996 Turbo vs SL55 AMG vs E63 M6 vs ???

[WEHGuy]

Hi folks,

I'm probably about 1 -2 months away from buying but, what would you recommend? I'm not bothered about MPG or running costs. It has to be an European make though. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[ewenm]

Jaguar XKR?
Aston V8 Vantage?

[Dalto123]

996, personally I think it's the best combination of performance, quality and power

[Tallbut Buxomly]

M6 all week.

[vinnie83]

3 very different cars.

996 is the best overall car - practical, reliable, fast in the wet or the dry, and the most special.

SL55 - awesome power delivery and exhaust note

M6 - probably the fastest of the lot, certainly the most thirsty - however the most effort to drive fast due to the high revving nature of the engine.

Both the turbo and the 55AMG have awesome low end torque which makes it easier to drive fast in normal day to day scenarios.

I dare say my old 535d would have been as fast as my friends M5 in many average traffic situations.

[Tallbut Buxomly]

vinnie83 said:

3 very different cars.

996 is the best overall car - practical, reliable, fast in the wet or the dry, and the most special.

^^^^^Not sure how you work that out it has a tiny front boot and unusable rear seats

SL55 - awesome power delivery and exhaust note

M6 - probably the fastest of the lot, certainly the most thirsty - however the most effort to drive fast due to the high revving nature of the engine.

Both the turbo and the 55AMG have awesome low end torque which makes it easier to drive fast in normal day to day scenarios.

I dare say my old 535d would have been as fast as my friends M5 in many average traffic situations.

[franki68]

WEHGuy said:

Hi folks,

I'm probably about 1 -2 months away from buying but, what would you recommend? I'm not bothered about MPG or running costs. It has to be an European make though. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I had all 3, the turbo was My favourite until it blew up,depends on your needs.

[Ramses]

Running costs might not be much of a factor, but an SL55 can have horrendous running costs. Tyres at £600/corner (import from Holland IIRC), roof that causes problems and big bills, etc etc.

Lovely exhaust note though.

[vinnie83]

Tallbut Buxomly said:

vinnie83 said:

3 very different cars.

996 is the best overall car - practical, reliable, fast in the wet or the dry, and the most special.

^^^^^Not sure how you work that out it has a tiny front boot and unusable rear seats

SL55 - awesome power delivery and exhaust note

M6 - probably the fastest of the lot, certainly the most thirsty - however the most effort to drive fast due to the high revving nature of the engine.

Both the turbo and the 55AMG have awesome low end torque which makes it easier to drive fast in normal day to day scenarios.

I dare say my old 535d would have been as fast as my friends M5 in many average traffic situations.

M6 doesn't have big rear seats, SL has none.

Can be driven regardless of weather, and driven fast. Will start every time. Gearbox won't F up (M6). Rear seats fold down and you will be amazed how much crap can be squeezed in.

[nobodyknows]

^^^^^Not sure how you work that out it has a tiny front boot and unusable rear seats

quote]

[/quote]

Unusable rear seats? I have two kids, 8 & 11 and they fit just fine. My 6ft+ mate used them for the 2.5hr drive to FoS and then the 2.5hr drive back, admittedly he wasn't comfortable but he coped. Mine is a C2 so has a larger boot than the 4WD Turbo but the boot is big enough for a weekend away for 2 adults & 2 kids, there is more storage behind the rear seats.
Have you ever owned a 911?

[WEHGuy]

ewenm said:

Jaguar XKR?
Aston V8 Vantage?

I already have a XKR and think it's too old manish(sp) for me.

[WEHGuy]

swerni said:

what do you want from the car?

Well the thing I look for in a car is something that makes you smile everytime you drive it and is comfortable enough to do 300 mile journeys in.

[WEHGuy]

Ramses said:

Running costs might not be much of a factor, but an SL55 can have horrendous running costs. Tyres at £600/corner (import from Holland IIRC), roof that causes problems and big bills, etc etc.

Lovely exhaust note though.

Are the tyres really £600 each?

[WEHGuy]

vinnie83 said:

Tallbut Buxomly said:

vinnie83 said:

3 very different cars.

996 is the best overall car - practical, reliable, fast in the wet or the dry, and the most special.

^^^^^Not sure how you work that out it has a tiny front boot and unusable rear seats

SL55 - awesome power delivery and exhaust note

M6 - probably the fastest of the lot, certainly the most thirsty - however the most effort to drive fast due to the high revving nature of the engine.

Both the turbo and the 55AMG have awesome low end torque which makes it easier to drive fast in normal day to day scenarios.

I dare say my old 535d would have been as fast as my friends M5 in many average traffic situations.

M6 doesn't have big rear seats, SL has none.

Can be driven regardless of weather, and driven fast. Will start every time. Gearbox won't F up (M6). Rear seats fold down and you will be amazed how much crap can be squeezed in.

The amount of room doesn't bother me as long as there is a decent amount of room for the driver. I have other cars, I'm single and tend not to date women with kids.

[Tallbut Buxomly]

nobodyknows said:

^^^^^Not sure how you work that out it has a tiny front boot and unusable rear seats

quote]

Unusable rear seats? I have two kids, 8 & 11 and they fit just fine. My 6ft+ mate used them for the 2.5hr drive to FoS and then the 2.5hr drive back, admittedly he wasn't comfortable but he coped. Mine is a C2 so has a larger boot than the 4WD Turbo but the boot is big enough for a weekend away for 2 adults & 2 kids, there is more storage behind the rear seats.
Have you ever owned a 911?

No however my argument is that his argument is illogical. The 911 is not more practical than the m6 as a general rule.

The seating situation is probably fairly similar the m6 may have a bit more space rear seats wise but its a close run thing.
The 911 depending on variant has a 135L front boot and foldable rear seats.The M6 has a 450L rear boot plus its rear seats.

[vinnie83]

Tallbut Buxomly said:

No however my argument is that his argument is illogical. The 911 is not more practical than the m6 as a general rule.

The seating situation is probably fairly similar the m6 may have a bit more space rear seats wise but its a close run thing.
The 911 depending on variant has a 135L front boot and foldable rear seats.The M6 has a 450L rear boot plus its rear seats.

Have you ever tried to make significant progress in anything but the dry in a 55K AMG or a v10 M5/M6?

It's not a very relaxed drive. 911 Turbo however, is. It can be used in all weather. All of the time. It's not tiring to drive. It's very reliable.

So I stick by my comment that it is probably the most practical (except in those every day situations where you wish to use the car to move house)

[Jandywa]

996 Turbo.

[Tallbut Buxomly]

vinnie83 said:

Have you ever tried to make significant progress in anything but the dry in a 55K AMG or a v10 M5/M6?

It's not a very relaxed drive. 911 Turbo however, is. It can be used in all weather. All of the time. It's not tiring to drive. It's very reliable.

So I stick by my comment that it is probably the most practical (except in those every day situations where you wish to use the car to move house)

If you wanted to make "significant" progress why would you want a relaxed car which makes things dull and easy? Also bear in mind i dont think either the M6 or Merc would be hard work in the wet if all electronics were switched on.

Also to be absolutely honest imho the porsche is dull as dishwater to look at.

The Merc is quite a sexy looking beast and the M6 whilst not a looker in traditional terms is still better looking merely by the fact it doesnt look like every second car you see.

The 996 was definitely the ugliest of the 911's.The 993 had sexy lines and the latest has managed to get back to the same kind of visual appeal.

However we could move this along by making the suggestion ....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Not as fast as the above but a great looker.

[vinnie83]

Tallbut Buxomly said:

vinnie83 said:

Have you ever tried to make significant progress in anything but the dry in a 55K AMG or a v10 M5/M6?

It's not a very relaxed drive. 911 Turbo however, is. It can be used in all weather. All of the time. It's not tiring to drive. It's very reliable.

So I stick by my comment that it is probably the most practical (except in those every day situations where you wish to use the car to move house)

If you wanted to make "significant" progress why would you want a relaxed car which makes things dull and easy? Also bear in mind i dont think either the M6 or Merc would be hard work in the wet if all electronics were switched on.

Also to be absolutely honest imho the porsche is dull as dishwater to look at.

The Merc is quite a sexy looking beast and the M6 whilst not a looker in traditional terms is still better looking merely by the fact it doesnt look like every second car you see.

The 996 was definitely the ugliest of the 911's.The 993 had sexy lines and the latest has managed to get back to the same kind of visual appeal.

However we could move this along by making the suggestion ....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Not as fast as the above but a great looker.

You've never tried to drive any of these cars fast have you.

I used to have an E55 AMG - it was an absolute monster and a borderline liability in the wet, with a very basic feeling traction control.

My friends M5 isn't hugely better.

These are both front engined, rear wheel drive cars remember. They spin VERY easily, especially the 55K AMG.

You have to drive the cars in question to know where I am coming from. I haven't driven the M6, but the M5. Otherwise, I have owned an E55k AMG, driven an SL55 AMG, and driven a 996 Turbo and own a 997 turbo.

My opinions are based on my driving the cars, not what one would think in theory.

And the 996 turbo never had the so called fried egg headlights, and has the wide body. The M6 isn't that visually different to a normal 6 series, and the SL isn't that different to a normal SL.

A 911 turbo is quite different to a 911 - but then a 911 is a 911 anyway!

I love all 3 suggestions, don't get me wrong. The power delivery in the 55K AMG is just awesome.

Given the choice of those 3, I would actually pick the SL. But the 911 is awesome!

[Grovsie26]

vinnie83 said:

I dare say my old 535d would have been as fast as my friends M5 in many average traffic situations.

Really? Is that before or after the remap?

In many average traffic situations a 1.2 Clio is as fast as a 458 Italia, because guess what, there's traffic? What a stupid comment.