It's a really exciting car to drive, it is slower than my 335i - but speed here isn't even important, it is so exciting with that "raw" feel and exhaust note.

I can't wait to wax it myself, that blue paint is gorgeous. I figured out some of the rattles, it was coming from that plastic piece behind the headrest unit.

Now I need to practice my shifting again after driving auto for a while - any tips with these boxsters and shifting?

Ya those mesh inserts get loose after a while I found as well.... heat the tabs up a bit with a heat gun (carefull not too much heat) and just bend them out a hair that way they'll fit a bit more snug :-) No tips on shifting... just try not to lug the motor, keep the RPM's up and you should be fine :D

Congrates.... the window is an easy fix. Save your money and get an '03 top. The complete top with the frame. It is plug and play and a nice improvement. I did it a few years ago and love it.

It does take a bit of getting used to, and after a couple months it will start to feel decent, 6 months and you'll be shifting like a pro.

The Porsche does like to rev higher and I don't even think of shifting until its over 4k revs. running it up to red line is no problem but I like to shift at 6k when performance driving as I typically overshoot my target shift point.

Many times I just driving normally and steady between 3K-4K rpm at 50-60 mph in 3rd gear.

I only run lower rpms when cruising on the highway in 6th gear at 60mph and above when trying to maximize mileage ~28 mpg.

Rev limiter kicks in at 7200 but just don't downshift and make it over rev as that is considered abusive and gets recorded in the engines ECU.

Honestly the racers raise the RPM limits so if you do overshoot its not the end of the world but if you want to get 200K-300K out of your engine its better not to.

For my 6 speed "S" theres a bit more shifting involved but on your 5 it will be less work.

The best power band is between 4K-6K but it does pull very nicely above 3k as well.

Yup most common rattle. Get a packet of those little felt pads that can be stock on chairs so they don't scratch the floor. Walmart/Target sell them, they are as small as a pencil eraser. Place a few of them around the plastic wind deflectors...problem solved!

Enjoy!

Yep, I have some BMW felt tape that I had purchased when I owned a 2011 VW GTI (Porsche and VW...)

That car rattled like crazy! I put some felt tape on the wind deflectors, much better.

I have one final squeak/rattle that is driving me crazy - It is coming from behind me, from somewhere in the convertable top area near the bottom of the plastic window. When I press on top of the plastic window, I can replicate the sound that I usually get when driving and going over rough roads, so it's somewhere there.

It seems like the soft top or something like it is rubbing - any idea how I can fix this?