holy shit it took me forever 2 read through all the pages ( i did run out 2 mc dicks for some buy one get one free stuff haha)

i gotta say the stang is impressive and pretty smart; marketing to the general public and not being exclusive like the M3. Most ppl DD their cars and considering half the price and decent engine ( even in the V6 ponys wif 300hp) this will greatly help them out financially. Maybe help bump Ford out of the slums (well played Ford) and maybe build an even better rival for the M3 in the future?

but i must say, black M3 with red leather = SEX

honestly i would buy the ford; 1)because of the $$ and performance. i really dont need to drive a M3 with its maintenance cost, insurance and gas cost(not to mention i dont look near the the type of guy 2 drive one) 2) im not baller enough for the M3 LOL

at the end of the day, your buddy calls you and says " i heard you got a new whip, what you get?" and you reply " "a bmw....m3" and by saying you driving a bmw it makes it all worth the extra dough:thumbsup:

Awesome whip! Sometimes performance isn't everything. Sometimes. ;)

They might have close 0-60 and 1/4 mile, but what about corning or time attack??

M3 is like you get what you paid for.

M3 has better build quality, will drive better, and has more sex appeal. Probably still a bit faster on the track, more race-bred from top to bottom.

Mustang is outstanding value, dollar for dollar, and provides more than enough performance for the average consumer. Tons of usable power. Looks very good, and will certainly be cheaper to own.

Summary: People who can afford an M3 will buy an M3 because it's a better car. Nothing new there. But.... people who can't afford an M3 will buy a Mustang and still be happy because it's an excellent car with superb performance for half the price.

/thread

+1,000,000.

These cars are not in the same class. While the mustang is silly fast in straight line 0-60 times it would totally fail on the track trying to turn the corners. Handling is not Mustangs forte. M3 is arguably one of the best luxury sports couple under $100,000.
If the mustang was free I would drive it and beat the crap out of the motor but the M3 is a car you baby like it was your own child. Thats the main differences of these two cars.

I'm all about maximization, in which case i'll take the Mustang. And that's alot coming from me.

How about this, go buy a Civic and drop a huge ass turbo on it... than you can demolish the M3 for even less money:thumbsup:

Just make sure you fold down the rear seats so you can fit your "chip on your shoulder" in your car.

Even though the engine performance stats are close in comparison.....there is no comparison between a solid axle car Vs a multi link susp set up....

cars aiming at different audiences...

its like comparing an STI/ Evo against... say, a Carrera 4S

i think what the OP meant by hardtop was in reference to the solid-roofed coupe. the convertible with the hardtop up has funny window lines after the b-pillar IMO... it always looks off to me. no complaints with the top down however.

i was flipping channels last night and i caught the tail end of a rerun of a mid-ohio event on speed channel, where there was mustangs competing in the same class as the m3... what race was this?

Really? Is that why Ford has more points in the Rolex Grand-Am standings than Porsche?

2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire challenge.
Pos Manufacturer - PTS
1 BMW - 264
2 Ford - 239
3 Porsche - 205
4 Chevrolet - 178
5 Subaru WRX-STI - 110


Ford has perfected the live rear end, just like GM has perfected leaf springs in the Corvette, and Porsche has perfected the rear engine car.

I should fail you. There have already been numerous 2011 mustang vs 2010 m3 track tests, and the stang matched or beat the m3 on most tracks. google it.

BMW > Ford nuff said :troll:

Hehe, well I'm not saying that one is better than the other.. I'm just saying, the mustang is a capable car. It's a LOT more capable than I thought it was when I started selling them. The biggest problem is it's rare that a good driver ever gets behind the wheel of one to show what it can really do. I'm just trying to sway a few people who have their attitudes and opinions stuck in 1995.

I will be honest. I didn't read all seven pages but here is the reality.

First, until there are posted lap time, we won't know what these numbers really mean. So far though, the Mustang's numbers are impressive. Keep in mind that road feel and enjoyment to drive is a huge part of buying these cars.

Maybe some of you can notice 0.1 seconds while you're driving but I personally love the feel of the car. I'd rather drive a car that's 0.5 seconds slower to 60 and pull 0.2g's less on the skid pad but feels great to drive.

I can't comment on the Mustang but I've driven the new M3 and while I'm not a BMW man, it's a great car that's fun to drive.

Many people are going to buy the M3 because it's an M3. How many times do we hear people talk about how they want to buy a car so bad before they've even driven one or before it's even out yet?

We had a similar discussion when the new Z06 came out. The fact that it was faster than a Ferrari wasn't the point. Ferrari buyers are still going to buy their Ferraris. A faster car for half the price is impressive and if you're looking for a track car for the numbers, perhaps that's where loyalty can change.

There are a lot of people that have the money to buy both the M3 and the Mustang. Chances are, the Mustang drivers are going to buy the Mustang and the same for the BMW.

These new stats are impressive but it's not likely to sway a lot of buyers (some will though).

An example of branding would be a Toyota Camry and a Lexus ES. They are essentially the same car and yet they are very rarely cross shopped.

I want to see some head to head action with these two cars though. Looks interesting.

As an FYI, I like both the Stang and the BMW for different reasons and I'd buy neither.

No factory backing eh? with the right factory support and influence a Mustang can beat a F430 Scuderia...what is your pt? let's compare stock to stock on any racetrack.

Perfecting a live rear axle is like saying you perfected the 5sp transmission. There is absolutely no benefit to a live rear axle Vs multi link set ups for handling.

If the Mustang is a great track car, why don't you sell your Porsche and track a new Mustang?

for 1 lap? just like a M3 can hang with Porsches for a few laps until the brakes fade and tires turn to mush......

I just did a search and while the mustang came close to the m3, the M3 still beat the mustang in the tests.

Believe me I have seriously considered it, along with a Z06. However I am still a Porsche fanboy at heart. Also, true race cars are far from stock. Once you strip the interior, add a cage, delete all the rubber bushings and add a serious suspension with serious tires, you really start to equalise all the cars. The economics of having experience with my car and a million spare parts overshadow the small advantage other cars may have.

As I said before, I'm not hailing the mustang as a better sportscar than an M3 or any Porsche, that would be silly. I am saying that it's a hell of a lot better than most car snobs would like to acknowledge.

^ I agree with you....for $40K give or take...the 5.0 Mustang is the best bang for you buck car....it is also very versatile....you can do straight line burnouts, you can drift it, you can autocross and you hang out with the big boys in most turns......the new 5.0 is supremely superior than the new Camaro SS when is comes to handling.

Just drives me crazy when someone looks at the stats and says the Mustang performs better than a M3.....once you drive both, you realize both are great cars....but you can't really compare them......

correct me if i'm wrong but you said earlier
IMO if you think that a car that handles almost as good as an e92 m3 is "totally fail on the track" then i think you should get your brain checked

^ thank you.