Goodbye M3. Hello GT-R!

[Cabinetman]

Last fall I purchased a 2010 E90 M3 to replace a 2008 Lexus IS-F. I had dreamed of owning an M3 since the early 90's when I was given a chance to drive an E30 M3.

Unfortunately the reality of owning a M3 wasn't what I had hoped. Please don't get me wrong, the M is an amazing car. It does a great job of being practical enough for everyday use yet still feel special when the opportunity comes to push it. If I was going to daily drive a performance car it would be hard to pick something better than the M. However, I found that I wasn't daily driving my M3. Being a small business owner I didn't feel comfortable driving my car to work. I prefer to keep a low profile there. This regulated the M to weekend toy. For me, the M is just a bit too civilized for a weekend toy. I realize mods could have changed this, however I'm somewhat mod adverse.

Enter the 2011 Nissan GT-R. This is a car the has had my attention since day one. I'm a sucker for technology and the GT-R delivers in spades. The comfort and refinement of the M3 are missing, but you can't help but get a smile on your face when you climb into the Nissan. As an extra bonus the car will help you keep to a diet because the seats are pretty tight.

Once I've had the Nissan for a bit I will be better able to determine just how great, or not, the GT-R is. At this point I'm still in the honeymoon period. In a few months I will be able to better know if the GT-R can better meet my wants than the M3 did.

Here are a few pics of my new toy. I'm sorry for the quality. The weather outside sucks today so I was regulated to garage pics.

[FusionM]

Congratulations! Very nice car. Do you plan on taking it to the track?

[Cabinetman]

Originally Posted by FusionM3

Congratulations! Very nice car. Do you plan on taking it to the track?

I've never spent any time on a track except as a passenger. I'm planning to take a few classes this summer using their cars and then get the GT-R to the track. My dealer is pretty cool about tracking the car, but they did warn me that the GT-R is an expensive track car to maintain.

[devo]

Beautiful car brother!!! Love the white with black wheels. Of course, i love white sports cars.

Hey, watch that garage door!

[gongju]

When did the GT-R become a low profile type of car? Congrats on the car it's a beauty! And yeah watch out for that garage door!

[Cabinetman]

Originally Posted by devo

Beautiful car brother!!! Love the white with black wheels. Of course, i love white sports cars.

Hey, watch that garage door!

Thanks!

I've gotten parking in my two car garage down to an art. I have to hug the wall and angle the car in so my kids don't hit it with the doors of my wife's Expedition. Also, I pull in just far enough to allow the door to clear with a couple of inches to spare. This allows me to fully open the door to the fridge that is in front of my car. I keep my beer in this fridge so access is very important

[ScotyH]

When are you gonna do a mid pipe, intake & AccessPort???

Instant 100-120hp for a little over 2k....

[devo]

Originally Posted by Cabinetman

Thanks!

I've gotten parking in my two car garage down to an art. I have to hug the wall and angle the car in so my kids don't hit it with the doors of my wife's Expedition. Also, I pull in just far enough to allow the door to clear with a couple of inches to spare. This allows me to fully open the door to the fridge that is in front of my car. I keep my beer in this fridge so access is very important

Just be sure to check and close that door before opening the fridge door and having too many beers! I like your sense of priorities.

[Cabinetman]

Originally Posted by gongju

When did the GT-R become a low profile type of car? Congrats on the car it's a beauty! And yeah watch out for that garage door!

It isn't. That is why it won't get driven to work just like my M3 didn't. I've got a Dodge Cummins 3/4 ton truck as a daily driver. It isn't fun to drive, but it gets the job done and is surprisingly nice inside.

[Nawaaz]

WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW!

LOL, I feel that it was just yesterday when you gave up the IS F, in order to get into the M3. I remember the time when you posted a review within one of your posts, comparing the M3 to the IS F.

Not too long ago, I was even thinking of giving up my M3 for the new GT-R, and one of the Nissan dealerships local to me had the exact same looking GT-R.........Wait a sec, did you get that GT-R from Bankston Nissan in Dallas located off of Dallas North Tollway & 635!!??

You made the right move!

I've also started to like the GT-R more and more as time goes by.

I can understand why you'd be adverse on modding. As you probably already know, I've modded my M3 with all the basic bolt-on's. And if I had a second chance, I would've kept my M3 stock so that I could always keep the peace of mind.

I believe the MSRP on your GT-R was just under $80k, and I hope the dealer gave you some discount off of that. What made me hold off was the fact that I feel the M3 is the right car for me at this stage of my life, yet I still hope to acquire a super car like your GT-R a little later in the future.

I'm completely and absolutely SUBSCRIBED to your full review, comparing your new GT-R against your previous love: The e90 M3.

Many congrats to you!!

[Cdnrockies]

Dude, make up your mind...lol. j/k

Congrats on the new beast! We look forward to your evaluation of the new ride.

[M3Alpine]

wow congrats... awesome car

[Cabinetman]

Originally Posted by Nawaaz

WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW!

LOL, I feel that it was just yesterday when you gave up the IS F, in order to get into the M3. I remember the time when you posted a review within one of your posts, comparing the M3 to the IS F.

Not too long ago, I was even thinking of giving up my M3 for the new GT-R, and one of the Nissan dealerships local to me had the exact same looking GT-R.........Wait a sec, did you get that GT-R from Bankston Nissan in Dallas located off of Dallas North Tollway & 635!!??

You made the right move!

I've also started to like the GT-R more and more as time goes by.

I can understand why you'd be adverse on modding. As you probably already know, I've modded my M3 with all the basic bolt-on's. And if I had a second chance, I would've kept my M3 stock so that I could always keep the peace of mind.

I believe the MSRP on your GT-R was just under $80k, and I hope the dealer gave you some discount off of that. What made me hold off was the fact that I feel the M3 is the right car for me at this stage of my life, yet I still hope to acquire a super car like your GT-R a little later in the future.

I'm completely and absolutely SUBSCRIBED to your full review, comparing your new GT-R against your previous love: The e90 M3.

Many congrats to you!!

Thanks.

I bought my car at Grubbs in Hurst. When I was into Jeeps I did a lot of business with them. I've seen more than one Ranger game from the Grubbs suite. The 2011s only come in the Premium trim and sticker for just north of $85k. The invoice on the car is about $80k. I gave a little over invoice, but not much. Being a repeat customer helps some.

To be completely honest I should have gone straight from the IS-F to the GT-R. The M3 is a great car, but I never really connected with it on an emotional level. I'm not really sure why this is because it was the easiest car I have owned to drive fast. The feedback from the chassis and neutral handling gave me plenty of confidence. Maybe the M3 was just too polished for this redneck.

Originally Posted by Cdnrockies

Dude, make up your mind...lol. j/k

Congrats on the new beast! We look forward to your evaluation of the new ride.

You sound like my wife I'm pretty sure if I breath a word about getting another car in the next couple of years she is going to kill me and bury me out back.

I will be happy to give my evaluation once I've had some time with the car. Hopefully the weather will clear up around here so I can get through the break in process ASAP.

[Moxie]

Congrats on the new car - So, did you trade in the M? Any mods laying around?

[Moxie]

and only 315 available in NA - http://wot.motortrend.com/6619603/au...060/index.html

Great car

[swamp2]

Yes, GT-R a lot more discreet and under the radar than an M3.

NOT.

Either way great car.

[1MOREMOD]

very nice. love it in white. congrats dude.

[Cabinetman]

Originally Posted by Moxie

Congrats on the new car - So, did you trade in the M? Any mods laying around?

Sorry, no mods laying around.

Originally Posted by swamp2

Yes, GT-R a lot more discreet and under the radar than an M3.

NOT.

Either way great car.

I guess my wording in the original post wasn't clear. i didn't buy the GT-R to be more discrete. I bought it because I thought it would make a more fun weekend toy.

When I got the M3 I thought I would use it more since it was a sedan, but I never felt comfortable driving it to work. After I realized I would never feel good driving something that nice to work I decided to say to hell with practical and got the GT-R.

[oct1285]

Originally Posted by Cabinetman

Sorry, no mods laying around.



I guess my wording in the original post wasn't clear. i didn't buy the GT-R to be more discrete. I bought it because I thought it would make a more fun weekend toy.

When I got the M3 I thought I would use it more since it was a sedan, but I never felt comfortable driving it to work. After I realized I would never feel good driving something that nice to work I decided to say to hell with practical and got the GT-R.

I understood what you were trying to say in your first post. Not everybody believes reading is fundamental. That's a nice car you have, one day I'll follow in your footsteps

[gemini330zhp]

Congrats Beautiful Car. Hmmm makes me wonder whats next after the M3.....

[ghosthi32]

amazing. i love this car

[Evan_RS]

congrats, I'm on the same road.