Which would you go for? M3 or 911
Discussion
I had a e92 M3 then 997.2 C2S then another e92 M3, the 911 is the better sports car obviously but the s65 is a better engine than the 3.8 in the 911 in my opinion, I didn't get on with the 911 for the first few months but soon came round to its charms put nearly 60k on it in 3 years.
Just to resurrect this thread after a few weeks.....
Had a go in a couple of 997s and yeah.... great fun
However, i'm now wondering if there's a way to scratch the V8 itch with something more interesting than an M3 and "on par" with the 911... and have found myself looking at early Aston V8 Vantages..... similarly priced and aged.
I wonder people's choice would be between these two, if we discount any reliability concerns which i'm not too bothered about really (i'll mitigate as much as possible....)
Probably been done to death on here, and they're different cars, but bloody hell the looks, noise and V8 of the Aston.... quite a package!
Not sure if i'm being naive but early research suggests they aren't TOO much of a nightmare/on the bork charts, certainly less than the 997.1??
Certainly the Vantage wont be anywhere near as light on it's feet and nimble, but a different proposition?
Had a go in a couple of 997s and yeah.... great fun
However, i'm now wondering if there's a way to scratch the V8 itch with something more interesting than an M3 and "on par" with the 911... and have found myself looking at early Aston V8 Vantages..... similarly priced and aged.
I wonder people's choice would be between these two, if we discount any reliability concerns which i'm not too bothered about really (i'll mitigate as much as possible....)
Probably been done to death on here, and they're different cars, but bloody hell the looks, noise and V8 of the Aston.... quite a package!
Not sure if i'm being naive but early research suggests they aren't TOO much of a nightmare/on the bork charts, certainly less than the 997.1??
Certainly the Vantage wont be anywhere near as light on it's feet and nimble, but a different proposition?
cerb4.5lee said:
From what I've read the 4.3 V8 Vantage can feel a touch underwhelming performance wise, and I believe that the 4.7 V8 Vantage is the one to go for.
They do look the business I agree.
Yes this is a concern... however i'm quite happy with something that needs its' neck wrung out a sensible speeds.... i suppose a test drive is in order They do look the business I agree.
What a noise and shape though.....
I'm almost thinking that as they're similarly priced, and if I buy well... maybe I can try both for a year and get into one after the other without too much spread, with the Aston first so as not to be disappointed with the weight and performance after the Porsche... proper man maths/logic there but whatever
I'll try and go and see one next week and report back
PopsandBangs said:
Yes this is a concern... however i'm quite happy with something that needs its' neck wrung out a sensible speeds.... i suppose a test drive is in order
What a noise and shape though.....
I'm almost thinking that as they're similarly priced, and if I buy well... maybe I can try both for a year and get into one after the other without too much spread, with the Aston first so as not to be disappointed with the weight and performance after the Porsche... proper man maths/logic there but whatever
I'll try and go and see one next week and report back
That's a proper PH plan - hope it goes well. What a noise and shape though.....
I'm almost thinking that as they're similarly priced, and if I buy well... maybe I can try both for a year and get into one after the other without too much spread, with the Aston first so as not to be disappointed with the weight and performance after the Porsche... proper man maths/logic there but whatever
I'll try and go and see one next week and report back
The 4.3 Vantage "feels" slow. It doesn't lack power, and is relatively quick if you look at the speedo - but the power delivery is very linear, and it feels pretty sluggish. If you're looking for a fun car down a twisty road, then I'm not sure it suits - I found mine quite frustrating in those circumstances. I never tried a 4.7.
But it does depend on what you want from it.
I went from mapped 996 turbo (owned about 5.5 years) to 4.3 Vantage (owned for about 4 years).
If somebody offered me the 996 turbo back tomorrow, I'd say no. Very fast, very good at lots of things - dull 99% of the time.
If somebody offered me the Vantage back tomorrow, I'd say yes. Always felt special to drive.
But it does depend on what you want from it.
I went from mapped 996 turbo (owned about 5.5 years) to 4.3 Vantage (owned for about 4 years).
If somebody offered me the 996 turbo back tomorrow, I'd say no. Very fast, very good at lots of things - dull 99% of the time.
If somebody offered me the Vantage back tomorrow, I'd say yes. Always felt special to drive.
davek_964 said:
The 4.3 Vantage "feels" slow. It doesn't lack power, and is relatively quick if you look at the speedo - but the power delivery is very linear, and it feels pretty sluggish. If you're looking for a fun car down a twisty road, then I'm not sure it suits - I found mine quite frustrating in those circumstances. I never tried a 4.7.
But it does depend on what you want from it.
I went from mapped 996 turbo (owned about 5.5 years) to 4.3 Vantage (owned for about 4 years).
If somebody offered me the 996 turbo back tomorrow, I'd say no. Very fast, very good at lots of things - dull 99% of the time.
If somebody offered me the Vantage back tomorrow, I'd say yes. Always felt special to drive.
The feel comment is interesting. I had a passenger ride in a friend's 5.0 supercharged XK8. Despite clearly being very fast, it was a bit underwhelming as it was so smooth. Certainly not a track car, but something you could whallop down to the south of France on and get out still feeling refreshed. It was a very nice place to be and a very good GT. But it does depend on what you want from it.
I went from mapped 996 turbo (owned about 5.5 years) to 4.3 Vantage (owned for about 4 years).
If somebody offered me the 996 turbo back tomorrow, I'd say no. Very fast, very good at lots of things - dull 99% of the time.
If somebody offered me the Vantage back tomorrow, I'd say yes. Always felt special to drive.
For me (if it was an option), in my head I would have the 911. The reality is that I wouldn't use it. To get passed the domestic police I need something I can seat 3 and get a car seat in, and the roads here aren't interesting enough, and are too populated to make it worthwhile.
I looked at the same cars as you and i always wanted an Vantage but they are getting on abit now and can still throw some fair sized bills as you can imagine.
I ended up buying a Lotus Evora & im very happy with that choice.
The other car i would look at is the Lexus RCF if i were you. Nice V8 but no relability issues like the other two and sub 30K.
I ended up buying a Lotus Evora & im very happy with that choice.
The other car i would look at is the Lexus RCF if i were you. Nice V8 but no relability issues like the other two and sub 30K.
Had a 996 turbo, an E92 M3 and now a vantage v8s.
All were manual, and the only one I've ever loved is the vantage. Even at 20mph it's an event!
The 996 was amazingly quick, but pretty bland and lack of noise killed it.
The E92 was pretty insipid all round I felt. As someone said earlier it's just a 3 series with better internals. Good compromise if you need 4 seats, but never felt special.
Drive the vantage, even in 4.3 guise, and it's a special special car. Avoid the sportshift - these cars need to. R manual.
All were manual, and the only one I've ever loved is the vantage. Even at 20mph it's an event!
The 996 was amazingly quick, but pretty bland and lack of noise killed it.
The E92 was pretty insipid all round I felt. As someone said earlier it's just a 3 series with better internals. Good compromise if you need 4 seats, but never felt special.
Drive the vantage, even in 4.3 guise, and it's a special special car. Avoid the sportshift - these cars need to. R manual.
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