Spyder prices redux...
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,803
Likes: 23
From: PA
Nordschleife Master
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 7,804
Likes: 193
From: Bay Area
I'm actually a bit annoyed with the 'weather protector' (ie back part of the roof). The darn think creaks and squeaks like crazy over every bump. It's so irritating that I just drive with the sunshade when I need the roof. Is anyone else getting this problem? Any good solution?
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 138
From: Greater Seattle area
The top is the best part of the car: It's a masterpiece. The spyder is a modern day classic. Too bad only a few hundred might have been spec'd the way it should be. So my request to owners of such spyders: please hold on to them.
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 693
Likes: 63
From: Park City, Utah
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,803
Likes: 23
From: PA
I'm actually a bit annoyed with the 'weather protector' (ie back part of the roof). The darn think creaks and squeaks like crazy over every bump. It's so irritating that I just drive with the sunshade when I need the roof. Is anyone else getting this problem? Any good solution?
Last edited by the_vetman; Dec 13, 2012 at 02:46 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
From: Redmond, WA
The top on a Lotus Elise is far simpler (two metal pieces and rolled up fabric with rubber window seals) and has the advantage of securing against the top of the windows really well. The Spyder roof is overly complex and simply doesn't work as well with just tension trying to seal the tops of the windows - above ~60mph there is really no seal with the windows. The second material / plastic window bit seems like an afterthought and adds complexity to the design. I think the Spyder is a great looking car with the roof off and I like the look of the tension straps when the roof is on, but they don't work very well and the plastic rear window greatly detracts from a clean design.
If they do a 981 Spyder, I hope they go more towards the Lotus roof design for simplicity and effectiveness.
If they do a 981 Spyder, I hope they go more towards the Lotus roof design for simplicity and effectiveness.
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,015
Likes: 815
From: Temecula, CA
The top on a Lotus Elise is far simpler (two metal pieces and rolled up fabric with rubber window seals) and has the advantage of securing against the top of the windows really well. The Spyder roof is overly complex and simply doesn't work as well with just tension trying to seal the tops of the windows - above ~60mph there is really no seal with the windows. The second material / plastic window bit seems like an afterthought and adds complexity to the design. I think the Spyder is a great looking car with the roof off and I like the look of the tension straps when the roof is on, but they don't work very well and the plastic rear window greatly detracts from a clean design.
If they do a 981 Spyder, I hope they go more towards the Lotus roof design for simplicity and effectiveness.
If they do a 981 Spyder, I hope they go more towards the Lotus roof design for simplicity and effectiveness.
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,262
Likes: 6
From: Southern California
As for the Elise's top, the friend that owned all those Miatas has owned an Elise since 2005 and there's no way the top is easier than the Spyder's, though his experience with the top leaking is about the same as the Miata - it leaks a small amount in bad conditions.
And the Elise is not really a convertible, but a Targa (I think Fiat, with the X1/9, has implemented that the best).
Rennlist Stories
The Best Porsche Posts for Porsche Enthusiasts
Porsche's Top 5 Most Questionable Naming Decisions
Verdad Gallardo
Pogea Racing's 964 Porsche 911 Reimagination Stands Out in a Crowded Field
Verdad Gallardo
6 Convertible Top MYTHS Most People Don't Understand!
Michael S. Palmer
2026 Porsche 911 Club Coupe is Spectacular, And Everything Wrong with the Porsche Market
Joe Kucinski
Talos Takes Your 991 Porsche 911 GT3 to the Next Level for a Cool $1.13 Million
Verdad Gallardo
9 Vehicles Porsche Helped Engineer that Aren't Porsches
Verdad Gallardo
9 Features and Characteristics That Only Porsche People Understand
Verdad Gallardo
I've Written 500 Rennlist Articles: Here's How Porsche Has Changed Along the Way
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Unnecessary Porsches Ever Built (And Why We Love Them)
Verdad Gallardo
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 39
Likes: 9
Three years ago today, I ordered my car spec'd the way they were intended to be. A good friend, the service manager at the dealership kept me on track with the ordering process. Looking back, I would not have done anything different, even the a/c delete. As stated earlier, a modern day classic indeed. It's a keeper.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 138
From: Greater Seattle area
Three years ago today, I ordered my car spec'd the way they were intended to be. A good friend, the service manager at the dealership kept me on track with the ordering process. Looking back, I would not have done anything different, even the a/c delete. As stated earlier, a modern day classic indeed. It's a keeper.
Last edited by w00tPORSCHE; Dec 13, 2012 at 12:41 AM.
GT3 player par excellence
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 44,077
Likes: 6,834
From: san francisco
hum...
i have had elise, miata, and regular boxster, not the spyder (i wish)...
i really dont like the top of spyder, but so what, i will never use it. unless it's pouring like hell outside, my top never goes up. but i am not insane, when my shoes are in 1/2" water, i will seek cover. otherwise, i outdrive the rain. but i do live in ONE season california. YMMV
i have had elise, miata, and regular boxster, not the spyder (i wish)...
i really dont like the top of spyder, but so what, i will never use it. unless it's pouring like hell outside, my top never goes up. but i am not insane, when my shoes are in 1/2" water, i will seek cover. otherwise, i outdrive the rain. but i do live in ONE season california. YMMV
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,197
Likes: 1
From: Danville, California
If what you want is easy, average, then get a boxster! If the Spyder was "For everyone", I wouldn't want one. The spyder is for the dedicated, die hard enthusiast that is appreciative of it's character... not the poser. Do you think the prices are going up because Porsche is dumb? No, they made a very desirable car that is NOT for everyone, that's the point.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 205
Likes: 0
From: Seattle
If what you want is easy, average, then get a boxster! If the Spyder was "For everyone", I wouldn't want one. The spyder is for the dedicated, die hard enthusiast that is appreciative of it's character... not the poser. Do you think the prices are going up because Porsche is dumb? No, they made a very desirable car that is NOT for everyone, that's the point.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,364
Likes: 138
From: Greater Seattle area
This is where I beg to differ. If someone buys a non-spyder variant it really does not make them any less of an enthusiast. I know someone who drives a bog standard 997 that he custom ordered who is one of the craziest Porschephile ever. I can't tell him to buy a GT3 just to prove that he is a die hard Porsche enthusiast. Having said that I am sure you spyder owners would feel special to know that every time you drive your car, you've made some compromises on comfort just for the sake of handling .. I bet that's a special feeling.
I used to have when I drove my '86 coupe without a working A/c.
I used to have when I drove my '86 coupe without a working A/c.