Which One?? 05 Corvette vs 03 M3 Coupe vs 03 Porsche C4S vs 05 SLK55

Scott:

I see you are at it again. Funny thing is I've driven all four of your choices. You have two two seaters, one with a backseat only a child could love, and one with a back seat you could use.

Not a doubt in my mind on this, if you only two seats the Vette would get my vote. It is fast easy to drive (fast) and it is alot of car for the money. If you need more than two seats the Porsche.

 

Porsche .

 

Corvette.

 

not enough information....



The car is the last part

you need to know other things like

1 single/Married
2 Kids?
3 principal useage (sales calls, trolling for hotties at the whataburger, commuting etc)
4 intended other use (track days, Road Trips to troll for hotties at the whataburger in the next town, state ect)
5 profession
6 age
7 expectations beyond car payment.... service, insurance

The cars you chose to choose from are varied and not really comparable in some respects... In others they are but not enough information about what ya wanna do with them

 

Rule out the porcshe - crappy interior, prone to RMS leaks, horrible resale. Please note that I happen to be a porsche lover, but they have been disappointing of late.

Rule out the corvette - will decline in value quickly, isn's "special enough."

BMW M3 - good choice, outstanding build quality, very usable. Given your choices, probably the best bet...

CL55 - isn't this in a totally different price league?

 

good point..these are all every good cars...the vette is the fastest, the m3 the best built and most practical , the slk55 has the hard top conv. thing going for it and the c4s has the most aggressive looks...price wise, the c6 and m3 cost thousands less than the other 2....the slk is a little too small looking for me, esp from the side..i dont like the feel of the 4wheel drive p cars as much as the rear wheel drive models....the vette still has the cheap gm thing going against it, even the paint job on it is not up to the standards of the other cars....i have driven all 4 cars recently...my choice is the m3, but then again if i wanted a truely dedicated sports car i would go with the vette...the 996 has had some mechanical engine issues and the will be forgotten in the future between the 993 and the 997....

 

CL55 yes, SLK55, not really. 110k+ vs 61k

 

05 Corvette : For beat it to death track car? Yes. For a daily driver? No. The interior's is a cavalier GM truck love child; the fit & finish is of "medium" quality. An 04 Z06 offers better bang/buck ratio and should be considered, but even as a daily, I'd take something else.

03 M3 Coupe : Beautiful car, unblemished by Bangels wicked pen, stout motor, good ergonomics and a good value, IMO.

03 Porsche C4S : Considerably more dough than either of the above, but a wonderful car nonetheless; good exh note, decent interior, and a superfoulously torque-y motor - however, I'd look at an '02 996TT. Even better engine, more power and all the usability of the former choice.

05 SLK55 : Never. Look at "pre-owned" SL55 or CL55. Superlative interiors along with good fit&finish. Great cruisers and beautiful cars - new Benzos seem to take hard depreciation hits due to largescale production volume. Only drawback is auto only.

 

I'd go for the M3.

 

C6 is my choice. But then again, 400hp does make a bit unfair.

 

Scott:

03 was the first year for the new body style, which I happen to like. I'll assume sport means sport package on the car. They are very nice cars but do not expect to feel a rush drivng it. I am not a fan of Mercedes auto trans or the braking system. Lets face it, with the speed you tire of these cars, it's going to be hard not to loose money. If you are thinking along those lines get the BMW, you can buy one high 30's low 40's and you should not get hurt too bad if at all in six months. Than again you have a convertable, both Merc are convertables, which is it coupe or convertable.

 

how much can a slk 55 be had for?

 

The depreciation factor on the Vette is no worse than that of the other cars listed.

LOL LOL

Did I just see BMW and build quality used in the same sentence!

 

For a daily driver the C6 is a very user friendly and compliant vehicle, not to mention has great fuel economy. If you’re expecting a Rolls Royce quality interior, look somewhere else. However, to describe its interior as being like that of a GM truck or Cavalier is a huge misstatement. Keep in mind that the other cars on the list, like the Carrera cost over 20k more than the Vette. So to expect a leather covered dash like you get in the Porsche is not being realistic. You do however get the superior drive train with the Vette which more than makes up for it.

 

M3 - all around the best choice.. Great motor - I have one. Although not the quickest - that would be the corvette. The SLK55 is appealing except for the auto - only.

 

actually the c5 and the m3 have very close 0-60 and 1/4 times....subjective its a wash speed wise btn the cars...the vette has the low prm torque and the m3 has the high rpm hp

 

SLK55... what is the deal? It very nice car yet has gotten little credit here. Does it really drive bad or something??? I mean it's a torguey V8 Hard Top convertible, with lux and not too many people have them.
It gets my vote for a usable daily driver and fun sports coupe. Not if you need some interior space though.

 

Let me say it again; the vette interior belongs in a cavalier, not a 40k brand defining marque vehicle. I 'm not mincing words, or demanding porsche level furnishing, but the interior of a vette leaves much to be desired. There are cars on the market, new, that have finer appointments for less money - the issue with the vette is too much parts bin, not enough attention to detail.

 

True - the C4S may be the slowest, 320 HP and added weight for the 4wd.