actually, if u wouldnt mind, i owuld like to here ur impressions having owned all three. I have a carrera c4 and have driven m3s several times and have yet to drive the 997. i always felt that my c4 had more thruth and pure power than the m3 did. its just didnt feel as fast. it was very nice and a quick car but did not instill a feeling of being as powerful or torquey.

 

Sure. I got to head to bed, but I'll add some lengthy comments on my impressions of all three tomorrow.

 

If the M3 was that great straight out of the box, why would the owners feel the need to mod? Who do they think they CAN'T beat with a standard car? Could it be the 911 perhaps???

 

can we just agree that both are fast-as-bat-outta-hell cars?

The 997S is crazy fast, makes you feel as if you need reflexes of superman when you drive it at the edge. The M3 is like the silent devil that just revs and revs until you look down and you are doing 140-150. Both are fantastic vehicles.

 

Sorry, I forgot to jump back on and reply Sunday. Here are my impressions:

M3 - very fast, very agile, not the bloated hog many people portray the car to be. With the power button on, it can offer neck-snapping acceleration. With DSC enabled, it is not as fast around the track since the electronic nannies tend to cut in too soon for really fast laps - however, while it is on you cannot wreck the car as long as you keep it pointed in the right direction. In all aspects, at least 9/10 of a 996 - and probably just as quick with a good driver.

996 - very quick and very smooth, and as someone mentioned makes you feel like a pro driver. Very easy to drive fast - easier to drive near the limits as long as you remember NOT to lift. In a race with an M3, the driver makes the difference more than either car.

997 - like the 996, only better. All three cars accelerate via a pushing feeling in your back rather than the jerk you feel in your hands on the steering wheel with an american muscle car. The 997 rides even more like a GT than the 996, but has sharper (if light) steering and better reflexes.

All three cars have more capabilities than 95% of the people who ever own them. Sure, you can drive anything poorly, but if you have decent technique you will generally lose your nerve before any of the three run out of ability.

At a drag strip, with the same driver, the results would be 997, 996, and then M3 - but only by fractions of a second. This is mostly due to weight and gearing, as power and torque are not different enough to make much of a difference (an S adds a little more advantage, but again - not much).

On the street, the driver and/or conditions will matter more than the car. Modding a N/A M3, you are unlikely to get much more power than the S has stock unless you happen to get a factory anomaly. Even if you do, you still have the disadvantage of weight and gearing, so again it will be up to the driver to make the difference matter.

In any case, all three are performers that any car enthusiast should be proud to own. In a strict $/value or $/performance comparison, the M3 wins - we definitely pay extra for the Porsche marque, but it is okay to admit that. You buy a Porsche because of legacy, heritage, its particular handling, road feel, whatever.

If you just want more power for less cash, you buy a Corvette or Evo/STi (none of which are a bad choice for what they do). The only person I would consider an idiot is one who buys something like a 300C SRT and thinks it is a sports car.

 

hahaha can't agree more.