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07-12-2012, 01:07 PM | #23 |
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Drives: E92 M3, E36 M3, E30 325is
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When I test drove the M3 (used, MT), the salesman went over the various settings with me so we could set the M button, set up the nav to where the good back roads were, got out of the car, and said "have fun". Boy, did I ever! I picked mine up at the Welt and spent 3 glorious weeks in Europe. It's currently on a ship heading this way... I also was coming off a 335i with a tune. No comparison.
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07-12-2012, 02:00 PM | #24 |
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Again thx guys for you're insight Clearly I need another run..also just to clarify, I am keeping my 335XI - that is for the wife..the M3 (if I get it..) will be a DD for me and occasional track use..
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07-12-2012, 02:20 PM | #25 |
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Wait so OP thinks the 335 steers better than the m3?.. I call
M3 steering, suspension, throttle response all > 335.......and yes I have owned both cars. |
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07-12-2012, 02:45 PM | #26 | |
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07-12-2012, 02:55 PM | #27 | |
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07-12-2012, 04:25 PM | #28 | |
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Cayman S 997 S 997 4S Panamera 550i e60 M5 GTR Also owned an RS4 I chose the M3 above them all. M3 has a complete Jekyll and Hyde personality. Driven calmly with everything on the softest settings, it is a tame and docile daily transport tool. To know its performance capabilities, you have to drive it hard. When you do, you will be simply astonished at what it does, and the composure it maintains while doing so. If the M3 were a person, it would be James Bond.
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07-12-2012, 04:32 PM | #29 | |
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Can't wait to get mine! |
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07-12-2012, 04:58 PM | #30 | ||
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07-12-2012, 07:54 PM | #31 | |
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07-13-2012, 07:13 AM | #32 |
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It seems to me the best answer is to do your test drives and select the car that you like the best. I don't need rear seats and I test drove a m3 coupe and my Cayman S and you can see what vehicle I purchased. Again, I truly believe that it is fine to get opinions but at the end of the day it is your decision.
I just wish the new 911's weren't 125,000! Former car 2007 335i JB3 Dave |
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07-13-2012, 07:23 AM | #33 |
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thx Dave..this is exactly what prompted my thread..I have no doubt the M3 is a superb vehicle..if I can save major $$$ and get near to similar performance from a M3 the M3 would be my obvious choice..
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07-13-2012, 09:40 AM | #34 |
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I test drove the M3 only once, and my 335i was history the very next moment.
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07-14-2012, 07:47 AM | #37 |
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Nice try... I'll take my 997.2 C4S, thank you very much! My wife has the obligatory SUV for the kids, so why deprive one's self of a sports car?
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07-14-2012, 08:53 AM | #38 |
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07-14-2012, 11:59 AM | #39 |
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I will... from my short lived experiences, the 997.2 only is clearly better in its GT3/2 trim other than that think they're fairly equal (drivers race) and I'll take the added luxury and four doors. Thank you very much :
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07-14-2012, 05:56 PM | #40 |
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It truly must be short lived In the right hands, any 997.x will dance around an M3. Problem is, most don't know how to drive a 911 properly, freak out and lift, etc. M3 is easy to drive fast, but 911 = the better car all around (unless you need rear seats, which is why I had mine for 3 years).
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07-14-2012, 06:03 PM | #41 |
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Also r.e. all this talk about the "Jekyll and Hyde personality", sounds like salesman-talk. Once I dialed in the correct steering, EDC, and throttle map settings, I never changed them. 2/3 of the settings for EDC and throttle map are bogus, and the sport steering weight is fake gain off-center. So there really is one set of correct settings if you want active dampening, a linear throttle map, and good steering. The only thing I used the M button was to switch to DSC off or to MDM for stability/traction control. I remember when the salesman took went with me on my first test drive - he said "Hit the M button and you'll see". I was like wtf? See what? That BMW has too many settings in there? Really...
Anyway, I no longer have my M3 (you can see my post history and posts if you want here though, since I have not posted in a long, long time), but enjoyed it for what it was - a practical and fast sedan. It's a great car, but let's not kid ourselves with salesman or bad auto journalist talk... |
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07-14-2012, 06:38 PM | #42 | |
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My M settings were the same as my key settings. The only thing I could not do with the key was MDM/DSC OFF. So I had that in the M button. So I only had to press the M button when I wanted MDM or DSC OFF (typically winter). Yes, the engine is the best part of the car. Problem is the gearing (and power) makes it hard to not get a ticket on the street for "disturbing the peace" The 335 is better geared for street driving IMHO, and probably a better street car with the torque coming on lower RPMs, etc. The most fun I had with my M3 was in the winter. I did take it on track, and it was fun, but the single pot brakes are the weakest part about the car. I mean even the 135i has larger calipers.. |
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07-14-2012, 08:19 PM | #43 | |
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07-14-2012, 10:52 PM | #44 | |
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Now I bring this up here for two reasons. The first is that there is no car that feels more like the formula cars I drove than the 911 platform. I think any open wheel race car driver can relate. The weight behind you, the light front, all the dynamics and handling characteristics are very similar. In the right hands, it will be the best car on track. This is what I said before, in less words. And there is definitely a large mental wall one must overcome to drive a 911 properly - don't lift!!! And this brings me to my second point as it relates to your post and my experience. Very few people can drive a 911 fast and properly. There is that mental wall one has to overcome to be fast. Many simply cannot, so they drive the cars slower than possible - GT versions or non-S. The dynamics of the 911 feel less familiar, so the 911 suffers more than any car IMHO from not being driven to its full potential. It's just harder for most to. So I'm not at all surprised at your experience with what you've seen at the track, etc. I see it too. I've seen journalists who can't drive them for crap, and so go on to praise cars that are easier for them to get faster laps in. Hardly something accurate. Now I'm not saying cars should be hard to drive - not at all. No driver wants to fight with a car to get the best out of it. The less input, the better. A good driver CAN manhandle just about any car and get a good lap time out of it. 10 laps? Probably not, as understeer and other bad characteristics start to slow lap times down. And BTW, another reason one should never read too much into those "one hot lap shoot outs" that car mags love to do. I want 10-15 lap shoot outs! So sorry to go off on such a long-winded tangent, but I think it's important to have said it. The M3 is a great car. Most people will be faster in it than in a 911. Journalists and paid publicity racers too - I know a few. So don't be surprised at that! That's not a bad thing, nor here nor there, but I can tell you first hand that I am much quicker in a 911 than I ever was in my E90 M3 or any other street car I've tracked. So are the the the friends I've raced with. It really is a special car, and I have driven plenty. The M3 is special too, but BMW unfortunately is going in the wrong direction with the next one, etc., but now I really digress. Last edited by urbo73; 07-14-2012 at 11:01 PM.. |
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