. I may have other cars in my garage, but I know I will always have a 911.

 

See my sig. I don't regret the changes, and don't plan to move back to BMW. I gave up my "first reserved slot" for the M3 in 2005 when I got my first 911.

 

Having never owned a BMW or even driven one I can't rate that ride but I can warn you to never drive a Porsche. Never. If you do the little lightbulb will come on and you will immediately do what it takes to justify buying one. I personally have never understood the attraction to BMW by the American masses. It was always a fairly common car in Germany and isn't exactly leading the pack in technology,--and certainly not in styling. BMWs have always been under-tired, to me. Porsche always keeps up with tire and wheel technology and ensures that you have adequate tires for the handling objectives of the car. If you get bored witha Porsche then you would probably get bored dating _____________ (fill in the blanks with the hottest woman you would like to know).

 

FWIW: I've had several BMW's including an MZ (first iteration). I also owned a 2001 330Ci and an 02 530i. I really like the 330, and the 530, but neither is a performance car. I never could get comfortable in the Z3 and although it was powerful and quick it just was not a good overall performance car. I know you didn't ask about the Z's. I went through something like you're dealing with before buying my C2S. I tired of the MZ3 fairly quickly, the 330i had brake issues that could not be fixed and BMW was very good about buying it back and putting me in a 530. Thus, I didn't own the 330 very long.

They're just different cars. I like the BMW feel, but it doesn't compare to the handling of the P-car. My opinion; the M3 is a 3 series that has been jacked, tweaked and stuffed to the max. While it's a great car, in the end I decided against it, because of the form factor. It's not a true 2+2 roadster. And, the new MZ4 was just plain out. I don't like it.

I think, I will be satisfied with my 997S for a long time.

 

Had a similar dilemma in considering the Audi RS4 after driving an 04 S4 for three years (and multiple Audi's prior to that). RS4 was very tempting but I was unconvinced that the RS4 experience would be sufficiently different.

Jumped to the P-Car brand and have never looked back...the new R8...bleh. After 10 months I still get butterflies prior to driving the 911 and expect this emotional response to continue for some time to come...the car is just that good.

Once you drive a 997 S and/or see one set up exactly how you want it, it'll be an easy decision.

 

After a couple of other's comments, I felt I should clarify. I'm not a Porsche Purist. I don't think that everything they do is better than everything BMW does, and in some cases it is inferior. So that being said, I will try to break down a few categories in comparison of the two:

Looks: Totally personal, although the 911 has iconic shape.

Engine: I think BMW technology is totally in line with Porsche, as evidenced by an often-better HP/displacement ratio in their top performing engines. Both are evolutionary upgrades to a standard design, but I don't recall Porsche winning World Engine of the Year any time in recent memory.

Suspension: I actually think BMW has the edge here. The softness dialed into recent 3-series models has nothing to do with engineering capabilities, but US sales - as we prefer a more couch-like feel. Moving back to the M3 vs. 911, the M obviously suffers from the luxury weight add-ons, but it still feels more solid and planted than the 911 at speed (see other threads about front-end lightness in the 911). Say what you want about skidpad, laptimes, or whatever - the M3 inspires more confidence and blatantly tells you its capabilities (and limits) better than the 911. IMHO.

Interior: Thumbs up to Porsche here. Both are minimalistic German and could take some lesson from the Italians and Japanese - better look/feel (less cheap) and better gadgetry without being intrusive (i-Drive for BMW, no iPod for 911). The BMW leather for the past several years has always felt cheap to me.

There is more, but I need to run to a meeting. I'll put out the flames later.

 

Drive them all Audi's too and buy the car that you fall in love with. If your a car guy you enjoy the experience. You do have to deal with a lot salesman, don't get too cozy and always give the number to the county supervisor as yours.

But as Edgy says that light will com on when you get behind the wheel of a Porsche and it will be all over.

 

bmw make sports sedans. porsche makes sports cars.

after buying my first p-car last fall (996) after a line of bmw's, i'm now stuck on p-cars. in fact, i plan on upgrading to a 997 in the next several weeks.

 

At some point you "mature" and stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. What I mean by that is that you should not be worried that a 997 will lead to a 997TT - it doesn't have to be that way. You should get what you want and for better reasons than climbing some sort of invisible ladder.

The M3 is a wonderful car - I enjoyed mine for 4 years. Was incredibly fast on the track, civil around town. I could haul my whole family and our bags for a long weekend. The 997 is a different animal. I was after the next level of performance, not some sort of status marker. Unfortunately, to get beyond the M3 in performance required spending considerably more on a 997S. Did I want a GT3 or Turbo - no, not really. I considered the GT3 for a short while, but then realized I'd rather have 95% of the performance of the GT3 while having a more comfortable street car. I'll put about 7k a year on this 997S and I cannot imagine enjoying those miles with CT roads in the GT3. Also, I need a spot for my daughter, need more ground clearance (driveways here would kill a GT3), etc. The Turbo? Has nothing of interest to me.

I thought about waiting for the new M3 and just didn't like where BMW was going. I explored the 335 a bit and didn't care for how things were setup in that car. The start button was one thing that bothered me for some reason - just give me a key for crying out loud.

I have a sense that this current 997S will be considered one of the greats. When they add DFI, that will be a very nice technological improvement, but I'd rather not touch the clean lines of the front and rear bumpers or the lights as we've seen in the "freshening" photos.

Driving the M3 vs. the 997S - different animal. If you search on my name, you'll find a post from back in January talking about my first impressions. The transition from M3 to 997S was difficult at first, but then I was simply amazed at how capable the 997S really is.

Since I was 12 I dreamed of a 911, probably for the philosophy of the car - performance by design, racing heritage, sports car icon. I never had such dreams of an M3, though as a teen and beyond, I respected the M3 and ultimately purchased one.

 

You've asked this question in a Porsche forum, so obviously expect to get a lot of replies telling you to get a 997.

A new M3 won't be a quantum leap over your 330. BMW's M-cars start life as a regular model of whatever series they're based on. M3s, from a design point, start out as 3-series cars. BMW plans into the design ways to push the platform to create the M-car, but they still share a lot of the same design constraints. You've got an E90 now, and you can probably expect the E90 M3 to be similar but louder, faster, firmer, and heavier. But still mostly like your 330i. From past experience, I predict you would recognize your 330 in the new M3 if you drive one.

Like others here, I'm going tell you the same thing: if you drive the Porsche you're going to buy it. It's not about the numbers. Numbers don't capture the feel of a Porsche, and these cars are about so much more than numbers.

From my sig, you can see I've had 3 M3s. Nice cars, fast cars. I like them. Then I test drove my Boxster and it totally reset my expectations for what a car should do and how it should feel. Two years on, and I still love it. My last M3 is waiting for my 997S to arrive and then it's off to a new home. The Boxster isn't going anywhere, though.

 

I really aprreciate everyones feedback. Keep it coming, all these great comments are making me feel good. I am pretty sure I have made up my mind, but just wondered if others were or had felt the same way.

This is a large finacial decision and I worry that I am spoiling myself, but I fear that I might regret not doing it when I see a Porsche in my M3. I have been thinking about waiting to see what M3 demand is at the launch and possibly unload mine on ebay for a profit to invest into the 997.

 

You will probably never be satisfied for long. It's a sickness, and a lot of us have it bad. I stopped counting cars a long time ago, but my wife could tell you exactly! I had two E46 M3's. They are great cars, and I don't know of a better sports sedan. The new one will be fast, but I don't see it getting any lighter, so it's one more step in the wrong direction, for my taste. I enjoy DE track events, so handling is very important to me. I spent about $4K on a new suspension in my '05 M3. The 997S handles better without a single mod. Of course, it costs more than $4K over the M3 too. I did a couple years on track with a C5 ZO6, which is today the best performance value on the planet. For $30K you can buy a car that in stock form, is faster around the track than the 997S. And for less than the 997S you can buy a C6 ZO6. If eye-bleeding acceleration and high speed is your thing, it's quite a car. I test drove a couple; fantastic cars, but the handling of the C5 felt better to me. Neither version ZO6, as good as they are, offer nearly the feel and feedback of the Porsche. And that is really the difference in a word, feel. Good luck with your decision.

 

I went from a 330ci to an E46 M3 to the 997S. BMWs are great cars. But to me, they are just cars. The Porsche is different. It is alive. It has soul. You breathe it in when you open the door and sink down into the leather. You can almost feel it smile when you sit down, as if it is saying, "hey, where ya been?" When you fire it up, it farts and barks and pops and it is simply delicious. I open the window just to hear this cacophony of mechanical confusion. On the road the 911 is sublime when you want it to, although certainly not as sublime as a 3-series. But even when calmly cruising down a residential road, the 911 feels special. And it makes you feel special because you're driving it. But then you open it up and the sound permeates your soul and the car simply sings with you. It is alive. It has a feel that no BMW could ever have (ok, maybe an M1 but good luck finding one).

The BMWs I owned just never did that. They are like precision instruments, but they lack the soul of a Porsche. The 330ci was a great car, reliable and economical and quite sporty. The M3 was intriguing, quick with a raspy exhaust that sang like a sportbike in tunnels. It stirred me, but I never fell in love with it. It was just a car. Yes, a great car. But it had no soul. I never once had a conversation with my M3.

If you currently have a 330, go spend some time in a 335i. It is a worlds better car than the 330. The twin-turbo engine is just phenomenal, and the car handles superbly for a luxo-sport-coupe. So imagine a harder, louder, faster version. That's what the M3 will be. I think it will be great.
I was on the verge of a 335i but ultimately it was a little too mundane. Fast, yes. Handles great, yes. Looks good, sure. But not much of a standout. Then I test drove a 997S. It was like the heavens opened up with a ray of light and angels trumpeting through the clouds.

The 911 will be your friend, your companion. You will miss it when you're gone. You will go down and visit it in the garage when your wife is asleep. The hairs on the back of your neck will stand up every time you turn the key and the engine pops to life. And even when you drive alone you will have someone to talk to....

 

I have a 3-series bmw as my semi daily driver and was tempted to upgrade/add to an M3. While I was impressed test driving the E46 M3 back in 2002 it wasn't exactly what I was looking for for a pure sports car.

It was quick but you really need to wind up those M3's to get them going. The 997S is better in this regard, not comparing to MB AMG's or Vettes of course but still quite a bit torque-ier than an M3.

I think what finally sold me over the M3 was the.... drum roll please..........


Sound, seriously the exhaust note is intoxicating - it sounds like a human voice going "wooooo-waaaaaa-waahhhhh as you change gears"

Sorry but that's my best technical reasoning why you should get a 911.