What constitues a good interior???

My question right now, just for kicks- What constitues a good interior? What truly makes you feel like you got your money's worth, since so many people question Porsche's choice. Here is my answer- 1. A connected feel with the car and the road, i want to feel secure with a good seating position. 2. Firm, supportive seats that are comfortable for long periods of time 3. Perfect wheel/shifter positioning 4. Upfront, reachable controls for the most important functions, i shouldn't have to move my shoulders to reach hazard lights, headlights, etc... 5. Leather steering wheel 6. Decent pedal placement and a dead pedal 7. Readable guages that are soft on the eyes at night 8. I like a full leather interior, or the option to do it. Personally i think Porsche exceeds in all these categories, and gives you the ability to make it however you like. I have never sat in cars that had more comfortable interiors than any of the Porsches IMO. What does everyone else say?

Controls with a "quality" look and feel to them.

Whats quality? Havent the rocker switches in past models (993, 964, etc...) been plastic? The only new car ive really seen MUCH better quality on is the Pagani cars and simiar. Those have quality parts! Metal controls! What im saying is that i dont believe Porsche is really any cheaper looking or feeling than before. (as long as you have the full leather interior) Then again, quality is subjective. So im curious as to what people really mean, or what they look for to justify quality.

When I bought my 996 I also looked at a number of alternatives, including BMWs and Boxsters. The interiors of the Boxsters looked and felt cheap compared to the BMWs. The stereos were the same way. If you can't tell the difference, that's ok. BTW, my 996 had what would today be about $11K of interior upgrades. Since I bought it with 17K miles at appx. 55% of the original sticker, I was quite happy. The interior is a waste at the track but I enjoy it as a daily driver, and my skills limit me more at the track than the extra weight does.

I agree with all of Blue S2's wants but I like to add one..... 9. No rattles and/or squeaks

True, quality is difficult to define. Everyone has their own opinion. I agree that Porsche interiors have gotten better and better through the years. My current 996 has a great interior except for its cheap feeling and looking toggle switches and levers for the turn signal, wipers, and cruise control. One drive in my wife's Audi reminds me how great switch gear feels and looks. I think that Porsche has figured it out and I look forward to the 997 to see how they define quality.

In my opinion, a quality interior is comprised of the following: a vault-like feel where the various components don't wobble or come off with gentle hand pressure (like a bmw or toyota for crying out loud); minimal squeeks and rattles; timeless styling and large, readable ANALOG gauges; no cheap shiny plastics; durable surfaces and materials. This is not a tough question, and should be demanded in a $90k car when it is readily available in a $25k car.

The turn signal posts have gotten better. They feel similar to the VW/Audi posts. I dont consider it that bad. Toggle switches on the other than, what would they be made out of if it wasnt plastic? I guess you could go to thicker plastics, or carbon switches, etc... I guess they figure how many people TRULY care. Then again, on a car like the 911, it would be nice to be standard. You know what, i agree with the gauge statement, i kinda prefered a more seperated look than the 996 connected cluster. Kinda weird. I also liked that you could turn the old 911 gauges. Never tried that on a new one, but i dont think you can anyways?

Tony, Most of the points in your post have to do with the ergonomics, not quality. To that point I believe the Carrera excels. The pedals, steering wheel, gear shifter, seats, ease of viewing the analog and digital instruments are all above par. Of course, especially for a sports car, this is most important. Rob