Well I have found and made offers on 3 cars. ALL of these cars are in the same price range of eachother. I need your honest (and unbiased ) opinions on which car I should choose. The car will be my daily driver and will be autocrossed monthly, time permitting. It will also serve as my track car as my driving techniques improve. The 3 choices are:

1)2000-01 ITR

2)1996 BMW M3

3)2002 Subaru WRX

I need to respond to these sellers soon as they are all awaiting my response. I am, quite frankly, torn between these cars because I feel that they are all great in their own respects and they are all within my price range.

Much thanks,

George

 

M3

 

M cars are special.... not special olympics btw.

 

scooby.. or itr..

turbo or vtec

awd or fwd/lsd

both are fun..

 

Hm, autocross eh?
1) good for auto-x not a very good daily compared to the others
2) good daily. Don't know about auto-x
3) Good all around car.

Tough.

 

M3, hands down...

 

Is the 2002 WRX used? What about the condition of '00-'01 ITR? Unless '00-'01 ITR is in mint condition, go for a new '02 WRX. As much as I like M3, '96 is already 6 years old. You'll be spending lots of $$$ on maintenance on the M starting in a few years.

 

I dont have either car but I ve driven all 3.....my opinions,
1) m3's are fun but can be a little boring (older ones)
2)wrx is flat out cool as hell when you modify the boost a bit
3)type r is just flat out cool....

in all honesty id buy the type r and with the difference in cost make that thing an all out mugen screamer =]
lol

 

1. M3
2. ITR
3. WRX (since you specified autox.. and around here, all WRXes are SLOW, maybe jsut the drivers though)

 

1 - best autox, safer for track, cheap to maintain, not the best daily drive
2 - best daily drive, more expensive in every way, rwd & torque!, better resale, more prestige
3 - bleh, nice car but doesn't compare to itr or m3, horrible stock suspension sucks on track and autox

tough choice between 1 & 2. are you selling the gsr? i'd probably go with the m3 for something completely different.

 

The R is obviously not goign to be the best choice for a daily driver... then again, that's what mine is and I don't complain about it too much

I haven't had a chance to drive an M3 but from what I've heard the car is excellent on the road and at the track.

The WRX is a good street car but it is underbraked and the suspension is way too soft for me. The suspension is the main reason I'm driving my R and not a WRX... the WRX just has too much body roll and too soft of springs/shocks for me.

Summation: M3

 

so the M3 is underpowered, doesnt handle well, and doesnt have the vtec sound..

?


[Modified by Type Goch, 12:05 PM 2/19/2002]

 

I have a feeling few here will disagree.

 

***raises hand HIGH***

 

Yeah, a stock WRX sucks, but with aftermarket suspension + brakes + boost controller = very competent handler. If it matters any, a WRX w/ modded suspension + boost controller in our SOLO II runs about the same time (or ~1 sec faster) as stock ITR in ~50 sec course.

 

The number of driven wheels has very little to do with the overall handling of the car. Sure, it has some advantages, but it's impossible to use that alone as a predictor of handling. Unless you mean 1/4 mile "track". Then, sure, it'll launch a lot better.

 

Is this from experience? In my experience, WRXes are slow as fock on autocross courses and even slower on sebring.

Cosworth: Yeah but shall we compare stock to stock, aftermarket to stock or aftermarket to aftermarket?

 

M3

 

It's not underpowered (240 hp). It's overweight (3200 pounds vs 2639 for the ITR). And so is the WRX, which weighs almost as much as the M3.

 

I was aware of that. From what the post I replied to said, it seemed as if he was trying to say that.

 

I want to see how well the WRX`s hold-up after a few years w/ the boost cranked up. Awesome cars, but I question the reliability.

ryan

 

M3!!

 

Why? Subaru isn't new to turbocharging motors. They are also a VERY reliable car in the past. I have more doubts of the kseries honda motor reliability than EJ subaru motors with turbos...

 

1) ITR: a little harsh for daily driver, but is the most competitive of the 3 for autox.

2) M3: probably the best daily driver, but if you run in a stock class, you'll be hindered by not being able to get camber. The lack of factory warranty and an older car could raise the price of ownership.

3) WRX: A lot of fun on the street, great all-weather car. In autox, it's only competitive (at least in stock class) for ProSolo. Without the drag launch, it falls behind the ITR, 325, and IS300 in Solo2.

 

IMO,

I own a ITR and have driven a 98 M3, and seen WRX's on the track.

ITR: If you want a pure drivers car, the ITR is the rawest and funnest to drive. It will be the most reliable also. It also has the most aftermarket support, if your into modin' it. Also the rarest. But it will be the first to be stolen also. Buy a 500$ beater and you'll be good.

M3: Has sack. Lots of torque everywhere. RWD, and handles on a dime. Very comfortable to drive, and looks sweet. Good all around car, but repair costs could be through the roof. It's a gamble.

WRX: Good potential. But very pricey. Saw two of them on a road coarse that could not keep up with a 94Vtec prelude. AWD and Turbo are fun though. it lacks the spirit of the ITR and M3. To heavy, and big.

I was in your shoes last summer and choose the ITR and I love every minute of driving it.