Well, I was talking about a base 996 C2 or C2S vs. an E46 M3, both six speed/hard top.

I would love to get my hands on a 996TT in a year or so, but am worried about how much I should allocate annually for maintenance, etc. versus the M3, which EPBrown explained some of it's costs.

So an explanation of costs for a 996C2 or TT would be great.

 

e46 m3 vs a 996TT isnt really a fair comparison..

 

+1 if your talking a base model 996 and a m3 i'ma go with an m3 hands down, more practical and easier to mod then a base 996...if your gonna compare a 996tt/gt3 vs a m3 thats a big difference in price and annual costs...if i had the cash to afford a gt3 or tt i'd do one of those in a heartbeat over the m3 but if cash is an issue i sincerely doubt you'll regret the m3 especially a zcp...

 

i test drove a c4s and the speed and power felt very similar to my e46 m3, but the sound and feel made me smile the whole time, i guess maybe i'm just bored with my m3 now, i've had it almost 4 years...plus i've always loved porsches so have always been thinking about a tt in the back of mind

c4s didnt feel like it would be a big enough step up for me power wise so i decided on a tt, everyone on the forum said i would be wanting to trade up to tt very quickly so i figured why wait, i am getting a slightly older car than the c4s i looked at but its my dream car rather something i will want to trade in a few years

if its not gonna be a DD i would go with a p car, tt if you can stretch it otherwise an S model

or maybe check out the boxster S, they are way faster than they used to be and they handle like on rails

good luck

 

You guys might want to check out the dates of the original posts..

 

i'm sure the question will be asked again many times so hopefully it wasnt a complete wate of time

 

I also faced this decision a while back. Since you'll be keeping your VW I'd probably go for a nice, low mileage 996. You really can't go wrong with either car as the e46 is definitely an iconic/amazing car, I DD'd one for a few years and can't think of a better DD for that price range.

 

I wonder which direction the OP went....now that's it been a 1.5 years.

Plenty of time to contemplate.

 

HAHA Well thank you for your concern. I decided on neither - job prospects didn't go the direction I was hoping. But hopefully... it will be better than expected in due time.

Thanks for all input, hopefully it helped someone else out! I of course, love talking cars regardless of when/if I'm going to buy.

 

996tt anyday

 

I vote for the 996tt but then I'm biased. You can get a very nice 996tt for high 40s low 50s now.

 

I vote 996.

 

Glad I found this thread.
I just drove an 08M3 convertible manual , as Ive been leaning towards a 06+ C4S cab manual & wanting to confirm that purchase.
Wow, what a car. Nothing like taking off trac control and whipping a uturn.

I still think the C4S is the car but at 58,900 brand new, the M is very tempting. The hard top convert is pretty slick and free service, incl brakes,for 4 yr/50k!

The M felt faster tho, Ill have to look up the #'s unless anyone here has them at their fingertips

 

996tt ..imo

 

You could get a new Cayman S or a CPO Cayman S with tons of options for same price. It's mid-engine and better balanced. Chip, ecu and intake and it'd be flying. Even turbo if you want

Or an excellent condition 996TT X50