The American Lemans @ Sebring 3/21 should answer some questions .. Very crowed field for GT2 this year .. Like how the Lizards will Kick *** !!!

http://www.sebringraceway.com/news.lasso

 

Sebring International Raceway had best of the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team in its debut race today as both BMW M3s were forced to retire before half-distance of the 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring.

Teething problems for the new cars began early. Despite exhaustive pre-race preparations and a trouble-free morning warm-up session, electrical problems struck the No. 90 M3 on the grid and Bill Auberlen was forced to relinquish his sixth starting position. (He had qualified seventh, but a competitor was moved to the rear of the field following an infraction in Thursday’s night practice.) The team rolled the car to paddock to affect repairs as the field took the green flag.

*The Flying Lizards placed 4th and 5th since number #45 got clipped battling for 3rd. Porsche had the fastest lap in GT2.

 

Although the E92 M3 is a GREAT car, it is like apples and oranges...Never would trade but would be a nice supplement as a daily driver so that I could keep the miles off my 997! hehe!~

 

hells no. I run a 2009 C63 AMG as my DD.

 

And I traded in my 2008 M3 for the C63

 

Finally test drove the M3 sedan last week and I left the dealership feeling disappointed. As much as it's refined, powerful, fast, handles well... it was a snore to drive. It felt disconnected.

I like my 335xi better, it feels looser and acceleration is less linear which feels more exciting. As much as the M3's execution is close to flawless I don't think I would get one as I'd get bored with it.

Of course if I was a street light racing kid I'd have fun crushing other cars with it.

Now if I'm gonna get speeding tickets might as well have fun doing it and the M3 won't be it. I think i'd have more fun in a base boxster.

 

I traded my E92 M3 for a 911, so your question boggles my mind.

 

This started as a anti troll post, and it has steam rolled into a bit of a heated discussion and seems to have been rekindled

 

M3 offers more comfort, more practicality (trunk, rear seat, 4 doors potentially), and is a CHUNK less expensive for more or less the same measured performance as a 997.2 C2.

What it gives up is debatable, but certainly includes:
- exclusivity (it IS a 3 series, which is no civic, but not particularly exclusive - 3 series outsells 997 20x)

- braking, particularly fade resistance/durability

- resale %

- beauty

- the unique feel and responsiveness of the engine and chassis of the 997

. . . others?

 

that's a (-)

 

I've been reading/hearing about what might be a software flaw in the M3 DCT transmission that some of the guys think is absolutely scary from a safety perspective. The way I understand it is that in certain situations, when you need instant acceleration to get out of harms way, the transmission may be in the wrong gear and reacts too slowly - you essentially get no power for 1 or 2 seconds and then you find yourself at red line in a low gear when it figures out that you need to git going! Any M3 owners experience this?

 

Are you referring to the new software? I heard some M owners were able to install the new software for the DCT transmission and it was supposed to resolve some minor flaws.

 

From what I've read the upgrades have not solved the problems. In fact it seems every time they fix one thing some other problem is introduced.

 

the one thing that boggles my mind, is how folks can drive an E9X series M3, and say things like "boring" and "ordinary"......I almost wonder if they didn't even drive it at all. I mean, just about every resource online, or in print, with nearly every pro driver, has been amazed by the M3. I drove one on an "extended test drive" late last year, and it was quite a bit sharper than the 335, especially compared to the AWD model. I have autocrossed in the 335, and it is sharp compared to the E46 M3, but between the "One tire Fire", body roll and turbo lag, I see no comparison to the M3. In regards to respecting what BMW has done, no one mentions how beautiful the engine sounds on the M, nor how smoothly it rides, nor that it has less understeer than the 997 and it does all this at a 60K price tag.
The reason I did not buy one, was because it was too similar to the the E46. Same clunky gearbox and driveline, same sedan looking body, orange peel paint, poor gas mileage, plus the new BMW interior makes me cry! It is better quality than the p-car, but it is ugly inside!
Folks decry the weight of the new M, but it is about where it is going to be in a modern car. For example, when porsche makes a "real" sized car like the panamerica, it weighs well over 2 tons. Right about what a 5 series weighs. Either way, I chose the new 997 and believe it is a stellar work of art. I disagree that every other car is inferior.

 

Well, to each is own. To me, the E90 M3 was so boring and ordinary (compared to my trade) that I lost $7,000 on trading it in for my 2009 C63 AMG.

Put the E90 M3 up against a Honda Accord (even up against a 335 as you mention), and one might not agree that the M3 is boring and ordinary. But IMHO, compared to the E46 M3 and E36 M3, the E9X is certainly boring and ordinary.

Of course if you visit an M3 forum, you have die hard fans there. Again, to each is own, and I think the OP was just looking for a diverse opinion set, which he got. He'll ultimately have to decide of course.

Oh, and I had a 1999 C2 back in 1999. I had it for 2 months because I thought it was boring and ordinary. My friends thought I was crazy, but to other Porsche enthusiasts, I may have been in the majority on that assessment.