(shawn @ Oct. 27 2006,07:12) M3 - fantastic car. I love BMW though. I drive a 528i. (Not a fast car, gets great gas economy, super nice inside and out, and has great torque from the straight 6.)
That Saleen - wow!
The M3 and M5 both have 500hp. That's probably enough to haul you around and the M5 is bigger inside.
If my desire was stronger for a badass car, I'd go ahead and step up and get an M3. It's 333 horses and that should be plenty. 0-60 in 4.6sec...
The M5 and M6 both have 507 horses and by all accounts are just outer limits... The first $100K I feel like throwing at a car though... I might be all over the M6.
Mostly though, until I completely loose my mind, I'm keeping my auto purchase under $35k.
I kind of look at it as a watch. I can see buying a Rolex or a TAG. They make some seriously accurate reliable watches that can stand up to alot of abuse. So the outlay makes sense.
BUT
As soon as you make that an 18k Gold Rolex? Well now your just spending money to spend money. Maybe cause you are into watches, maybe cause your an idiot and want to try to impress someone. Whatever the reason, there is a point of diminshing return. A point where the extra money either isn't worth it to me the consumer, or no longer means increased performance or content.
This is kinda how car shopping works for me. I am looking for fun, but I also expect to be able to go on a decent road trip, take the clubs to the course, and take it to an occasional track day.
So once I find a selection of cars capable of performing this balancing act, and I start weighing pros/cons of my selection until I settle on a couple of contenders.
Now I am not saying that a Mustang is comparable to an M3... Uhh No. But what I am saying is that right now, the Mustang might scratch my itch better than the M3... I wanna play with my next car like we do the busas. I want to tweek I think.... And the Mustang is tinker Toys. Affordable, fun and easy to work on/get parts for.
Here's where I think the Mustang is scoring points.
- Inexpensive to own/insure.
- Huge affordable aftermarket.
- Fun with room for a couple of buddies and a set of golf clubs.
- Quick and capable with a big ole rumbly v-8 under the hood.
- Finally, I love the looks. Especially the CS with the 18's and the different front and rear end treatment.