on m3f, theres one guy who insists on his new e90 m3 being a 'better' car than a 996tt. what do you think about his comments?

"The M3 does just about EVERYTHING better than a 911, as well as feel more dialed in, and just gives me more! On top of that, it has amenities that go above and beyond what Porsche offers."

Forget about all the extra's. Im not trading off ANYTHING!!! I'm going SIMPLY on PURE driving experience I like the M3 better.

"I like how it handles, drives, I like the gearbox better, I even like the steering feel at speed in the M better. I even think the M is more focused, as WELL as being easier to live with. Over bumps in comfort mode, it's amazing, then similar road feel to the 997S when in sport and driving hard. Feels as stable at 130mph as my old Turbo. MDM is far better than Porsche PASM!!! Fit and finish? WAY better in the M!!

The M is by far the winner in my book!!"

 

Opinions are like.. well you know.

Its just like Honda Civic owners are completely against VW GTI owners.

The M3 is a great car in its own right but better than a 996TT, def not, how about better than a base 996C2, eh that depends on preference.

 

To each his own. To me, a BMW is a sedan, not a sports car. I could never figure out the appeal to racing buffs. Besides, in how many racing series have the BMWs been dominant over Porsche? None that I know of. I just don't get it. But BMW lovers are a loyal group and the cars are well engineered vehicles. Kind of like the difference between Ferrari lovers and Porsche enthusiasts.

 

BMW makes outstanding GT cars, especially the M cars....but they aren't sports cars like Porsches are. Heck, BMW has never even sold a production in North America that has broken 8:00 around the 'ring. Porsche, on the other hand, has sold 7 or 8 since 2000.

 

My good friend Nero sold his 996TT to me, then got bored and bought a E92. He loves the BMW for daily driving, but every time he sees or drives the 996, he says he wish he wouldn't have sold it. For an only car / daily driver I'm sure the E92 is nice and comfortable, for everything else the Turbo excels.

 

Im not up on M3s but Im assuming he is comparing a V8 M3 to a 996tt thats out of production and has been in service since 2001... how about he compares a new 997TT and a new M3 and see what happens....
No contest in my book.
markski

 

Its no contest with either version in my eyes with stock cars.

 

People tend to justify purchases they make. I'd be interested in hearing the opinions of folks who have both cars (I think there a few on this board). I've always liked BMW M cars, but in my opinion an E92 M3 is not in the same league as a 996 Turbo.

If we're talking about performance, there is a huge differential in torque + about 300-400lbs of extra weight in the M.

If we're talking about looks/style - well one is a Porsche Turbo, the other is a BMW M series car - your choice on what you'd prefer.

 

I love my M3...it is, IMO the ultimate DD (of course after 50K in upgrades, lol). It is the easiest relatively high performance car to drive (I can text message and drift at the same time).

However for all out performance/race car/weekend warrior/high way roll on/beat down the Vipers and Vettes car there is no comparison, that Porsche is the FAR superior platform.

 

i've owned both, and both are great cars.. but really, m3 doesn't really compare in terms of performance to the 996TT... i can understand M3 being a better daily driver etc... but really not that comparable in m opinion...

 

AGREED... I will say this though, M3 ZCP E46 is the closest thing to a GT car experience or pure porsche experience then any other, they are still so fantastic IMO, but can't compare for the pure sportscar feel/performance out of the box!

 

They are 2 different animals, I love my E93 M3 and I wouldn't get rid of it for anything right now. I had my 996TT and I liked it, but Onelove liked the car more and I sold it to him. Now that its Onelove's its a project for both of us and we're having fun modifying it.

I'll run by some impressions: 996TT is or can be one of the ultimate modification platforms in the future, its reasonablly priced, has great handling characteristicts, and can make gob's of power. The 996TT will always outweight the E92 M3 as a tuner car in that respect.

The M3 is great, I love mine and its a very good daily driver type of car, the electronics, layout and navigation in many ways are superior to the 996TT which is to be expected being its a car that's 6yrs newer. Of course in 6yrs the electronics should be better. Have you seen the electronics on the old M5? For me the M3 is a better choice right now, my life dictates that most of my driving is done to work and back home. I drove the 996TT a max of 3k miles in 3yrs, Onelove's put at least 4-5k miles on it in 8 months.

These are 2 different cars, I can also say this. Before I got the M3 I almost bought another 996TT I was getting the itch again, both cars will scratch that speed itch that you have. If your a daily driver/road course guy the M3 may be the way to go. If your a flashier, faster, mod platform car then then the 996TT hands down.

 

Any M3 is made to be more of a drivers car than a 996 or 997 Turbo. And the new one with over 8k of RPM's is only a little different. It's more of an extra fat GT3.

BUT

Even this years M3 isnt a better car overall than either of the previous model M3's. Will get raped in a straight line and will get beat badly on the track too. May stop better (once) before the brakes fade and give out. I think it's arguably a better overall car than the TT based on it's driveability/rpm/feel/ throttle response advantage. Although the steering feel has been bashed a lot so who knows. But preformance wise, does not stand a chance.

And this is a great comparo because they are now competitors in the same price range. But for the price of an M3 you can get a newer model X-50, and beat it down even worse.


But the fact of the matter is that they are close enough for a credible arguement to be made for either side.

 

Fit and finish = who the heck cares. Both BMW and Porsche are great in build quality and fit and finish, so trying to pick which is better is useless as they are right on par with each other.

But even BMW's fastest cars can still only hang in there with Porsches last generation. Not that BMW isnt capable, but it's not their aim. BMW is built for the autobahn, and to be decent on a track. Porsche is built for the track and to be decent on the street.

 

New M had me dissapointed to no end, worst of all was the lack of DRIVER CONTROL feeling, felt too electronic, steering wheel and car felt like the Gallardo hard to move side to side in straight line, yet in turns steering becomes loose! YUCK