911 Convertible or M3 Convertible?
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Your only justification should be if you need the room but you're unwilling to compromise (too a degree) on what you drive. The M3 is a GT car and the 911 is a sports car. Two different applications and and designed to be different in some key areas. I drove four M3 over the years from the E36 to the E92 while my sons grew up and no longer needed to be hauled to hockey or rugby games. The M3 was a great daily driver that allowed me to haul stuff while satisfying my need to drive something a little more visceral and yes, even go to a track day to two. Over the last 20 years, the M3 has been iconic in its particular market segment which it owned until recently.
I don't need the room now, so I've gone back to my first passion - Porsche. The last 20 years have been kind to the 911 too. It's now more drivable and more dependable then ever before, all without taking any of the pleasure out of driving it. But it's a vastly different experience than the M3. Not better or worse, not more exciting verses less exciting - just different. Which is subjective, and why you need to consider both for your own personal reasons. You will get hundreds of varying opinions here that will ultimately mean little to your buying decision. (like I wouldn't call the back seats in a 911, well..."back seats") We can only tell you what we do if we were you - which we aren't.
Your lucky enough to have such a choice to make. You could be comparing mini-van features! Good luck...you won't be disappointed either way.
I don't need the room now, so I've gone back to my first passion - Porsche. The last 20 years have been kind to the 911 too. It's now more drivable and more dependable then ever before, all without taking any of the pleasure out of driving it. But it's a vastly different experience than the M3. Not better or worse, not more exciting verses less exciting - just different. Which is subjective, and why you need to consider both for your own personal reasons. You will get hundreds of varying opinions here that will ultimately mean little to your buying decision. (like I wouldn't call the back seats in a 911, well..."back seats") We can only tell you what we do if we were you - which we aren't.
Your lucky enough to have such a choice to make. You could be comparing mini-van features! Good luck...you won't be disappointed either way.
As it stands now, with the limited exposure of our test drives, my wife prefers the M3 because it's more practical and comfy (she'd be happy with the 335i, but over my dead body ...), whereas I prefer the 911 because it's more of a pure sports car, and I feel like I'm in something really special when I'm driving it. No doubt the M3 can be a hoot too, but it's clearly more of a multipurpose car, so more compromise is involved.
One option is to let the wife get the M3, and patiently wait for the 911 to be exclusively my next car, in 2 or 3 years. Going that route, something more hardcore like the GT3 could be feasible.
Decisions, decisions ...
But you're right that we're lucky to be in a position to make such a decision. Many people can't even dream of owning a BMW or MB, much less a Porsche, and I never forget that.
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The M3 is way more versatile and a much better DD. In spite of what EVERYONE says about the 911 being a great DD, it isn't nearly as much as an M3. I didn't really mind it as a daily, frankly, but besides the ride, using a 911 as a daily adds the miles. And when you add the miles the value drops, precipitously. If you can afford it, do it. But be aware of the costs.
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Don't know the type of business you're in but I have a saying I find aplies to most... "individual success is achieved by the alliances we associate ourselves with".
Money attracts money!
And there's nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of your labour, actually a Porsche is one of those status symbols most strive for... be they 8 or 58.
Now if you where talking about a flashy Italian job
that would be perceived as showing off too much but a P. gets you noticed without pissing anyone off (well mostly).In the end, power perceived is power achieved!
Whatever you decide... power to you!
Cheers!
Sid.
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All the reasons noted on the thread aboit comfort , space , practical performance, and value are true . On the other nad the Porsche 911 is not meant to be a spacious coupe .
But there is a dealbreaker ... The ONLY dealbreaker on the M3 is the retractable top .
Not only is it heavy but the top up visibility is awful. Plus .. in my opinion it is hideously ugly. Plus Porsche really does design their converibles with the door sills just the right height to cut down on top down cabin wind wheras the M3 feels like an automotive tornado.
I am not a convertible fan but if you MUST have one the Porsche 911 creams the BMW in comparison . However if one compared a 911 S cab vs a BMW M3 coupe where instead of a 20K diffeence it's now 30K . The coupe plus the 30K wins !!!
But there is a dealbreaker ... The ONLY dealbreaker on the M3 is the retractable top .
Not only is it heavy but the top up visibility is awful. Plus .. in my opinion it is hideously ugly. Plus Porsche really does design their converibles with the door sills just the right height to cut down on top down cabin wind wheras the M3 feels like an automotive tornado.
I am not a convertible fan but if you MUST have one the Porsche 911 creams the BMW in comparison . However if one compared a 911 S cab vs a BMW M3 coupe where instead of a 20K diffeence it's now 30K . The coupe plus the 30K wins !!!
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That's relative because success attracts success.
Don't know the type of business you're in but I have a saying I find aplies to most... "individual success is achieved by the alliances we associate ourselves with".
Money attracts money!
And there's nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of your labour, actually a Porsche is one of those status symbols most strive for... be they 8 or 58.
Now if you where talking about a flashy Italian job that would be perceived as showing off too much but a P. gets you noticed without pissing anyone off (well mostly).
In the end, power perceived is power achieved!
Whatever you decide... power to you!
Cheers!
Sid.
Don't know the type of business you're in but I have a saying I find aplies to most... "individual success is achieved by the alliances we associate ourselves with".
Money attracts money!
And there's nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of your labour, actually a Porsche is one of those status symbols most strive for... be they 8 or 58.
Now if you where talking about a flashy Italian job
that would be perceived as showing off too much but a P. gets you noticed without pissing anyone off (well mostly).In the end, power perceived is power achieved!
Whatever you decide... power to you!
Cheers!
Sid.
That's a main reason why I got the C63; it's a Benz, but the entry-level class, and only car enthusiasts will know that it's a V8 beast. If we get the M3, it's low key enough to not create much trouble, whereas the Porsche could never be taken to client meetings.
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But there is a dealbreaker ... The ONLY dealbreaker on the M3 is the retractable top. Not only is it heavy but the top up visibility is awful. Plus .. in my opinion it is hideously ugly. Plus Porsche really does design their converibles with the door sills just the right height to cut down on top down cabin wind wheras the M3 feels like an automotive tornado.
It's been a while since we drove the M3 convertible, so we'll need to recheck the top-up visibility of both. Likewise on the top-down wind level.
As far as appearance, I think both cars look good top down, and neither is ideal top up, though we can live with both. To my own surprise, I care a lot less about appearance now than when I was younger. At this stage, for me it's really about the sensory driving experience.
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I have an engineering firm focusing on infrastructure projects, so our staff and clients are engineers who drive mainly Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, etc. In this crowd, MBs and BMWs are very uncommon, and Porsches are almost unheard of, so driving a flashy car can arouse jealousy which hurts the business.<br />
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That's a main reason why I got the C63; it's a Benz, but the entry-level class, and only car enthusiasts will know that it's a V8 beast. If we get the M3, it's low key enough to not create much trouble, whereas the Porsche could never be taken to client meetings.
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That's a main reason why I got the C63; it's a Benz, but the entry-level class, and only car enthusiasts will know that it's a V8 beast. If we get the M3, it's low key enough to not create much trouble, whereas the Porsche could never be taken to client meetings.
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no offense
but that makes no sense.. People choose to do business with you based on the car you drive or your services rendered?
I've never had a client tell me "oh, sorry, you drive a Porsche, I can't be seen associated with you."
quite the contrary, it shows that you have money and the only way to have money (legally) is to be good at what you do. That's the same as not having clients over to your office because it is super fancy and they work out of a cardboard box (you know what I mean). In business, you have to powerplay all the positives. That's the reason put up awards, diplomas, pictures with presidents, etc..
Successful people want to be around successful people.
and as for your employees, given the current job market, they should thank their lucky stars to have jobs. If they don't like it, let them quit and replace them. Everyone is expendable in a company, which is the way it should be!
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<br />
<br />
no offense
but that makes no sense.. People choose to do business with you based on the car you drive or your services rendered?
I've never had a client tell me "oh, sorry, you drive a Porsche, I can't be seen associated with you."
quite the contrary, it shows that you have money and the only way to have money (legally) is to be good at what you do. That's the same as not having clients over to your office because it is super fancy and they work out of a cardboard box (you know what I mean). In business, you have to powerplay all the positives. That's the reason put up awards, diplomas, pictures with presidents, etc..
Successful people want to be around successful people.
and as for your employees, given the current job market, they should thank their lucky stars to have jobs. If they don't like it, let them quit and replace them. Everyone is expendable in a company, which is the way it should be!
<br />
no offense
but that makes no sense.. People choose to do business with you based on the car you drive or your services rendered?
I've never had a client tell me "oh, sorry, you drive a Porsche, I can't be seen associated with you."
quite the contrary, it shows that you have money and the only way to have money (legally) is to be good at what you do. That's the same as not having clients over to your office because it is super fancy and they work out of a cardboard box (you know what I mean). In business, you have to powerplay all the positives. That's the reason put up awards, diplomas, pictures with presidents, etc..
Successful people want to be around successful people.
and as for your employees, given the current job market, they should thank their lucky stars to have jobs. If they don't like it, let them quit and replace them. Everyone is expendable in a company, which is the way it should be!
As far as staff, highly-skilled engineers are always in demand, regardless of the economy, and our people are really good. We pay them well, but it's not enough to get Porsches. Have to be careful about making them feel they're working hard so the boss can drive a Porsche.
I wish I could drive whatever I want, but every situation is different, and it's not wise to kill the golden goose.
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It may be heresy here on this board, but you could consider a used (Yes, I said it...) E46 M3 with a cloth top, and a used 997.1 series. I'm willing to bet you can find some very nice low mileage options out there and get both for under $100k
Just one more option. I personally like buying pre-owned cars because the previous owner took the biggest hit on depreciation.
Just one more option. I personally like buying pre-owned cars because the previous owner took the biggest hit on depreciation.
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<br />
<br />
no offense
but that makes no sense.. People choose to do business with you based on the car you drive or your services rendered?
I've never had a client tell me "oh, sorry, you drive a Porsche, I can't be seen associated with you."
quite the contrary, it shows that you have money and the only way to have money (legally) is to be good at what you do. That's the same as not having clients over to your office because it is super fancy and they work out of a cardboard box (you know what I mean). In business, you have to powerplay all the positives. That's the reason put up awards, diplomas, pictures with presidents, etc..
Successful people want to be around successful people.
<br />
no offense
but that makes no sense.. People choose to do business with you based on the car you drive or your services rendered?
I've never had a client tell me "oh, sorry, you drive a Porsche, I can't be seen associated with you."
quite the contrary, it shows that you have money and the only way to have money (legally) is to be good at what you do. That's the same as not having clients over to your office because it is super fancy and they work out of a cardboard box (you know what I mean). In business, you have to powerplay all the positives. That's the reason put up awards, diplomas, pictures with presidents, etc..
Successful people want to be around successful people.
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It may be heresy here on this board, but you could consider a used (Yes, I said it...) E46 M3 with a cloth top, and a used 997.1 series. I'm willing to bet you can find some very nice low mileage options out there and get both for under $100k
Just one more option. I personally like buying pre-owned cars because the previous owner took the biggest hit on depreciation.
Just one more option. I personally like buying pre-owned cars because the previous owner took the biggest hit on depreciation.
We actually did look at a beautiful used 997 turbo which was leasable, but I didn't like the tiptronic and my wife didn't like the noise level.
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In general I would agree with you given most people are equal (in wealth). Driving a nice car isn't always good for business. The client will assume you are charging to much and take their business elsewhere. If you own a small business, sometimes if gives the employee the impression they are working too hard so you (the boss) can enjoy.
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Depends. Were you thinking the right front seat or the left front seat?
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In general I would agree with you given most people are equal (in wealth). Driving a nice car isn't always good for business. The client will assume you are charging to much and take their business elsewhere. If you own a small business, sometimes if gives the employee the impression they are working too hard so you (the boss) can enjoy.
but I see where you are coming from about overcharging. However charging market rates are market rates, and they will quickly realize that. Only should be afraid of them taking their business elsewhere if you really are overcharging.
No offense taken. I've been in this business for more than 20 years, and I've seen the jealousy I've described and its adverse effects many times. The only people who make real money in my field are engineers who are company owners, and they all keep all a low profile, including those who are surely much weathier than me. They may have a Ferrari at home (and can surely afford one) but, if so, it never comes to the office.
As far as staff, highly-skilled engineers are always in demand, regardless of the economy, and our people are really good. We pay them well, but it's not enough to get Porsches. Have to be careful about making them feel they're working hard so the boss can drive a Porsche.
I wish I could drive whatever I want, but every situation is different, and it's not wise to kill the golden goose.
As far as staff, highly-skilled engineers are always in demand, regardless of the economy, and our people are really good. We pay them well, but it's not enough to get Porsches. Have to be careful about making them feel they're working hard so the boss can drive a Porsche.
I wish I could drive whatever I want, but every situation is different, and it's not wise to kill the golden goose.
I'm in a field where prestige and financial backing matter A LOT.
If getting a Porsche means killing the golden goose, perhaps the M3 is more up your alley then :S
Personally I don't see the point of making money if you can't spend it the way you want
Also, an employee will always think he is underpaid. Whether he is paid 20,000$/yr or 2,000,000$/yr and it is only normal that the boss gets the perks from owning the business. They can't really expect you to live at the same standards as them.
