johnwb

I have a BMW 328 coupe and a 997 C2S. I love them both but they are different animals. If you enjoy really driving a BMW, you'll like the 911. I still enjoy my BMW, but the sound, the grunt, the breaking and the poise on the track is what I prefer about the 911. While both are rear wheel drive, of course, the traction control on the BMW shows up much sooner than it does with the 911. Too soon in my opinion. The BMW is more refined, the 911 a little more visceral, but is still a great daily driver. Buy whatever you can afford and don't think twice about it. You'll enjoy the 911. Have fun shopping.

Nugget

I traded an '02 BMW M Roadster in to get my first 911 (an '07 Carrera S cab). It's completely ruined me. 38K miles later I traded the convertible in for a GT3 RS because I wanted something even more 911ey than the C2S was. Without rehashing my original thinking, I'll just link to my posts from the time. Hopefully you'll find some value from my experiences:

• When I was conflicted and couldn't decide
• When I pulled the trigger and bought
• The first time I took it to a track
• The inevitable result of all my days at the track

And everything Edgy says is the gospel truth. There's nothing he doesn't know about these cars.

Para82

To the OP, the 911 does indeed make a great everyday driver. It's a very tough sports car.

Overdraft

So over the winter, I had this brilliant idea to sell my Black on Black 996 with a full aerokit, Ruf exhaust and Ruf Wheels - 44,000 KM on it which i owned for 10 years. Bought an M3 Cab, and after about two weeks, I tried to fall in love with it. Modified it with a Hartge body kit, Hartge wheels, exhaust , interior bits et al. It's not that I hated the M3 - it realy was quite nice - but it didn't hold a candle to the 911. I remember taking delivery of my M3, then going to take out my 911 from winter storage and taking it for a rip just prior to delivering it to the new owner and I said to myslef...oh oh, you really are an idiot. Anyway, sold the 911 (to my brother in law thankfully) and gutted out the summer in the M3 for 9,000 km, promptly sold it three weeks ago, ate lots of you know what ...and ordered a 2010 TT cab with PDK. Now my brother in law is hooked too...

There is somthing about Porsches - and the owners you will meet - that makes the ownership experience so special..whatever model and in whatever condition they happen to be in. I have had six now (944 Turbo, C4, C4S, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, and my beloved 996) and with lucky 7 on the way, I have learned my lesson.

Overdraft

PHDX2

Former owner of BMWs. Switched to Porsche. Never looked back.

stevepow

I had a great 24 year run with BMWs (some nice ones too: M3s, M5) - still think they are great cars - just maybe not as driver focused as they once were.

But I also have wanted a 911 since way back and decided the heck with practicality this year and stopped in to the local Porsche dealer as my lease was ending - and that was that. Very happy with this little car so far.

Good luck.

brendo

[QUOTE=Edgy01;7064974
HERE'S MY THEORY ON THE ONE OWNER, LOW MILEAGE CARS.

As Tony alluded to, there is much mystique to the 911. Many of today's first time Porsche buyers have lusted after a "911" for literally decades. They have put their kids through college, have moved to the top of the heap at work, and finally felt financially secure enough to make the jump. However, their lives still revolve around other distractions, like work. Those who buy them to finally satisfy their long-time urge to have one. have created the world in which they live without a Porsche for most of their lives. When a 911 enters into that life, something else has to give. You have to make a sincere effort to go out and drive it. Many felt a little nervous about putting miles on their car. Rubbish!! They're not going to protect their investment (like with Ferrari) by driving it less. It's always been a driver's car. A car built to handle the chores of being a daily driver. it's ability to stay in tune, and to be affordable as a DD is remarkable. I had a 911 as a daily driver when most of you were in elementary school. I chose to make having a 911 in my garage a part of my life for decades. If you add one of these later in life you have to make choices, and changes. Many do not. Many buy them to look at, to polish. Some reserve them for that nice weekend in the country. Sadly, they never get to know what a Porsche is. In time they start to actualize their purchase, and with a little pressure from their spouse, they feel that they aren't getting their money's worth out of it and it winds up on the block. Moved out to pasture because it didn't get used enough. This is very sad, to me. I've been a Porsche driver since I was 19, and made the enjoyment of these fine automobiles a part of my life. If you think for a moment that you may just park it and reserve use of it for occasional forays into Napa and Sonoma, you might as well buy a Ford.

Just remember the T shirt: "Life is too short to be driving a Chevy."[/QUOTE]

^ spot on!

from my POV, i'd say buy one that's about 2-3 years old. there's a glut in the market and if you absolutely love it, keep and and spend the money on learning to drive it well (this process will never, ever stop )

if you find yourself wanting more, like many do, you won't get totally hosed on selling it and either getting the "perfect" car for you, going to a racier model, getting a cab, etc.

on being a daily driver, i have a C2S (tiptronic which i like, don't love because i outdrive it at the track), and i'm in heavy traffic to/from work each day. it's absolutely the car for me. i will get a PDK which is really what i wanted in '07 when i bought this. i have an E55 that i really thought i would use more often than i do.

with regard to making your decision: i asked a few dealers and every single person at PSDS (porsche sport driving school) what i should get. after explaining how i'd use it, if i would track it, yada yada, pretty much everybody recommended a carrera S. now that i'm back in the market, and while i'd love a GT3 (can't get it in the garage with the slope), i considered a C4S but i'm going right back to another carrera S. it's the car for me.

good luck.

brendan

Overdraft

Tear now on my keyboard, had to post a picture of it....

Overdraft

sclemmons

I have a BMW daily driver and have had since March 1980. Frank Fahey did everything he could to my M5 and it is a great car, even today, with almost 160,000 miles on it. I did an M Day at the Performance Center in Spartanburg, drove everything they had that day, and decided then that my next car would be smaller, not bigger. Porsche is an uptick, and worth investigating seriously. I have driven the 335i, the M3, the M5, and almost bought a new M3. But Porsche is a better class of car. I hazard to say, better class of driver for the most part, and better class of dealer, too.

It would not bother me to buy another 997.1, and there are some great deals out there. I bought mine off this forum and it has been trouble free. More like a Honda than a BMW on the maintenance spectrum. So far.

Good luck with your progress.

dD/dt

I'm only in the second week of the 997, but it's working great as a DD. Like the others said, it's a sports car. I used my '88 Carrera 3.2 as a DD for a couple of years. It was challenging only because it lacked some of the luxuries -- like AC or a sunroof that worked -- and I was in south Louisiana.

But if you change your mind, I do have a BMW for sale....

jplanaux

You described me to a "T". But I think I will pass on the Ford and keep the pcar.

Palmbeacher

I owned 6 BMWs from '83-'02. My last one was a '99 740i, and I would've bought another if they hadn't made the new body look like a cockroach with wheels. Switched to the new-then E-class Benz which I still own and will keep, now that M-B made the 2010 body more sci-fi than sexy. I like curves, don't like creases. Which brings me to why I bought my 997. Looks, pure and simple. It would be fine with me if it had a little gas-sipping 4 cyl motor. I shift around 2500rpms typically, and have never seen fit to rev it past 3000. Even so I'm a little shocked by how much more gas it uses than my Benz which is a heavier car and has about the same displacement motor. That E-Class, which I drove exclusively and every day for 7 years, has 50K miles. The almost-5-yr old 997 was driven 5K/yr by the first owner, also as a daily driver, and will not see that much more per year from me. Not everyone with a low-mileage car has multiple cars and drives it only on weekends. Some of us just don't have that far to drive. 7.5 miles each way to and from the office. I've never been a joyrider, so going out on weekends just to pile on miles is not something I'd consider doing, especially with gas at $3/gal.

johnwb

I forgot to mention that when I walk in my garage the BMW and the 997 sit side by side. If I don't need a trunk that day I don't even notice the BMW. And it's a beautiful, fun car.

403portside

All:

Thanks very much. This is all very helpful and gives me a great starting point.

I love BMWs and have been driving them for 10 yrs. My most recent purchase was an 07 550i which I bought 6 mos ago. It's fantastic - great handling, power, comfort. It's our only car for our one space garage in San Francisco. I'm putting about 1,500 miles/mo on it. Very happy with it.

But...In the last few days, my financial situation has changed to allow me to take the plunge on a 997. I'm 33 and first fell in love with the 911 in the early 80s and have always had a visceral reaction to them. I don't think a 997 would be best for our lifestyle (especially as our only car) but the urge to be a little irrational is strong. I suppose test driving one will only make it more difficult :-).

On question I do have for your former BMW owners. One of the reasons I love bimmers is that they have great on-center highway feel. Because of the weight distribution they feel nicely planted at high speeds. Is it true that the front end feels a little light on the 911s because of the rear engine configuration? Was that an adjustment for you? I do alot of highway driving. Would be interested in your thoughts.

Thanks again.

At Law

As a previous driver of BMW's for the last ten years, I have seen
first hand the reduction in quality and workmanship in these cars.

The first BMW I purchased was a 1998 528i, which was a great
body style, was built like a tank, and was quite reliable.

My last BMW, which I bought new, was a 2007 530i and it was
nothing short of boring. It was underpowered, the interior was
full of low quality plastic, and there were more of them around
than Honda Accords. In addition, there were quite a few
mechanical issues that popped up in my year and a half of ownership.

I finally traded the 530i in for a 2008 Range Rover Sport and
have found this to be an excellent vehicle. It is solid, very reliable,
and handles well for a 6,000 pound truck.

That being said, I finally purchased my current 2006 911 with 5,000 miles
on it and love the car. It is solid, quick, and very responsive.

I find myself grabbing the keys to the 911 much more often than the
Range Rover. Of course, this will change, when the Midwest winter
sets in.

I have taken down my BMW signs in my garage and put them in the
basement for remembering only.

Once you purchase the 911, your memories of BMW will be as distant
as the party girl you dated for a few months. There are girls you want to date and there are girls you want to marry--and they're never the same girl.