E55. The E55 can do 9/10th of what the 911 can do and its hella faster. And can carry people/luggage.

A coupe really has to offer a substantial advantage nowadays, with sports sedans better than ever.

 

i agree, though to be fair, the last 1/10th would be the handling

 

I agree but if I'm not on a roadcourse or on mountain roads of the sort, I won't really miss a thing.

 

I agree with Mike. The E55 is less expensive, plus it can do just about everything the 911 can do and do it almost as well.

Plus, it's a sedan. And I think the E55 has a nicer interior.

 

I have to completely disagree with you Mike on this.

By your argument, why stop at an E55 if all you're concerned about is straight line acceleration prowess and the ability to carry people and luggage? Why not just get a Porsche Cayenne Turbo or an ML 55 AMG?

There is no comparison between a 997S and an E55 AMG. Absolutely none. The first is a dedicated sports car - very fast, light, amazing handling in the twisties and a 2 door. The other is a boosted 4 door that can blow the doors of any other car on the road only in a straight line, can carry 4 adults and their luggage, plus weighs about 1K lbs more. Why are we even comparing the two together?

e-man does not have a wife or kids, why get a 4 door car? So that he can carry his friends and their luggage once or twice a year? Is he buying the car for himself or his friends?

 

Less expensive? How much less expensive? Very little. Once you are even considering these two cars the little difference in cost is not a deciding factor here.

That is subjective. I personally think the interior of the 997S is much better than the E55's.

 

Funny but just last night, DrDrilz approached me at the Barnes in Nobles in Buckhead. What a coincidence! I was reading Automobile, he was reading Excellence. Small world and a cool dude.

Yes, I agree, the two cars are apples and oranges but DrD is choosing between the 2. I am as much as the Porsche man as you, Rominl and Bit. I love Porsches. So here are my reasons.
1. E55. This is not the run of the mill E320 or 500. This is the super accelerating, super sedan. To know this car is simply faster and quicker than a 911 gets me high. Sedans are not supposed to do this.
2. Looks. Subjective but the 997 is growing on me but still, why the 993 looks? Where is the progression? It is still gorgous, period, but the E55 is breathtaking to me. Its more aggresive and macho.
3. Utility. Yes, DrD is single and no kids but its just good to have extra space. There are tons of times you just need it, the ride with friends, going shopping, buying some furniture maybe.
4. Whoring. Porsche just has too many 911 models. We know they are coming. Carrera, S, Turbo, Convert, Convert turbo, GT2, GT3, anniversary editions, etc etc. E55 is E55 and that is all.

I have pretty much every review of the 911. They do say, the S model maybe the greatest 911 ever. Those are big words. it won Performance car of the Year already.

Man, great shoes to be in. Either one is a fine choice. Glad to talk to u yesterday, you should have mentioned, we could have chatted over coffee!

 

well, but the handling of the e55 hasn't been all the great though, i might not need the superb handling of the porsche, but i would probably prefer more on the e55 (don't get me wrong, if you read my first post i would still choose the e55 coz' i want a big car up front before i consider a small one)

so let me just throw in one more factor. if given the m5 as a choice as well, then i think m5 will get my vote

 

Sorry dude, I can't. The M5 will be 90k. Sorry it looks slightly better than the 545 but its still pretty ungainly. And the interior, though I do like the art deco design, it screams cheap for 45k let alone 90k! Funny I bought the Feb Bimmer mag, with the M5 on the cover where I met DrDrilz yesterday, and they were underwhelmed. Yes, it handles great, yes its fast, the looks=uhh, the interior= uhh, I guess for 90k, I would take looks and interior or handling, since I know I won't really be driving the car though the Dragons Tail every weekend.

My longshot. Maserati. I'd give them a look. Italian flair and panace for under 90k. V-8 and RWD. Reviews state the updated coupe is MUCH better than the previous version.

My last one is wait for the Aston MArtin AMV-8. The interior is a DB-9s and it looks better. Its to be their 911 fighter.

 

wait, i believe the 911s, the m5, and the e55 all are about 85 to 90k?

but nah, man.... i was talking about the e39 still the new one might perform better, but putting together with the look and style... argh

 

Oh, my bad. The possibilites are almost endless......

 

wow, thanks guys for your replies. let see, where do i start? as far as price, the 911S is actually a little cheaper. Im looking at lightly optioned 911S' which brings the MSRP to around $82-83K. and they are being discounted. the E55 has gone up about 3-4k in MSRP since 2003 and they have done away with the free maintenance for 2005 i believe. plus it is hit with a gas guzzler tax. i dont know why xenons arent standard but by the time u add that and some other little goodies youre looking at $85k+. and the sales guy i spoke with said no discount! as far as the new M5, i just dont like the looks. if it werent for that ugly body, that would be the perfect compromise.

and 1Sick, hit me up sometime and we can talk about cars over coffee mang! Like i said i gotta come out to a meet sometime.

 

if power in the 911 is lacking, get the new C6 Z06.

if taking tight corners and feeling the Porsche chassis is most important then the 911 is the best option.

if powerful acceleration brings a smile to your face then the E55 is the way to go.

No doubt in my mind, the new M5 is vastly superior to the E55. It offers the best compromise b/w the E55 and the 911. Awesome price, and a real performance motor. All you get in the E55 is a avg motor w/a blower.

BMW actually spent real R&D developing the M5, the E55 is a typical MB overpriced, and underachieving.

 

Based on what you just said, the 997S is a no brainer! Go for it my man!!!

Have you driven a 997S yet? You need to go out and drive one and you will be smitten. Wait till you see the infinite customization options available on Porsches!

 

Nah a 997S is still a purer sports car by the very fact that it is a dedicated sports car.

I think anyone in a position to consider a new 997S or an E55 AMG is also in a position to plunk down another $20 - 30 G's and get a 4 door sedan for the odd time that you need to carry 4 adults and their luggage.

The design philosophy of the 911 is very simple - evolution. The reasons why it looks like the 993 is simply because that is what the owners of Porsches want. They listen to their customers. Not a whole lot of Porsche owners like the "fried egg" look of the 996's.

Porsches are still rarer to see on the road compared to all the E320's and E500's I see everyday. This new e-class is even more common than my 6 year old GS400!