If this is going to be your only car, go with the M3, It's a much more sensible/practical daily driver, and still quite good on the track. I attended BMW's "M School" at the Performance Driving Center in South Carolina last week and all of the attendees were impressed with the E90 M3s on the track.

As far as manual/DCT: look, get the manual if you want and you enjoy shifting your own gears (I do as well), but don't kid yourself that you'll ever do better than the DCT w/computer. Subjectively, there are pros and cons; objectively, not so much - it's better, period.

 

Went thru the same decision and just got the M3 with MDCT. But you just got to drive both and see which one you like better, that will be the final decision maker for you.

 

If you're going to be putting that kind of miles on the car, hate to say it but I'd have to say go with the NEW M3. The BMW all-inclusive maintance and peace of mind putting those kind of miles on it would make me sleep better at night with the NEW M3.

 

18 to 20K miles per year is alot of miles to place on either car . I agree with Joe . The M3 is more affordable in daily driving terms . Free maintenance , rear tires on the 997S , and high mileage associated depreciation point more to the M3 . It does eat gasoline though .

BTW if you were driving 12K miles per year or less I would have not picked the M3 .

Throwing cost to own out of the mix .. it boils down to needs ( as others mentioned) . You seem to voice that you have no specific needs but it's hard to imagine driving 20K miles a year and not having personal scenarios which make one of the two a more suitable choice for you .

 

Driving 18-20K per year I'd go with the M3 - its an extremely comfortable car. I have both a 997S and '08 M3, both with 6speed, and the M3 is easier to shift which is a consideration if driving a lot. Both are great cars - I love them both.

 

if your gonna track it... the C2S is the better car... has better brakes and weighs a lot less so its easier on consumables...

if your gonna get the M3 I highly recommend getting track tires... something like Michelin Pilot Cup Sport and upgraded brake pads... cause the stock ones suck...

the new M3 is too heavy and will be chunking the street tires it comes with if driven aggressively on the track.... I've driven the new M3 and its a great car... a bit heavy for tracking though.... but it can still work with dedicated track tires....

having a NEW warranty weighs in heavy in my book as well...

 

I vote the porsche.

 

Your Z4M in your sig rocks!@

 

Thanks! They're thin on the ground in Chicago, so if you see a black one with CSLs, it's probably me!

 

What about an c63amg?? The only negative thing in the merc is the interieur, but the look and v8 engine is great. It also makes a lot of fun on the track and its more comfortable in daily driving, m3 always need high rpms.

 

I prefer the M3, but I'm not used to driving 911's. The engine in the rear requires a different style of driving. That said, both are equally capable on the track. C63 is a very cool car, but I wouldn't buy one with track use in mind. The M3 is new, has a full warranty, and free maintenance. (although that isn't a big deal) BMW's seem to be less reliable than Porsche's, though. (friends have always had problems) Still, life is short so you might as well get what you want...

 

Why?? Did you ever driven the car on the track? C63 is fast and makes a lot of fun on the track,handling is great, its not like the older ones w211 e55 or c55 ,I really like the character of the car, in some german tests the c63 was even little bit faster on the track than m3.....I agree that m3 feels more like a drivers car compare to the c63 but as a daily driver....

 

What about in terms of performance?

 

911 and M3 are *not* equally capable on the track... the 911 surpasses the M3 in every category... while the M3 seems to handle better and flow better than a C63 on a track... the C63 sure would be a lot of fun as a dual purpose car!!

 

Stock for stock, the M3 is superior to the 997S performance wise and with bolt on's. The MKII 997S is slightly quicker in a straight line but the M3 is quicker around the track.

M3 wins, hands down, with more serious modifications.

It takes a modded turbo to play with forced induction M3's and then it simply comes down to who spends more money.