Does One Simply Trade a BMW M3 for a Porsche 911?

"RightFootDown" (rightfootdown) 02/18/2014 at 14:47 • Filed to: None

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I've owned my E46 M3 for a few years now but I've become a little bored of the car as of late and have began to look at used Porsche 911's in the 996 C4S and 997.1 variety. Well maintained examples can be found on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for $35k or a less with 50k miles and so long as short list of preventative maintenance mods (IMS anyone?) has been done, they are fairly reliable cars that can be used as daily driver even if you have a child or two. This is where I'm at.

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The older 996 Carrera 4S has the allure of all-wheel-drive and the sexy hips of the wide body, shared with the turbo model. The interior design is more modern than the 993s before it. It's not terrible. It just doesn't yell 911. The worst part of the car has got to be the front end. I prefer the 99-01 headlights over the 02-04 but I think it's actually the front bumper design of the standard Carrera's that sometimes make me cry. The 02-04 Carrera 4S has a bumper similar to the turbo model, thank God. Then there's the whole intermediate shaft bearing that's plagued the 996 911s. Only the GT3 and turbo models were safe.

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Photo by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

The 997 (2005-13) Porsche 911, on the other hand, looks every bit the part of a modern 911. The interior with its flat dash is more reminiscent of the air cooled era. Even the base Carrera with it's 325 horsepower 3.6L would be plenty for me. And this is good thing as there's no chance of finding the 355 horsepower Carrera S for $30k. Unfortunately for me, the 2005 model year also had the old intermediate shaft design known to fail in 996 models. The engine failure rate didn't seem to improve until the 2006 model year though there have been some reports of those failing too. The 2009 997 introduced an all-new direct fuel injected engine producing more horsepower (345 for the base Carrera) and none of the IMS problems. Those cars, dubbed 997.2's, are at about $40k now.

I don't know what to do. The Porsche 911 is so attractive. I can swing $30k for the right car but I don't need to sell my M3 and I certainly don't want to regret selling it. Maybe my M3 just needs a few mods to hold me over another couple of years?

Brian Silvestro > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 14:48

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Ask Rusto. He has both of those cars. He'll tell you all about them, and if it's worth it. (Hint: It probably is)

Cynical > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 14:55

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DO IT!

Z_Stig > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 14:56

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The 996 gets so much unwarranted hate.

This is excellent resource for prospective and current 996 owners. Now would I trade an E46 M3 for a 996? That's a tough question, as both cars are pretty evenly matched, but in the end a 911 seems more 'special' than basically a hot rodded 3 series.

I'm looking to make a 911 my next car, and I'm focused on the 02+ 996 Carrera 2s. IMS issues don't scare me all that much, and if you're paranoid, there's several solutions that will alleviate those fears.

Maybe a decade or so from now, the 996 will gain more respect as the car that saved Porsche (along with the 986 Boxster) from financial ruin, and brought the company into the modern age.

Leadbull > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 14:57

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Drive both.

—Rusto

Manuél Ferrari > Leadbull 02/18/2014 at 15:00

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At least until you damage the Porsche and are scared to drive it because it might rain and short out the tail light. Because: I'm an idiot.

Textured Soy Protein > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 15:08

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Never been a huge fan of awd Porsches. If it were me I would wait until you can afford either a 996 turbo (because at least you have piles of hp with the awd) or 997.1 C2S. I would also probably want to add some kind of LSD to either car.

Manuél Ferrari > Brian Silvestro 02/18/2014 at 15:15

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I could type up a few pages on this subject. Or maybe a dozen.

I thought about it a bit to figure out how to distill my thoughts into a couple sentences. I think I came up with it.

"If you need usable rear seats and a decent size trunk then never sell an M3, if you don't and have to sell it to get a 911 then it's not a bad decision. If could only drive one car for the rest of my life and didn't need it to have much cargo or passenger space it would be a 911."

That's the gist of it. I wouldn't trade an M3 for a 911 if it's important to have space for people and cargo. If not it's worth it if that's the only way to afford the 911. If one can add a 911 and keep the M3 then it's the best of both worlds. While it seems silly to have two performance cars my personal experience has been that and M3 and 911 make perfect garage mates. Both are special and one is more practical than the other. You never get bored of either if you have both.

And once you've paid off the initial purchase of the 2nd car (which I haven't done yet) the only true additional cost is the extra insurance premiums. Now I know that sounds crazy but it's not. If you're planning on keeping both cars a while then you can't really think of the added maintenance costs as additional costs as both cars cost money to maintain. Splitting miles between the cars will split the depreciation and maintenance costs. The depreciation and maintenance costs are only a problem if the new car ends up being a dud and needing a ton of work or if you're forced to sell one of the cars sooner than expected.

Brian Silvestro > Manuél Ferrari 02/18/2014 at 15:20

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That is some great advice. Too bad I'm the only person who got this notification because you responded to my comment rather than responding to the actual post.

Manuél Ferrari > Brian Silvestro 02/18/2014 at 15:23

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oops

i thought the OP sees everything. but i forgot he doesn't. i don't create a lot of new posts so i forgot how it works. and i forgot to use punctuation again, damn it

Brian Silvestro > Manuél Ferrari 02/18/2014 at 15:25

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Just copy/paste it, and make another comment

Manuél Ferrari > Textured Soy Protein 02/18/2014 at 15:25

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i read somewhere that you can convert a 996 4S or Turbo to RWD. that way you get widebody goodness + RWD

Manuél Ferrari > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 15:26

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I fully support your decision!

Please see my reply to Brian.

I think you'll be super happy if you can keep the M3 and add a 911. When you have one fun car you do get bored of it. But when you have two you appreciate each car's strengths and don't get bored of either.

Z_Stig > Manuél Ferrari 02/18/2014 at 15:31

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Yes, it's quite easy. It's actually very tempting to go this route and buy a 4S and remove the front diff.

Manuél Ferrari > Z_Stig 02/18/2014 at 15:38

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it would be pretty sweet. the widebody cars are soooooo nice

RightFootDown > Z_Stig 02/18/2014 at 15:47

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Very interesting, indeed. I could reinstall the front differential for winter months... hmmmmmmmm....

RightFootDown > Manuél Ferrari 02/18/2014 at 15:55

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We do have a Corolla in the family so it's not our only car. I would like to be able to take a road trip or week long vacation in the 911 + significant other + baby. I can pack a week's worth of clothes in a duffle bag... the significant other would need carry-on sized luggage. There's gotta be Porsche frunk sized luggage, right?

Z_Stig > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 15:59

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Be forewarned though, the 996 C4 awd system isn't all that great in snow. The system is really made to provide an advantage exiting corners on dry tarmac.

Textured Soy Protein > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 16:02

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I dunno, personally if I was going to mess around with an awd Porsche's driveline it would be to add a rear LSD, not to disconnect the front diff.

Manuél Ferrari > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 16:06

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Oh that definitely helps then. I forgot you might have a significant other who has a car. I'm single and if I only had the 911 it would be a problem on certain days when I need to take people out for business lunches or stuff like that.

The 911 frunk fits more luggage than you would expect. At least the RWD models do. I read once that the AWD models have a smaller frunk due to the extra mechanical bits.

I don't have any kids but once had to fit a baby seat in the back of my 997 (long but hilarious story). It worked out way better than expected. His Mom got a big kick out of taking the baby with us in the Porsche.

I think you'd have a lot of fun taking the 911 on a trip. I find it to be very comfortable once you've packed and hit the open road. I dunno if it's just my body type or what but the standard seats in my car are the most comfortable seats I've ever had for long trips. I do not get fatigued in those seats no matter how many hours I drive. Which is a big deal for me because I don't last very long without needing to get out and stretch in most cars.

RightFootDown > Textured Soy Protein 02/18/2014 at 16:12

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That sounds expensive.

Z_Stig > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 16:16

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Eyewateringly expensive.......

Textured Soy Protein > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 16:18

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$1395 for the Wavetrac torque-biasing differential, just as an example. Quaife & Guard Transmission make similar options. Depending on where you get the part from I've seen people getting them down in the $800-900 range with some shopping around.

Nihilati0n > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 16:40

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I vote to mod the M3 just enough to keep you satisfied for another two years and then sell it when the 997.2's are in your price range.

911e46z06 > Manuél Ferrari 02/18/2014 at 19:07

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I don't think anyone thinks having 2 performance cars is silly.

Manuél Ferrari > 911e46z06 02/18/2014 at 19:21

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Haha true, nobody on this site does. But those pesky "practical" folks do ;)

JasonStern911 > RightFootDown 02/18/2014 at 21:24

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The IMS doesn't have problems - the IMS bearing does. Just factor upgrading it (and ideally the clutch and air/oil separator) into the purchase price and it's a non-issue - at least for 996s. The 997 requires engine disassembly. Tons more info here: http://imsretrofit.com/

If you do go the 996 route, save/spend a bit more and get a 996TT instead of the C4S. For whatever reason, the C4S tends to be fairly expensive to a point where 996TTs are almost feasible. Why add weight without also adding power? Plus the 996TT has a better engine and higher chance of appreciation.

911e46z06 > Manuél Ferrari 02/18/2014 at 23:34

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Weirdos

Talbot2016 > RightFootDown 04/12/2014 at 01:04

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You can get extra power and a LSD in the 40th anniversary model in 04. That's the one you want!