Porsche Quality?

I just joined this site today because I am (or was) interested in a Cayman S . After reading about all the complaints and quality problems, Porsche can keep it's Cayman and every other model as far as I'm concerned. Quality is designed in, not added incrementally after the sale and at the inconvenience/expense of the customer. Additionally, while, by now, Porsche knows damn well what the problems are, dealers still opt not to carry the necessary parts, choosing, instead, to make the customer wait. True, I don't know the ratio of these kinds of problems, which are all over the map, to the number of cars sold, but, to me, what I am hearing is flat out unacceptable. Quality engineering means that the car works reliably, consistantly trouble free, over a long period of time. Porsche doesn't have it. I can only afford one car at a time and it has to be reliable. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I'm going in another direction. While not unexpected, it is still disappointing, as I had hoped that Porsche had it together by now. Sorry for the long winded post. Geoff

Honda is reliable!

Two questions. 1) Have you ever actually owned a Porsche before, or say even a car before? 2) Have you ever visited an auto web forum before? I don't mean to be trite but your message above smacks of a lack of experience. First you come into an auto forum and go to the complaints section and are surprised to find complaints? Ummm that's why the section exists. So people can talk about and hopefully share solutions for any complaints they might have. Is any car perfect? NO. Have you read the JD Power quality surveys for 2006 and 2007 model cars? Do you know what car is the number 1 sports car in terms of quality? THE CAYMAN S ! So, if you go visit any other car forum you are going to find lots of complaints about every other car on the road, and if you read JD Power you will find those other cars have a lot more wrong with them than the Cayman . You might also want to consider the law of averages. THere are over 10,000 Caymans on the road worldwide, of which about 750 or so are registered here, probably a few hundred that aren't, so let's say this site represents 1 in 10 Cayman owners. Then in the complaints section there are complaints from what 5 or 10 people in a topic out of the 5500 plus members we have here, what percentage is that? It would seem to me that if you took anything anyone said here and extrapolated it to apply to all 10,000 Caymans on the road that you'd be making a huge statistical calculation error, but hey I'm not a stats major so what do I know? Last, but not least, your final paragraph implies that you think Porsche hasn't had it together at some point in time. While this may have been true in 1990-1992 when they almost went under, Porsche is now the most profitable auto manufacturer and they didn't get that way by NOT selling cars or having a bunch of faulty cars on the road. In fact just the opposite is true, all models rank highly in terms of quality, and Porsche has a very high % of cars still on the road vs. those made. Finally, I do agree that if you don't think the Cayman is for you then you should buy something else, just keep in mind that whatever else you do buy won't be on average as good of quality and won't be the best handling sports car you can buy either, and probably won't have a cool forum like this one either. I guess I am at a loss to explain how someone buys or doesn't buy a car based on something they read on the internet vs. test driving one for themselves...

BTW my Cayman starts every time I turn the key, drives where I need it to go, kicks arse on the track, and takes me cross country with ease. Seems pretty reliable to me, then again I'm not just a forum reader, I'm an owner! (* said in the same vein as the hairclub commmercials *)

I must say, with all due respect, that this inital posting smacks of someone just trying to start a controversy. I can't see how anyone could come to the conclusion that the Cayman is not a reliable and superbly engineered vehicle. It may, for whatever reason, not be the car that some people will opt for, but as a sports car it is at, or near, the top of any thoughtful analysis of cars of its class. OK, I guess I got sucked in to the controversy!

You mean hatch clunk and clutch glitches? Well, you must, because those are the only problems that have been reported chronically. The latter is easily fixed and I haven't read any reports of recurrence. The former, well, you have a point, albeit a small one. You mean "its", not "it's". And I'm glad you're leaving the market, as I'll soon be entering the market! You know, supply and demand, that sort of thing. Well, a two seater sports car should never have been in the running as an only car. So maybe this is all sour grapes? I'm sure somehow Porsche will manage to go on without you .

If this is a legitimate post, I'm sorry to jump on you in your first thread, but you know, I'm tired of this type of post showing up on automotive forums. ANY time something is manufactured, on an assembly line or by hand, there will be a few that just aren't up to the quality of the rest. That doesn't mean a company is ****, or that the model in question is ****, it's just the way of it. Human beings are not perfect; the systems we design are not, either. One of the worst things about the internet is that fact that anyone with a complaint, legitimate or not, can get online and moan about their woes. Sometimes, the negative stands out more than the positive, and bam! Opinions are formed without any real research. At any rate, welcome to the forum. Hopefully, you will lower your standards and buy a Porsche.

Geoff, I don't blame you for being concerned that whatever you purchase should be top quality. No-one really enjoys having problems. But just because people are posting their issue's here doesn't mean Porsche have less effective quality control than any other manufacturer. Hell, even NASA send stuff up that they think is right. The reality is that any complicated assembly be it a car, a plane, a building, a smart phone or something that Microsoft wrote is bound to have some bugs in it. For me the big issue is: 1) how serious are the bugs; and 2) how does the vendor go about fixing them. I think Porsche have a very good record on this and that's why I put down my money. If you go to another enthusiast site especially one where people fully explore a product's capabilities (ie push the envelope) I think you'll see the same pattern. Good luck with whatever you decide to get.

PS For a bit of fun - why don't you check out the TVR, Lotus and Ferrari forums. The guys that push those cars will have some stories to tell.

I'd be curious as to what "perfect" car you're driving to today or in the past.

K-man S hit the nail on the head when he asked you if you had ever visited an auto web forum before. You will find many complaints and quality issues here . . . . not because the cars are so bad but because we are particular about our cars and we want them to be perfect. If the least little concern raises its ugly head we want answers. Service Managers hate sites like this. People come to a site like this, read about a problem or a service bulletin, and head to the dealership. The other day I stopped by to see the service manager the local Porsche dealer. I was arranging an appointment because I had noticed a few things about my car. After hearing my concerns he said . . . . under his breath . . . “You’ve been visiting a Porsche forum haven’t you?” (True story!) I am a moderator at a Ducati website. If you just visited us you would think that our bikes are falling apart. They’re not. We’re just particular. I’ve only had the Cayman a little while but I had a Boxster S before that. I never had a problem with it. I don’t expect many (any?) problems from the Cayman.

Since I can't afford a Ferrari 599GTB I can rationalize the fact by telling myself that they are unreliable, ridiculously expensive to fix, and have a propensity to catch fire. Maybe one day Ferarri will get its act together, or I'll have an extra $350K lying around to spend.

In the last 7 years, I've bought 1 new Audi, 2 new BMWs, 1 BMW with 9000 miles on it, 1 new CooperS, and the CaymanS . I was on a first name basis with the head of the service dept at Audi through 4 years of ownership, both the new BMWs had minor problems within the first 60 days, I was on a first name basis with the MINI service manager over 14 months, and (now I'm going to jinx myself) the Porsche with 5200 miles on it after 7 months has yet to have a problem...... Would I buy another BMW, you bet I will. Was the CooperS a fun car, absolutely and I hated to let it go but when I "found" the CaymanS it was traded in.......... Were all of the dealers courteous when I have had problems? yes........ Have I thought about the "wonder" of a no hassle (in theory) Lexus, Acura, etc.? Yes, but I couldn't stand the soul-less experience driving one everyday. As noted, cars are designed by people, built by people, and have parts sourced from many vendors. Do some of the problems make you shake your head in amazement?; of course. There is no perfect car, you just have to prioritize what is important to you............

Hey, we do our best!!!!

there is no such thing as a car built with no problems . if you search out forums for any car you will find that ALL cars have problems , some small - some serious . Comparitively speaking , Porsche cars are some of the most reliable and quality built machines on the road . Besides , if you really don't feel comfortable buying a Porsche , their are plenty of other cars available to you ; just dont expect them to be perfect .

Maybe Geoff will report back to us once he finds the problem-free sports car. Godspeed, Geoff! We will wait here in our jalopies for your triumphant return.

I've had my Cayman S for 17 months and have put 13,000 miles on it. I haven't had any problems yet, it runs smoothly and just seems to be getting faster. Back in 1985 I purchased a 1980 911SC with 35,000 miles on it. The first owner never had a problem with it, and neither did I. I don't think you can go wrong buying a Cayman . I seriously doubt it will let you down.

Nice reply to this bozo. Thanks.

My initial thought when I read the first post: TROLL!

While I agree that this thread could have been started to insight a heated debate, lets keep the name calling out.

It's nature. People will complain more than they will praise. I personally love the complaints section, it gives me an idea of worse case scenario's of what to expect. Just think - the last time you were at a restaurant, did you ask for the manager and say "his service was what I expected" but more than likely you picked apart the things that you would've liked better.

Very good point. That could be the case. Just in case, let's all try not to take the bait. True. Very true....

Curious CS, I'll bet this will be your last post for a while. Sorry about the thrashing, but there are a lot of Caymanphiles here so you had to expect it. There is also significant data to the contrary that Porsche is high in quality as pointed out by others. You might find it interesting as well that no one has jumped in to echo your claim of poor quality. Most people who post complaints here do so in the heat of the episode and are highly aggitated while spelling it out. Usually, most are worked out under warranty. I for one have had no issues with my car in a little over a year. I had to replace my rear tires, but I suspect Porsche would say that's my fault . If you are serious about a Cayman , based on my experience, I would recommend one. Good luck in your search. Dave

14.5K miles on mine now, including my recent 4000 mile cross country road trip. Has not seen the inside of a shop yet, even my rear tires should last another 2K or so.

Honestly speaking, I believe my 07 Porsche Cayman is more reliable than my 07 Toyota Avalon Xls... Porsche is not a sports car with problems anymore, rather, its a sports car with Toyota quality, or better, sometimes...

You sound exactly like the passionless, soulless, thin-walleted customer Honda is looking for. I only say this because the Prius is out of your price range. But seriously, why buy a car? Public transportation was created to move government employees like yourself to and from work. Try convincing a squirrel not to bury nuts some time. All the squirrel hears is "Wah wah wah. Wah wah wah nuts wah wah." Similarly, we would be wasting our time with you. Based solely upon your post. Which is all we have to go on. You could actually be a great guy. But we will never know.

Gentlemen, in a review of all posts by the person that started this thread, all 4 comments were in different threads and negative comments on quality. I really think this is not a sincerely question regarding quality, especially since the comments are kinda general statements, certainly not true questions

Now there's a revelation!