M3 vs. GTR
 

I bought a 2008 M3 and have tracked it several times, but I'm thinking about selling it and buying a GTR. Some of the things I read concern me - transmission, warranty, weight, and maintenance costs. I must admit some of the reviews on forums haven't been great. The M3 has a bumper to bumper 40K/4 year warranty on everything. Any help would be great. Thanks.

Nissan does offer an extended warrantee. 84 months total. You need to buy it before the 36 warrantee expires. Costs $10K. A new transmission costs $15K, so this sounds like a good deal if you intend to keep the car.

dont plan on driving the GTR hard, but i did alot comparing the two before i bought my GTR.

The biggest differences are, the M3 is a better car, and the GTR is the better performance car.

If your looking for a daily driver to take to the track every now and then, stay with the M3. Its more comfortable, and more tuned for everyday driving.

If your looking for a daily driver to take to the track EVERY weekend, go GTR. Its resale value will be alot greater as well.

Take what he said with a grain of salt! After al, he doesn't even own one.

The one thing lacking on the GTR is the lack of space for rear seated passengers! Other than that.....IT"S PERFECT!!

what does this $10k extended warrenty matter if Nissan doesn't warrenty the parts anyway?

Because of "Misuse".........

I guess one needs to avoid "misuse."

There's lots to protect on the car above and beyond the tranny. At the 34 month mark, if I plan to keep the car, I will surely give the extended warranty a close look.

Buying and extended warranty and keeping a car past the original warranty experation is almost always a bad idea.

Paying $10k for an extended warranty is a colossally bad idea! Paying cash would be the ultimate bad idea.

Just do the math... Lets say you bought a GTR new and got it for MSRP. On a 60 month loan at 5% you would have a payment of about $1600 a month. Four years later you are still paying $1600 a month for a four year old car. Why?

Would you pay $1600 a month to buy a four year old GTR? Probably not. You could probably buy the four year old GTR for about $1000 a month. Buying new or over MSRP also has disadvantages, unless you must be the first owner...

-AL

Some would disagree with this. Some think that driving a car until the bumpers fall off is the most economical way to go with a depreciating asset. On the other hand, the GTR could prove to be an evergreen investment, holding its value over years, and then even taking an upturn as the car becomes a classic. Hard to predict the future.

Also hard to predict the true value of an extended warranty, at least at this stage of the game. I take comfort in the fact that I can wait until the eve of the original 36 month warranty expiring before I have to make that choice. Same holds if I decide to sell. Is the car more or less valuable on the resale market if it's bundled with the extended warranty? I need more tea leaves.

Except you're not paying $1600 per month for the car. You're leveraging $1600 p/m for the cost of money (the asset value). As an owner, you get to enjoy driving an $80K car for only $1600. (Actually, at 5% over 5 years it's less than $1600, but that's not the point.)

4 years at $1600 p/m is $76,800. If you sell the car for $30K, the 4 year ride cost you $46,800. Divided by 48 months equals a the true cost of ownership at $975.

Guess it's all in the way you look at things.

GTR
Hands down. Now I had it for about a month and I have owned and driven many cars, GTR is the most technologically advance car out there. (Yes even more so than Ferrari 599 which I traded in for Scuderia) I'm not saying Nissan is better than Ferrari but what I'm saying is if you are choosing between GTR and M3, there shouldn't be any question.
I take GTR to Virginia International Raceway for track events and it does awesome. M3s with slicks barely keep up at turns. I don't do drag racing so whole launch control issue is meaningless, unless state of your ego is dependent on beating someone off the line at quarter mile basis. (which GTR can beat almost any car but is it worth blowing your tranny?)
I hope you buy a GTR!

Xeviuus,

Were you the guy with the black GT-R this past weekend at Summit Point?
One thing I noticed (saw a black GT-R at the track this weekend) is that it's dead quiet at all throttle levels compared to every other car I saw. For example, you could hear every car except the GT-R blasting out of the last corner onto the main straight. The GT-R just whizzed by quietly. It struck me as being quite odd that one of the most powerful stock cars on the track was the quietest and most comfy looking.

hey briik
no it wasn't me. i live in north carolina. i can only go to virginia international raceway. but you are right. it's very quiet. but from inside you can hear turbo pooling up. sounds like a jet. it's really cool. you'll love it!

Buy the car you want if you have the money. Nothing will much matter if you have the money. Many people buying the R35 already own Gallardos and Porsches.

Insofar as which car is "better," that is really up to the taste of the owner. Taking any car to a track "every weekend" is VERY costly.

Performance-wise, the R35 annihilates the M3 across the board and the cars are not very comparable in that way.

No I don't own one, but I'm seriously considering one, Rick

I have both. Here's my take that I posted elsewhere.

My lease on the 550i 6MT is at its end and after trying to commute in the GTR, I gave up and picked up my new daily d. Here's my take on the two.

GTR: Feels fast going slow. Feels insanely fast going fast. Just a lot of fun but a serious pain driving on imperfect roads. Almost miserable. Gut wrenching, neck snapping torque, is what this car is. Steering is great and the car is huge fun on twisty roads. No need to go to the track to have big fun.

M3: Feels slow going slow. Feels slow going fast. I have to keep pressing the M button to have any kind of fun. 550i feels faster because the torque is there. punching the throttle on the 550i is way more fun. The M3 has to be going before you feel much although I know I'm going fast, it doesn't feel like it. Steering wheel is too chunky and shifter throws too long. Longer than the 550i if you can believe it. But the ride is great. Steering is a little numb. This thing needs to be on the track to have fun.

To sum it up. I can't take the 550i to the track and can't commute in the GTR. The M3 can do both. If you can only have one, then the M3 is a great choice. If you can have two, then the GTR and the 550i 6MT sport pkg is the ultimate combo.

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nissan
 

You like man said the gtr is truth