test drove two cars today.. E46 M3 & 06 Porsche Cayman s

[Blue32]

#1 2002 E46 M3..WOW very unimpressed by this veh..My r32 with Giac..EIP COMP exhaust and EIP CAI pulls sooo much harder and feels so much faster.. Im so let down by this driving experience, the m3 was always a dream car of mine and I found one with 30k on it for 39,900.00, the sales man was very cool and let me open up the car out on the back roads, I was shifting at 6 to 7000 RPMS and I had it in sport mode.. Don't get me wrong the car is still awesome, the way the engine sounds under heavy acceleration is like no other,, the exhaust could stand to be a bit louder but that can be fixed with some aftermarket adjustments...

#2 2006 Porsche Cayman... for a detailed review see this..http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2381333

for my review... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! car is F-ing awesome.. oh man the handling is dead on the car is balanced perfect.. the engine and exhaust are perfect... taking it up and down hills and through tight turns is such a blast. throttle response is instant and it throws you back in your seat every time... ooh man I wish i could could swing 67,000. I would own one in a heart beat...

[Gorilla Unit 33]

wow im surprised an uncle of mine owned a M3 arround the same year and he loved it i never had the chance to drive it but it was nice rides when i was in it...

[dolphinS4]

The lack of tourqe is what disappointed you in the M3. The I-6 of that car needs to be kept in the upper rpm's to appreciate what that car is capable of. But I agree, off the line acceleration in everyday driving is nothing to write about.

Where did you drive the Cayman? I was told "no" last time I took my car in for service.
But in fairness, it was the only one and in the showroom.

[CarbonIS]

oh man i just looked at pics of that porsche and it is beautiful

[S4toSTI]

Mike i think there are more of them coming in now that are not pre sold so i think you will be good to go on a test drive sooner then later.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Blue32 you've driven an STi before right? How do you feel the Porsche stacks up in comparison.

[S4toSTI]

He has driven mine.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Sometimes I wish I never drove/bought an STi- it ruins alot of other cars for me. Though I think an 06 Z06 can wake me back up.

[S4toSTI]

Originally Posted by Bubba Ho-Tep

Sometimes I wish I never drove/bought an STi- it ruins alot of other cars for me. Though I think an 06 Z06 can wake me back up.

I would have to agree.

[Evolved]

As nice as the VW is I would still take an e46 M3 over a R32.

[Blue32]

Originally Posted by Bubba Ho-Tep

Blue32 you've driven an STi before right? How do you feel the Porsche stacks up in comparison.

The sti is def. faster but the porsche is alot more exciting to drive and FEELS faster because of its size.. Stock for stock i think the cayman would probably beat the sti from a roll.. it has patents for its arrow-dynaic design, when you get the car over 60 you can actually hear it cutting the wind...

[Blue32]

Originally Posted by Evolved

As nice as the VW is I would still take an e46 M3 over a R32.

The m3 is not worth the money.. i can get way more out of my car with the AWD .. although the M3 looks nicer I will never droll over one again...

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Originally Posted by Blue32

The sti is def. faster but the porsche is alot more exciting to drive and FEELS faster because of its size.. Stock for stock i think the cayman would probably beat the sti from a roll.. it has patents for its arrow-dynaic design, when you get the car over 60 you can actually hear it cutting the wind...

Even if it does beat it from a roll.....it's a 60k Porsche..it's SUPPOSED to! lol
In other words the STi provides such astonishing performance you REALLY have to have a monster of a car to trump it's driving experience.

Before I got the STi I always regarded Porsche, Vette, Supra, etc Performance on an almost mystical level...beings I wasn't exposed to them. Now that I drive the STi around every day and despite it's 0-60 in 4.7 stats it feels common place. Because of this the Porsche's, Vettes, and Supras while some being faster don't have quite as much of an impact on me during the driving experience.

I remember a while back a friend took me for a ride in his late model Supra- from my perception it was 20x faster than my STi. However knowing the stats I know the STi is faster even though I doesn't seem to feel as fast as that ride in the Supra. Kinda like going back to your old grade-school and being shocked at how SMALL the gynamsium is....when you swore it was 100x the size. lol

In short, the STi ruins even cars of a higher calibur for me. If I'm going to pay 60k I want it to break my neck when I hit the gas.

Don't take this in any way as devaluing your write up. I apprecaite you taking the time to describe your experiences with the other cars. The Caymen body looks even more appealing than the 911 to me!

[OutOfStock]

thank god i havent gotten a ride in anything besides a chipped turbo jetta. Id rather nothate driving my car lol

[eastsidesuby19]

Yeah....the Cayman S is sooo sick, i wish i had the money too. WTF

[Matt2.8NJ]

Cayman S is sick for $67k...but for a few thou more (if you know the right people and can pay sticker) you could potentially get a Z06.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

As much as I love the Porsche.......Z06 please!

[Blue32]

I dont know guys I think i want to give the M3 another shot.... I just cant get teh car out of my head and its actaully in my price range........

[2point4DSM]

I don't suppose there is any chance you would go for something that handles a little better, is a lot faster but cost half as much....

http://philadelphiadsm.com/forum/vie...ht=honda+s2000

[WrxJC]

I tooo used to love the M3, twas my favorite car, was gonna buy a used one, was a 99 actually for like 36,000. I always thought they were REALLY hot and i KNEW they were quick. But then i test drove one. WORST day of my life, now i hate the cars, they are NOT sporty enough at all. And so yeh, im mad a test drove one bc my dream car is no longer a dream car.