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      12-01-2020, 11:13 PM   #1
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M3/M4 vs 911

Hey folks,

I am in the market by end of next year for a Porsche 911 GTS (Would prefer a GT3 but i will have better luck dating a movie star than be allocated one). At the moment I do have the M340i and the new BMW M3 with the bucket seats has caught my eyes too.

I know these are two different cars and have driven an older Porsche but not an M3, but I can assume the M340i would be the closest thing I can compare. Has anyone spent extensive time with 911's and M3/4 give me what it's been like living with them with regards to fun spirited driving?

Has anyone moved from BMW to Porsche 911/boxter/cayman and vice versa? Why? What were the major differences/experiences? Thanks.
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      12-02-2020, 04:03 AM   #2
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      12-02-2020, 06:24 AM   #3
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The 911 is the far superior driver's car while the the M3 is the more practical choice. It depends what you want to favor.

For me, up until now, I've found the M3/4 to offer sufficient driving enjoyment to favor the practicality. With the G8X, I find BMW forewent too much of the elements that made the M3/4 enjoyable to me, so I decided to sacrifice the practicality and went with the more driver focused 911.
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      12-02-2020, 06:53 AM   #4
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if you can swing it given the considerable px delta... def get a 911!

for "closest" idea to G8X right now can go test drive a X3M/X4M.. some members here have both x3m and m340 they can chime in
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      12-22-2020, 09:34 AM   #5
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Have you tried to get a GT3 allocation yet? If not, I'd work on getting a date with that movie star first.

Like all the others have said: P-car = best driving experience, M3 = more practical. 911s all seem to drive great. M3's are different with different generations.

I had an E46 M3, E92 M3 then I went with a 2013 335i. I finally traded that in for a 2017 F80 M3. I will tell you this: although the F30 and F80 look very similar (especially interior) they don't drive at all alike. I do not think an M340 is going to give you the same experience as a G80 M3. Also, there are loads of difference between even E92 and F80 M3s. So, even though I wouldn't expect it to be much different than and F80 M3, you really need to wait until you can test drive the new one to find out for sure how it drives. Wish I could be more help.


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      12-25-2020, 04:04 PM   #6
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I went from 17' M3, 18 M3 CP, 2020 M2C to a 991.2 (all manuals).

It's a totally different experience and there is practically no comparison going to a 911 from an M car.

While I understand the graduation of M drivers to P cars (4 doors no longer required, kids get older, P car is a second car etc...) I never understood why there continues to be comparisons since these cars are in completely difference classes.
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      12-25-2020, 10:38 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Habber View Post
I went from 17' M3, 18 M3 CP, 2020 M2C to a 991.2 (all manuals).

It's a totally different experience and there is practically no comparison going to a 911 from an M car.

While I understand the graduation of M drivers to P cars (4 doors no longer required, kids get older, P car is a second car etc...) I never understood why there continues to be comparisons since these cars are in completely difference classes.
They are now. But there were days where you could have very close to 911 performance and enjoyment in a cheaper and more practical package with the M3.
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      12-27-2020, 03:26 PM   #8
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How can you cross shop a new 911 & an M3, that's madness. A 911 & M8 maybe but not an M3.
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      12-27-2020, 09:21 PM   #9
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Quote:
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They are now. But there were days where you could have very close to 911 performance and enjoyment in a cheaper and more practical package with the M3.
And we don’t know yet if a new $80k M4C can match the performance of a $100k 992 base Carrera, so this might still be true.

Yes the 911 is overall on another level including the near bottom level for practicality...cross shopping is not at all weird. Not everyone need the practicality of an M3 but everyone can make good use of it.
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      12-28-2020, 11:01 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TargaM2 View Post
How can you cross shop a new 911 & an M3, that's madness. A 911 & M8 maybe but not an M3.
M8 is way too big for me. I do not like the look of the m4, prefer the m3. I've owned the 5 series too, I just don't like big cars

To other comments -

I have a Tesla and m340i. I think I'll just go with the Porsche. Already reached out to a bunch of dealers for gt3, but will be happy with the gts also.

Once my lease is up on the Bmw and Tesla - I'll cross that bridge. Maybe get the m3 cos of the kids as a daily - pretty sure wife will want another Tesla
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      12-28-2020, 11:09 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Habber View Post
I went from 17' M3, 18 M3 CP, 2020 M2C to a 991.2 (all manuals).

It's a totally different experience and there is practically no comparison going to a 911 from an M car.

While I understand the graduation of M drivers to P cars (4 doors no longer required, kids get older, P car is a second car etc...) I never understood why there continues to be comparisons since these cars are in completely difference classes.
Thanks - I haven't driven an m3 and quality wise I love the BMW. What I love about the 911 is the linear power build up when accelerating and how planted it feels on the road compared to the m340i. I was wondering in general if the m3 felt the same way.
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      12-29-2020, 07:08 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TargaM2 View Post
How can you cross shop a new 911 & an M3, that's madness. A 911 & M8 maybe but not an M3.
The real battle here is the M3/4 + Extra Cash vs. 911.

The logic is, if you budget up to 911 money, there should be no thinking of the M8 at all.
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      12-30-2020, 01:23 AM   #13
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I have X3M Comp and M340i xDrive and think they are both amazing vehicles. I go back and forth with them but overall I favor the X3M due to the M tweaks that make it more of a drivers car. M cars are every bit better than M-performance cars except in the area of ride comfort and arguably low end torque. The X3M and every prior gen M3 all have stiff suspension. Good enough for the street but overall stiff riding. I assume the G8x will have this signature as well but it will be incredibly dominant in what it can do. The 911 wins a lot of battles vs M3 but in the areas of value and practicality, the bimmer wins. Performance might be much closer than we expect too, but we'll have to see.
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      12-30-2020, 12:26 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Transfer View Post
I have X3M Comp and M340i xDrive and think they are both amazing vehicles. I go back and forth with them but overall I favor the X3M due to the M tweaks that make it more of a drivers car. M cars are every bit better than M-performance cars except in the area of ride comfort and arguably low end torque. The X3M and every prior gen M3 all have stiff suspension. Good enough for the street but overall stiff riding. I assume the G8x will have this signature as well but it will be incredibly dominant in what it can do. The 911 wins a lot of battles vs M3 but in the areas of value and practicality, the bimmer wins. Performance might be much closer than we expect too, but we'll have to see.
Thats one of the aspects of M Cars I dislike the most (stiff ride) When comparing to other brands I always feel like BMW purposely makes the cars stiff to had to the sporty "feeling". It's been proven before that a compliant suspension is faster most of the time, it's like they want to give you an impression, when I look at the G80 with the digital dash and awkward styling it makes me feel like playing a video game.

I will be having my M2 suspension out for the 4th time trying to get a balance I like...
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      12-30-2020, 08:22 PM   #15
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What do you want a sports sedan or a sports car?
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      12-31-2020, 07:51 PM   #16
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Compromised sports sedan vs one of the best sports cars ever. If you don't need the practicality of the M3 and you don't mind the price tag of the Porsche, the choice seems straightforward.
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      01-02-2021, 10:49 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by picaso View Post
Hey folks,

I am in the market by end of next year for a Porsche 911 GTS (Would prefer a GT3 but i will have better luck dating a movie star than be allocated one). At the moment I do have the M340i and the new BMW M3 with the bucket seats has caught my eyes too.

I know these are two different cars and have driven an older Porsche but not an M3, but I can assume the M340i would be the closest thing I can compare. Has anyone spent extensive time with 911's and M3/4 give me what it's been like living with them with regards to fun spirited driving?

Has anyone moved from BMW to Porsche 911/boxter/cayman and vice versa? Why? What were the major differences/experiences? Thanks.
Why not get a CPO GT3?
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      01-02-2021, 04:09 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PLF69 View Post
Thats one of the aspects of M Cars I dislike the most (stiff ride) When comparing to other brands I always feel like BMW purposely makes the cars stiff to had to the sporty "feeling". It's been proven before that a compliant suspension is faster most of the time, it's like they want to give you an impression, when I look at the G80 with the digital dash and awkward styling it makes me feel like playing a video game.
Yeah--funny thing is that it used to be the opposite, and Porsche wasn't always alone in it as they seem to be today. BMW would routinely put on a masterclass in suspension and chassis tuning, with the seemingly magical blend of compliance and performance/handling (of course, it wasn't really magic--just a now-quaint triumph of science and engineering over marketing) they built their brand on. Turns out that a suspension tune that maximizes tire contact with a (highly irregular) road surface leads to more fluid, predictable handling and faster lap times...who knew?!

These days, it seems BMW is more keen on tuning to leave an impression on the average buyer over the course of a 20 minute around-the-block test drive. Best evidence of this is that the SUVs are actually the worst offenders.
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      01-02-2021, 05:06 PM   #19
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Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PLF69 View Post
Thats one of the aspects of M Cars I dislike the most (stiff ride) When comparing to other brands I always feel like BMW purposely makes the cars stiff to had to the sporty "feeling". It's been proven before that a compliant suspension is faster most of the time, it's like they want to give you an impression, when I look at the G80 with the digital dash and awkward styling it makes me feel like playing a video game.
Yeah--funny thing is that it used to be the opposite, and Porsche wasn't always alone in it as they seem to be today. BMW would routinely put on a masterclass in suspension and chassis tuning, with the seemingly magical blend of compliance and performance/handling (of course, it wasn't really magic--just a now-quaint triumph of science and engineering over marketing) they built their brand on. Turns out that a suspension tune that maximizes tire contact with a (highly irregular) road surface leads to more fluid, predictable handling and faster lap times...who knew?!

These days, it seems BMW is more keen on tuning to leave an impression on the average buyer over the course of a 20 minute around-the-block test drive. Best evidence of this is that the SUVs are actually the worst offenders.
Love your post, it reflects my taughts also. It's a shame because the overall package (engine/trans/options/quality) and cost is nice.

I feel like they want to please the "I want to impress everyone" crowd and it's a shame.
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      01-02-2021, 07:13 PM   #20
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I generally think BMW get suspension right for the most part, never been in the SUV's but I wouldn't consider them traditional M cars. The stock e9x adaptive suspension was very good in my opinion. The main issue on certain modern M cars is the dampers BMW spec are built to a price, sub $100 parts in the M2C for example. They always use aluminium control arms with good kinematics, which is why a good set of coil-overs is transformative on most M cars.

By contrast Porsche GT cars run proper bespoke Bilstein units, but they are much more expensive cars. The suspension in my GT4 is light years ahead of my previous stock M2C, 'stiffer' but more compliant and controlled at the same time which is down to the more sophisticated damping. I've been through a few different suspensions, but I would put the stock GT4 suspension right up there with the MCS2WNR I had on my M2C.

What BMW seem unwilling or unable to get right is steering...

OP- not sure the M3 and 911 are really directly comparable anymore. If you can afford it and practicality is no concern, there are tons of options. If you track a lot - GT3/4. If you spend most of the time on the street, you could also consider something with a V10 from the VAG family.
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      01-10-2021, 10:16 PM   #21
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CanAutM3, have you looked into winter wheel setup for the 992 yet? In the balancing act we’re walking over deciding between the G82, F90 and 992 the 992 is back on top...for now.

I’m suspecting we’re talking 5 grand or more for wheels and tires. Not tempting for 3 months a year that we would run it like that. It will be my wife’s daily and she hates the idea of being surprised by snow. I never had anything but the summers on my BMWs here in Seattle.
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      01-10-2021, 10:39 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by solstice View Post
CanAutM3, have you looked into winter wheel setup for the 992 yet? In the balancing act we’re walking over deciding between the G82, F90 and 992 the 992 is back on top...for now.

I’m suspecting we’re talking 5 grand or more for wheels and tires. Not tempting for 3 months a year that we would run it like that. It will be my wife’s daily and she hates the idea of being surprised by snow. I never had anything but the summers on my BMWs here in Seattle.
I've opted for the centerlock wheels on my TT, so options are more limited. OE option is 13k CAD for the winter wheel/tire kit . I have not yet looked beyond that since I still have some time ahead of me. For me here up north, it is 5 months out of 12 on winters, so 40%+ of the time .

But just so you know, my buddy negotiated a new OE winter tire and wheel kit for ~3.5k CAD (2.7k USD) from his dealer for his base 992 C4.
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