Anyone else just wonder whether it's all worth it?

I don't mean to be overly negative here, but does anyone else wonder if it's all worth it sometimes? I always look forward to driving my car, but after driving in it and hearing the rattles from the tail light trim, the multiple buzzes coming from the interior, and just general minor annoyances that I know I've paid a huge amount of money for (many of which could theoretically be fixed if my dealer gave a damn about fixing anything that wasn't a purely mechanical problem) sometimes I think it's just easier to leave the car in the garage and not end up pi**ed off after driving it. Don't get me wrong - I do love my CS quite a bit, especially when going on explicit destination fun drives. But often I feel like if I'm going to have a car that annoys me with multiple little faults that my dealer will ignore, I might as well drive an American make at half the purchase price and parts cost. (Don't say contact PCNA, either - if it's anything short of the engine falling out, it's my experience that they just look at you weird because they can't imagine how anyone could not appreciate the privilege of owning a Porsche.) This isn't a Porsche-specific issue, BTW - I know lots of people with BMWs who have similar experiences. I just wonder if sometimes the reality of ownership doesn't smack all of us in the face pretty hard now and then.

I'm sure people have these kinds of days from time to time, nothing to do with the Cayman per se. I know my car probably has some rattles or squeaks somewhere, but I know long ago I ignored them if they were there and simply enjoy the driving experience knowing that the days of of individuals driving cars on the open road are coming to an end, in other words, I try not to sweat the little stuff or let it take away from my enjoyment of the bigger picture. Hope that helps... and Happy Holidays!

Mine has just the occasional sign of a squeak or such, which can annoy me at the time. Then the next drive I take everything is bliss, the sun is shining, the minor annoyances are either not there - or I'm somehow ignoring them. And it's those drives which remind me what I am driving and how lucky I am. Up until a few years ago, I'd be at the local auto dealers every week testing just about anything of interest I could get my hands on. And eventually I always found something better than my last benchmark. Well, I eventually drove a 987 Boxster and bought it - and I still kept driving other vehicles seeing if I could find a new benchmark. It took me two years to find another - and that is when I bought the CS. Now, I don't actively look for new benchmarks to satisfy my desires, because I know that nothing I can reasonably think of would exceed the CS - except maybe a rev 2 987! So, I can think of a few cars I could have that would probably be without any of those minor annoyances but in the end I would always have to live with their - to me - major shortcomings - as in dull dynamics and the feeling that you're at the controls of nothing more than a computer assisted machine (like my 2004 CLK500 was....). Anyway, just a different way to look at the picture. Maybe if you put an aftermarket exhaust on it the squeaks would fade away.......!!!:cheers:

I know what you mean. I haven't had any problems with my CS, (thank goodness and my fingers are crossed), but I had a 335i before that was a real PITA. Which was a shame to because it really would have been a nice car... had it worked.

I guess turn the tunes up????

Most of the noises I have encountered thus far are from objects I have put in the car. Change in the console, paper in the back and so on. I think you find heightened awareness and become one with the machine :taunt: and thus find yourself in tune with every bump and rattle. After having driven something other than the CS for more than a month I went back to it. Wondering what that awful whistle or swishing noise was. After a few miles I thought - Um, that's the intake! Its behind you! DOH! :crazy: I was hearing the H6 intake responding to throttle input. True story.

This is a question of expectations. Show me perfection, and I will introduce you to a person (probably a woman) who is terribly disappointed with it. A little delusional optimism can go a long way. That and having friends with Ferraris. They have stories that make you want to kiss your Cayman .

Solution: install an aftermarket exhaust and let the drone overpower all the other sounds you're currently hearing.

Yes, I have a rattle in the rear trunk area that I can not pin down, but I haven't ever wondered if it was worth it or not. Love the car and miss driving it when we have weather like we have the past two days.

Wide tires with stiff sidewalls, stiff springs, little suspension isolation, cold temperatures, and roads torn up by studded snow tires (I noticed you were in CO) equals rattles and noises in most sports cars. It's also the luck of the draw on parts quality and assembly tolerances, so some people get a car with more rattles than others. You can try to cure some of the rattles yourself with some Velcro (often the "hooks" side of Velcro will cure squeaks and rattles for some interior pieces), o-rings (cut into rubber "strings" to shove into joints), or some pads from cycling helmets. Although I have an occassional one in the headliner that looks like a PITA to cure... You could just buy a new Buick. The last one I was in had NO rattles, none at all, even on bad roads. Of course you may be bored to death. All of the interesting to drive cars I can think of rattle or squeak on some surfaces. (The worst I've recently experienced was an Aston Martin DB9.)

GM3: One of the advantages of buying a nearly out of warranty, lightly used '06 is that you can tear into the car yourself if there's a rattle. I went to a dealer to inquire about a few things. 1. Trunk Clunk 2. Nav DVD update 3. Engine software updates or service recall/updates. 4. Problem with my Key 2 not always wanting to start the car. Service Writer was nice. He told me the upgrade DVD (2009) was $150. He gave me an appointment 3 weeks out. It's 25 miles in bad traffic to get to the dealer. In that time, I took a second stab at the trunk clunk issue. This time, I removed the foam bands I had put around the weight and installed some rubber 0-rings above and below the weight on the two bolts that it hangs on. Success. Clunk gone. Then there was a small noise still remaining in the hatch when I hit a hard bump. I took some of the foam door sealer I'd originally had on the clunk weight and put it on the sides of the hatch opening where there is a clear tape. On the hatch, there is a black piece of hard rubber or plastic opposite this tape. I put another piece of foam there. That took care of the infrequent hatch noise. Prior to that, I'd had a big rattle/clunk in back. It was a low frequency sort of noise that would hurt your ears on just minor bumps. It was actually the hatch moving up and down. I tried to adjust the outside bumpers at the bottom of the hatch, but it didn't fix it. I looked in the Articles section here and found one on the rear hatch lock. I disassembled the right side only of the rear panel and was able to get to the rear hatch lock mechanism. There are two bolts holding it to the chassis. These bolts screw into the chassis. There are oversized holes in the latch mechanism to allow adjustment. The driver's side bolt had come loose and adjusted itself fully to the loose side of the adjustment. The passenger's side was about in the middle and was relatively tight. There was no lock-tight on either bolt. I removed both bolts, put some blue loc-tite on the threads and screwed them back in, putting both sides of the lock at the full-tight position. Then I adjusted the rubber bump stops at the corners of the hatch a little looser than they were. I let the loc-tite dry for 10 minutes then reassembled everything. When I was done, the hatch closed much more fully and firmly. I then adjusted the bump stops again to just offer a little extra resistance. I think they're about 3/4 out instead of full-out now. Most of the hatch's resistance to closing now comes from the hatch seal, not from the two bump stops. The hatch makes no more ear punishing, woofy noises. I still hear a lot of tire impact noise, especially from the right rear tire, but it's so much more tolerable now. You might have a hard time getting a dealer to spend this much time and energy on a project like this. I'm lucky enough to have a shop near my house that has techs that would actually work on a silly thing like this, but they will charge me by the hour to do it....less than Porsche will charge, but at least they will do things and do them right. I did these things myself, though. It's a good idea for anyone with a Cayman to get those blue plastic tools for tearing into interiors. I've now done a lot of little jobs that involve interior prying...including removing the engine cover. This is a lot less scary when you have the right tools. Just had another noise a few nights ago with wife in the car. It turned out to be the Drive Canada iPhone device that I bought and will probably not use. I had put it in one of the plastic compartments behind the seats next to the engine bay and it was rattling like crazy. I had wrapped it in a clean shop rag, but it wasn't enough. I think those compartments need to be lined with some foam or something. I'll do that myself. If you take the attitude that the dealer should fuss over every little noise when you buy a sports car, you will never be happy. These cars have stiff suspensions and very wide tires for their weight. There is a lot of body movement and things are just going to rattle from time to time. I think the hatch design on the Cayman could be improved with a little attention from Porsche, or at least better instructions to dealers about how to set them during dealer prep. Aside from that, these cars are remarkably solid. So, trunk clunk fixed. I decided to forgo the DVD upgrade until the next one comes out. The key problem is probably a battery. I will attempt to replace it. If it still doesn't work, I'll take the key to the Porsche parts counter, not the whole car into service. There are no software updates and I just got a Softronic Flash and Plenum, so I don't think they can help me there. I think the best way to handle the dealer frustration is to take good care of your car and avoid them completely if you can. All the things I like to do with my car (Mod them and track them) void the warranty anyway. I don't expect I'll blow my engine. It's got a sump extension, underdrive pulley, big VOS and will have a power steering oil cooler by the next track experience. I'm changinng oil and filter every 5,000 miles or so instead of every 20,000. Any major items will be attended to by my local shop and, if I do break an engine, I'll find a 3.6 for the car. :dance: My car with the new engine installed will still have cost me less than a new CS. Granted, I cannot expect to get the same sort of resale that I'd get on a new car with a full dealer history, but I like to drive my cars and maintain them well, not treat them like museum pieces, worrying about any activity that might hurt the resale. I buy cheap, keep a long time, make them my own and finally sell them when I'm ready for a new mechanical curiosity. Sports cars are kind of like Swiss watches. They are mechanical marvels, but you can buy something from the Orient that keeps better time for a lot less money. That's not really the point though, is it? We buy Caymans because they look great, feel great, are fun to drive in nearly all conditions, Make good little GT cars for two, are rugged enough and refined enough to drive daily if you like, have power to weight approaching an exotic car at a little more than sports car price and they corner like demons. I've probably missed about 300 other good reasons to buy one, but I think you can catch my drift here.

Sixisenuff, I like your car philosophy. Curious about the software update. What does this update do for $150?

AJK: Thanks. I'd rather spend a Saturday in the garage noodling around on the car than a weekday hassling car dealers while they drain my wallet. Well, I think you're reading it a little wrong. The engine/car software updates I was hoping for would be running changes that would be supplied by Porsche under warranty or just as running improvements. The $150 update is what it costs for a new DVD with the updated mapping software for the GPS. I think it comes out every 2 years. Just updates the roads and points of interest. The one I'd have bought would nearly be obsolete already. That's why I've decided to wait.

... if that does not help, yes, it is not worth it. From what I read from anybody who tries to get rid of all the noise, rattles and squeaks, buy a Toyota, or if you need something more sporty a Benz or Audi. Just be thankfull you did not pay $200k for that F430 which will alos develop these rattles and squeaks.

Schwabe: Nice!!! Actually, the reason Toyotas don't rattle is because they are so soft and mushy driving. A CS weighs about 3000 lbs and has wide and low profile tires with stiff suspension and less than huge wheel travel. That means, by definition, that the car is going to be subject to a lot of hard knocks. Put 19's on one and you've multiplied by a factor of about 2, I'd guess. The Cayman chassis is solid as a brick. The interior is designed to pretty well avoid little rattling noises but there are a few spots that can be easily attended to by anyone handy with plastic pry tools and folded matchbook covers. My CS is almost 4 years old and is almost free of any sort of untoward noises...just nice engine noises. The only exception to that is the tire pounding in the back over expansion joints and frost heaves. The cure for that is to go to 16" wheels, shrink the brakes so they'll fit. 45 series or 50 series narrow tires. Nice and quiet! The Gen II suspension may also attend to some of this noise. I've heard it's better at absorbing shock from the pavement. I think a Cayman with narrower tires would still be a ball to drive. Skinny tires can be a lot of fun if you're not in a hurry. :hilarious:

A can of silicone spay has done wonders with my MY10 CS, managed to get rid of two annoying squeak/rattle inside the glovebox. :banana:

For a while I was having similar thoughts, was obsessed with keeping it clean and very frustrated with the rattles and squeaks. I was able to get the dealer to tighten the bolts behind the A-pillars, and after eliminating those noisy and constant rattles I started hearing the less frequent squeaks, rattles and other unusual noises. I haven’t been back to have those others looked at as they can’t be reproduced on command and it seems like an unwinnable battle. If you’re able to reproduce rattles on command and dealer still won’t look into fixing them, I’d suggest finding another dealer who will. The best remedy for ownership blues is to drive more and worry less about those other things. Easier said than done, but we did buy these cars to put us in touch with the road, on rough surfaces rattles are just part of the car’s feedback. I find my happiness with the car is directly related to how often I’m in the driver’s seat. In my first year of ownership I only drove on weekends/sunny days and had serious buyer’s remorse on more than one occasion. Making the transition to daily driver, learning to ignore the noises and let her get dirty now and then has made me infinitely more happy with the car.

A nice realistic post. Also if you ignore some rattles they mysteriously disappear I've experienced this more than once.

Smack me in the face. Hell ya. Every time, and I mean every time I turn the key I get a smack on the face. That smack say, "Wake up man, you're behind the wheel of a masterpiece....!" I hate to sound like I've been hitting on the cool aid a little hard, but God Damn does this car put a smile on my face, even after 26,000 miles. I wouldn't trade it for anything. If you don't feel the same way, I feel bad for you. My '07 Cayman S is simply the most bitchin car I've ever owned. :hilarious: You two guys made me laugh like crazy..... Thanks...!

I know that about Ferraris. I also know it's a question of expectations - especially at this price level. But I don't think anyone can honestly say the rattles and buzzes aren't annoying - also at this price level. Like I also said, I know people with BMWs, Lexuses (Lexi?), Mercedes, etc. who have similar complaints, so it's not just Porsche. Finally, I also wonder how loud some of your cars are - I can hear that noise coming from the right rear even when the stereo is cranked.

Better start/re-start a thread on the shitty Bose I guess....can't even drown out some rattles

I must be going deaf in my old age....the only noise I hear is the magnificent symphony of that flat six. No rattles, squeaks or annoying crashes...except the odd clunk from the rear hatch which I must get around to this weekend. But I'll probably choose to just go for a drive and get her sideways for the sheer hell of it! I would appreciate more power (like 50BHP) because the chassis can surely handle it but have resisted going that route a) because bang for buck ratio is not favourable and b) my local, and only OPC for hundreds of miles, is totally averse to any mods aside from what Porsche sanction so this restricts one to Tequipment body kits..so not much use and anything else will invalidate my warranty. But Hey ! HO! Life could be worse...I could be driving a slushy Toyota!

This is my 4th Porsche. My prior ones have all been 911 's. I've owned all the German marques (several BMW's) along with Mercs, Audis and a lowly VW. Plus a whole lot of other cars. If you're looking for a car that will deliver a very satisfying driving experience with no squeaks, rattles or drama, buy a Mercedes AMG. They are very serious car with blistering performance and are screwed down tight. A Porsche works at a different level. Where's the Mercs and BMW's and Audi's are all street cars pumped up on steroids, a Porsche is more of de-tuned race car that you can put on the street. It's more responsive, lighter, more crisp and its certainly not for everyone. You're going to have squeaks and rattles, just like race cars do. My first 911 I drove hard and it made it to 232,000 miles before I sold it. My last 911 I blew the engine on at Oak Tree while running an instructor session at VIR ($ 14,000). Still I come back to Porsches - all in all, they work for me.

Rattles and buzzes, what rattles and buzzes ?, wait let me turn down the radio. Cheers.

My car rattles and squeaks, no question. I have very little spring on the front, everything comes staright through, so will losen stuff up over time alone and cause more noises. Had a booming B&B exhaust and I could here the rear licens tag vibrate at the right RPM. Sure that losened something. Now with the TPC turbo the exhaust is absolutely resonance free and if you drive it normally not much louder than a stock exhaust isnide the car. I could here all the annoying noises, the question is do you want to? I am not concentrating on these noises trying to identify what and where they are. I listen to the engine and exhaust, the RPMs, the gear shifts, the throttle bleeps and the thumps-up honking from people who also enjoy my car driving by. I DD my P-cars and rotate, even my 997tt has rattles but if I had to chose i'd rather have it ride stiffer than quieter. If you have th blues than the car should be the remedy not the cause for your symptoms. If you are down and the noises annoy you and the prospect of time and money you have invest to fix them in addition to the original price tag then really it is not worth it. The nosies will come back or new ones will appear. When I have a shoity day at work, the only thing that makes me happy until I am home is my 3 hours (both ways) commute in the P-car. I am do not even get aggrevated over the traffic. I tune that out just as I do with the noises. If you focus on the noises and the traffic you are stuck in .... you lose, nothing to gain. The car will rattle, it will get chips and nicks, bolts will rust, ... yeah you can remedy, but if you use the car they all will come back.

3-hr commute? That is some serious time on the road...

Loyal, nice to see you hit the near quarter million mile mark with the 911 , just dawned on me this friggin car is gonna out live me......

+1 probably had the current brake squeel longer than I know about, just never heard it...:cheers:

BillK, I sympathize with you. I get in the same mood when I read about IMS-related engine failures, Porsche's neglect of the problem and the fact that my '05 Boxster S is now out of warranty. I get the same feeling when I realize I have no spare tire and could have to wait several hours for roadside assistance instead of just changing the darn thing and being on my way. Most recently, I felt that way when I gave the car a good wax and learned that waxing the headlight covers can create enough static electicity to cause a control unit to go on the fritz, resulting in an expensive trip to the dealer. I also don't appreciate the fact that the battery (currently dead in my car) is located under a hood with an electrically operated latch, probably one of the dumbest design flaws I've seen. I consider my $60K+ MSRP Boxster to be a very nice $40K roadster with another $20K going for the privilege of having that little gold badge on the hood. My $23K Subaru Legacy sedan has a nicer steering wheel, better quality leather and better amenities. I used to be a passionate Porsche guy, but now (if you haven't already guessed from the above), not so much. I could be very happy with a bulletproof, fun-to-drive Miata, a car that doesn't need $350 oil changes.

I purchased a 10 year old Boxster and so far only hear one annoying noise that comes from the acrylic wind screen that mounts in between the roll bars. I tried velcro pads but it still rattles and I can't figure out why or where but when I open up the 986 and hear the exhaust note it goes away. Of all the foreign and domestic cars I've owned (some new) this car has fewer problems than any of them and I can drive this car on the street and track and AX it without modifications. Was it worth it, you bet. This is the first car I've ever owned that I still wake up thinking up reasons to drive it.:banana:

+1 Blitzkreig As soon as I buy something, I have this brief phase where I obsess over silly details. Then, I start driving more and detailing less (still keeping the thing decent, mind you...) and it all makes sense. Rattles can be annoying, but a sporty car on anything less than perfect roads is not the best choice if you get seriously bothered by these things. I find that, while sometimes there are small things in a Porsche where you think " they could have done that a bit better for the price...," they generally hold up really well over time. My first Porsche was an unrestored '68 911 and it was incredible the shape some of the interior parts were in.

The problem often largely comes from finding things that the dealer "can't" seem to fix, yet other vehicles on the lot (new and used) don't do it.

It's worth it!!!! Just a rehash of half empty or half full. You get to decide!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers: Merry Christmas!!!

See? That is the problem with those stiff-*** sedans. Put the top down and you don't hear any of that stuff!

+1 on making us laugh! All cars rattle. I had BMW's, Mercedes etc. They all do it to some degree. I found out through life nothing is perfect, but this car is pretty darn close!