Hello all, this is my baby and I do love her very much. Only 2180 made, a collector car for sure. I won't complain about her but I am looking to upgrade a few things like suspension and increasing horsepower. She's got around 270. Instead of spending a boatload of money on her for these upgrades I am actually considering buying a 911. Stopped at the dealer yesterday to gather some information and thought I'd join your crowd for a no nonsense look at these cars.

What can you tell me about the differences I might find between my car and a 911? I plan on going back for a test drive. What are some of the weakest areas of the 911? What are the strengths? I'm a preventative maintenance type of guy and I like to know exactly what condition my car is in. I like to push it within it's limits.

I look forward to learning a lot.

 

Are you planning on replacing your M with a 911 or would the Porsche be in addition to? You also don't mention any details about your M, although from the one pic it looks super clean. I have an 99 E36 M3 with 59K miles(Cosmos blk and Dinan'ed to death ); it's my third M3 (2 E36s and one E46) and like yours,it's my baby... I also recently sold my 02 Carrera 4S and purchased an 03Turbo Carrera.

I've had this ongoing internal dialogue aboutwhich car (M3 or 4S -the Turbo is in a classunto itself) I enjoy more, but the fact is they're completely different experiences. No matter what you do to your M, it's never gonna feel like a 911. While M cars are a beautiful blend of balance andpower and are an absolute joy to drive (imo),they're eclipsed by the supremely competent and completely unflappable performance of even a basic 911. I always think of my M3 as an eager puppy, always willing to try and do whatever tricks I ask; while my 4S was like this big cat, challenging me to make it evenbreak a sweat (the Turbo so far just scares the living crap out of me)

Both rideshave a place in your garage, but without any more detail on how or where you drive, it's hard to offera more thoughtful response.

-John

 

Thank you for responding. I was looking for someone like you who has experience with BMW and Porsche so a valid comparison could be made.

I don't know if I will keep the m coupe or sell. It's a very hard decision to make. This car is on it's way to becoming a collector car. It has a few tasty mods. Dinan wide throttle body with stage 3 software. Cold air intake, BB Tri-flo exhaust with a very seductive sound. I would hope that a 911 with a price starting around 68k would be better in many ways to my car, which sold new in 1999 for 48k.

I have gotten used to the exclusivity of the m coupe. The majority of people I come into contact with have never seen one. But I have to weigh that against my desire for top notch handling and performance.

I despise the roads around here, almost every drive ends with more damage to my car. The debris on the roads here is the worst I've encountered in 30 years of driving.

I will attend a couple driving schools and track events a year and I like spirited driving around town. Your opinion is valuable because you are aware of the enjoyment in BMW m cars. I plan on taking a test drive soon and I'm afriad it might increase my desire for the 911. I actually like the two seater cayman's styling a little better, but the sales manager (add grain of salt) said that a 911 fits my driving style more.

He has a silver 911 that he ordered for a customer in 2003 and with options came to 83k. It has 7800 miles and he is offering it for 59k. Silver is my least favorite color. I'm a manual transmission guy all the way and I'm not fond of uneeded electronic gizmos. I like the light weight too.

I do have a significant other and she would definitely prefer that I sell the m coupe if I wanted a 911.

 

Given your comment about the quality of roads where you live, and the fact that you really seem to love your M coupe, I'd suggest keeping it and buying a daily driver. You'd save a ton of cash, plus be able to do the work to your M that you hinted at... Just my opinion of course