[mikem]

Having had the M3 for 5 mths now, I`m starting to think about what comes next (do any of us ever stop doing this ? )
The M3 is a great car, it handles well "out of the box" and with a few tweaks can be made to handle very well, its capable of sprinting to 60 in 5 secs and un-restricted will go all the way onto 185-190 mph, on the otherside its also capable of looking very smart while pottering about enjoying the scenery. In a lot of ways you could say its a perfect "all round" sports car.

However since coming back from the `ring with the exception of driving to `Brum for a meet I`ve done around 400 miles in almost 4 mths . I have the "d" mondeo to keep my *** of a fleet manager happy, which means there are no restrictions on my other choice of car, which know has me thinking I should get something a little more "hardcore," or throw a heap more money at the M3.

My choices at the moment are

Keep the M3 and supercharge it, about £4-4.5K to take it to 460 hp (the car looks just the way I want it to at the minute and is very, very pretty )

Buy a Z4M coupe and possibly supercharge that further down the line, (White so I can add a carbon roof Please, Santa).

Or a curve ball which is the TVR Sagaris, which looks a million dollars, goes like a thoroughbred supercar and is "completely bonkers" but maybe let down by build quality, reliablity and my lack of driving skill.

I would really love a GT3 but at about £50K for a decent one, its a little too rich for me at the moment.

I`d appreciate some comments guys, even if its a sharp reality check.

[E92Fan]

Will you be buying a car almost exclusively for 'Ringing? If so, I'd probably avoid the Sagaris as it's an incredibly hairy car to drive fast. I had a ride in one last time I was out there, and we scared ourselves silly going into Bergwerk.

What do you want from a car? Do you want to drive it to the 'Ring, do lap after lap, then drive home in the same car? If so, then you've probably got the best car for it - the M3, either normal, or CSL. The only other car I'd use would probably be the GT3.

If you were going to go a little more hardcore, how about a supercharged Exige, or even the Atom? But with the Atom, you'd need to tow it. The Exige you could drive, just wouldn't be so comfortable..

If the M3 is the right car for you, just mod that a little to keep your enthusiasm in it going. It's also the cheapest option!

[Scoot]

You do not need to tow a bloody Atom. It's fine for weekend blasts to the ring , you just need to get the right kit. In fact i'm going on a 10 day holiday with the Atom club next year through Europe.
Personally S/C a BMW in my eyes is dead money and IMO will make the car very hard to sell on. If you are looking for something more hard core but don't want the cost of a GT3 then my choice would go towards a CSL .

Mind you 996 GT3 prices are looking very good at the moment and if bought right you could have a nice year driving a fantastic car with little depreciation.

Good hunting

[NFS]

Originally Posted by mikem

Having had the M3 for 5 mths now, I`m starting to think about what comes next (do any of us ever stop doing this ? )
The M3 is a great car, it handles well "out of the box" and with a few tweaks can be made to handle very well, its capable of sprinting to 60 in 5 secs and un-restricted will go all the way onto 185-190 mph, on the otherside its also capable of looking very smart while pottering about enjoying the scenery. In a lot of ways you could say its a perfect "all round" sports car.

However since coming back from the `ring with the exception of driving to `Brum for a meet I`ve done around 400 miles in almost 4 mths . I have the "d" mondeo to keep my *** of a fleet manager happy, which means there are no restrictions on my other choice of car, which know has me thinking I should get something a little more "hardcore," or throw a heap more money at the M3.

My choices at the moment are

Keep the M3 and supercharge it, about £4-4.5K to take it to 460 hp (the car looks just the way I want it to at the minute and is very, very pretty )

Buy a Z4M coupe and possibly supercharge that further down the line, (White so I can add a carbon roof Please, Santa).

Or a curve ball which is the TVR Sagaris, which looks a million dollars, goes like a thoroughbred supercar and is "completely bonkers" but maybe let down by build quality, reliablity and my lack of driving skill.

I would really love a GT3 but at about £50K for a decent one, its a little too rich for me at the moment.

I`d appreciate some comments guys, even if its a sharp reality check.

I would either keep the M3 or get a Lotus Exige (preferably with a supercharger).

(edit: just realised e92fan also mentioned the Exige. Great Minds)

[dxb335d]

Keep the M3 mike, like you said, its a cracking looking car and does everything so well.

Or sell it and get a coupe one. will be lighter

[ES-Jet]

I'd probably think about the Z4M coupe, although Peppernick thought his roadster was hard work. It looks and feels (alledgedly) like a real enthusiast's car. Exige S is a good suggestion too. I'd be too scared to get a Sagaris. I'd be worried about it breaking down AND biting me up the backside.

[mikem]

Thanks for the replies guys.

At the moment I think I`m going to stick with the M and go down the supercharger route, the CSL is a fantastic car but I know if I got one, I`d still hanker after a GT3 (maybe in the next 1-2 yrs )

I think the Sagaris would be genuinely dangerous, it only has 40 hp more than the M but weighs 700 kgs less with no driver aids plus the thought of sitting on the E40 for hours waiting for ADAC scares me.











...................................`Wonder if this 135 Tii will materialise.

[skansa]

sod that ditch all the BMWs and go for a Maserati around the 60-70k.

[Gibbo]

Easy, swap the M3 for a Cayman S minimum options. It will be the best drivers car you can buy for £45 new and you can go to the ring and back in it no problems.

You will learn about steering feel, mid engine handling and it will be the quickest car on the ring if driven properly.

Best car I have ever driven - no question.

[Bumps]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

Easy, swap the M3 for a Cayman S minimum options. It will be the best drivers car you can buy for £45 new and you can go to the ring and back in it no problems.

You will learn about steering feel, mid engine handling and it will be the quickest car on the ring if driven properly.

Best car I have ever driven - no question.

Good point.

Sagaris - no way. No support now TVR has gone bust - will be a nightmare to source parts when you have (the almost inevitable) off at the Ring... (no reflection on your driving ability - just on the car).

CSL - would also get my vote. Saw a silver grey one with Ring stickers on the C pillars last summer an it looked wicked.

BUT, the 996 GT3 Difficult decision but not a bad place to be!!