Foreplay, by a long shot.
What the hell is this? Sophie’s Choice?
I can’t choose, I just… I just can’t.
Seriously tho". I hope no future GF sees this, but it all depends.
There’s nothing like being with a new partner when you first kiss, or you first touch each other in naughty places. Man, what a rush.
However, once the relationship progresses and it becomes old; the best part is the climax. By a long shot.
Totally depends on the circumstances. If we go away for the night or a weekend, and we have uninterrupted time to draw the experience out, that’s wonderful. In fact, on such weekends, we’ve been known to have a ‘quickie’ immediately, so we both last longer, later on. Then, we’ll have a long, drawn-out session that can last for hours, sometimes even with breaks to get something to eat or drink!
But if it’s already 11PM and I know I have to get up at 6AM to get the kidlet ready for school, but we both really want to make love (or one of us does and the other one of us wants to make ‘the other team’ happy), then I’m just as glad to do quick foreplay, followed by quick sex. So we’re satisfied, but I don’t lose too much sleep. 
64 year old here: sometimes getting there is all the fun. (Sometimes, when I’m tired, all that I can manage is foreplay, but that’s still fun in its own right).
Yes, that female organism is fun to be with. I like producing an orgasm in her as well.
Ditto.
That… that is hardly foreplay. Foreplay is part of the sex act, if not sex itself (just not intercourse). So much so that it seems weird to even give it a name, along with mid-play and after-play. Just because a penis isn’t in a vagina (or rectum) doesn’t mean you’re taking a break or something. And IME, even if you’re not getting off from a handjob or cunnilingus, sometimes the benefits of being stimulated beforehand only pay off once you’re having intercourse.
That being said, as others have mentioned, in the words of a million porno titles, sometimes you just want cock. And again IME, a lot of girls and women are so satisfied with (external) clitoral masturbation and already know most women don’t orgasm through penetration alone, they’re surprised how damn good it can feel. The trick is finding a guy who can last – not for extended pounding, but so you can fit in lots of other good stuff in between. Not exactly a Tantric guru, but a lot of patience and self control.
35 yo male.
I like to mix it up. My wife is capable of multiple orgasms. We start out with some playing (touching, rubbing, fingering, stroking, sucking…) and she usually orgasms. Then we will move on to actual intercourse until she orgasms again. Then we will go back to playing while she calms down a bit. Depending on time and how tired we are, this can go on for quite awhile until I can’t hold back any longer during intercourse.
I find that I have a more intense and satisfying orgasm after a lot of foreplay. Whenever we do a quickie, I find that I am ready for more within a day or two. With a good orgasm, I could last a week without thinking too much about sex.
39 year old female, prefer the foreplay. I think for us the actual sex lasts too long and it gets sore. I’d rather spend time fooling around and kissing, and then a nice snuggle after our post-workout snack.
depends on what you do and have time for. for 2 to 8 hours of sex (that’s what weekends are for) foreplay (actually non-intercourse time) may be more important.
for the usual everyday one hour it still could depend on what you do. couple minutes of touching. then maybe 10 minutes taking turns oral. then 20 minutes of 69 with a few smaller orgasms. then 20 minutes of intercourse (maybe a reverse roller coaster lots of taking up and down with the big one at the end with orgasm).
the 69 is very intimate so could be a real good mind and body enjoy. as you feel better then you lick better so you are focused on both ends of your body.
intercourse orgasms are more physically intense.
Over the years, I have discovered that the intercourse part is mucho better if my partner has had a couple of good, screaming orgasms to get her warmed up.
I always hear/read about guy’s lasting for 5 minutes! But i never seem to get off during intercourse! Every one says thats a good thing…not really! 
I still say you’re lucky In my younger days (before I learnt how to pace myself), the damning looks one girlfriend gave me for coming first shot my self esteem to pieces.
Good riddance, anyway.
I believe with foreplay you have the luxury of more variety- where the next fondle is, where you are going, are you going to tease that part a little more?
Once insertion the choices (in my view) are a little more limited.
One’s no good without the other.
I like a little bit of each, as they have their own positive qualities. Anticipation makes foreplay fun, especially if it’s a teasing sort initially, and it definitely makes the actual sex much more intense for me. However, I could also go almost immediately into sex if I’m in the right mood. They’re both good.
I guess I’ll buck the trend (pun intended) and say intercourse, by a long shot. In fact, one of the reasons that I became hyper-skilled at cunnilingus was to get my partner primed as efficiently as possible, so that the uglies could bump much quicker! I’ll take a microwave over a crock-pot any day…