Are 996's worth it?

Come on folks, a 2003 996 goes for between 30-35k. A M3 2003 goes for 18-24k. Is the 996 worth the 10k premium? Reading stuff on this site, theres clearly issue with the 996, either with engines or simple things like the inerior looking dated and cheap. Its clearly not perfect any yes i have read the thread about saying it just shows that the car is made by humans...!! but surely as its not perfect then the price should be lower? What do you guys thinks??

Hi, get in one, turn the ignition key and go for a drive, you'll soon see/ hear/ feel the difference

^^^ Wot he said Buying a car like sports car like a 911 or M3 is an emotional choice, so alot will come down to what floats your boat. If you get into a 996, drive it and it does nothing for you, fair enough! For the majority of people on here nothing comes close to 911 (whatever variant) for it's blend of talents. You pays your money and takes ya choice! In my book they're worth every penny

Haven't you answered your own question there? Porsche and BMW don't set the resale values - people who want to buy one do - and they clearly all think it's worth the extra :lol:

Dont get me wrong... i love the 996. I suppose i`m trying to justify the extra 10k!

It's not really the extra £10k that you need to justify - in 3 years time what's the M3 going to be worth that costs you £20k today? £10,000? Whereas the 996 that cost you £30k will still be worth at least £20,000 and probably more if you look after it and it has a good spec. So you are only really spending the interest or the 'opportunity cost' on the extra £10k... In return you are getting 3 years of driving a car designed as a sports car from day one, as opposed to a chavved up repmobile! :wink:

I've driven and sold both the steering on the M3 is lifeless compared to the 996 the M3's have more power on paper, but the porsche gets it to the road so much better the M3 feels fat The Porsche feels , well i dont need to preach to those ion the know I recently had a Nissan 350Z, then the next day a Cayman S, ( which if youve driven one really is a Great Car) Its when you drive the competion you realise just how good Porsche are The difference above 100 MPH is even more so

I drove an M3 CSL and my 996 within a couple of days of each othert and at that time the CSL was about £10K cheaper. It was a good car and I lived the SMG but thought it would help me lose my licence.......the 996 felt that much more special and was a better car to drive for performance. That coupled with the fact I'd wanted one since I was a kid helped sway it for me. So, in answer to your question, Yes, it is worth the extra £10K

this is all brill stuff.. exactly want i wanted to hear!! i wonder what bmw m3 owners would say about the 996? ;-) the m3 chav thing really worries me! i so dont like that image!

*what i wanted to hear (in the middle of cleaning the house... hence the naff posts ;-) )

@ameer - yes definately worth it - I recently bought a 996 after a history of 5 BMW's incl an M3 and M5 - performance on paper is better with the BMW's where you loose a few horses and nm's of torque - but the drive the look and feel is so much more alive than either the M3 or M5 equally performance wise there is not much in it as the 996 is lighter and more aerodynamic to boot. - Simon

My mate has just traded in his 2yr old BMW M3 for an 9yr old 996! speaks for itself. TB

Sold my 02 M3 in December had it nearly five years, brilliant cars and I won't have a bad thing said about em. Miss the @rse end action, but the brakes, handling are not a patch on my 996. I have the turbo and the speeds are just silly :shock: Liked the BMW... alot. Drove the CSL as well which was wicked but I love the Porsche, its in a different league. Go out, test drive one back to back with a M3, the steering on them is pin point. When I first got it I was nearly hitting curbs I was turning in so quick. Gearbox is fantastic and I think its improved my driving skills as I am now heel and toeing everywhere I go! Was even trying to do it without thinking in my Nissan Navara yesterday. I don't regret it selling the BMW, I think they are both totally different cars anyway, I just thought the Porsche was the next natural progression after the BMW. Anyhow let us know your decision, which ever way you decide I think you'll have some fun. Regards, Neil

I too have owned and driven both and the BM didn`t come close for feel, looks, sound or passion. As for the scare stories surrounding the Porsche, I was getting exactly the same stories with the M3 as well For me the exclusivity of the Porsche is worth the extra cost cos lets face it, the M3 is a clitoris car ! As a previous poster said, the values are driven by the buyers ! Steve

As you all know, the 10k premium is due to demand and supply, and not because one is a better car than the other. m3s are good cars, but suffer in value against 996s generally due to higher supply and lower relative demand. don't want to start another debate, but one can see that the 1973 911 2.4s price is now around 40k. most 996 / 993s can be had for much less. I don't think the 2.4s is better than the 996/993 for my purposes, but the market disagrees with me.