Howdy Ya'll..

My confession of the day: I have been tossing around the idea of selling my 1997 Carrera 2S and purchasing a 2003-2005 M3.

Now I know being on this board it is probably a bad place for me to ask advice as we all love our bimmers, but some objective views would be great.

So let me tell you why: I love my Pcar. When I bought it, I was living in S. Florida and going to the track once a month. I had a company that ran the track days and also had a garage/pitt at the track. They would transport my race tires to the track for me and give me full track side assistance on site.

Now here in Socal, I can't find the same "support." When I want to go to the track, I can't get my race wheels and tires into the car and I have no one to look after my car (bleeding brake fluid, etc.) And my Pcar being almost 8 years old is starting to show signs of increased maintainence costs. Needs a new clutch, rotors, I have a hard time passing smog in Cali. for some reason (I have to go to referee station.)

So, I am thinking about fixing the clutch and rotors and selling my baby. But alas, that leaves me with no track car. M3 jumps into my brain and I start looking at pricing. It would seem, if I sell my pcar at a good price, which I probably could, I could jump into a very new, slightly preowned M3.
I won't bother with an extra set of wheels, I could just use the street set up for my track days and keep it simple.

The upside: Easier to maintain, warranty work, bigger, newer, M3, with more HP. Could probably fit track wheels in the car and transport a track setup with no assistance.

The downside (long, sorry) - The M3 is easier to drive fast (that might sound like a plus but actually, for a driver like myself, I love the edge of the seat driving that comes with a porsche. I sold my Audi S4 because it was too easy to drive fast on a track.) The harder the car is to drive, the better the driver you become. Almost anyone can drive an M3 fast on a track. Only some people can handle the 911 despite the less HP.
- Since I own a 4.8is, having a M3 in the garage is going to feel very much like the same car when I get in it. The buttons, dash, seats, etc. it's just going to feel like a smaller, sportier, 4.8is. Where the Porsche feels like a completely different car.
- I would not get an SMG, I would go with the manual 6speed gear box. I might consider the SMG if this was my everyday car, but for my track car, I want a clutch, a clutch with a pedal that I control.
- The 911 I own is probably one of the best Porsches made. It is the last of the air cooled, has the turbo body with aero kit, sport seats, silver/bl, 42K miles and has classic great looks that still make it look brand new next to today's cars. -- The M3 "seems" to be less, exotic, less to appreciate, they are all over the roads in LA. (not that there is a shortage of 911's)

- So, what should I do??
Should I keep the 911, fix her up, maybe mod a little bit, put in satellite radio, go to the track with my street setup and forget about using slicks. And keep the last of the air cooled 911's ??

Or, should I sell the 911, (maybe even at a slight profit after 4 years)
and trade her in for a low mileage, 6spd M3 ??

Thanks in advance..
B

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"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss