Quote:
Originally Posted by ksa
You know it's funny...I go through LOTS of cars. I don't exaggerate when I say I have had 35+ in the past 15'ish years. Many BMW's (M's) and AMG's and a few higher tier cars. I would always read in posts like the above, 'oh I don't see myself getting rid of the m3 until I can get a 911' or 'I will keep m3 until I can upgrade to a 911' etc....but truly I always wondering WTF is the big deal with 911's.
So a year or so back I got one. 992 911 4S. Great car but no different than numerous others that could keep me entertained for no more than 6 months - 1 year. I got rid of it after 6 months and got myself a v10 R8...which I kept about a year. Then had a M850 and F Type R a the same time for about 6 or so months (m850) and 4'ish months the F Type until I got the new G80 M3 which I currently have (since 4'ish months).
I REALLY don't understand the hype with 911's. I feel like it's the image of it that appeals to people and don't get my wrong, it's a nice driving car but certainly not the 'be all end all' everyone seems to make it out to be. At 200K that I spent on it, it didn't even feel much 'special' since they are so common where I live. I enjoy the M3 more than I enjoyed that in many ways. Not saying M3 is a better car, just a different car, but I don't think anyone's life is going to change dramatically if they do 'upgrade' from M3 to the 911 like people always seem to make it sound like.
One wonderful thing about the 911 was that it was the only car I didn't lose any money on changing out of it so frequently and on one odd occasion due to market timing I made 15K on my AMG GTS. But my Aston Vantage left me with an almost 40K hit when I got rid of it after about a year. So one thing I can say about the 911 is that the value retention prospect is unbeatable for sure.
But honestly, if I am spending 200K+ on a car, I want it to be somewhat rare and make me feel special which the 911 just didn't do, but the R8 and Aston did. The m3 cost me around 150K with all the neg I had accumulated (133K asking) and yes it also doesn't make me feel 'special' even though I see less of it than the 911, but at least I feel like I didn't spend 200K+ for it. So it's a great car for what it is in the bracket it is in.
I guess I am fixating on the emotional/raw appeal aspect of the 911 only and now the great driving abilities and performance (which are excellent bar none), but for me the car has to have that visceral, emotional appeal that turns heads. Maybe it was a simple 4S and not a Turbo S or a GT 911 and that's why. I do plan to get either a Turbo S or a GT at some point so will answer that doubt too. But at the GT3 price point my preference would be to get a Lamborghini or Ferrari of some kind first.
Anyway, all that to say in my long winded way, there is no reason for anyone to hum and haw over 911 if you're rolling in M3 and similar vehicles anyway because the 'jump' is not all what it's made out to be. At least wasn't for me. Do I miss the 911? Sometimes yes, but ONLY reason is it's a vehicle I didn't see myself losing $ on after driving for a while. Even the R8 gave me a bit of a hit in my 1 year ownership but man driving that felt more of an occasion each time than the 911 ever felt.
Just some food for thought.
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Test drove a G80 M3 and I did not enjoy the manual. 992 are so refined now so when I test drove a base pdk version I also wasn't really impressed and didn't see what the hype was about, but at least Porsche offers a better manual experience. Now when I test drove the GT4 it clicked. This is what everyone means when they talk about Porsches, that drivers car, analog and connected driving experience thats missing in most modern cars nowadays. Despite what people say I think the engine sounds fantastic and I don't mind the long gearing. It sounds way better than any modern BMW. Someday I'll upgrade to a GT3 but at the moment I am quite happy with the GT4.