In reply to docwyte :
Have you driven both of the vehicles in question?
I would say drive them to see if you actually prefer them over the vehicles you own before going any further down the rabbit hole. Which, understandably it might be tough finding such rare cars to drive locally.
In reply to roninsoldier83 :
I used to own an E46 M3 and I've driven S52 M coupes, but I've never driven an E63 AMG wagon.
In reply to docwyte :
Honest question: are you truly comfortable giving up your 996 Turbo for an M Coupe? I don't know your personality traits, so I have to ask: do you think you might regret selling your 996? Or are you at a point where you feel like you might be done with it?
The way I see it, your SUV is a disposable appliance... and even though it's a sweet car, the AMG would likely also become somewhat of a disposable appliance (maybe I'm wrong). But the 996 and M Coupe are collector grade cars- they're the only ones that matter, at least in my mind.
Also, I've owned 38 cars (not including my wife's cars) and I'm always coming up with some new, financially irresponsible car idea. Translation: don't listen to a damn word I have to say!
I really like the 996 Turbo but I'm not sure it's a car that I've gotta have in my garage at all times. The touareg certainly gets the job done, it's a great hauler and even with the tune it gets very reasonable gas mileage. I've always wanted the amg wagon as a daily though. Prices on them seem to be pretty stable, not that many were imported and while I doubt they're going to appreciate, I don't think I'd lose too much money on one after driving it for awhile...
I know Monument is a bit of a drive, but I might consider reaching out to the owner to see if he would let you take the M for a spin. If so, I would drive the 996 down there to get a back to back feel and go with whatever car puts a bigger smile on your face.
There have been a plethora of cars I've considered getting rid of my S2000 for, but whenever I drive it back to back with anything, the S is always the car I have more fun in. In my mind, when it comes to sports cars, that's all that matters.
Over the years I've bought a few cars I thought seemed perfect on paper, only to have a bit of seller's remorse at getting rid of the machines I sold to get them... so, maybe I'm just projecting here. But I would drive them both.
Also, Doug DeMuro is an addict. I mean, so am I, so I'm not judging, I'm just pointing out that his crazy car ideas might not result in the best lifestyle choices lol.
In reply to roninsoldier83 :
I'm curious to see how differently the M coupe drives compared to an E46 M3. It's been quite a few years since I owned my E46 and the 996 has a tendency to make most other cars feel very slow and ponderous.
I may reach out to the M coupe owner tonight because I'll be driving through Monument tomorrow sometime...
Aero lip popped out on the right side again. Looks like the bumper is fine, just the screw popped out. I'm kinda getting tired of this and would love to have a GT2 bumper. I might pull the trigger on the NR Auto one, it's poly urethane, so at least it won't break/shatter like a fiberglass one...
If we hadn't just bought a new house a few miles north of the Academy, I'd go take a look at that M Coupe. I owned an S52 M Coupe for 7 years and really liked it. It's not an easy car to drive fast, and I never felt completely comfortable autocrossing it. It was stock, so still had that tendency to snap oversteer. But if you could keep the throttle down, it was a very fun car to drive (or rather, hoon).
I have a hard time imagining an S54 M Coupe would feel slow.
In reply to JoeTR6 :
My 911 has twice the hp and more than twice the torque that the S54 M coupe has, so the M coupe will feel slow in comparison. I also noticed that "The Big 3" haven't been done on the M coupe. Rod bearings got done 80k miles ago, so they're due again and the vanos and rear subframe reinforcements haven't been done either. So that's a bunch of work, not sure, I drove the 911 this past weekend a bunch and it does what it's mission is extremely well...
On the bumper my epoxy repair to the tab came unbonded. Hmmm. I cleaned off the old epoxy, roughed up the surface of both parts and reglued it. I'll see how solid it is today when I get home but I really think I'm going to buy the NR Auto GT2 bumper. I know the Ruf fits better plus comes with all the necessary ducts, hoses etc, but it's more than twice the cost and I don't like the way it looks as much as the OEM GT2 look.
Do these cars need reinforcements to the rear subframe? They run semi trailing arms like an E30 or E36 318Ti. I would imagine that will lead to a different driving experience to the E46 M3 you had in the past.
In reply to adam525i :
Yeah, they still need reinforcement. In a different way compared to the E46 M3's, but they still need it. I understand that the M coupes are far twitchier and prone to oversteer compared to the E46 M3 due to the rear suspension and shorter wheel base.
Repair on the bumper seems really solid, at least for now. I put the lip back on and will drive around some and see. Really only another 6 weeks before the car is put away for the season at this point...
Fast BMWs are a riot but at their best they're still more compromised than a comparable Porsche.
And personally I would be wary of selling something engaging like a 996 turbo for something softer and automatic like an AMG. I've never driven one and probably never will but it seems to me that it's a car that's fun to own and fun to look at but not so fun to drive. Easier, but not as fun. I could be wrong
In reply to spandak :
The AMG would be a replacement for my DD, so the Touareg. My thought was to take some money from the fun car budget and buy a more expensive, more fun DD. Then use the remaining cash to buy a different, less expensive fun car.
Maybe a gle63 of the similar year, saves $10k-$15k. I don't find the wagons being worth their price difference.
In reply to yupididit :
I think at that point I'd be looking at a Cayenne Turbo instead...
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