Bean

iTrader: (1)

What and blow the motor? ROFL

Earlier model M3s died because the CAMSHAFT LOBES WORE OUT... what makes you think the motor will handle a turbokit for very long?

You keep the unreliable turbo M3 and run 12s
while I take a factory stock 996TT and run 11s

and run circles around the turbo m3 at the track and outbrake it any day of the week Its not only about power...but the M3 loses that argument as well if you want to throw turbo models into the mix...

to answer Bit's question:

Turbokits for the M3s are around $10k give or take a couple grand... and thats for the base turbokit... stock electronics arent good enough to get away with piggybacks very easily. So you have to go standalone.... that leaves the Haltech, Wolf3d, or Speedpro (or a Motec if you got serious cash)... by the time you added everything up you would have spent $20k more just to make similar amounts of power a 996TT has... and thats assuming you leave the 996 stock (which they respond VERY well to mods)

gsstud

E46 M3, i believe only have sc's that are reliable on the motor.. DA motorsports is making a turbo that may be reliable, but the fastest E46 M3's are sc, by AA superchargers.. im looking at selling one of my E46 M3's for the 996 tt... so best of both worlds?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

putting FI on the m3 isn't the best idea from what i have hread, not really many people have goo luck with it since bmw has pushed way too hard for every last bit of power. same thing for FI on the e39 m5, just doesn't work out good.

and i totally agree about putting the 996tt with the m3 (even with FI). the porsche should win.

so to me, i will take 996 tt any day. however, just the normal 996? i probably will get the m3

mmarshall

Usually when camshaft lobes wear prematurely it is not a turbo-related matter. It is usually insufficient lubrication or just too many RPM's. M3's are generally driven quite hard.....and many owners really pile the RPM's on, sometimes past redline, which is especially bad on a new engine.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Both these cars will have likely been driven hard and at $35K I'd be skeptical. I'd want to look over the service history thoroughly on these cars.

I'd looked at a one owner '02 996 with 18K miles that was priced at $50K. PSM, with a sport type suspension option, upgraded: wheels, nose, rockers and a GT-2 wing. I learned it had been a weekend track car so that blew that one.

This is why a P buddy is trying to get me to consider 987/Cayman. Factory fresh without the worries of what may pop up from a pre-owned. Not like buying the reliability of a pre-owned Toyota product...even here there may be issues. More probability with a sports car like those you mentioned.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i agree about the "conditions" of these cars. especially at these price, it's really hard to get myself away from thinking how the car was driven before. part of the reason why we thought about the 996 tt when we bought out sc430 but called it off.

LexFather

Well I am not jumping the gun. It was just a comparison. I was telling Bit, by 35, yeah, 911 is going to be in the garage unless I have like 6 kids and then a couple of them gotta go

I don't have the time, patience or extra $$$$$ for any work not under warrenty. And it would be a 2nd car,as touted and liveable they are for daily drivers, not in Atlanta, where its MANUAL hell.

Lexus still is the best bet for me.

As for my choice, yeah, it would probably be a 911. I have to admit though, the extra space in the M and the menacing looks are a turn on.

Both are just fabulous cars.


Thanks everyone for the comments

specialist

Sick,
I know that it's been a long time since I've posted, and even longer since I could make it to a meet in the ATL area, but I wanted to chime in. I just faced a similar decision. Keep my GS430 or buy my soon to be father in law's 2002 911 Carrera. Needless to say I bought the Carrera. The handling is awesome and the acceleration with the manual 6-speed is sick. His is the "Carrera S" version with 355 HP. If we can make it into that area I'll bring the car with me and let you take a closer look.

Rene

PS. I paid a good bit more than 35K for the car, but it only has about 47K miles on it and is under the factory warranty still.