Need M3 replacement advice

[dtwyim]

2012/13 CPO 991 C2S.

The back seat is bigger than you think. I am 6'2" and my 7yo barely but still fit in there behind me but leg room is compromised. You are shorter so there should be no issue. Or get your boy to sit on the passenger side at the back assuming your wife is smaller than you. The problem is there is no head rest so not the safest spot in terms of neck protection in case of a rear ender.

With the 991.2 all going turbo, it is hard to say what that is going to do with the price of the 991.1. But you should be able to get one within your budget.

[Quicksilv3r]

Why not a W212 E63? Not a Merc fan?

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by 1fastdoc

In case you're new to how this works, the whole point to a forum is to benefit from the experiences and mistakes of others.

I was looking for things I haven't considered and insight into the cars I had.

Regarding BMW, who said anything about punishing them? If you missed it, they sent my car to Crest Cadillac to have it repaired. Then, when I had a steering issue that BMW was very capable of evaluating and correcting, they told me to go back to the body shop that they sent it to that replaced the rack. The body shop wanted money to look at it. Fucked up situation to put someone in after they buy a premium car that typically comes with a premium experience.

That whole issue comes from the fact that Sonic Automotive owns BMW and they have to send it to Cadillac. For those that don't know, in Nashville, Porsche became a part of the Sonic family also. So, any wrecked Porsche will also go back to the Cadillac dealership. Crest Cadillac is very, very bad at returning phone calls too. And the body/paint workmanship is nowhere near as good as other work I've had done.

Don't listen to the troll fan boy. I've had 4 BMW's nothing but in the last 19 years and each time they piss me off with really poor CS but always go back because I can't find anything that drives like it for the cost. Hence your M4 problem.
Maybe a C63 coupe, they are quick have the room but might be a bit portly for your track experience.
Porsche is a solid contender if you can live with the rear room/safety, how often will your son be in the back seat? 991.1 might escalate in value in the next 2 years as they most likely will be the last NA 911 variants.
Your's is a problem I'd love to have either way.

[Taskmaster]

Porsche

I'm sad that real men are suggesting a VW A7/4 as a replacement.

[1fastdoc]

My son rides with me a decent amount. Due to my job we often have 2 cars at events and he always prefers to go with me. I asked him recently what he liked better, the M3 or the Ford Raptor. I was surprised he said the latter. But, he can sit in the middle, with a lot of room, and see everything. I also have no regard for bumps/curbs/trees/Priuses (Prii?). I think he likes that aspect too.

I've driven the 997, too small. I'm told the 991 is bigger. I'll have to harass one of my colleagues to look at one, the dealer has nothing good used to check out.

[P1]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

Porsche

I'm sad that real men are suggestion a VW A7/4 as a replacement.

Why not? Audi and VW are two top brands! I'd trade both of my BMWs in for Audis in a heartbeat.

Why don't you like VW or Audi?

[Taskmaster]

Bland styling, terrible reliability, poor driving dynamics, crappy powertrains, dbag drivers.

Zero Redeeming value in those brands - I would literally drive almost anything else.

[Sgop335]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

Bland styling, terrible reliability, poor driving dynamics, crappy powertrains, dbag drivers.

Zero Redeeming value in those brands - I would literally drive almost anything else.

O btw the panamera or macan seems cool

[FC4]

Whoever thinks a GTR can't be daily driven is full of shit. Granted, I never drove mine as a daily, however plenty of people do...in San Francisco, to boot. I know two people personally who have one as their only car.

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by FC4

Whoever thinks a GTR can't be daily driven is full of shit. Granted, I never drove mine as a daily, however plenty of people do...in San Francisco, to boot. I know two people personally who have one as their only car.

You could daily drive an ariel atom if you really wanted to.

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by FC4

Whoever thinks a GTR can't be daily driven is full of shit. Granted, I never drove mine as a daily, however plenty of people do...in San Francisco, to boot. I know two people personally who have one as their only car.

I appreciate that input. I need to go back and drive one, there are 3 on a local lot.

Did drive the 991 Porsche C2S last night, with my wife in the back. The salesman took me to some curvy roads, some I knew, some I didn't, in the dark.

He was navigating but let me go in hot to a couple turns. It would have sent the ass end on the M3 out a tad before the stability control kicked in. Instead, the Porsche handled it like a go cart. It is a major leap above the 997.

I'm down to 991, RS5, GTR, Maserati MC. The last two would be cool to own for a year, the first two seem like better daily drivers. It's going to come down to finding the best deal.

I still don't understand how some people turn over cars annually and break even.

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by FC4

Whoever thinks a GTR can't be daily driven is full of shit. Granted, I never drove mine as a daily, however plenty of people do...in San Francisco, to boot. I know two people personally who have one as their only car.

Actually, I have some questions for you. I've heard the GTR is stupid easy to drive. That kind of surprised me given it's capabilities. I found the M3 to be extraordinarily predictable and I only lost it on a track once (nanny control off, first time track, before I owned mine).

It the GTR easier to drive? How is the real world, off track handling on less than perfect roads with spirited driving? Would it be safe for my wife, who doesn't have the best driving habits when it comes to power and weight management?

[FC4]

Originally Posted by 1fastdoc

Actually, I have some questions for you. I've heard the GTR is stupid easy to drive. That kind of surprised me given it's capabilities. I found the M3 to be extraordinarily predictable and I only lost it on a track once (nanny control off, first time track, before I owned mine).

It the GTR easier to drive? How is the real world, off track handling on less than perfect roads with spirited driving? Would it be safe for my wife, who doesn't have the best driving habits when it comes to power and weight management?

Among the fastest cars money buys, I can't think of one that is easier to drive. It's AWD with big sticky tires and a DCT...margin for error is quite wide compared to a Corvette/Viper/Ferrari/Porsche. I've never gotten into a hairy situation with it on track. Even with ~600 WHP and street tires, there is full forward traction in 2nd gear on up so it's not like it will get away from you. It's just fine around town. Suspension is quite jarring on the street, I'd say more so than other cars of this performance level, but nothing that should stop an average enthusiast from DDing it. It's not going to feel as composed as a Porsche or Ferrari if you're pushing it on shitty pavement, but one shouldn't expect it to.

I don't quite get the "is it safe for my wife?" sentiment, though. That has even been asked regarding the M3/4 which I find laughable. No modern car will bite your head off out of nowhere and send you into a ditch under normal street driving. Even driving spirited, the limits of cars of this caliber are so high that you would need to be intentionally testing those limits with all electronics limited/defeated to get into trouble. My GF has driven her GT3 almost daily since we picked it up. She's had no formal performance-driving experience nor does she care to, but it's not like it's a white-knuckle driving experience every time you take the wheel. She has enough common sense not to suddenly go WOT around a tight corner or in 1st gear. So long as one's not hooning, there is no reason for even a hypercar to be "unsafe."

[MrPrena]

Originally Posted by FC4

Whoever thinks a GTR can't be daily driven is full of shit. Granted, I never drove mine as a daily, however plenty of people do...in San Francisco, to boot. I know two people personally who have one as their only car.

+1

GTR is easier to drive, especially if the M3 is 6MT on traffic.

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by FC4

Among the fastest cars money buys, I can't think of one that is easier to drive. It's AWD with big sticky tires and a DCT...margin for error is quite wide compared to a Corvette/Viper/Ferrari/Porsche. I've never gotten into a hairy situation with it on track. Even with ~600 WHP and street tires, there is full forward traction in 2nd gear on up so it's not like it will get away from you. It's just fine around town. Suspension is quite jarring on the street, I'd say more so than other cars of this performance level, but nothing that should stop an average enthusiast from DDing it. It's not going to feel as composed as a Porsche or Ferrari if you're pushing it on shitty pavement, but one shouldn't expect it to.

I don't quite get the "is it safe for my wife?" sentiment, though. That has even been asked regarding the M3/4 which I find laughable. No modern car will bite your head off out of nowhere and send you into a ditch under normal street driving. Even driving spirited, the limits of cars of this caliber are so high that you would need to be intentionally testing those limits with all electronics limited/defeated to get into trouble. My GF has driven her GT3 almost daily since we picked it up. She's had no formal performance-driving experience nor does she care to, but it's not like it's a white-knuckle driving experience every time you take the wheel. She has enough common sense not to suddenly go WOT around a tight corner or in 1st gear. So long as one's not hooning, there is no reason for even a hypercar to be "unsafe."

Thanks, that's very helpful.

Regarding the wife thing, I would disagree with the bolded part. See my prior thread about my wrecked M3 for details. In a nutshell, a friend gave it a little gas while merging onto the highway on wet pavement. A lower hp car would probably not do much. In the higher gear he managed to send my car sideways, with the stability control ON. I still don't know how he did it. I do know that his inclination to hit the brakes and heavily counter-steer is what then put us off the road. He had never lost control of a car and didn't know what to expect before it happened or what to do after it happened. My wife would have no idea what to do if she kicked the ass end out and would certainly just mash the brakes. She tends to brake late and turn in early or late -- something that her lower hp and heavier SUV tolerates. Basically, she doesn't know how to interpret what the car is telling her to prevent badness from happening and has managed to spin a Camry around despite me warning her it was coming.