I have to say i am deeply affected, even when i was a kid i know porsche and have viewed it along side with Ferrari as the really top cars in the world.

so when it came to choosing it was really a no brainer. My short list was:

the Audi TT, nice looking car, ok price, nice all around.

the skoda octavia, bloody hell thats cheap for what it is. everyone who has one seem to love it.

subaru impreza, always a fan but, god they've killed it just now.

and of course A Porsche, boxster or cayman.

I picked the cayman because a convertiable here is not a good idea.

what was your short list, and did the snoob apeal of owning a porsche tip you over the scale ?

Are you saying that you view Porsche (and Porsche owners) as snobs? Are you also saying that because of this assumed stigma, that you wish to join the snob calvary?

I have no doubt that some people view anyone with expensive taste and expensive items (no matter the item) as snobs. I find that when you really look into an expensive item, you begin to find out and appreciate its value. Now I certainly agree that not everything with an expensive price tag can be fully appreciated for its price. But I would argue that those items that have longevity (i.e. Porsche cars) and are not merely fashion trends (a $250 pair of jeans) make much more sense to me and therefore have less of a basis for being viewed as "snob-worthy." Most people who do not appreciate a Porsche cannot afford one, therefore haver never taken the time to really understand it. Same holds true for nice watches, art, nice homes, expensive bottle of wine, etc.

Sure you can argue that no matter the product, one should not be so wasteful. I disagree. It is your money.....make yourself happy, even if it is the jeans! But as already been said on this board, if you have enough to waste, please make sure you waste it on those that really need it from time to time (i.e., charities, the needy, etc.).

Without getting too deep into that debate, I am merely saying that I do not view a Porsche as a snob-mobile. Most Porsche cars are incredible for their own time, well designed, deliver based on the mfr. concept and mission, make their owners happy and simply kick axx. Sure, there are a lot of things you can spend your money on that may, in your opinion, meet the same exact goals for a car. Some may cost more, some may cost less. Up to you.

I would rather you spread the word about how great the car is, given exact examples, to those who view it as a snob item just so they can either truly appreciate the vehicle, look further into it, join the ranks (this is my first Porsche) or decide to live their own closed minded lives and never become educated about something before judging it.

Oh and I have no desire to be a snob, nor should anyone else IMO.

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but its not really up to the individal to determine whether its snoobish or not, you can't deny that porsche has built it self on this platform and use its name to sell their cars. the idea that "Most people who do not appreciate a Porsche cannot afford one" seem to re-enforce this view of "our cars discrimates because we can't".

it might suprise you to know that porsche was founded with the priciples to make sports cars that everyone can afford and use.

if you truly believe its not an snob item, then you shouldn't feel paying for it as 'wasteful'

I think I understand your question. I was looking for a third vehicle and not exactly certain of what I wanted other than relatively small size and some luxury. Here is the list of cars I considered (broadly):

Nissan 350Z
Infiniti G37 or EX35
BMW X3 or M3
Audi A5 or S5

I didn’t even consider a Cayman. I always wanted a Porsche and didn’t think I could afford one.

My short list ultimately became A5 or 350Z. I visited a dealer that represents BMW, Audi, Porsche and Mercedes Benz. I looked at the Audis, but the Caymans caught my eye. In particular, an affordable 2007 Artic Silver Cayman caught my eye. Once I test drove it, all momentum moved in the direction of the Porsche, and yes, the relative exclusivity and novelty (some might call is snobbishness) of the Porsche pushed me closer, but not ultimately over the edge.

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Looper_1234 from your country flag, you reside in Asia. I am from Hong Kong, and there are MANY snooby people there, I am not saying all. But there are quite a bit of them, I think at the end of the day it is determine by the person. I drived a CS, but I am in no way snooby at all, but there will always be people out there that think they are better then you, because of what they drive.

With asian culture its hard to avoid it, in some way its how the culture molded the people, the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer like the rest of the world. The rich usually look down on the poor..

I think most people appreciate a Porsche even if they can't afford one, I know I did, when I was a kid. In general people who buy Porsches are in it for the driving experience and the Porsche badge on the hood does help sell the car more....so I guess we are all have a bit of snoob in us

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07 Cayman S - 6 Speed l 03 M3 - SMG l 07 Ridgeline

I actually never considered getting a Porsche until I learned that I have the ability to get whatever I want. And with the Cayman coming out when it did, I got curious and went for a test drive and the experience completely changed my perspective about the Porsche brand.

It'll be a little while before I'm able to afford it, but when the day comes, it'll mean more to myself than what others think about me.

And that, my friend, is not being snobbish.

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Future Cayman S: 56 - Cobalt blue, RA - Cocoa leather, M6C - floor mats, 639 - Sport Chrono, 460 - sport leather steering wheel, 403 - 19" Carrera S wheels, P12 - dimming mirrors and rain sensor, P74 - bi-xenons, 342 - heated seats.

For me, I appreciate the exclusivity of a Porsche, the fact that they are not main stream like BMWs. But I actually dislike the 'snob' factor.

No doubt, a Porsche can be seen as a snob-mobile simply because it is expensive. This is a simple human reaction to jealousy/envy and you can find it everywhere. Don't misunderstand, I am not saying that people are jealous of me/us. That would be arrogant. But it is common for people to label those that have things that they can not have as snobs because of jealously or envy. Some people aspire to be the envy of others. Some people don't because that attention can at times be negative. I don't like the snob appeal of Porsches. I want people to see at me as someone who knows and appreciates performance, not as someone that is showing off their paycheck.

Do I consider myself a snob? No. In my part of the world it is quite common for folks to drive gigantic SUVs. Yukon Denalis, Escalades, Expeditions, Hummers, etc..... No one is calling them snobs. Yet if you compared fuel, insurance and depreciation costs, in the long term it would cost me more to own a big SUV than it would to own my Cayman S.

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As an outsider looking in, I must say that there is a large snob-factor surrounding Porsches and, in my opinion, it is NOT predominantly cost-driven (although that is certainly an aspect of it.)

This is reflected in many of the threads I have read on this forum, too. Not just in the circle-jerk "why doesn't everyone else recognize how much better our cars are than theirs?" threads that could be lifted straight from the pages of a ricer fanboi forum (substitute "Cayman" with "Civic" or "SRT-4" or whatever) but also in the threads in which someone askes a serious but non-genuflecting question and is confronted with the "well, clearly you don't deserve the privilege of owning a P-car" response.

This snobbery is certainly not ubiquitous but it IS pervasive and it is detrimental to the images of both Porsche & Porsche pilots as a whole. BMW has the exact same problem, BTW (visited an M forum lately?) From my perspective, this attitude of universal superiority from a portion of Porsche owners is a negative reflection on both the car and the owner community in very much the same way that gold chains haunt 'Vettes, land yachts haunt Cadillacs & the "compensation"-factor haunts Vipers.

<Teflon-underwear on>

This is EXACTLY the healthy positive attitude that makes me want to "join the club"! I am not interested in the Cayman because it is exclusive or pricy or gorgeous (OK, that is a big part of it!) but because it is a driver's car with a veneer of creature comfort. I simply want to drive a car that makes me smile, one that I invent excuses to drive.

i use the word 'snoobish' in search of a better word, but i don't think there is a better choice for getting straight to the point

i don't minded be viewed as snoobish, and neither should anyone else i reckon. It just so happens that the car I like since a kid has some negitive social stereotypes attached to it...

and yes I the novelty of a porsche is probably what tipped it for me over the TT which makes me a snoob

I'm with you. The "snob" factor was the one negative fact that I considered before buying. It was outweighed by the performance and fun factors.

No need to wear teflon underwear but no way this website is anything like the fanboi civic sites, etc. that are out there. I've seen lots of posts from people comparing the Cayman to something else and 99%+ of the responses from our members are very civil and informative and generally helpful. If someone comes in just to troll then they may receive a harsher response but that is pretty rare here.

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