bmw m3 vs. chevy corvette (moved from M3 forum)

i have a few questions...
1) does anyone know a good website that compares specs/stats (such as horsepower, 0-60 time, etc.) of cars? (specifically that of an m3 and a corvette)
2) there was an article in road and track (jan. 2001 i think) that featured an article that considered the m3, porsche, and corvette but i don't know the adress on the web, does anyone?
3) does anyone know the 0-60 times for a new m3 and a new corvette?
thanks all

Actually, there are a few threads in here that deal with those two comparisons, right down to specs. Just go through the car comparisons forum and you might find it there. Or, check the off topic, corvette, m3 forums.

But a lot has been said about them.

Check out the current issue of Motor Trend. Their feature article is entitled Speed Wars and they compare the BMW M3, the Corvette Z06 and the Porsche Boxster S.

BMW World usually does not do comparisons because we might be biased, you know.

try www.supercarcentral.com
comparo central there... but the numbers for hp look a little off, but i know that the times are very close... try that out...

Both car are around 0-60 in 4.7 seconds.

If it's a C5 vette than i wouldn't even think about it, I'd go straight for the M3.... the C5 (regular corvette) does 0-60mph in the mid 5 second range while the M3 does it in the upper 4 second range, plus the M3 has way more room, luxury and utility, since it has a back seat and can seat 5 people... or 4 adults comfortably..... while the corvette only has 2 seats

C5 is mid-high 4's actually.

Whereas Z06 405HP is high 3's.

Originally posted by F20C
00 Audi S4 (Family)
01 Honda S2000 (Mine)
02/03 BMW M3 (Mine in 15 months)

Can I be you?

You have a Ferrari?

Originally posted by F20C
C5 is mid-high 4's actually.

i read that the C5 convertible is 0-60mph in 5.1s and quarter mile in 13.6s

while the E46 M3 does 0-60mph in 4.8s and the quarter mile in 13.4s
[numbers courtesy of caranddriver.com] :D

and it has been their best handling car.... they were saying the M3 handles better than NSX-Ts and the Ferrari F355 spyder

Numbers from magazine vary all the time. It is what the cars can do in real life that matters. The 5.1 you been reading are what Camaro Z28SS do everyday consistently. C5 is a class above that in both speed and handling. E36 M3 was the best handling car on the planet. E46 is not far behind that but it did become more chubby in weight. In my mind the Euro Spec E36 M3 are still better handler than E46 M3.

I wish i had a Ferrari, i just bleed red (obviously) and yellow. I love Ferrari's more than anything else and i hope to one day own one, just like gang$tarr hopes to own a Diablo. but you have some SWEET rides, take some pictures if you can.

i'll try to take pictures of all my families cars togetha that'd be coo.. in front of the house

My friend has an '01 Corvette Coupe...according to his G-Tech it does 4.8 0-60 and the quarter in 13 flat. I think his lat. acceleration was .93 or something like that. I would go with the vette, but I'm probably a little biased;)

the M3 is faster in a straight line, and it would easily beat the vette in the corners. i dont know how the M3 could lose.
F20C: can we get more pictures of your instrument panel. i love the S2000's panel....

Like this?

http://9000rpm.20m.com/Dcp_0620.jpg
http://9000rpm.20m.com/Dcp_0715.jpg

that's sweet.... how old are you?


i would wanna get an S2000 but i would only be able to drive it for half the year cause of snow in the winter soo i can't :(

if i lived somewhere south, like florida, georgia or california, etc. i'd get one fo sho

hey f20c the Z06 has 385 hp

Originally posted by e30325is4ever
hey f20c the Z06 has 385 hp

Bud that was last year's Z06's hp rating. This year they bumped it up to 405 hp and 400 lbs torque.

whats being compared, the C5 coupe or the Z06? Gang$tarr, that 5.1 may be right, but I've heard that the coupes are faster than the convertibles. It also depends on where they were being tested...altitude, temp, wind speed/direction, and humidity all factor in to the times.

Convertible weights more than coupe body shell. That's the biggest reason why it's slower. Because of the added weight around 70 lbs I think.

yeah the coupe is faster

by about .2 i think

Id go with the M3. Though they're both very close when it comes to performance...I just cant stand the Vette's interior compared to the one in the M3. I think its so much nicer....

I'd go with an M3 too... just because it's more universal

more seats, more room, all weather, etc.

Im a 16 year old from new york. Around my area theres a decent amount of street racing. I had become quite sucked in by this new trend. I began racing my 1998 E36 328i against the big boys (corvettes, mustangs, hooked-up civics) I won some and lost some. A few weeks ago, as a gift for getting a full ride to Duke University, my dad bought me a brand new 2001 M3 convertable. I didn't hesitate to race it. I was absolutely unstopable all of last week (I got the car last week). However, 3 nights ago, I was challenged to a race by a 2000 Corvette. I was recieving e-mails stating how badly I was going to lose this race and what not. Last night was the race. Lets just say i blew the doors off the corvette by about 4 seconds on a quarter mile. I think i did it in about 13. I figured this was the perfect story considering it was so recent and you are asking about M3's and 'Vettes. I also have some specs for you straight from the catalog i got with my car.

333 bhp,0-60 4.3

her ya go

Originally posted by TK2G2
Im a 16 year old from new york. Around my area theres a decent amount of street racing. I had become quite sucked in by this new trend. I began racing my 1998 E36 328i against the big boys (corvettes, mustangs, hooked-up civics) I won some and lost some. A few weeks ago, as a gift for getting a full ride to Duke University, my dad bought me a brand new 2001 M3 convertable. I didn't hesitate to race it. I was absolutely unstopable all of last week (I got the car last week). However, 3 nights ago, I was challenged to a race by a 2000 Corvette. I was recieving e-mails stating how badly I was going to lose this race and what not. Last night was the race. Lets just say i blew the doors off the corvette by about 4 seconds on a quarter mile. I think i did it in about 13. I figured this was the perfect story considering it was so recent and you are asking about M3's and 'Vettes. I also have some specs for you straight from the catalog i got with my car.

333 bhp,0-60 4.3


umm. no, no you didn't. you must be one hell of a driver to pull off a 13 second 1/4 mile considering 13.4 seconds is all C/D professional drivers can pull off. 0-60 of 4.3 is crap as well since 4.8 is about as fast as the M3 can do.

Originally posted by TK2G2
Im a 16 year old from new york. Around my area theres a decent amount of street racing. I had become quite sucked in by this new trend. I began racing my 1998 E36 328i against the big boys (corvettes, mustangs, hooked-up civics) I won some and lost some. A few weeks ago, as a gift for getting a full ride to Duke University, my dad bought me a brand new 2001 M3 convertable. I didn't hesitate to race it. I was absolutely unstopable all of last week (I got the car last week). However, 3 nights ago, I was challenged to a race by a 2000 Corvette. I was recieving e-mails stating how badly I was going to lose this race and what not. Last night was the race. Lets just say i blew the doors off the corvette by about 4 seconds on a quarter mile. I think i did it in about 13. I figured this was the perfect story considering it was so recent and you are asking about M3's and 'Vettes. I also have some specs for you straight from the catalog i got with my car.

333 bhp,0-60 4.3

I really dont know how you got a full ride to Duke! First, "this new trend," street racing has been around way longer than you or me. Second, I would not consider a "hooked up civic" a "big boy." And third, if you beat a c5 vette by 4 seconds in the 1/4, he must not have realized that you were trying to race him since he would have run 17s.
For everyone who is comparing the m3 to the regular c5 vette your comparing a 50k car vs. a 40k car. If your gona compare, compare the z06 with the m3.

lol... i'll be the first to say it :)

[gang$tarr clears throat]


bullshit

One cannot compare a corvette to an m3.

An m3 is a sporting luxury sedan w/ countless amentities and great styling, whereas a corvette is an american muscle street legal race car. 3.2litre i-6 vs. a 5.7 litre v-8? *laugh* the corvette only produces a couple more HP!! lol!!

Sure the corvette may run the 1/4 a couple ticks faster, or get extra g's in the skidpad..but it's not a bmw, and i sure as hell wouldn't want one :)

Now drop some h&r's all around on the m3 and a supercharger, you can say goodbye to that corvette.

Hey, may i ask how you are 16, but already getting a full scholarship to Duke?

Sorry kid, but academic scholarships aren't handed out to rich white kids anymore....especially by Ivey league schools

Your lie is obvious, I'm 16, and.. i own you.

Your lie is obvious, I'm 16, and.. i own you.


hahaha

TK2G2 is definitely a moron

hermunn, where are you located in texas?

I'm in Dallas :)

i just joined this forum last night, b/c www.bmwplanet.com has been down for several days... :(

By gang$tarr:
I'd go with an M3 too... just because it's more universal

I'd have to agree with that, although I really like both cars....I'd prefer the M3 for creature comforts as well as performance!

While the M3 is an awesome car, I'd definately go with a the 2002 Z06 Corvette.

Reasons why:
1. 0 - 60 in 3.9 seconds
2. The best sports car for the money
3. In Car and Driver Magazine, a stock 2002 Corvette Z06 beat out a stock 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo.

If reason number three doesn't signify performance for the money I don't know what does. Plus, if you want to get into modifications, then the Ligenfelter Corvette just kills all. With no NOS the Lingenfelter 427 CID Twin Turbo Corvette did the quarter mile in 9.524 @ 145.25 miles per hour. Only problem is, I don't think I shift that fast. o_o;

Originally posted by b0rf
hermunn, where are you located in texas?

I'm in Dallas :)

i just joined this forum last night, b/c www.bmwplanet.com has been down for several days... :(

i'm in San Antonio.

and to the last reply, we are not comparing the ZO6 to the M3.

I REALLY CANT BELIEVE WE ARE COMPARING A CORVETTE TO AN M3!! I MEAN GIMME A FUCKIN BREAK. THE E46 M3 IS A ONE OF A KIND MASTERPIECE. DONT EVEN TRY AND COMPARE THE QUALITIES OF THE CHEVY TO A BMW. BTW THE 1/4 MILE OF THE CAR IS AT 13.1 (R&T MAG) THIS CAR IS SUPER FAST AND IF U LOOK AT THE FEB 2001 ISSUE OF R&T, THE M3 WAS RATED A BETTER CAR BC OF ITS SPEED AND ITS LUXURIES. SO WHOEVER LIKE THIS STUPID IDEA THAT THE CORVETTE EVEN IS COMPARABLE TO THE M3, CAN EAT MY BALLSSSSS!

M3 for handling reasons

m3 looks a lot better. corvette looks ugly to my taste.
but its just my opinion

absolutely... M3 for looks too

it's a hard one, but i'll go for the m3

eat your balls?

does bmw pay you to come onto sites and shoot down other cars?

we arent talking about luxury in a car comparison? we are generally talking numbers, b/c i'm sure the luxury aspects of bmw are higher than the vette... and i care because?

E46 0wns the vette~
w00t~

In Car and Driver Magazine, a stock 2002 Corvette Z06 beat out a stock 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo

hmmm....... well, maybe in a straight line but if thats what you call a test that just cracks me up....... if this magazine also preferred the vette round the twisties they are truly a hilarious bunch of comedians.

Originally posted by crayzayjay


hmmm....... well, maybe in a straight line but if thats what you call a test that just cracks me up....... if this magazine also preferred the vette round the twisties they are truly a hilarious bunch of comedians.

The 996 turbo would even beat it in straight away

The Z06 is impressive for the price but 911 turbo, i dont think so.
It could beat a carrera :)


Maybe the comparison was 911 Carrera vs. a C5 corvette
that would be a better comparison

i dont know much about corvettes so i didnt want to come straight out and say that guy's statement was wrong, but i was pretty sure the turbo would whip a corvette.. thanks for restoring my faith in porsche :D

I would definately take the vette.. come on!
the Z06 handles better, is faster, and in my opinion, looks better

a vette will never be like a porsche turbo!
the porsche turbo is one of the most beutifull cars in the world!
and remember your comparing v9vs.flat6cyl.:alien:

the Z06 handles better
:huh: please.... thats the funniest thing ive heard all week... thanks for making me laugh :cwn27:

thats impossible because the turbo is AWD and the Z06 is RWD!:o

the turbo is AWD and the Z06 is RWD!

:confused: so which do u think has better handling? :confused:

the turbo!

phew! :)

C5 and e46 m3 have similar 0-60 times. About 4.8 seconds.

I do believe the e36 was the best handling car in America until Boxster S came along. I've been lucky enough to drive both, and I think the Boxster is more stable, but the M3 is more agile. I wished I had both.

Originally posted by crayzayjay


:confused: so which do u think has better handling? :confused:

AWD does not equal amazing handling..... the GT2 is rear wheel drive.
Considering the price of the Z06 to the turbo, it puts up a good fight. But it really should be compared to the 911, and there it beats it.

im well aware of the pro's and cons of AWD, RWD, and FWD, thanks..

about your last comment, im gonna disagree; even a bog-standard 911 is a wonderfully complete car and one you could drive forever... id choose it over the Z06, though the latter is fantastic VFW

Originally posted by crayzayjay


hmmm....... well, maybe in a straight line but if thats what you call a test that just cracks me up....... if this magazine also preferred the vette round the twisties they are truly a hilarious bunch of comedians.

This is one magazine article that can actually be taken seriously, the Porsche driver is a professional racer, the Corvette driver was a test engineer from GM, both know the cars very well and the Z06 edged the turbo out, period. This isn't the be-all end-all test, but it shows that if driven properly the Z06 will match laps with the 911 turbo, argue all you want, you're simply wrong if you believe otherwise. Nobody's saying that the Z06 will take the GT2, however it will run with a turbo AWD, suck it up and take it, it's a compliment to both cars that they can run with each other, even if GM can do it for 1/3 the price.

I stand corrected about the lap times. Very impressive of the Corvette to edge out a 911 Turbo. Different story in the wet though :biggrin:

However, what i said about "preferring the Z06 to the Turbo in the twisties" refers to handling (and not grip) which doesnt come across in a lap time

The Z06 is a very impressive car, but let's not bring price into it, GM's resources are several times that of Porsche's so although the car is sold at a lower price GM has a benefit of scale that Porsche doesn't even come close to.