For those who would wish to speculate on a 20-25K decision. Here;s your chance:

An old buddy from HS sent me a note today, as he does whenever he's car shopping (you're welcome for the Mazda5, Cory). This time it's a first rounder here: E46 M3 Convertible vs Convertible 911 of similar value. Duscuss why or why not.

jg

what generation of 911?

Not specific, but probably 993.

jg

I don't see this as a question, really.

993.. no question.. get the porsche. It's either at or close to the bottom of it's depreciation curve.. while the M3 can only go down.

Both cars will require more expensive labor and more maintance than normal cars.. and both will last damn near forever with it.. but the 993 is the last of the "classic" air cooled 911s.. those will always be in demand and are probably of a higher build quality

This is not grassroooooooooooooooooooots! Sorry, nothing constructive to add here. Both cars might well scratch that itch.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

What gives you the right to decide what is GRM and what is not?

No experience in the 911 but the M3 'vert is IMO a floppy chassis with lots of scuttle shake and a complicated expensive top that eats 2/3 of the trunk. I'd probably look real hard at the 911 and I'm a BMW fanboy.

In reply to jrw1621:

I mean, what does an "editorial director" do anyway!?

Another vote for the Porsche, here. Aside from everything else mentioned, it looks much better as a convertible, whereas I think M3 verts look a bit of an afterthought, (to the coupe).

Hardly an objective or well-informed opinion, but I'd choose the Porsche. I've done the convertible BMW thing (granted it was a non-M E36) and while they're fine cars, it just didn't push my buttons the way I think the 911 would.

Here's food for thought.

If your friend makes $40,000 a year, $2000 is grassroots, right?

If you make $5,000,000, $250,000 is the same percentage of your income.. Is that grassroots in your frame of reference?

911 verts just look ugly.

I think Mr. Wallens was echoing the "message board battle cry" : if it's not a question about a $300 Dodge Omni, it must not be grassroots!

To answer JG: DODGE OMNI.

And Porsche. Unique drivetrain configuration, unique sound, unique driving dynamics. And maybe this is just me, but any era 911 looks great and has the stink of big money. Old BMWs are a little more pedestrian, IMO.

Although, if your Broseph is like me, he would want to take his purchase and track it, which leads to the question of maintenance : which is easier to work on, and which has cheaper parts? I'd lean towards a BMW on that count.

Friends don't let friends buy convertibles whose platforms weren't designed and engineered as convertibles.

Josh wrote: Friends don't let friends buy convertibles whose platforms weren't designed and engineered as convertibles.

That's what I was going to say.....I'd love to have either car, but not in convertible form. I would pick neither.

E46 M3, but not a mushy, floppy convertible. Convertibles are fashion accessories, coupes are cars for people who like to drive.

I would probably go for a Targa, instead. The 911 convertibles just look wrong, to me.

The 993. Because when he is done with it... he can sell for what he paid. The E46 will cost half it's value or more in the next 5yrs.

Oops..I dropped this...

I guess I'll just leave it here!

Before yesterday, I would have said that he wouldn't find a 993 Cabrio in that price range. But one followed me up to Lime Rock for about half an hour and I later found it with a for sale sign on it. I was surprised to see an asking price in the mid 20's. Of course, I can't remember exactly what it was, nor did I get the phone number.

I know a guy who once shopped the E46 M3 vs. a 993--we're talking coupes, though. In the end he decided that the 993 followed the heart while the M3 followed the brain.

He's also more likely to find a lower mileage 993 than M3.

I was recently thinking about an E46 M3 and most were getting close to 100k miles. I was surprised to see that convertibles seemed to outnumber coupes by about four to one, and I was looking for a coupe.

GRM'ers scared me off with stories of pricey engine rebuild stories.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: The 993. Because when he is done with it... he can sell for what he paid. The E46 will cost half it's value or more in the next 5yrs.

I like this line of thinking a lot. Drive the Porsche for a while, and if you decide you made the wrong choice, sell it at no loss then buy the M3.

jg

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: The 993. Because when he is done with it... he can sell for what he paid. The E46 will cost half it's value or more in the next 5yrs.

+1

Plus its more fun to drive than the heavy feeling bimmer.

Osterkraut wrote: 911 verts just look ugly.

+1

Otherwise, I agree with GPS as well.