968 - 944turbo - M3

MikeP944 · 12-27-2004, 04:05 PM

I want to buy a new toy and I can't decide between the three. I have a 944 currently and love it, but I want a little more power. I drove an M3 that had mods and man was that thing fast, it just seemed to have tons of power in every gear. I have never driven a 968 or 944 turbo, so I'm looking for some first hand experiences...

85944na · 85944na's Garage

I've driven a 951 and several m3s. The 951 was fun, but I was bothered by the turbo lag, perhaps this one was just messed up, but I didn't like the lag, the power in the high revs was really fun. The M3 is very fast and very reliable, it is a different car than the 951, not better or worse but different. My personal vote would be an M-Roadster or M-coupe.

MikeP944 · 12-27-2004, 05:55 PM

Thanks, I appreciate the insight. I agree the M3 was different than my 944 in so many ways, it just feels so solid. My 944 feels "tight" but has some rattles, but then again it is much older than the M3 I drove. I mentioned the 968 because it seems to be the best of both worlds, plus I really like the look of it. Sometimes though I would really like to be a little more inconspicuous, my 944 always attracts attention. I get plenty of compliments on it, once a guys even asked if it had a v12? That is what attracted me to an M3, most people won't even know what it is.

Moneyguy1 · 12-27-2004, 07:02 PM

M3. Far more bulletproof.

fast924S · fast924S's Garage

I would go with the 951, I love to mod cars and play around and the 951 has tons of power adders. I have seen 951 from 300-500hp. If you build it right the 951 could spank a M3.
Now if you wanna start talking about the 968 turbo then I would choose that one. I also love turbos, There is nothing like the rush of power and that awsome turbo noise. turbo lag isnt a big problem, there are many ways to fix the problem and I kinda like having tons of power dumped to the wheels at 3,000rpm it just feels mean.

BananaClip · 12-27-2004, 08:54 PM

^^Agreed. If you want to mod the car, a 951 or an M3 would be better, but a 968 would be, in most all respects (other than mods), better than a 951. Now this is just me, but I'd rather have a 968 than an M3. Also, what year M3 are you looking at? I'm assuming its new. With the money for one M3 you could buy a pair of nice 968's or a very nice (modded) 951. Your money though.

ilikemy944 · 12-27-2004, 09:10 PM

mmmm... 951....

though for daily driving, I'd recommend a 968 or a m3, you'll have to drive both to decide

Blackfoot · Blackfoot's Garage

The 968 would be at the bottom of that list for me, by far. M3 is a better built vehicle than either Porsche, but a 951 with its upgradeability is an attractive option, if of course, you have lots of cash to keep the car on the road.

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944jeff · 12-28-2004, 06:38 AM

I wrestled with this same decision recently and ended up keeping my NA and buying an M3. One nice thing is you have a real 4 seater. The M3 really is a great handling car, has a lot more torque car than the 968 and it is easily upgraded for more hp. Unfortunately I have never driven a 951... but I would say the M3 is the best all round for reliability and maintenance.

SlowToady · 12-28-2004, 12:35 PM

The M3 is a hell of a car; docile around town and pretty darn fast when you put your foot into it--either on a straight or in the twisties. The straight 6 also has better torque/hp curves than the 968/951/944 (IMO, it drives how I like it..), and like was mentioned, has power everywhere, in every gear.

Upgradeability? Dinan makes a supercharger for the M3 (I know I know, cost..).

As far as building a 951 that will smoke an M3, that could be reversed. I've ridden in a supercharged M3 that was so fast I thought I'd seen God. And I more or less grew up around fast cars, especially since my brother did custom stereo installs for United Audio, Really Fast Cars would come in all the time. We drove a 550HP Twin Turbo Audi RS4, and then the blown M3, and there was no contenst. At all.

Get the M3, you won't regret it.

MikeP944 · 12-28-2004, 02:16 PM

Today I drove a Saab Viggen and an Audi S4, yesterday I drove a pretty heavily modified M3(intake, exhaust, chip, lowered coil-over suspension) Here are my impressions:

M3 was fast! and it was the kind of fast that you feel, planted me into the seat. But the condition of the car was horrible - dirty, missing plastics, front tires rubbed because of suspension, and dirty grey seats(why they chose that color for leather I have no idea. I have yet to see an M3 with nice light grey seats) so that left me disappointed. Other than that the doors felt heavy and clunky. The feel was great and the handling spectacular. It is a very low car and feels as low as my porsche, maybe not good for a second family car? I didn't get a chance to really open it up though, maybe it felt fast because I kept having to slow down for other cars before it really got going? Overall I really liked it, definately a true sports car - RWD and powerful!

Viggen was a little sloppy but seemed to accelerate faster than the other two. I had a chance to open it up a few times and instantly I was doing 80-90mph. That turbo is insane, yes there is a significant amount of torque steer, but not much lag at all. You'd better be holding on to the wheel with both hands before you step down on it. It definately is not in the same class when it comes to handling, sloppy compared to the other two. The interior was nice and it had the best seats of all three. Not a contender as far as I am concerned, but it would be fun to feel that turbo kick every day.

Audi S4 -Best of both worlds? this car is fast but doesn't really let you know it, which is kind of a disappointment. Supposedly faster than the e36M3, the 2.7L twin turbo is very refined and is so smooth that you can be well over the speed limit and not even know it. As far as I'm concerned Audis are unmatched when it comes to interior quality, phenominal! Every gadget imaginable, great ergonomics, and the best overall ride of the three. Handling is far better than the Viggen, but not quite on par the M3. AWD is a big plus as I live in western PA and slick or snowy roads are frequent in the winter. But I can't do burnouts! I know, I know it's immature and not a good idea, but at least I'm honest. Also, sometimes I like to kick the back end out in the twisties and the Audi won't let me do that either. But this is definately the best all around car for the money and is one of the most tunable cars available. A chip alone will get you 300hp and 320lb/ft of torque, with two turbos to tune you can go pretty crazy with power mods - maybe then it will feel as fast as it is?

Well, I still haven't decided, I love the look of the M3, but I do have a family to think about, the viggen is off the list. I'd like to drive the S4 tiptronic, but those are hard to find. I'd definately want to give the S4 some sort of facelift, so if anyone has any links to S4 tuner sites I'd love to see them.

z3davis · 12-29-2004, 02:12 PM

www.audizine.com www.audiworld.com IMO do not get the Viggen I would go for the S4 or the M3 if you are looking for something with a little more room than the Porsche. M3 with traction control and snows is great in the winter- I had a RWD 328i in CT and most s4's have a summer tire on it so they need something more aggressive anyway. My gf had an a4 with all seasons and it was no match for my BMW 328i with Blizzaks. ASC+T

ICD · 12-29-2004, 02:31 PM

I have a 944 S2 and a '98 M3. The M3 is more solid, safer and faster. If you were to buy one go with the M3 compared to a 951. The running costs will be much lower with the M3. And if you need a car for winter driving the M3 is excellent with snow tires. Best of all, the prices on the M3's have fallen through the floor, so there are deals everywhere.

David

nathan944 · 12-29-2004, 04:33 PM

E36 M3. E46 models have issues

Macfreak007 · 12-30-2004, 11:23 AM

The newer AUDI's are also full of bugs. I know that from fixing all of the ones that had issues. I do agree that the interior is great, but you will be in and out of the dealer ALOT. Go with the E36 M3 or the 968 definately. Between those two it is just whatever you enjoy more.

toolboy62 · 12-30-2004, 09:25 PM

Has anyone driven both a 951 and a VW/Audi with a 1.8T? How do they compare, lag-wise? I can deal with the lag of a 1.8T...

(not that I am in any position to buy a 951 but I am just curious.)

nate

SlowToady · 01-01-2005, 12:25 PM

My brother has a 1.8T Golf GTI, and there isn't too much turbo lag, certainly not as much as in the 951.

RAMMER · 01-01-2005, 09:04 PM

I had a 968 for 3 years and it was a great and trouble free car. Its hard to compare a car (968) with roots dating back to the 70's to one created in the 90's. The M3 is a tremendous car according to everyone. If you ever saw a road test with an M3....it would win 99% of the time. I feel the M3 would be an easier car to live with and could easily be a family car. The 951 will require the most involvement ($$$) but it is easier to modidify as with most turbo cars.

944 Pylot · 01-01-2005, 11:20 PM

toolboy62: My little brother has a A4 1.8T with a Garrett T28 turbo. The car is stupid-fast. He has some trouble keeping it running correctly, and there is quite a bit more turbo lag than stock (I think - I haven't driven many turbocharged cars).

I have never driven a 951, but from what I hear, the lag sounds about the same as my brother's A4.

MikeP944: I vote for the S4. I like the look, and (like you said) with some light modifications they can be ridiculous-fast. The quattro AWD is great in the snow too. A B5 S4 may be my next car.