CAR WARS! USED Summer Drop-Top Edition — BMW M3 Convertible vs. Porsche 911 Carrera S

It's that time of the year again.

April shows bring May flowers, right? That's right. Summer's almost here. Of course for those of us who don't live in San Diego like Agent 001, that means the weather will start to heat up and we'll start to have some spectacular days full of activities, the beach and some great barbecues.

And if you love driving, there's nothing quite as good as having the right convertible.

While some of those "hardcore enthusiasts" think that convertibles are lame and lack, they just lack the fun gene. It's like when you sit down at dinner and order a white wine and some wine snob starts berating you for having a bit of fun.

That said, if we were on a used car lot looking for the perfect summer cruiser two vehicles that 001 and I thought would be great picks are the E93 BMW M3 Convertible and the Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S.

001 likes the real four passenger seating, V8 and folding metal roof, while I — on the other hand — like that Porsche six cylinder and I actually prefer a softtop.

Enough of what we think though.

If you had to choose between a used convertible, WHICH would it be and WHY? The BMW M3 Convertible or the Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet?

scenicbyway12 - 4/22/2013 11:08:52 PM

+2 Boost

The M3

It's a hard top.
A tad more bhp.
If I don't check the right box, I don't get a $3.00 rear view mirror from a base Golf.
Oh yeah, equipped about the same IT'S HALF THE PRICE!

F1_Driver - 4/22/2013 11:17:57 PM

+2 Boost

Porsche. There is no substitute.

t_bone - 4/22/2013 11:42:10 PM

-1 Boost

Cloth is part of the experience, yes. Plus the M3 roof adds 400 lbs and apparently a lot of rigidity.

pepito66 - 4/22/2013 11:53:48 PM

-1 Boost

The M3 is a hard top.

pcar4evr - 4/23/2013 4:45:06 AM

0 Boost

I've always felt that all the recent Porsches lose their looks in cab form. When the top is open, kinda looks like a big bathtup. But then again the BMW 3 series with the roof down seems to be a favorite chick car and the last thing the M3 needs is more weight.

TauronB2G - 4/23/2013 7:19:40 AM

-3 Boost

Porsche... BMW convertibles are for chicks and fun boys. Porsche wins on looks, power, exclusivity and panache. Nobody had an M3 on their wall growing up. It was always a Countach, a testarossa and a convertible 911 with the BBS wheels.
T

vonbeeler - 4/23/2013 3:37:21 PM

+1 Boost

Your right! I think I had all three.
However now there are at least as many 911's or more on the road in So CA than M3's. In any event neither car has exclusivity. So for any remainder of exclusivity nowadays you will need to go F/Lambo/Maser

TauronB2G - 4/23/2013 10:45:33 PM

+1 Boost

I'm not in SoCal, I'm down n Dallas right now. A Porsche beats a bimmer any day.
T

vonbeeler - 4/23/2013 3:30:38 PM

+2 Boost

Agreed.
There may be no substitute... unless you have kids.
The 911 rear is unusable in reality and the $40,000 savings for the M3 is a pretty good substitute also. Thats the price of a real nice Ferrari 328GTS. So now the question is: BMW M3 convertible AND Ferrari 328GTS in your garage OR 911S.

quizz - 4/23/2013 4:12:34 PM

0 Boost

The question presumes that cost is no object, so I'll take a fully geeked out 911s convertible with ceramic brakes, Burmeister stereo and removable hardtop option.

If the new targa was out, I'd take that instead.

skytop - 4/26/2013 12:11:37 AM

+1 Boost

The 911 is nice but I assure you, it is nothing but a toy car. It is so small as to make it useless for anything other than just taking it out for a little spin. It is purely a one trick pony.

Now the M3 is the whole package. I is gorgeous, fast as all hell, handles better than you know, has plenty of interior width, space, useable rear seats and best of all, it has a useable trunk (with top up). The M3 is actually more exciting than the 911 since it rides FAR, FAR better than the ultra short hard, bouncing ride of the 911.