E92 M3, 997 C2S or what?

[horico]

I've been looking fondly at E92 M3's for a while, as an ex e46 m3 owner it's a logical step on. I'm finally in a position to take the plunge and I've narrowed the wish list down to either Japan red, Monte Carlo (edition) blue or a well spec'd comp pack or le500. I'd be looking for DCT and EDC. The thing is, I've also been eyeing up 997 C2S' which are similar money, albeit a few years older but with similar 30-40k miles.

I have a 1 year old and a 3.5 year old so I'm leaning towards the M3 as there's a little more room and in the short term, the car will be a daily driver. The kids won't be in the car all the time though, the wife's car will be used for 90% of family business!

I've driven the M3 but not the 911 - I imagine the 911 will be a more natural sporting drive? If anyone has experience of both in a similar situation to me I'd love to hear what you think. I'd also be happy to be educated on what else I should be looking at that compares and should be in the running. I also considered a new Type R as I'm the one that likes the looks and reviews suggest it's a cracking car - the only thing I don't like is the civic is going to lose a lot of value in the next couple of years so it would work out more expensive than even a thirsty V8 over a couple of years.

[horico]

Stu-nph26 said:

What is your budget I'm guessing about 25k which is similar to my own? I've been looking at both the 911 and the M3 amongst other things such as an Evora, TVR, f10 M5, E or C 63, VXR8 probably forgot a few things too. I've owned an e92 back n 2012 when it was new so have some experience with the car and loved it. The brief drive I had yesterday in a 997 s was a little underwhelming but I'm not sure why, but it has so much more sense of occasion than the M3 but the noise didn't come close. The M3 will be more practical for a young family too.

I wouldn't buy a 997.1 without an engine rebuild the M3 is more modern with better tech and personally I think a better noise. The 991 is a proper sports car where the M3 is a 3 series that been tweaked, heavily I admit but it started life as a saloon not a sports car. You could get an M3 from BMW with 2 years warranty for an extra £500 which will give you 2 years peace of mind which could make the difference.

I think you'll know when you drive the 911.

Yeah, my budget's around there depending on the level of 'want'.

A quick browse of the classifieds suggest I should also be looking at M1/240i's and Focus RS' but I'm not sure they're special enough, as capable as they are although I suppose the RS ticks the lairy box. I'm shying away from the bigger saloons such as the M5 as they're a bigger, comfier and less dynamic version of the M3 despite their straight line advantage. I have a motorbike which covers the need for comical acceleration though. I'm not gonna daily a TVR but the Evora interests me - I'll have a browse.

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Belle427 said:

Nissan GT-R may be worth a look too. Not everyone’s cup of tea but like you I’m a fan of something a bit lairy looking.
As much as I try to force myself to look at Bmw M cars I just don’t get excited by them.(no offence intended)
If that focus Rs interior were slightly better I’d be all over one.

The GTR is a little out of budget unfortunately.

I drove the E92 last week and loved it - it got me excited about ownership - something I've missed for a while. I keep thinking that I should try a few more and see if I get the same feeling from something else so I'm considering just getting a list together and going for a few test drives.

[horico]

Shaoxter said:

Assuming you want an auto (as you mentioned you want DCT in the M3), I'd go for an M3 for the DCT alone. Tiptronic is abysmal on the 996/997.1s. Also you're not going to fit all the stuff you need for two young children in a 911.

Tough call, but you can't go wrong either way. Both are much better choices than the boring new turbocharged stuff.

The type of cog swapping depends on the car. E92 would always be DCT; 911 manual. If, for example I was to be less bullish and plump for something like a M140i or Golf R / S3 type, it would be auto / DSG. The wife's had 2 x Golf R's so I know them well and the DSG suits it perfectly. For me though, as an enthusiast, I'd like something a tiny bit different.

I've seen a few nice looking frozen silver E92s for sale which while I tend to prefer gloss finishes, they're a run of only 100 and come with many bells and whistles including the comp pack.

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Stu-nph26 said:

I think a limited edition e92 would be a good place to put your cash. I also love the performance editions and the Monte Carlo editions like this one

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

I've seen that Monte - very nice. The only reason I've not been to see it is that I'm waiting for a seller to decide if they will be selling their immaculate one. It depends on a few things and while first dibs are promised it may well not happen - for the seller's sake I hope not as they love the car. We've agreed that I'll keep looking and if I buy beforehand then so be it. The price is very close to the one you linked but comes with a few extras such as wheels, carbon and exhaust which would be on my list of jobs. It does give me the time to see what else is out there though.

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Stu-nph26 said:

Are you local that Monte isn't far from me so I could go and give it the once over for you save you travelling the length of the country for a dog. This seems very cheap but too many miles https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Curiously, that frozen silver one has a 24k price tag in the window in the images! That's more like what I'd expect for that mileage.

I knew the Monte was a distance away but didn't realise it was over the water! I'll not be going to look at it myself in that case. Thank you for the very kind offer - even if it's nice enough though, I'd rather get an answer on the one I've got a (almost) deal sorted on. It's been up for a few weeks from memory and hopefully will be for a bit longer. I expect the law of sod will intervene however and it will sell just as I come round to the idea.

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BlackR8 said:

A nice choice to have. Having had a E92 M3 and a 911 I would say the Porsche definitely feel's more special and is a more enjoyable car to drive, but the E92 M3 with its V8 is IMO a better overall package that pretty much does most things very well. With the need for being 4 up too, I would say the M3 would edge it.

Thanks for the insight - It's pretty much where my thoughts are despite not having driven the 911 yet. The sound of the V8 with a minor exhaust mod is lovely mind.

[horico]

ilikejam said:

As you go through the images it changes from £23,995 to £22,955. Wonder if it's been sat around for a while and possibly ripe for a bargain?

Stu-nph26 said:

I may be wrong but I think it was sold about 6 months ago or certainly off the market makes me think its a bit dodgy

Yeah, there's something about it but the mileage is a bit high for me.

Shaoxter said:

Shiv_P said:

You could get in a current shape mustang

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Audi RS5 or TTRS

Jaaaaaag XKR

None of those options are as good to drive as the two the OP has presented.

I think if I was looking at these, I'd just go with the related 5 door version, ie RS3, Golf R etc due to their massive practicality bonus while still being a good drive (the golf anyway).

CrouchingWayne said:

I’m a big fan of the E92, could see myself in one soonish. I do keep having my head turned by ge C63 though - have you ruled those out?

I did initially and I've saved one on my Autotrader list - there's a couple local to me that I may pop down and have a gleg at.

In other news, I've got a test drive booked for a new Type R tomorrow. It'll be rubbish I'm sure. It'll likely tell me where my heart is anyway.

Edited by horico on Monday 17th September 19:04

[horico]

So. First thing this morning I wandered into BMW and had a test drive of the M140i in the auto flavour. It was the fixed damper model so I'd have hoped for a pretty compliant ride but it was actually quite bumpy, almost pogo-ey. The rear over speed bumps and bigger road bumps felt like it dropped to the ground like a toilet seat afterwards. I got the feeling i'd get tired of that after a while and it's not got the excuse of being a full M car. It was very quick in a straight line but felt a little wandery and light at the front on the throttle. It was nice, don't get me wrong, but a little lacking in character. I'd have hoped the engine might have been heard a little better too!

I had a test drive booked in at 11 for the Civic and Mercedes are next door so I had a quick look round a C63 AMG. I didn't drive it but sat in and started it. It's a '13 model with 41k for ~26k in white with black wheels. Maybe I should have a drive of that too. The noise alone is worth it I reckon.

Finally, I jumped in the Type R and drove the two different routes I take to and from work as there's a good mix of smooth corners and typical S**t roads we get a lot of. It's soooo nice to drive - much nicer than the adaptive suspended Golf R we had four a couple of years. Comfort mode is brilliant and even +R is way more compliant than the M140i. You can really feel the diff at the front dragging you round corners too. It was a little strange not getting any tug at the wheel as I was expecting it, despite the youtube videos I've watched suggesting it's not there. It also has character, something the M140i lacked imo.

I think I need to drive the C63, have another drive in an E92 and another in the Civic while everything is fresh.

[horico]

While many of these threads fail to end with a result even remotely discussed, I'm pleased to say a deposit was paid on a great E92 M3 today. Collection depends on the seller sorting alternate transport so it could be a few weeks yet. When the offer to buy was made, I didn't hesitate - I guess I knew all along!

Thanks for the input everyone.

[horico]

ilikejam said:

Whilst I'm glad to hear the result, you're not off the hook regarding conclusion of this thread until you post some pics. If you don't come back and put pics up once you've collected it I'm going to try and get you banned for being a c0cktease.


Pics or it didn't happen.


Pics.

I coudn't live with the threat of sucha thing hanging over me so here are some seller pics. I'll update once collection has taken place!

20180920_170552 by Matt Bly, on Flickr

20180920_170518 by Matt Bly, on Flickr

20180920_170455 by Matt Bly, on Flickr

[horico]

Collection day!

20180928_163833 by Matt Bly, on Flickr

20180928_163931 by Matt Bly, on Flickr

Correct choice made.