2005-2006 Carrera 2 (maybe S) or 2008 M3

i have an 08 m3 with the Dual Clutch Tranny. 10,000 miles since June. Zero problems with the car. The car is fast, not rocket ship fast but 0-60 is consistently around 4.8 seconds. I had an 05 before this and the two cars couldn't be any more different. Like a 993 vs a 997. Suspension and steering can be adjusted to your driving style and the carbon fiber roof looks really exotic. Dual clutch can be used as an automatic. Tons of torque. For a daily driver you can't do better. That being said, with the new porsche cpo warranty going bumper to bumper, the C2S makes it a tough choice. The 09's have a newer i-drive that looks really slick and you can get one at near invoice (an 08 below invoice....). I was up at Ferrari of North America last week and a few engineers actually walked out of the building to look a the car (made me feel nice given the competition in the parking lot).

 

My wife has a 2006 997 6-speed. It is a very nice car.

 

911 will always be a 911. in a few years the M3 will just be another used car. I'll take the Porsche

 

My 2009 VW GTi is a lot more engaging than my wifes 2006 997.

 

Go for a BMW Z4 M most fun to drive car they make. The New M3's just dont have the same precision in their driving style that the older M3's had. And I'm not sure how they managed to get 415hp and 290 tq......that is something to really be proud of. drive a 335i it will pin you into you seat a lot harder then the new M3's and save you a few $'s

Hope I didnt offend anyone but its just how I feel as a former employee of BMW!

 

the Z4M is an interesting idea..... I have driven the 335 and I really am not that impressed but I am not a fan of the turbo's. I find the 335's turbo lag to be a bit annoying but I will agree the M3 is pretty expensive. Like anything, there are TONs of deals out there right now.

 

i'd go with a 02-05 996tt turbo or turbo s

 

Go for the 997 Porsche the more you drive it the more you will fall in love....Make sure you get the sport exhaust!

 

Unless the Pcar is a must have for you, go with the Bimmer.

Ive driven a couple 997`s, nonturbo, and wasnt overly impressed, kinda boring and the engine sound is lame. The new V8 in the M3 sounds much better.

 

Care to elaborate?

I've got a GTI now and I was thinking about a 996 or CaymanS for my next car.

 

BMW M3 no question. The BMW has more to offer and to me it has more of a WOW factor then the porsche, esspecially in Alpine White with the CF Roof.

 

the GTi is more fun to drive.

It feels eager.

It feels like the car is having fun.

It reminds me of all the fun I had back in the day with my BMW 2002.

The 997 sounds like a tractor and just doesn't feel fun.

Glad I could put it in such clinical objective terms!

This is day to day, not track BTW.

Oh, and BTW, even though it wasn't as good looking, I enjoyed my wife's 2002 Boxster-S more than the 997; it seemed eager, so I'd second the idea of the Cayman-S.

 

A 996 turbo should easily fit in your price range.

 

I've driven both and I like the 997. I've always been a 911 fan and have had 2. The BMW has a great warranty, 4 year 50,000 miles. The warranty covers everything but tires. I'd drive both and see what floats your boat.

I've also been toying with getting a 996tt. You can find an '02 in the low 50's with pretty low mileage. I thought about putting on GT2 turbos, a chip, exhaust and billsteins. I find if it doesn't have enough hp, a 4 wheel drive isn't that much fun to drive. IMHO.

 

There are also lots of folks turning 996TTs into pseudo-GT2s (rwd) without any adverse effects. GT2 performance for 50-75%% of the cost.

 

I had this same dilemma about 4 months ago. I tried the c63, m3 , Carrera S 997 and ended up getting a lightly used 02 996tt with around 14k miles that was modified around $65k with a 3year warranty. Never been happier. The turbo is rock solid handles great and is just a blast to drive!