[itrocks4u]

Hello,

Question for you folks here. Have an opportunity to buy 22 Porsche 911 (Note this is not S or T or TT) instead of 23 M3 Compx Drive which is heavily specced. Price delta is about $25K.

Is it worth considering the Porsche 911 at this price point instead of M3. I haven't test driven the porsche so worried a 911 won't match the driving dynamics of M3.

Would love some thoughts.

[dr1ven]

I’ve owned a 991.2 GTS and now own a MY23 M3 Comp X-Drive.

Honestly I’m not sure these are really comparable. The 911 would undoubtedly feel more special, it will feel more like a sports car and it will most certainly retain value far better than the M3.

That being said, the M3 is far better at being an all around car. More storage for daily driving, more seats for more people or just throwing a bag or two in the back.

If I lived somewhere where I had nice weather year round, I would not have gotten rid of my 911.

More or less - If you want a car that is more a fun toy you can enjoy and track - go 911. Otherwise if you need something more robust for daily life stuff, go M3.

A lot of folks will tell you the 911 is very practical, and it’s not untrue. But if you want to do a 5 or more day road trip with your spouse in your 911 you will have limited space and be more cramped than in an M3.

You can’t go wrong either way, just depends when you plan on doing with the car.

The M3 will most certainly be faster in a straight line, but it probably won’t be able to touch the chassis feel and balance of power / braking / suspension that Porsche has achieved with the 911.

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by dr1ven

I’ve owned a 991.2 GTS and now own a MY23 M3 Comp X-Drive.

Honestly I’m not sure these are really comparable. The 911 would undoubtedly feel more special, it will feel more like a sports car and it will most certainly retain value far better than the M3.

That being said, the M3 is far better at being an all around car. More storage for daily driving, more seats for more people or just throwing a bag or two in the back.

If I lived somewhere where I had nice weather year round, I would not have gotten rid of my 911.

More or less - If you want a car that is more a fun toy you can enjoy and track - go 911. Otherwise if you need something more robust for daily life stuff, go M3.

A lot of folks will tell you the 911 is very practical, and it’s not untrue. But if you want to do a 5 or more day road trip with your spouse in your 911 you will have limited space and be more cramped than in an M3.

You can’t go wrong either way, just depends when you plan on doing with the car.

The M3 will most certainly be faster in a straight line, but it probably won’t be able to touch the chassis feel and balance of power / braking / suspension that Porsche has achieved with the 911.

Thank you, this is helpful.

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by Pilla

Question 1: How important is having 4 doors to you?
Question 2: Is this 911 AWD, and is this also a factor based on where you live?
Question 3: Does 25k matter to you?

1. I have 7 years old and 4 year old that can sit in. I have a van too which is the daily with the kids.

2. No it's not AWD. I live in WA State. It rains but I think RWD is manageable.

3. I feel like M3 priced at $110K might just be over priced vs 911 at $130K. Better value for monet i guess?

[dr1ven]

Originally Posted by itrocks4u

1. I have 7 years old and 4 year old that can sit in. I have a van too which is the daily with the kids.

2. No it's not AWD. I live in WA State. It rains but I think RWD is manageable.

3. I feel like M3 priced at $110K might just be over priced vs 911 at $130K. Better value for monet i guess?

I can definitely tell you that any reasonably sized human will have difficulty fitting in the back of the 911. I’m 5ft11 and when putting the seat in a comfortable position there was about 2-3 inches of clearance between the back of my seat and the rear seat. I sit in a fairly aggressive driving position so it’s not like I’m leaned all the way back. The other problem is head room, but that’s fine for kids for some time.

Forgot to mention but the driving position of the 911 is superior to the M3. They are both nice but the 911 is just that cut above.

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by dr1ven

I can definitely tell you that any reasonably sized human will have difficulty fitting in the back of the 911. I’m 5ft11 and when putting the seat in a comfortable position there was about 2-3 inches of clearance between the back of my seat and the rear seat. I sit in a fairly aggressive driving position so it’s not like I’m leaned all the way back. The other problem is head room, but that’s fine for kids for some time.

Forgot to mention but the driving position of the 911 is superior to the M3. They are both nice but the 911 is just that cut above.

I honestly don't plan to have adults in the back lol. What about kids with car seats, can they fit?

Curious why you came back to M3 after 911?

Also when you refer to 911 being a cut above, are you referring to 911 base or model does not matter?

Thanks!

[dr1ven]

Originally Posted by itrocks4u

I honestly don't plan to have adults in the back lol. What about kids with car seats, can they fit?

Curious why you came back to M3 after 911?

Thanks!

I don’t have kids so I couldn’t tell you if they fit, but I’m sure they do. The bigger problem is the lack of leg room.

I never owned an M3 before. I went from a Golf R -> R35 GTR -> 911 GTS -> M3.

I live in Canada so our winters are quite long and I travel a good bit for work and pleasure in our summers. I just felt like I wasn’t getting the value out of the 911. Driving it on the highway to go from A to B kind of just felt like wasted miles of hohum boring driving.

My 911 was RWD so winter driving was out of the question with how much snow we get here. I missed having a fun car I could drive year round and once they launched true x drive on M3 it became an option.

The 911 definitely felt more special and you feel more special driving it, the M3 feels more normal but I personally love the tech that is packed inside of it.

[MaxechosM3]

I’m also here in WA, I have a G80 M3CX and my neighbor has a 992 “base”. He tracks it and daily’s it, he has only positive things to say about it. Personality if I had the choice I’d go with the 911. Sounds better imo, more rare and even more special. Aside from the performance wise, the M3CX is definitely faster and a better daily especially if you have kids. I’d say go with the 911.

[docjavier]

Remember if you are going to put a car sit regularly, it may be difficult to set your 4 y/o kid in and out every day.

[skim]

I've had 3 911s and I firmly believe (some may disagree) that ANY 911 is an upgrade over ANY BMW from driving perspective.
As a DD, while a 911 is a "daily supercar" (though I think that title is for TT), there are far better DDs, M3 included.

[Skyscraper]

As a Porsche Guy that's getting his first BMW I can tell you why I'm getting an M4 Comp.
Weekend trips with the wife.
The Porsches are a blast to drive. But if your going for more than a few hours you have a hard time fitting just two carry-on size suitcases.
Yes you can fold down the back seats and place them there. But I really don't like luggage sliding around behind me. I Golf and can never take my clubs.
And don't even think of buying something while out of town. There's no place to put it coming back.
Even when we just go wine drinking for the day. I can't bring back more than two cases.
I'm fortunate enough I get to keep one Porsche for day trips & track days and still have the M4 for Golf and weekend trips.

But seriously think about if the car is a weekend car or a day trip car. The Porsche sucks for a weekend car IMO.

[vbb]

I have never owned or driven a 992 911, but I've had two different 997s. Like others have already said, the M3 and the 911 are two different types of cars with different purposes. If my goal was to have a weekend warrior and fun 2nd car, I'd get a 911 again. If my goal is to have a daily that I can use all the time, the M3/M4 is the choice.

If I'm going to spend +$100k like the OP is talking, I want a car that I'm going to use almost all the time. At this point in my life, with the need to transport kids to and from activities, practices and such, and with potentially 3 college tuitions looming, having a $100k weekend car in the garage doesn't make sense.

[Bimmerfun82]

Option 3: pick up an m3 for 90k and save another chunk of cash. Since you have kids I’d go with the practicality of the m. I also can’t stomach that the 911 has increased 30k in two years for the same car basically. And it’s underpowered for that kind of $$$. I drove the 911 base and wasn’t that impressed. Was happy to get back in the m… the carerra I drove had cheap pleather everywhere (no full leather package) and didn’t seem to have broken in as well (20k miles 2 years old) as my m’s have.

[kjx]

Originally Posted by itrocks4u

1. I have 7 years old and 4 year old that can sit in. I have a van too which is the daily with the kids.

2. No it's not AWD. I live in WA State. It rains but I think RWD is manageable.

3. I feel like M3 priced at $110K might just be over priced vs 911 at $130K. Better value for monet i guess?

Ok, I'm from WA too. I own a 2022 M4 Comp M xDrive, and one of my friends owns a 2020 911 (esentially the car you're getting just two model years down). I have a 1 yr old, he has a 4 yr old and a 1 yr old.

While I have an X5, I can just as easily take my M4 everywhere. "Manageable" is not what you pay $100K+ for. You want AWD, you may just not know it yet. I can accelerate in the rain like the asphalt was nearly dry. My friend's RWD 911 scares him when he pushes it in corners in the dry. Forget wet. With proper winter tires, I could take the M4 around in the snow easy. His 911 is parked for months on end in winter as the tires are not good at <45 degrees (they'll crack and fail later). Same story for M4 but I swap wheels/tires.

I don't feel like I'm having to make tough choices (lack of luggage capacity, interior space, etc.). He can never take his family in the 911 now. I can take my wife and son everywhere. The harshness of the 911 gets to him on longer drives (not to mention his family). No such issue in the M4.

I've spent about $140K on my M4. He's spent a little more than that on his 911. I think he's done 4000 miles in 2-3 years. I've done nearly 8000 in one year. I will lose more money in depreciation than him for sure just on M4 vs 911.

Smaller things: My 1-year service: $0 out of pocket. BMW Connected Drive: free for 4 years. His 1-yr service: $2000. Porsche's CD equivalent: $500 per year. These things add up. There's something clearly special about the 911 and for those who absolutely know they want that car, won't have the questions you're having (and I mean that nicely).

Get the Porsche if it's your third car and you have a more practical sporty car for day-to-day. Get the M3/M4, if it's you first or second car in the garage. Also, remember that a nicely specced 911 will cross $160K easy and you'll feel it in the car when you're missing options. If you go all out in an M3/M4, you won't feel the pinch as much.

Exceptions to all of this apply. Personal situations and preferences vary. Just sharing my educated view of things from first-hand experience.

[BIGW0RM]

I would not get a base 911 over a G80 M3. I would get an S model at the least. There is a big difference between a base and an S.

Ive had 4 911's since 2017 and while I miss my 911 at times. The M3 is hands down so much better to daily drive.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by kjx

Get the Porsche if it's your third car and you have a more practical sporty car for day-to-day. Get the M3/M4, if it's you first or second car in the garage. Also, remember that a nicely specced 911 will cross $160K easy and you'll feel it in the car when you're missing options. If you go all out in an M3/M4, you won't feel the pinch as much.

exactly where i ended up with my thought process on the 911, put in a deposit as a 3rd car in addition to X5 and M3.... but then decided to heck with it and got a model Y because it was on sale. haha.

[vinha916]

this is what I am doing, I want M3 for sure. I want a Porsche 911 later. As of right now M3 100% , one day 911. I want both.
For sure 911 is unique but I wouldn't compare to M3, M3 has its own special which I don't think any car can beat m3 in its own ways.

[robopp]

If M3 will be your only car, 100% M3. Otherwise, Porsche wins hands down. All this talk about the 992 being underpowered is a good thing, IMO. You can actually use it and not go to jail. 503hp is just ridiculous and honestly useless aside from bragging rights.

I will add too - the 911 is 3300lbs vs 3700lbs for the M3 is a BIG difference and adds to the fun factor of the 911.

[Humdizzle]

porsche always wins. unless you need to make compromises in your life.

rent both off turo and see what you like.

[BIGW0RM]

After owning 4 911's I now see why most people dont daily drive them and mostly use them for a weekend car. Its because they are just not practical for anything but pure driving enjoyment. I now wish I had stayed with BMW between 2017-2020 and just NOW got a GT3 RS to weekend. I would have saved a lot of money doing this! I bought all of mine too soon!

[Nkr15]

Lol comparing a fully loaded M3 to a poverty spec 911 this thread is hilarious

[nickohlie]

loaded m3 > base 911 all day. m3 can do everything base 911 can do and for most part does it better.
911 holds better value, but you will always feel the the regret of not getting the real thing