M3 test drive comparisons

Until this week, I have been looking at M3 convertibles as my next car purchase. Then, I happened to stop in the local Porsche dealer and drove a 04 C2 Cab. Needless to say, it opened my eyes a bit. My basic impressions between the two: 1) C2 seems to have more torque and thus more useable HP lower in the RPM range. M3 needs to get up over 5K to really start to hum. 2) M3 rides stiffer on 19" wheels than C2 with 18" wheels. How much of this is due to the wheel size difference, I don't know. However, the C2 suspension seems more compliant in general. 3) C2 Center console (AC / radio controls) seems to be built out of lower quality materials. 4) M3 shifter / trans is more notchy. 5) M3 has more usable cargo space (obviously) 6) C2 gets a little better gas mileage 7) M3 seems a little edgier and harder to handle. I can't really explain it, but the C2 seems to drive more effortlessly at speed. 8) I would have to buy a pre-owned C2 to get into the same price point (~60K) as the M3. They seem to be out there, but I'm not sure in what quality / quantity. 9) C2 has a more impressive exterior appearance. Anything I'm missing? Thanks for any other input.

I do like the M3 coupe, the M3 cab felt too heavy to me. It has to be at least 300-400 lbs more than the C2 cab. Dynamically, you really can't compare the two especially with that weight difference. The C2 feels more nimble, has much better braking under repeated use. I have a M coupe with the S54 engine and a C2 coupe. The S54 is a great engine when warmed up properly especially on cold days. The 996 engine seems less fussy when it is cold. I like the shifter in the M3 better because of its notchiness! The M3 is more practical, if you need the room then thats the one to get otherwise get the C2 IMO.

Forgot about the brakes. I couldn't really lock them down completely on a test drive, but I think I liked the feel of the brakes a bit better on the C2. The M3 seemed a bit grabby, but that could be newness.

Briefly had my C4 and an M3 CSL. One had to go. Took 3 mins to decide. Spizz

I thinking about selling the C2 for a M3 (needed the trunk as well as the semi-useful back seat). Test drove a M3, nice power and better interior quality. I agree with you on the brakes, the one I drove was REALLY sensitive. The thing that made me nervous was the engine reliability, BMW's commitment to stand behind the car (heard lots of stories about the oil starvation to the engine and the dealer not willing to do anything about it), and the lack of a spare tire. I hope Porsche improves the performance of their N/A C2. Its getting harder to decide what my next car would be. Love Porsches but the M3, S4, Subie, and EVOs are getting rather close in performance if not equal. Now there the Lotus Elises with better performance for nearly half the cost.

The performance of the new C2 Cab that I drove was noticably better than the new M3. Power in the 2500-4000 range was much stronger. I haven't driven a pre-2002 C2, but I don't think the M3 has anything on the new ones. I also believe that the M3 may be overtuned and worry about how the engines hold up over time. There certainly have been problems, reportedly isolated, with blown engines.

Porch, IMO only thing M3 has over the C2 is roominess and interior quality (both were totally irrelevent to me, and finally convinced my wife of the same, she has a lexus for that), porsche beats it in every other concievable categories (especially the all important ear-to-ear grin factor).