Until I bought my Cayman 6 weeks ago, my wife and I drove only Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords. We never had a single major problem with either and all lasted at least 100,000 miles. We changed the oil and rotated the tires, and that was it. But after buying my Cayman, I'm reading constant, identical complaints here about engines that suddenly shut off, low coolant warnings that can't be fixed, trunk clunk noises, constant rattles that can't be fixed, a large number of clutch failures, problems shifting into various gears, etc. I paid 3 times the amount for my Cayman that I ever did for any Honda or Toyota, and naturally expected higher quality, not lower. What am I missing here? Someone give me some optimistic comments before I totally regret this purchase.

I have not had any of those problems. Plus you are at a site for people who have much higher expectations and are enthusiatcs (i.e. problaby obessess about everything with the car).

While there may be more variance in quality than a company that puts out 100,000 of each type of car a year, I think also people here are more . . . particular.

In terms of faults, I think you would have to go to a "Honda" site and compare. Is there one?

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2006 Cayman S - Speed Yellow, Black Interior, Yellow Seat Belts
Sports Chrono Package, 6 Spd, PASM/PSM, Bi-Xenon headlamps
Carrera S wheels 19" - Conti Sport 2, Colored-crest wheel cap
Auto climate control, Heated seats
PCM 2.1 Nav, Denision ICE-Ipod, Bose Surround
De-snorked, Evo V-Flow

Chaz,

You're on an automotive forum and I would say that most of the people that visit here only post when they have questions or issues that cannot be solved by other means. We don't represent the entire Cayman database. The Cayman won initial quality by JD Powers and has really improved Porsche's quality ratings. In the end, I can tell you from first hand experience that Porsche stands by their product 100%, and if an unfixable problem ever occurs they make it right by putting you into a new car.

- Suneet

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- Suneet

In my garage right now are two Honda's and a Cayman. Don't get misled by these posts you are referring too. I have 8000 miles on the Cayman and not a single issue, well just one - I wish it had more power ;-)

Ignoring price, I think Honda, Toyota and Porsche are at the top of the list for quality. What sets Porsche aside is performance and capability. You will never go around a corner in a Camry like you will in a Cayman.

edo

Thanks for those replies. I guess I started to imagine all sorts of problems creeping up. I love driving this car, but reading this section, I was starting to get a bit concerned. Actually, this section is good. I never even considered checking my coolant levels. But tomorrow morning you bet I'll go out and see if it's below the MIN line. (That's how you do it, right?) I have noticed sounds such as metal straining as I go around curves sort of fast, but maybe that's just normal. And the shifting into gear isn't always the smoothest, but maybe it takes time to iron out. I think the important point is that Porsche will stand behind its cars and make sure they are repaired when a problem arises.

Chaz-

After 20K miles as a daily driver (120 mi r/t), I have experienced no problems with this car - it's the best car I have ever owned. Once you've passed the 2K break-in period and have a chance to test the limits of this incredible machine, all of your concerns will fade into a distant memory.

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2006 Cayman S
2006 Cayenne S

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I would imagine Porsche has some sort of quality control and it is expected that some cars will have defects.

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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.

I like that answer a lot!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd expect the trouble free life of a Camry used as I use the Cayman to be, maybe one track weekend, if that long.

My Porsches, including the CS, have been extremely reliable. My last one was as tight and solid after 10 years as it was when new.

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Dan

That's another reassuring comment.

The Cayman is one of the most capable sports cars in the world. Mine has been trouble free and it is my eight Porsche out of about 60 cars I've owned. Some people cannot help complaining about trivial issues when in my view they should scream "but I don't care this car is just too much fun to worry about trivial matters". And man some of the complaints are trivial.

Dear Chaz:

Thanks for asking this question. After reading the forums I was beginning to wonder the same thing. The responses to your thread have eased my concerns.

Thanks again!

I consider quality and reliability to be different things. Hondas and Toyotas are famous for their reliability. Consumer Report has reported higher reliability for the Japanese cars than the German cars for decades. It's considered a major accomplishment when a Porsche can reach even average reliability (Mercedes reliability is even worse). All three of our Hondas were/are much more reliable than any of my four Porsches. For example, nothing has ever gone wrong with our 2005 Honda Pilot, but I took my new CS back to the dealer four times for fixes in the first few months. Yet, I still consider the Porsche to be of high quality in both design and build. Part, but only part, of the difference in reliability is due to the different ways we use the two. I've never autocrossed and tracked the Honda; or even driven it in a spirited manner on the road. The Honda has an easy life.