Will I enjoy a E92/93 M3?
Discussion
This post is really to get you guys opinion on how special the M3 will feel driving for a while? Will it still feel special?
Due to a change in our circumstances I need to buy a 3rd car, which I will be driving as a DD. I want that DD to be a quick sports car, but it has to have 4 seats for practicality (we have 2 young children) and reasonably reliable / affordable.
I am not looking for the most practical car given that we have an SUV at home that the wife uses as DD and for school runs, nor am I looking for the best performance supercar either, as I also own a Ferrari F430 used for week end fun/road trips. So that 3rd car would really be for me to drive to and back from work (3k miles a year) in a car that's relatively quick and fun to take around for short day trips when I dont want to take the Ferrari or want to take kids with me - and for the occasional kids school run / activity when the wife cannot do it.
After a 2months of back and forth between different options, I narrowed it down to 2 cars (all else is not for debate in that post ;-) : BMW E92/93 M3 or Maserati Granturismo 4.7 MC Shift. But I cannot seem to make my mind up.
Before I bought the Ferrari 2 years ago, I used to own the Granturismo 4.7 MC shift, and it was really amazing. It sounded epic, it was very quick despite its size. The sense of occasion never really left despite driving it for 20k miles. I absolutely loved the car; its look, its road presence, and how alive it felt. I sold it when I bought the Ferrari, as back then we didn't need 3 cars - just 1 DD and 1 week end 2seater.
The M3 seems to be the sensible choice: very quick, quite sturdy, £10-12k cheaper upfront and although both cars are similar in terms of running cost (insurance, bi-annual servicing, road tax etc...), it probably is the least prone of the 2 to throw an expensive bills every once in a while (I already have the Ferrari for that!) - and I would get the actuators and rod ends fixed as preventive maintenance to get peace of mind.
I test drove an M3 about 4 years ago and it was quick and fun... back then I was coming from 911s and my reference on more exotic / italian cars was very limited. So I could easily have bought that M3 then and enjoyed the hell out of it. Today, after having owned the glorious sounding GT and owning the F430, am I going to find the M3 dull and boring after the honeymoon wears out?
Has any one of you ever felt that M3 special feeling going away after a while and needed to go to a car that felt less clinical and more alive? That's kind of the reason I eventually left Porsche (which I still like btw) - is the same thing likely to happen as well with that Germany V8?
Any thoughts / opinion / perspective would be very useful in helping me make up my mind.
Due to a change in our circumstances I need to buy a 3rd car, which I will be driving as a DD. I want that DD to be a quick sports car, but it has to have 4 seats for practicality (we have 2 young children) and reasonably reliable / affordable.
I am not looking for the most practical car given that we have an SUV at home that the wife uses as DD and for school runs, nor am I looking for the best performance supercar either, as I also own a Ferrari F430 used for week end fun/road trips. So that 3rd car would really be for me to drive to and back from work (3k miles a year) in a car that's relatively quick and fun to take around for short day trips when I dont want to take the Ferrari or want to take kids with me - and for the occasional kids school run / activity when the wife cannot do it.
After a 2months of back and forth between different options, I narrowed it down to 2 cars (all else is not for debate in that post ;-) : BMW E92/93 M3 or Maserati Granturismo 4.7 MC Shift. But I cannot seem to make my mind up.
Before I bought the Ferrari 2 years ago, I used to own the Granturismo 4.7 MC shift, and it was really amazing. It sounded epic, it was very quick despite its size. The sense of occasion never really left despite driving it for 20k miles. I absolutely loved the car; its look, its road presence, and how alive it felt. I sold it when I bought the Ferrari, as back then we didn't need 3 cars - just 1 DD and 1 week end 2seater.
The M3 seems to be the sensible choice: very quick, quite sturdy, £10-12k cheaper upfront and although both cars are similar in terms of running cost (insurance, bi-annual servicing, road tax etc...), it probably is the least prone of the 2 to throw an expensive bills every once in a while (I already have the Ferrari for that!) - and I would get the actuators and rod ends fixed as preventive maintenance to get peace of mind.
I test drove an M3 about 4 years ago and it was quick and fun... back then I was coming from 911s and my reference on more exotic / italian cars was very limited. So I could easily have bought that M3 then and enjoyed the hell out of it. Today, after having owned the glorious sounding GT and owning the F430, am I going to find the M3 dull and boring after the honeymoon wears out?
Has any one of you ever felt that M3 special feeling going away after a while and needed to go to a car that felt less clinical and more alive? That's kind of the reason I eventually left Porsche (which I still like btw) - is the same thing likely to happen as well with that Germany V8?
Any thoughts / opinion / perspective would be very useful in helping me make up my mind.
I wouldn't buy one for what you are looking for personally. Seems like you would be far better off in a more normal car and enjoying the ferrari at the weekend than trying to find a saloon car to give you supercar excitement because it just wont.
My advice would be to try and make them two completely different driving experiences so that decisions on which one to use are easy and depend on how you feel at the time.
My advice would be to try and make them two completely different driving experiences so that decisions on which one to use are easy and depend on how you feel at the time.
I owned a Maz GTS MC Shift for 2.5 years, many flavours of 911, and now an E93 M3 (6 days in). I’m running the M3 alongside a 997 GTS (not quire an F430 but seems we are not in dissimilar positions.). So far the e93 is great, like having two cars in one (sensible comfy practical one minute and crazy NASCAR monster the next) and being a cab, feels more special to me than a coupe ever would. It isn’t however like the Maz in terms of the drama and being as big an event every time you start it. The limitations of the Maz was it was a big car, attracted a little too much attention sometimes and the gearbox, although epic and engaging on an open road, was a little awkward and stressful in traffic going uphill (you will know what I mean).
Your choice depends on what your daily drive looks like. Open roads with lots of parking room, the Maz will probably thrill more often and for more years. Anything else and providing your not buying for ultimate performance, lap times and handling finesse (which as you enjoyed the Maz so much I don’t think are your priorities), the E93 is a pretty unique blend due to roof off fun. Running cost are I think going to be similar although post 2010 Granturismo’s seem to be holding up well with no major engine issues (certainly nothing catastrophic like rod bearings). Same engine as your 430 but less stressed. M3 feels better built however in terms of longevity of the body fixtures and fitting and the tech is on another planet to the Maz.
Your choice depends on what your daily drive looks like. Open roads with lots of parking room, the Maz will probably thrill more often and for more years. Anything else and providing your not buying for ultimate performance, lap times and handling finesse (which as you enjoyed the Maz so much I don’t think are your priorities), the E93 is a pretty unique blend due to roof off fun. Running cost are I think going to be similar although post 2010 Granturismo’s seem to be holding up well with no major engine issues (certainly nothing catastrophic like rod bearings). Same engine as your 430 but less stressed. M3 feels better built however in terms of longevity of the body fixtures and fitting and the tech is on another planet to the Maz.
Edited by c4sman on Sunday 5th August 20:29
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