Sold my track prepped M3, help me decide what to replace it with

Watched it drive away yesterday.  A bit conflicted about the sale, but it went to another BMWCCA club member who's going to take good care of it.  He made the transaction easy for me and that was worth quite a bit.  In a fit of irony, I'm actually going to look at his car tomorrow to potentially replace my old M3.  So here's where I'm at...

I only hit the track 3-4 days a season now but the car has to be able to handle track duty without a ton of investment into it to keep it from imploding.  I want a fun car that has a full interior that can fit my kids.  I have an SUV, so no concerns about winter driving, hauling stuff or ski duty.  Prefer rwd or awd, in general I'm a german car guy.  I'd like something fairly modern, mid '90's or newer.  Something that's going to hold its value or appreciate over the next 5 years.  No boost buggies, I'm not a fan of the STI/EVO's.  Please, no miatas, they don't have back seats and I don't fit in them.

Tomorrow I'm going to look at a 1M.  Seems to tick all my boxes.  Modern, fairly comfy, back seats big enough for kids.  Pretty much considered a classic car right out of the gate, very little depreciation in the last 7 years. 

Other car is a Porsche 996 Turbo.  Bottomed out depreciation wise and is going up now.  Good cars cost $10k more now than they did 3 years ago.  AWD, back seats, 911 goodness, bomb proof Metzger motor.

Mk4 Toyota Supra Turbo.  This one I'm not so sure about.  Not because of the car, its awesome!  It's because the Fast n Furious effect has made them incredibly expensive.  Like mid $50k's expensive.  I just can't seem to resolve that number with this car.  I can easily buy either of my other above choices for less, quite a bit less in fact.

What else?  Between a 1M and a 996 Turbo, which one would you choose and why?

1M probably has more variety in between understeer and oversteer. It might be more fun to drive if you enjoy finessing a car just outside the limits of traction. If you just want to go fast the 996 is probably much faster. 

Are you a "Porsche guy?" I feel like Porsches are a love-it-or-hate it kinda car. You either love the way they handle and are willing to deal with their quirky rear-engine placement when it comes to maintenance, or you curse their existence as tail-happy oddballs with hilariously difficult maintenance. The turbos can get pretty hairy in terms of handling when you're pushing them to their limits, even with the modern AWD ones.

The 1M is a much more likable car in that regard— it doesn't force you to change your driving style very much since it's a RWD car with similar balance to an E36 M3. It'll probably feel familiar in a nice way. It'll also be a much easier car to handle at the limits on a track, and it certainly is the more practical of the two, with far more usable back seats.

Ive heard the e46 m3 is a more reliable and easier to go fast track car than the 1-series. That info is possibly worth what you paid for it. 

All of those seem really expensive to risk balling up on track to me, but we're playing in different tax brackets. There's a big difference mentally in tracking a $20k car like your e36 and tracking a $50k car.

$50k buys a Z28 Camaro now doesn't it? $30k buys low mileage Boss 302 Mustangs, which ran times similar to the e92 M3 and leaves tons of budget left for mods or other things like track insurance and consumables.

In reply to jfryjfry :

I've owned an E46 M3 in the past.  They're good cars and a decent one is beginning to run into money.  Kinda makes me wish I hadn't sold my Oxford Green one.  But I sold it on the premise that I didn't want to track my DD and directly to STM317's point, I didn't want to risk a more expensive car on track.  Especially since it was my DD.  I also wanted all the safety, rollbar, race seats, 6 point harnesses, HANS that I couldn't put in my DD.

I guess I'm kinda hitting the reset button in a way as life is making it much harder for me to get to the track.  So I don't need the pointy end of the spear track car anymore as it just sits around.  I do have my SUV, so whatever I get isn't going to be my DD but I want it to be have nice enough street manners that I can drive it to work, pick up the kids and be happy in it.

For the 3-4 track days I'll do a year, I'll back off a little and not push 10/10th's.  Yeah, no guarantee something bad won't happen but 98% of its use will be on the street, so I have to make a compromise...

Is renting a ride for the 3 or 4 track days an option? Then, you could skip some of the worry about wrecking your fun/daily car and your fun/daily car wouldn't have to be as hardcore and compromised on the street.

docwyte said:

What else?  Between a 1M and a 996 Turbo, which one would you choose and why?

1M is overpriced for what it is.  I'd say 996T, as they are unlikely to depreciate at all.  I did the One Porsche Drive event, leading up to the Mitty and it was great.  Switched off cars with for my buddy's 996T for a 10-15mile stint.  

It drives like any other 996 and is totally docile, until you boot it.  Then it's like an ocean of pure, unadulterated torque.  Rolling into the throttle ~35mph in second or even third will easily put you into 'let's go see the magistrate judge' territory with amazing ease.  It does all of this without drama.  

It's an amazing experience, but you have to think about what your desired experience is -- it is not a car that you're going to be able to break a sweat in.  No need to rev-match, downshift, work for speed.  The torque is just there and the gearing is long.  It's a very easy car to drive very fast.   It's not like an E36 M3 that rewards a driver that can work the car to extract speed.

While I would LOVE to have a 996T, I enjoy my 996 Targa because while it is still plenty fast, there's still room to work the car a little (not much) on the daily commute.  More power is good, but just enough is fun as well.

If I were considering a 996T, I'd compare it against an E90/E92 M3 with the M3 being the bargain route.  Between the 996 Carrera and E9x, (similar buy-in) the BMW is built to a higher fit and finish and has much more modern amenities.  

If you want a 911, there's no substitute.  If you're cross-shopping German performance cars, I think you get more for the money with BMW.

2017 1le camaro v8.  455 hp factory warranty...

If you want a 911, there's no substitute.  If you're cross-shopping German performance cars, I think you get more for the money with BMW.

Well, that might stand up if you're talking about BMWs other than the 1m, but a lightly modded 996 Carrera or a bone stock 997 is faster around a track than a 1M and cost much less.  

What about an E85 or E 86 Z4M for track and street?  You already know all you have to for preparation from the M3, and it would be a different enough experience to perhaps interest you.  I prefer driving my E86 to the equivalent M3.

wspohn said:

What about an E85 or E 86 Z4M for track and street?  You already know all you have to for preparation from the M3, and it would be a different enough experience to perhaps interest you.  I prefer driving my E86 to the equivalent M3.

My coworker has a z4m coupe and my goodness I loved driving it. It felt a bit heavy and for the money I'd prefer a 987.1 Cayman S even though it's less powerful. 

Get a 996tt Doc.

I've driven an E85 Z4 M roadster belonging to a friend of mine and was distinctly underwhelmed.  It didn't feel special at all.  I haven't driven the coupe though.

If choosing between a 1M and an E46 M3, I'd go with the E46.  In fact, I bought one about a month ago. :)

Murican V8? Get a reliable and cheap to fix LS or mod powered American car. Comfy back seats, decent handling (cheaply upgradable), v8 mohdur, fun and loud.

Build a 350whp/>2000lb mr2 spyder and put 30k in the bank? 

Z4s and MR2s don't meet the "back seat" criteria.

I would go with the 996tt.  I love those and keep thinking of getting one myself.

M5??   

What about an F-type?  

Hell you can get a new Stinger if you are talking a 50k price limit. 

Or something like this

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/d/2009-jaguar-xk-base-2dr-coupe/6624289385.html

In reply to dean1484 :

F Type my dream car and no backseat. 

Big picture, 996t for sure.  As long as you don't wad it up, it will appreciate more than the 1M over the period you're likely to keep it.

I am seeing F Types in the 40’s on cargurus. 

yupididit said:

In reply to dean1484 :

F Type my dream car and no backseat. 

I am with you on that!!!!

Last I checked, the F Type has no backseat either. :D

There really aren't many options when it comes to fun performance cars with a usable backseat. You've listed 2 great options, and the e9x M3 fits the bill too. What about a 135i with some bolt ons? Probably as fast or faster than the 1M when done. Or the American V8s, as others have noted.