DC911S

As said get a used C7 vette for 40 to 50K, and you have all the speed you want. Its not a bad car, but its still GM somewhat cheap interior and if you are tall, you won't fit in it.

golfnutintib

i have said it many times here

in general, bimmers are sporty feeling practical cars with a daily-useful form factor... they are fundamentally daily useful cars (rear seat room, folding rear seats, proper trunks, taller ride height) with sporty attributes built in - good power, some roll stiffness, turn in agility, balance

porsches - suvs/pana's excepted of course - are true sports cars without form factor compromises (no real back seat, limited trunk spaces, rear or mid engines...) and while new ones are smoother than ever before, they feel distinctly sporty (much lighter overall, quite firmly damped, highly controlled body movements, highly responsive to steering, throttle and braking inputs) ... they can be daily driven but they are simply not as useful cars as bimmers but as a result they shine much more brightly when driven hard

both companies are expert marketers, so bmw wants you to think you are buying a real sports car, and porsche would love for you to buy a cayman or 911 to drive daily (no doubt many newbies are sucked in by the marketing) ... but that belies the truth of what these cars really are and what the sweet spot in their missions are

Ben Z

I've seen '14 C7 bases selling in the high $30's and was tempted. I'm not a fan of the C7 styling but that wasn't the deal breaker. The C7 deactivates pairs of cylinders when cruising (for fuel economy), which to me adds a complex system to the list of potentially expensive things to go wrong down the line, not to mention the uneven wear if you do a lot of cruising. Cruising the interstate in 6th, my 6.2L C6 gets a solid 30mpg...4 mpg better than my 3.6L M96 has ever done. Good enough for me! C7 also has rev-matching which is activated/deactivated by floppy paddles repurposed so Chevy could use one steering wheel for all. Very easy to hit the switch accidentally, and another complexity to worry about fixing if it breaks. C7 also has an electric e-brake, and I prefer old-school. Finally, every C7 manual I saw even with 2000 miles on it, the center console lid was all wrinkled from the driver's elbow resting on it. Apparently the covering stretches. Chevy replaces them under warranty but they have not improved it.

Dennis C

+1

If you are looking for performance, the 996 TT is the best deal out there. The rush of boost from the 996 TT is incredible, and it's still available in a 6MT. The interior is spartan and it is outdated, but it is functional. The car is AWD and offers aggressive styling to match the 420 HP.

voiceprint1

Your telling yourself the look of the car is growing on you? Just go get your M3 and leave us to our oil viscosity discussions.

997_Toronto

What is your "TRUE" motivation for wanting a Porsche? I seem to doubt its anything that Porsche has to offer at this point in time.

A buddy wanted a Porsche, drove one, did not like it but kept wanting a 911. Finally ended you getting an Aston Martin DB9 and he's a happy camper.

911s are not for everyone and it sounds like they are not "your type" of car, at least not at this time.

Para82

stock for stock I much preferred the 997 C2S - now you add mods to a Turbo and i'm sure I would come around.

OP it sounds like you love BMW and want a Porsche. My suggestion is you have both in the garage. That would be good pair to cover all your bases.

Hula

After 3 weeks of ownership, as I was walking into the bank, an attractive girl said "I reeeally love your car". I was so gobsmacked at a random complement I lost the power of speech.

docdrs

Seriously!!!! What a waste of time.......put your big boy pants on and get a life. Wah wah wah....stop it before i call an wahmbulance for you.

thatg

LOL

Maybe I can respond to all the comments here at the same time.

I live near a canyon, but rarely get a chance to drive it. I have never been to a track, but would like too. With that said, I spend mon-friday in LA traffic and being able to open up the car on the highway when things finally clears up brings a certain sense of relief. When driving to a test drive in my 335i I took a turn going 40 and felt tons of body roll and like I was pushing the limits on the car. On the test drive of an 06 c2s I took the same turn at 70 and felt like I could have been doing 90. The weird thing is it didnt feel like I was going fast or like it was unsafe. It felt like thats what the car is supposed to do, which was incredibly impressive.

The 997s is a great car but i would compare the feel of it more to the e46 generation. IT has a very raw mechanical feel to it.

I tested a 991 and is has a more similar feel to the e9x series bmw in that its very comfortable and but still gives you all the same performance as the 997. If a 991 were closer to the 40-50 range I would ****** one up immediately. But now that the turbos have been released and all the incredible things I've been hearing about them I think I maybe drive a 996T but ultimately end up with another turbo bmw till the 991.2 has some more time to depreciate.



Thanks everyone for your input. I love the looks of the car I spend probably a half an hour a day looking at pictures of cars I drove trying to talk myself into buying one and hanging on for a year or two but can't seem to pull the trigger.

esc911

Incredibly well said and wholly accurate

kcheves

FWIW, I have an E46 and an E70. And a 997.2 C2S Cab, also in California. The only thing I like better about the BMWs is the switch gear - BMW really knows how to do that well - and to a lesser extent the telematics in the newer cars.

Own Goal

Sort of similar transition. Last car was a 2011 335i MSport and had the S Chip. Surprisingly quick car and fun to drive. Also very practical....except for the multiple trips to the dealership. It was CPO and bought the extended service from BMW. Still seems could not go to the shop without spending $1k. Had to have towed twice. Got to where didn't trust it. Managed to sell it for $21k.
Before that I had a Cayman S. Very dependable but needed more seats for grandkids for awhile. Now back in the '09 S 997.2. Prior owner did some very nice mods that all work right. PSE with Sharkwerks, FabSpeed dual cone comp intake, turbo rear deck and a few other tweaks. Not my DD since I'm now retired but my play car. Plan on keeping her a long time.

dawgcatching

This is a really tough one. I have a lot of time in M cars (owned an M3 and M4 in the past). They are great, and handle 95% as well as a 911. For most typical driving, it's tough to notice a difference. I just notice that a 911 is more "buttoned down" on sketchy pavement, and at the limit. A lot of people like one or the other, for various reasons. An M car is practical, a 911 not so much. I could fit 2 bicycles into my trunk on the M3, along with luggage for 2 people (one set of wheels in the back seat. On a 911, that requires a roof rack.

Engine noise: any flat 6 Porsche engine has a sonorous note that isn't matched by any BMW I have heard. I can be out training on my bicycle at night, hear a car coming up from behind, and instantly know it's a Porsche. The 6-speed clutch on a Porsche is the best I have ever driven, as is the hydraulic steering rack. Simply sublime. Handling: either of these will have to be driven at the track to come anywhere close to a limit. Just a matter of fact.

Appearance: I have always been a fan of the muscular M car look. 911's are gorgeous too, but a little more feminine, especially 996/997's. Personal preference there.

Where Porsche has a clear advantage is in long term value and average reliability. The newer BMW's seem to, on average, have all sorts of problems. Porsches generally are more reliable from what I hear. My BMW's have had their share of dumb low-mileage "glad I was under 50k miles and in warranty" crap go wrong. As far as resale goes, 997 models are really slowing down in the depreciation curve. Maybe $2500-3000 per 10k miles driven, and $2k per model year. A basic 3-series takes more depreciation than that.

A 911 is iconic. Non car people won't know a non-M car, yet pull up in any generation 911 and people notice. My buddy got a 996 a couple of years back, people wouldn't stop complimenting his $34,000 car! A lot of people assumed it was brand new.

Another observation: I have met a lot of cool BMW club members, but a lot of d-bags out on the roads. Porsche people (enthusiasts) have uniformly been awesome people to be around. People who truly love cars and aren't there to brag about how much their car cost.

dawgcatching

Sounds like us! 335is losing value like a rock and always needing something. Recently it was a new manual transmission. The 997 we get will be a long term "keeper". Probably buy something cheap for getting to and from work, but I look forward to the 997 experience!