As for the TT-coupe vs. the M-Coupe...not really a comparison. The TT is a very nice classy car with beautiful interior. The M-Coupe is a brutish violent tempormental little rocket. It's like a go-kart. It's extremely torquey and will rip your head off and amaze you every day you drive it. It's definately a true sports car. While the TT is more of a sporty touring car. A very good friend of mine has a TT and we fool around racing but it's no competition. The M-coupe will turn more heads because of it's uniqueness, the TT is very unique too but much more common.

As for the M3 (E-36) vs the M-Coupe....Well, here we go again. The M3 is an extremely fast and agile car. Very easy to drive and MUCH more forgiving in the twisties. The M-Coupe is the violent little rocket I was speaking about earlier. It will rip your head off with acceleration, you seem to feel it more in the M-Coupe than you do in the M3...maybe due to the size. The M-Coupe is very twitchy around corners and will swap ends faster than you'll expect. It's very tempermental, it has a lot of little quirky things and is VERY unique. You'll almost NEVER see another M-coupe on the road. Where as the E-36 M3's are almost common and the E-46 M3's will be everywhere soon too.

In conclusion -

TT - If you want a nice little classy sporty car and don't plan to do any serious racing, get it.

E-36 M3 - If you want a mid-size sports car with great handling and great speed, get it.

E-46 M3 - I've never driven one but I suspect they're going to be very cumbersome, still a sweet car but I cannot comment since I've never driven one.

M-Coupe - If you want a Porsche-type car that will snap heads (yours and people that stare at it), if you want a car that will make you smile every time you drive it and every time you look in your driveway...if you want a car that is one of the most rare production cars ever made...if you want a true exotic sports car for less than $50K...if you want people to chase your down the street just to ask you "What the hell is that thing? It's awesome"...GET THE M-Coupe.

My 3 cents worth. No matter which on the 4 cars you choose, you'll enjoy it.

: Hello!

: Well, I am in the boat that many are in (at least on the M3 sections of this board) and that is waiting for the new E46 M3 to come out. I want to see it in person, and DRIVE it, to see how it feels, is it heavy, etc. But the wait is getting discouraging, especially with the possibility of price gouging to think about.

: So, I have begun to look at the M Coupe, I've been lurking here, and I am going for some test drives this weekend. The style of the M Coupe is weird, but unique; I think I like it from the outside. The inside is awesome, expecially with the two-tone color scheme, although I have reservations about the comfort of the seats. And I think I can get by with the limited cargo space.

: I was hoping that some of you might have some thoughts on things like: 1) How does the M Coupe drive compared to an E36 M3 -- what are the big differences? 2) How does the M Coupe compare to the Audi TT coupe? On the M3 boards, everyone is "M3 vs. S4" blah, blah, blah. But in the two weeks or so that I have been reading here, I don't think I have seen a mention of the TT -- is it not a competitor to the M Coupe? (OK, I know the power is less, but form factor and product "intent" seem close enough for me to put them mentally in the same category).

: I probably wouldn't be driving an M Coupe tomorrow if I didn't think that it was going to go away, but it seems like ( from the posts here) that there might not be an M Coupe for 2001. I'd hate for the E46 M3 to be a fat pig with no M Coupe as an alternative, and that is what is driving my decision to look at the M Coupe.

: Thanks for all of your thoughts!
: -c