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      07-12-2011, 07:08 PM   #1
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Drove a 911.2 S Today...

Finally drove a 09 911 PDK S. I"m getting a little bored with my E90 M so looking at alternatives.

I came away highly impressed. Random thoughts:
The engine and exhaust sounds sweet with the windows down, very unique. The PDK worked great, although the paddles suck vs. the M paddles.
The car was tight as a vault, very well built. Reminded me of the previous E350's my wife had. Interior materials were a step above my M3 for sure.
Could very well be used as a DD. Suspension setting were on par with my M3, except over some big bumps with the engine in the back
Steering was exceptional. Better than my M3.
Rear seats were very tight, I'm not sure I can fit my kids with boosters back there. I had my seat pretty far back.

All in all: I can understand the cult following of the 911. Its so different than anything else out there, with precision and serious driving mixed in.

Would I trade in my M3 for one? Yes and no. Straight up driving experience I prefer the 911 for sure. However you cant beat the all around capabilities the E90 M3 provides.... I'll have to think about this one.

Tough decisions....
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      07-12-2011, 09:40 PM   #2
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I was caught with the decision of Carrera or M3 a while back, but when I'm ready to move on it will be a Porsche next time around, don't get me wrong I love the M3.
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      07-13-2011, 04:03 AM   #3
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I just bought a 2009 pdk 997s and at first didn't like it as much as the m3 but its growing on me more and more everyday.
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      07-13-2011, 07:10 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
I just bought a 2009 pdk 997s and at first didn't like it as much as the m3 but its growing on me more and more everyday.
that was the exact car I drove and would buy. How is the "comfort" of a smaller sports car vs. the M3 on a daily basis? The 911 would be my only car, so one of my big concerns is driving it on a daily basis. The M3 is comfortable enough to do this.
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      07-13-2011, 09:36 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MojorisinM3 View Post
Finally drove a 09 911 PDK S. I"m getting a little bored with my E90 M so looking at alternatives.

I came away highly impressed. Random thoughts:
The engine and exhaust sounds sweet with the windows down, very unique. The PDK worked great, although the paddles suck vs. the M paddles.
The car was tight as a vault, very well built. Reminded me of the previous E350's my wife had. Interior materials were a step above my M3 for sure.
Could very well be used as a DD. Suspension setting were on par with my M3, except over some big bumps with the engine in the back
Steering was exceptional. Better than my M3.
Rear seats were very tight, I'm not sure I can fit my kids with boosters back there. I had my seat pretty far back.

All in all: I can understand the cult following of the 911. Its so different than anything else out there, with precision and serious driving mixed in.

Would I trade in my M3 for one? Yes and no. Straight up driving experience I prefer the 911 for sure. However you cant beat the all around capabilities the E90 M3 provides.... I'll have to think about this one.

Tough decisions....
I had exact same sentiment and decided to stick with M3 for now, and then go to Porsche for something more purpose-built (e.g. GT3 or race-modded Cayman S). My reasoning was that both M3 and 911S are compromise sporty cars, and M3 does this compromise better - it is a true daily driver (I take it skiing, mountain biking and garden furniture shopping, among other things), and almost as fast and rewarding at a track as 911S. 911S is not a true sports car yet, but it already compromises much of daily drivability.

So for me a worthy upgrade from M3 would be X3M (or X5 Diesel - depending on family size) plus a GT3. But its all very subjective and personal - for some people 911S may be just as practical as M3 with some bonuses in extra sportiness.
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      07-13-2011, 10:03 AM   #6
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I'd buy a used 911 Carrera GTS and try to keep the M3, I'd even wait a few months to have the money saved up if that were a problem. But buy it in white, man is it a gorgeous car.
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      07-13-2011, 11:34 AM   #7
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The Porsche is very comfy once you get used to the low seating position. In fact the more I drive the Porsche the more awkward the seats in the m3 feel. I guess I just love the small sporty feel of the Porsche. Once you get used to it the m3 starts to feel more like an x5.
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      07-13-2011, 02:26 PM   #8
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From my own experience with my 07 997S, the PASM even in normal mode was stiffer than my E92 M3 in sport mode. I'm sure the rear tires at 42lbs PSI had something to do with this.

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      07-16-2011, 03:22 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
I just bought a 2009 pdk 997s and at first didn't like it as much as the m3 but its growing on me more and more everyday.
This was my experience with my 07 997S, wasn't really blown away, expected so much more that it was, to be honest a let down. After about a yr. or so of ownership the car started to get under my skin. I only sold it because I couldn't use it as a DD and to free up some cash flow.


Dave
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      07-16-2011, 04:37 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave07997S View Post
This was my experience with my 07 997S, wasn't really blown away, expected so much more that it was, to be honest a let down. After about a yr. or so of ownership the car started to get under my skin. I only sold it because I couldn't use it as a DD and to free up some cash flow.


Dave
It's been almost 2 months since i got the Porsche. I still drive the m but I find myself driving it less and less. The Porsche is simply more fun to drive and while I love the engine in the m3, sometimes it can get a little bit tiresome. The whine of the engine and abrupt throttle response can get a little old. The power delivery in the Porsche feels more natural, feels smoother and more linear. But when it's time to WOT you gotta love te screaming high revving engine in the m3. All in all I'm quite happy with the Porsche, it's very low to the ground, small, sporty and the steering is brilliant. I don't really use much trunk space and the rear seats are useless to me because I don't have any kids. I would not recommend a turbo 911 to anyone, stick with the NA 3.6 or 3.8. You will enjoy it a lot more!!
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      07-16-2011, 06:07 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
It's been almost 2 months since i got the Porsche. I still drive the m but I find myself driving it less and less. The Porsche is simply more fun to drive and while I love the engine in the m3, sometimes it can get a little bit tiresome. The whine of the engine and abrupt throttle response can get a little old. The power delivery in the Porsche feels more natural, feels smoother and more linear. But when it's time to WOT you gotta love te screaming high revving engine in the m3. All in all I'm quite happy with the Porsche, it's very low to the ground, small, sporty and the steering is brilliant. I don't really use much trunk space and the rear seats are useless to me because I don't have any kids. I would not recommend a turbo 911 to anyone, stick with the NA 3.6 or 3.8. You will enjoy it a lot more!!
I would recommend a turbo to anyone. I could never drive a N/A P-car again......unless it was a GT3/GT3RS.
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      07-16-2011, 06:33 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Sleeper View Post
I would recommend a turbo to anyone. I could never drive a N/A P-car again......unless it was a GT3/GT3RS.
I'm not a big fan of FI but to each their own.
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      07-16-2011, 06:53 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
I'm not a big fan of FI but to each their own.
I DD an M3 so...... Turbo pulls like a locomotive, spend a few K on a tune and it pulls like an angry locomotive. I think it may be addictive. Its not my fault...
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      07-16-2011, 06:54 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
The Porsche is very comfy once you get used to the low seating position. In fact the more I drive the Porsche the more awkward the seats in the m3 feel. I guess I just love the small sporty feel of the Porsche. Once you get used to it the m3 starts to feel more like an x5.
It's funny you say that, because I always keep my seats all the way to the floor. Coming from my Bullitt Mustang to my M3, I couldn't believe how high up you sit in the M3. I've driven tons of E9x M3s, but never remembered sitting so high up. I still can't believe BMW has the M seats up so high for normal driving. That's one thing I do enjoy about Porsche: you can sit very low in any of their cars.
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      07-16-2011, 07:20 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
It's been almost 2 months since i got the Porsche. I still drive the m but I find myself driving it less and less. The Porsche is simply more fun to drive and while I love the engine in the m3, sometimes it can get a little bit tiresome. The whine of the engine and abrupt throttle response can get a little old. The power delivery in the Porsche feels more natural, feels smoother and more linear. But when it's time to WOT you gotta love te screaming high revving engine in the m3. All in all I'm quite happy with the Porsche, it's very low to the ground, small, sporty and the steering is brilliant. I don't really use much trunk space and the rear seats are useless to me because I don't have any kids. I would not recommend a turbo 911 to anyone, stick with the NA 3.6 or 3.8. You will enjoy it a lot more!!
Believe it or not the rear seats in the 997 weren't bad for small kids. The issue is I am in the real estate field and do have to drive clients sometimes. Even in the E92 M3 I have fit over 6" tall clients in the rear and they fit.

There is also a certain "cachet" about a Porsche that isn't quite there with the M3, I will definitely admit that. Although it took sometime for me to realize this and I believe this is when I started to feel the car.

Dave
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      07-16-2011, 08:00 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AwesomeBMW2 View Post
It's funny you say that, because I always keep my seats all the way to the floor. Coming from my Bullitt Mustang to my M3, I couldn't believe how high up you sit in the M3. I've driven tons of E9x M3s, but never remembered sitting so high up. I still can't believe BMW has the M seats up so high for normal driving. That's one thing I do enjoy about Porsche: you can sit very low in any of their cars.
I agree 100 percent. My m3 seats are so high, even when lowered all the way. That's one of the biggest things that bothers me about the m.
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      07-16-2011, 08:06 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Sleeper View Post
I DD an M3 so...... Turbo pulls like a locomotive, spend a few K on a tune and it pulls like an angry locomotive. I think it may be addictive. Its not my fault...
Can't argue with u there. The turbo is insanely fast, I had one in my garage for a couple days but there's more to It for me then just pure hard acceleration. The turbo lag and non linear power delivery of the 911Turbo was not enjoyable for me.

Last edited by KKM3; 07-16-2011 at 08:13 PM..
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      07-16-2011, 11:09 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
I agree 100 percent. My m3 seats are so high, even when lowered all the way. That's one of the biggest things that bothers me about the m.
I agree, it's the one thing that sets that driving style away from perfection, ya know? It's amazing to drive and has fantastic feel, but the seat height is a little annoying. I have gotten used to it, though. It's whenever I get into someone else's car, or into a press car, is when I realize how high the M seats sit.

Really oddly enough, my buddy's E92 335 seats sit very low...
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      07-17-2011, 01:42 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AwesomeBMW2 View Post
I agree, it's the one thing that sets that driving style away from perfection, ya know? It's amazing to drive and has fantastic feel, but the seat height is a little annoying. I have gotten used to it, though. It's whenever I get into someone else's car, or into a press car, is when I realize how high the M seats sit.

Really oddly enough, my buddy's E92 335 seats sit very low...
So many people love the seats in the e9x m3. The seats in the e46 and even the e36 are way better. It really does take away from the sporty feel of the rest of the car. I drove the Porsche and the m3 back to back last night and after I finished driving the Porsche the m3 seats felt horribly awkward.
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      07-17-2011, 02:01 PM   #20
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As a sole DD, I wouldn't trade a M3 for a 997.2 S (i have one). Once you settle in the 911, you will love it to bits, but driving it all the time with all the risks of the real world are gonna stress you out NO LIE. I hate the high seating position of normal cars, even my 335i. I always push it down to its limit and a little back with a upright back...I am 6'2" and 190lbs...and the Porsche is more comfortable! I love the feeling of being inches off the ground and going 60+ mph.

Last edited by GnokGnik; 07-17-2011 at 02:11 PM..
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      07-17-2011, 02:12 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GnokGnik View Post
As a sole DD, I wouldn't trade a M3 for a 997.2 S (i have one). Once you settle in the 911, you will love it to bits, but driving it all the time with all the risks of the real world are gonna stress you out NO LIE. I hate the high seating position of normal cars, even my 335i. I always push it down to its limit and a little back with a upright back...I am 6'2" and 190lbs...and the Porsche is more comfortable!
I use a prius to commute to work. I leased the prius for 250 bucks a month and the money I save on gas pays for the lease and then some. It also gives me more peace of mind that my Porsche and m3 are safetly parked in my garage.
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      07-19-2011, 05:10 PM   #22
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The only way you could get me out of my m3 is to move up to the gt3.
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