Is there life after the M3?

[panda-R]

What's next? I'm scratching my head trying to think if I sold the M3 what could possibly replace it? Nothing has both the dual purpose nature of the M3 and I'm not interested in going to F80...

997.2 C4S? Is this as interesting though?

I have a S2000 summer car so I don't need another 2 seater fun car.

[Transfer]

Giulia quad?

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by panda-R

What's next? I'm scratching my head trying to think if I sold the M3 what could possibly replace it? Nothing has both the dual purpose nature of the M3 and I'm not interested in going to F80...

Depends on the budget.

997.2 C4S? Is this as interesting though?

Yes, but I might even shoot for a 997.1TT or 997.2TT.

[pbonsalb]

I have had my 08 for over 8 years. It’s worth only about $20k. There is nothing else for $20k I would rather have. At $40-60k, I’d consider a 2015 Mercedes E63 AMG BiTurbo S. Maybe an Audi S6 tuned to 600 hp. At $100k, I’d be interested in a 991TT. Older or regular 911s don’t interest me even though they are good cars. I want AWD and big power.

[amrazM]

What’s the budget

[njdrive]

Originally Posted by panda-R

What's next? I'm scratching my head trying to think if I sold the M3 what could possibly replace it? Nothing has both the dual purpose nature of the M3 and I'm not interested in going to F80...

997.2 C4S? Is this as interesting though?

I have a S2000 summer car so I don't need another 2 seater fun car.

Interesting that you are wondering what is next and you have an S2000. I was think about a 911 convertible, S2000 or F80 as a summer car.
I own a e92 that is my weekend toy but I want add a convertible to the stable as a pure summer car.

the S2000 because it is inexpensive and reliable.
911 because it is the "natural" progress from the E9x
F8x convertible because I was to stay in the BMW family even though I'm in the fence about the F8x.

How do you like mix of having the s2000 and the V8 beast?

[panda-R]

Originally Posted by njdrive

How do you like mix of having the s2000 and the V8 beast?

Love it but sometimes hard to decide what to drive. I go for the M3 when I feel like having a good mix of sound, power and comfort. The s2000 for those days with no traffic and you just want to have some fun.... but long drives just beat you up in it!

Maybe what I'm looking for is there something that combines a s2000 and a M3 in one package?

997.2 C4S has always interested me but will I miss the V8? Probably should say standard is a must.

[marcster]

C63 / C63S?

I think it's a gorgeous looking car, especially the sedan version.

Sounds awesome too.

Nothing like a turbocharged V8!

[SAMM3Y]

CTS-V.... 'merica

[E90M3velocity]

M2, Porsches or classics... might of jinxed myself and end in a minivan or a big suv/crossover

[GRUESOM3]

No there is no life after m3.

It would have to either be some exclusive classics or exotics with a mix of some leased appliance cars to get through life.

[panda-R]

Anyone drive the M2 competition yet? I only tried the OG M2 last year and was left unimpressed.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by GRUESOM3

No there is no life after m3.
.

This. I have two E9X M3s. I've tried a lot of cars and haven't found one I like more than the M3

[New2Roundel]

There are definitely dual purpose cars on the market---the one that immediately jumps to mind is the Audi RS3. It's gotten great reviews and with limited mods it's ridiculously quick. I know this will probably get me banned from here, but I think a Macan GTS would also be a pretty decent ride, depending on your intended use.

If you still want to go with something similar, but different from e9x, there are of course various C63 and RS5 models.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

There are definitely dual purpose cars on the market---the one that immediately jumps to mind is the Audi RS3. It's gotten great reviews and with limited mods it's ridiculously quick. I know this will probably get me banned from here, but I think a Macan GTS would also be a pretty decent ride, depending on your intended use.

If you still want to go with something similar, but different from e9x, there are of course various C63 and RS5 models.

The RS3 is a FWD platform. Nice for joe six pack that can't tell the difference but not enthusiasts

[Shiza]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

There are definitely dual purpose cars on the market---the one that immediately jumps to mind is the Audi RS3. It's gotten great reviews and with limited mods it's ridiculously quick. I know this will probably get me banned from here, but I think a Macan GTS would also be a pretty decent ride, depending on your intended use.

If you still want to go with something similar, but different from e9x, there are of course various C63 and RS5 models.

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

The RS3 is a FWD platform. Nice for joe six pack that can't tell the difference but not enthusiasts

Agreed, and if you're a manual owner the C63 and RS5 are out of the question too.

I'd go as far to say unless you make the jump to a super car, there is nothing quite as fun/engaging as the E9x M3.

[New2Roundel]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

The RS3 is a FWD platform. Nice for joe six pack that can't tell the difference but not enthusiasts

Ok, so typical BMW d-baggery? Gotcha. The fact is, the RS3 matches nicely with the M3. I've owned many fwd cars, in fact I still own a nicely modded Corrado. The fact is, on the street, the corrado is simply more engaging. So saying flat out that the fwd just isn't fun as a blanket statement speaks more to your lack of experience than some objective absolute.

As far as engagement is concerned--sorry, but the M3 isn't that great. If you're talking about supercars being the only step up from a e9x M3, then you're pretty naive. A base 987 Boxster is vastly more engaging than a e9x M3---it's not even close. The e9x M3 is numb in comparison. But what do I know, I've only driven both. And if you think the e9x M3 is some pinnacle of feel, then you should add in a 997 carrera to the list, because they feel very similar on the road. The reason I ended up with my e92 is because I expected more from the carrera, but the M3 was at the level it should have been.

The manual transmission thing is a cop out as well. The OP never explicitly mentioned the need for a manual, so bringing it up in this thread is completely irrelevant.

[Shiza]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

Ok, so typical BMW d-baggery? Gotcha. The fact is, the RS3 matches nicely with the M3. I've owned many fwd cars, in fact I still own a nicely modded Corrado. The fact is, on the street, the corrado is simply more engaging. So saying flat out that the fwd just isn't fun as a blanket statement speaks more to your lack of experience than some objective absolute.

As far as engagement is concerned--sorry, but the M3 isn't that great. If you're talking about supercars being the only step up from a e9x M3, then you're pretty naive. A base 987 Boxster is vastly more engaging than a e9x M3---it's not even close. The e9x M3 is numb in comparison. But what do I know, I've only driven both. And if you think the e9x M3 is some pinnacle of feel, then you should add in a 997 carrera to the list, because they feel very similar on the road. The reason I ended up with my e92 is because I expected more from the carrera, but the M3 was at the level it should have been.

The manual transmission thing is a cop out as well. The OP never explicitly mentioned the need for a manual, so bringing it up in this thread is completely irrelevant.

Having driven several 997.1's, I was not impressed. The GT cars may be another story.

Not exactly sure how bringing up a manual trans is a "cop out". I and I'm sure many owners would never purchase an auto performance car of any kind. That eliminates quite a few options out there. So yes, I stand by my statement.

[New2Roundel]

Originally Posted by Reed

Having driven several 997.1's, I was not impressed. The GT cars may be another story.

Not exactly sure how bringing up a manual trans is a "cop out". I and I'm sure many owners would never purchase an auto performance car of any kind. That eliminates quite a few options out there. So yes, I stand by my statement.

I'm sure the GTS and up have a bit more of an edge than a standard Carrera or CS. The transmission thing is a cop-out because we're not talking about "many owners" we're talking about the OP, who started the thread. He made no comment about the transmission. I mean I get it---the Alfa Giulia QF is a non-starter for me because of the auto. But I didn't start the thread. Could be a great option for him.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

Ok, so typical BMW d-baggery? Gotcha. The fact is, the RS3 matches nicely with the M3. I've owned many fwd cars, in fact I still own a nicely modded Corrado. The fact is, on the street, the corrado is simply more engaging. So saying flat out that the fwd just isn't fun as a blanket statement speaks more to your lack of experience than some objective absolute.

As far as engagement is concerned--sorry, but the M3 isn't that great. If you're talking about supercars being the only step up from a e9x M3, then you're pretty naive. A base 987 Boxster is vastly more engaging than a e9x M3---it's not even close. The e9x M3 is numb in comparison. But what do I know, I've only driven both. And if you think the e9x M3 is some pinnacle of feel, then you should add in a 997 carrera to the list, because they feel very similar on the road. The reason I ended up with my e92 is because I expected more from the carrera, but the M3 was at the level it should have been.

The manual transmission thing is a cop out as well. The OP never explicitly mentioned the need for a manual, so bringing it up in this thread is completely irrelevant.

The RS3 does not match up, at all, to the M3. It falls apart when driven hard, as reviewers tend to note. I did see one at a track day once though.

I've driven quite a few FWD cars and have a Mini Cooper S. I stand by my assertion that FWD sucks. That some companies are able to devote many resources to making decent FWD cars (Civic Type R, etc) does not change the general statement.

Actually a long term girlfriend had a '99 Boxster. It was a piece of shit. I drove it probably hundreds of times. I strongly preferred the 330Ci I had at the time.
I've driven a few modern Caymans and they're better than that but I'd still not buy one.
Maybe I am not worried about having a BMW badge on the car vs a Porsche one because I've driven many, many Porsches on and off track (I'm an instructor for PCA) and am yet to find one I like. Haven't driven a 991 GT3 so there is still hope a 200k Porsche can excite me.

Go to AER where people can run whatever they want and surprisingly almost every single car is an M3. For completely unknown reasons people opt to race ancient E36s instead of Boxsters... odd as the Boxster is dirt cheap.


I'm not sure where I spoke about manual transmissions or supercars.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Reed

Having driven several 997.1's, I was not impressed. The GT cars may be another story.

It's that you're doing it wrong. Although the 997.1 is a 'pure' sports car and came out at the same time as the E92 and cost around 2x as much, most people who drive one and can get past the badge difference are certainly not impressed.

Apparently the solution to driving Porsches and feeling bored is to buy a GT3. A 991.2 runs around 150k used. A 997.2 GT3 used is around 110k.

So once you spend multiple times what your M3 costs you *may* get something entertaining. Sounds like a winning proposition to me!!

[pbonsalb]

I have actually thought about selling my 08 E90M3 with 95k miles for $20k and buying a $30k newer and lower mileage E90 or E92 M3 from one of those people who keeps it in the garage instead of driving it. I drive my cars, year round, including winter, so they get wear and tear from the elements, carrying dogs, lumber, tools, etc.