99three

I was thinking of replacing my 40K 96 cab for a new BMW M3 coupe. The BMW will be:
• Daily driven
• winter driven
• Practical hauler (Room for booster seat)
• One of the fastest machines on the road (414hp)

Reasons why not to sell it:
• Fun in the sun
• The rarity of the 993
• Air cooled bliss

Please provide more pros and cons for my decision.

CorrdoBrit

I went in the opposite direction. Had a low mileage 05 M3 ZCP coupe w/SMG transmission. A competent car but too big and heavy. I also never took to the SMG which is probably great on the track but for around town driving, it was a poor substitute for a 6sp manual.
I now have a low mileage 993 Coupe and would not go back. Its everything I want in a sports car, although its not a daily driver. Great ergos, exclusive (at least in TX), fast enough, has the perfect sound with some massaging to the exhaust system and attracts admiring attention. Its like my Italian motorbike.... the thing stirs the soul like no modern vehicle I've driven can match.

I also test drove the E92 M3.... VERY fast, but there's more to the driving experience than pure speed. I felt even more disconnected from the road than I did in E46 M3. Go test drive a couple and see how you feel. Its the only way to be sure.

goofballdeluxe

BMW: everyone has one, no soul, numb steering, a heavy pig, complicated electronics you don't need to babysit you, iffy reliability down the road, not so great looking, any clown with $60K can buy one, in a few years you'll be just another sad sack with a used M3 who paid over $60K that's now worth $25K.

993: rare, lovely, lotsa character/soul, connected to the road, harkens back to a better time when things were made to last, old school, better sounds, air cooled, not trendy or hip but always in style, takes more than money to buy one, old 911s get better with age, little depreciation.

Does that help at all?

MarkD

apples and oranges IMO.

You need both!

Stuttgart951

Pro: Will make you appreciate the 993 that much more.

Con: Expensive lesson.



Honestly, they are great cars - but you'll be back here in 18 months, tops. See "Gone," below.

dcdude

+1. Why not just weekend the 993 and add a cheap DD? My buddy just bought an E36 M3 with 60K for $12,900 to use as a DD. More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

sce46m3

Ditto dcdude. Just what I was going to suggest. Have had all the variants of M3 from the E36 on, even an Mcoupe or two.....

No comparison is valid, but if I wanted a DD I would pounce on a well cared for E36. Heck you can even find a four door for that extra utility. Present day BMW's have just lost touch with where they came from. The E36 is easy to maintain, good power to weight, good handling....blah blah blah.....just a darn good car.

Give one a try and hang onto that 993...you would regret it and will be out hunting a replacement in no time.

race911

I like how so many of you have come and gone with M3s............and come back to an E36 as the one you remember fondest. My wife's '06 325i is just the tick slower than the US E36 M3, and it's just fine for everything you need an everyday car to do. Sure, go buy the big V-8 car that's oh-so fast. And where do you drive it? Jumping on the freeway once in awhile? Sure as hell aren't stretching its legs if you have any conscience in our land of speed limits and traffic.

99three

That's exactly what I have right now. A '97 328 with the Dinan signature upgrade. A tossable car while sharing duty as a daily - a $hitload of fun! The reason I was/am pondering the idea is to reduce the amount of cars in the household. My wifes Jag wagon and a 335i is way too much.

Thanks for all the comments guys. Just the slap upside the head I needed.

Rinty

+1.

mrsullivan

boy... I could write a phD on this topic.

The short version. Buy something safe and reliable as a daily driver. Something with a satellite radio and navigation, etc. But dont spend a lot of money on it. You will never get the fun out of it you think you will. Save your $$ for something REALLY fun. In other words, dont compromise. Stay at the practical end of the spectrum for daily driver and the crazy fun end of the spectrum for weekend car.

Just my $.02 after owning an M3, RS4, RS6 ,etc. Of course, this assumes you cant do both. If money were no object, I would drive an Audi RS, BMW M or Mercedes AMG daily and have a few air cooled Porsches in the garage for the weekend. Now that I have the bright color bug, they would be signal orange, signal green, etc...

vincer77

I have a cheap DD and the 993 cab. I am finding that I am driving the 993 alot. It's a pretty nice DD, though I have to admot that I telecommute.

Also, there have been a couple threads about what booster seats will fit the 993. Also, the bimmer will still have depreciation to come, the 993 is past bottom in that aspect.

parsonii

how about selling your convertible and get a c4s and put all season radials or winter tires and make it your daily driver in toronto?

spts

Having owned the new m3 coupe and a 993 4s, the m3 just felt like an average techi car with power, basically soleless. Nothing really special other than the sound of the v8 motor. After the first few months I owned it, it got pretty boring and ended up in storage for 6 months until I sold it to buy an x5 diesel. Even though the 993 isn't as fast, it's just a more enjoyable car all around. Comparing the two is pretty difficult, but if I had to choose between the two, the 993 would be my choice without a doubt.

Canyon56

fwiw, I have an AMG E Class (63) as my daily and the 993 is for fun/weekend. The 63 makes for a good all around daily because of the amenities, comfort, size, safety, etc.. But it's not as fun as the 993 because there's no autobahn around here. There's no place to truly take advantage of a car that's planted and comfortable at 120mph. The gobs of usable torque is nice for everyday driving and comes in handy. And sure you can smoke the tires once in a while when nobody's looking. But that's about it.

imho, the new e92 M3 is even worse. There's no torque down low for everyday use. The car only gets exciting when the rpms are way up there. There are not many places to get any enjoyment out of that motor. It's too high strung. Plus it's no longer "one of the fastest machines on the road" anyway. And the mpg is worse than my car (I can drive like an old man and still get fairly decent mpg.) It handles nice but no better than an older M (lighter) or pretty much any other BMW. And as a coupe it's still fairly small (long doors and not easy for rear passengers.)

It would make for a fun track car. I'd buy one for that purpose.

Like others say, keep the 993 and get something else as a daily, imho. The best thing about a 993 is that it's even fun to drive slow. A modern fast car can get a little frustrating in the modern world of traffic and speed limits. Unless it can really serve some other purpose besides just power (comfort, safety, size, etc..)