- Going from F10 535i to M3 - Questions..

Hey All..

Started of with Manual 335i, then to 2011 535i, 2 years later, I'm on to the M3. The 535i is cool, but not terribly exciting. I test drove an M3 yesterday, and all I can say is.. Damn....

I test drove the convertible after test driving a Porsche Carrera S (2009). The Carrera felt a good deal faster. This may be because of the weight of the convertible? The M3 was Fast, but the 911 S was fast in the way that I had to take my foot off the gas pedal when I floored it because it scared me.

Can anyone who's driven a convertible and a coupe tell me if the coupe is noticeably faster? I know I want the coupe, it's just that the dealer didn't have any to drive.

OK.. So that's that.. Other thoughts/questions.

I am $6k upside down in the 535i. Oh well, pay to play, I can eat it. I went to BMW, and with my negative equity in a 2012 new M3 lease with 15k/year and $5k down my payment was $1000ish.. That's with $2k incentives and $2k off the price. Still seems high. I spoke with a friend who owns a 3rd party leasing company and works directly with BMW and he got me a rate, with my trade in / neg equity at around $900k and only $1800 down. Not Bad right?

I decided to build my own, and opt out of navigation. Only including competition package, DCT, Satelite, leather and comfort access. Do you think I'm missing anything that I should highly consider in my options?

Next.. How long are you waiting for your cars from payment to delivery? he said 5 weeks.. Realistic?

Finally. I really wanted a 911 S.. But even used they are around 80k with low miles. HEFTY price.. Has anyone driven both and opted for the M3, if so, why?

Any other ideas other then the one that I have to get an M3 lease with 15k miles/year at around $900 month, factoring in 6k of negative equity rolled into payment?

The coupe is 450 lbs lighter than the convertible. The coupe is definitely faster and would give a 911S a run for its money. The 911S is still quicker though.

Originally Posted by Jim in Oregon

The coupe is 450 lbs lighter than the convertible. The coupe is definitely faster and would give a 911S a run for its money. The 911S is still quicker though.

Quicker due to weight and torque.....but the M will reel it in quickly. A modded M will walk it without question...................Phil

I've driven pretty much all of the different 2012 Porsche models at the Porsche High Performance Driving school at Barber in Birmingham, Alabama this last fall and spring, and I wound up buying a 2012 M3 with the DCT instead of a new 911.

I picked up my M3 at the performance center, so I got to take one of their M's to the limit as much as I could.

The M and the 911's seem comparable in a straight line.

Cornering at the limits seem different to me. The M seems to oversteer more while the 911 requires more trail braking to keep it neutral.

My 2 cents as a student.

Ordered mine may 2cd 2011 and took delivery July 11 2011. The dealer also told me 5 weeks and gave me a production number right away so I could track it on the computer. There wasn't any change in status for about a month then I saw the number and the car I ordered match up. I waited another week before they started to build it and it only took one week to build. After the build it had to wait for a ship, then finally on the ship took about 5 days to reach port and two more days to reach dealer. Definitely worth the wait to get the exact car you want. I ordered mine with every available option. You should get BMW apps at the very least it will allow you to stream things like pandora from your smart phone. Have you tried to sell your 5 series privately?