Is there really any differrence?
 

Are there really any quality differences between boxsters built in Stuttgart ("S" in the 11th VIN character) and those built at the Valmet plant in Uusikaupunki, Finland ("U" in the 11th VIN character)?

I have read some about this and there is really no difference in the car as far as specs, etc.

Not sure what really dictates it to be made in Stuttgart vs. Finland, but something like 80% of them are from Finland from memory.

I always wanted a car built in Stuttgart as "true" Porsche, but after thinking about it, I thought that I wanted a car from a factory where all they built was Boxsters vs. 911/Boxster as maybe you will get a better car?

Porsche's historically have been built in many different plants and by many different coachbuilders (Valmet, Drauz, Reutter, maybe others).

The only difference is on the car ID plate as far as I'm concerned.

I haven't been around because I lost my job 12/22 and didn't know I was on the chop block. Right before this happened, I bought Zimmerman cross drilled rotors with black hats, pagid blacks, a new motive power bleeder, yellow caliper paint set, weltmeister anti squeel liners for all and blue racing fluid. If I can't find employment those items may be for sale at a great price, I'll let everyone know. God willing, I''ll keep them and the car, the answer is unclear right now.

I think I read somewhere on this board that the Finnish cars are less likely to have RMS failures. I don't know what validity there is to that statement, but I do know my car is from Finland, and that it is has been mostly trouble-free (cheaper operating costs than my Acura TL so far).

xusmnimij, I hope things turn around for you, man. Hang in there.

As far as I know there is no difference between the two plants except the VIN. But if the Finland cars really are less likely to have RMS, I hope it is true because my car was made in Finland.

I have never seen Porsche release any kind of defect data, let alone by factory.

Wonder why? Just kidding.
:D

I believe Bruce Anderson visited the Finland factory and surmised that the quality was a tad better than the German made cars. I don't know what criteria he used but I wouldn't worry where you Boxcar was made. I have an '02 that had a RMS (fixed under warranty, 13hrs labor) and it was made in Finland. Danbury Porsche told me that it would never leak again,.......we will see...........

AKL

All of the engines are made in Germany. Porsche ships the completed engines to Finland. So the RMS issue has nothing to do with where the car is assembled.

Tranmissions are made in Japan.

Which transmissions are made in Japan?

It is my understanding that commensurate with the 987, all manual 911 and Boxster transmission were made in Japan. Previous trans made in Germany.

This is my understanding too.

Don't forget, all 1997 Boxsters we made in Germany. They did not start using Finland until the 1998 MY.

......

http://usera.imagecave.com/ToolPants/german2.JPG

I tried to run down the source of Porsche transmissions. The closest that I came is that the trans are produced in Germany for Porsche by a company called Hermes. Then I hit a wall. No info.

Several more tid bits below on how Porsche cars are manufactured.





Following was taken from an article on the VW and Porsche relationship.


Why is it so important to Porsche that this relationship work? For an answer, look under the hood. Only about 20% of what makes a Porsche a Porsche - largely the engine and transmission - is made by Porsche workers. The rest is outsourced, mainly to VW. The Cayenne SUV, for example, was engineered alongside VW's own SUV, the Touareg. The steel structure for both vehicles is welded together on the same VW assembly line in Slovakia. When the much anticipated Panamera, Porsche's first four-door sports car, arrives in 2009, it will sport a body assembled and painted by VW at a plant in Hanover.


Several more:


Porsche and Optimal Outsourcing
A client and I had an interesting discussion this week about optimal level of internal v/s outsourced - the buy v/s build as it comes to IT talent. We discussed Porsche - and the fact that they outsource almost 80% of what goes in to their car, and primarily focus on design (can you imagine the reaction to the guy who first proposed they let someone else manufacture the engine - the "heart"). But industrial and retail supplier management has evolved over decades. Boeing, Bechtel, Nike, Wal-Mart - they have learned the art of collaborative design, vendor managed inventory etc. IT supplier management in comparison is still a young art.

Buyers of the highly successful Porsche Cayenne sport-utility vehicle, which starts at $41,000, are probably unaware that VW workers produce more than 85% of the wholesale value of every Cayenne, and that the Cayenne shares 65% of its parts and modules with VW's Touareg. The Cayenne's body is built at VW's plant in Bratislava, where workers earn $250 a month.


If companies like BMW, Chrysler, and Porsche outsource the entire production of vehicles to a manufacturer like Magna or Karmann, what is to prevent the consumer from trying to buy from the manufacturer or the manufacturer from trying to directly reach the buying public? How much value is added by the emblem and hood ornament?

Interesting observations on Global car manufacturing
 

In terms of teaching the cases, he says, "What's really remarkable is that, at least for non-German students, for the most part they do not really care whether the Cayenne is made in Germany or not. Customers are buying the Porsche name. For the most part, the controversy in Germany is a non-controversy in the classroom. Yet there does appear to be some limit to where Porsche could locate because of its image."

"The Cayenne is clearly German-designed and inspired. Only when you think of it in terms of a pure manufacturing product does its content become problematic for deciding just how 'German' it is. We do not try to figure that out. It's near impossible because of the long supply chains among parts suppliers. But, I think, in many ways, Porsche has unconsciously gone back to its roots. After leaving Mercedes, Ferdinand Porsche founded his own design firm in 1931 with his son and his son-in-law, Anton Piëch—yes, the father of Ferdinand Piëch of VW, making the original Ferdinand Porsche his grandfather. That 1931-founded firm was mostly a design and engineering firm, which helped to create the Volkswagen Beetle. So the alliance and cooperation with VW is reproduced."

"In addition, as the founder of Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche also had Central European roots, since he was born in Maffersdorf, Bohemia (now Vratislavice in the Czech Republic). If you think of Europe more broadly than just Germany or other national states, it's really a Central European story here." In this respect, Porsche's Cayenne manufacturing also brings the company full circle, observes Fear.

......

http://usera.imagecave.com/ToolPants/aerokit2007b.JPG

I guess my service advisor was correct after all.

Interesting, no matter how I searched, I could not find a reference for this.

Do you think porsche is tryint to keep this quiet?

Is this car GERMAN or not?

Not that it matters to me, but it IS interesting.

:D

3 years ago when the 987/997 came out I spend a lot of time trying to get to the bottom of the German versus Japan issue. It was part of trivia on Renntech. You also have to deal with the manual versus automatic transmissions. And since then you have to deal with the Cayman.

Who mades what is still disputed by the public. You service advisor may not know.

I think all the transmissions are made in China. Then the drain plug is screwed in in Germany.

The Cayenne is easy. The automatic transmission is made by AISIN in Japan. Porsche got it because of the Touareg. Toyota owns part of AISIN and of course Lexus. The Cayenne transmission is also used by Lexus. I talked to a mechanic working on a Cayenne transmission and a part he needed could not be provided by Porsche. PCNA told him to buy the part at the Lexus dealership down the street....

as far as i know there is no differance in the quality of the cars or anything else other then the VIN. didnt know they were making the transmittions in japan now...oh well not like it really matters, they do whats cheaper. as long as quality holds up I don't care where its made. Mine was born in Finland though :-) lol...maybe its not a real porsche :rolleyes:

Hi, The best cars in the world are made in Japan so all the better for Porsche owners, if you can't beat them join them and stop kidding yourselves the Germans understood that wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in the early 90's after building the crappy 968 with the 5/16 gapped body panels :p
I'd start worrying if they ever start building cars in Mexico :eek:
My car was built in Germany and i never had any major problems yet :)

My recollections are regarding the 986 are:

1) All US Boxsters were produced in Finland. Porsche kept the "Stuttgart" produced ones for the home market, and perhaps for some euro countries where there was more "stigma" about where a Porsche was made (they learned from the 914 ;) )

2) The 5spd box is an Audi design, built by AISIN (japanese)

3) The 6pd box is a Getrag built box (in Germany)

4) All MOTORS were built/assembled in Germany and shipped to the factories for final assembly into the cars.

For the 987/997 series (really, any new porsche coming forward) will have components (sub components) built wherever the quality and price points can be achieved.. Eastern Europe, Japan, Germany, the US it doesn't matter. Weideking has made Porsche cars profitable by cutting through the "germaness" of the car, but still has protected and improved the Brand: Porsche.

All US 986/9987 Boxsters are not made in Finland. Just look at the 2005 987 sticker in my first picture. We also have local 986 Boxsters made in Germany.

I am on a German message board and the Germans also buy the Boxsters made in Finland.

I'll bet your life the Japanese company AISIN never made a Boxster transmission.

Wiedeking is a clever guy. He gets 0.9 percent of the profits according to this article, since he could not get stock in the company.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,522480,00.html

And here is the VW deal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/business/23porsche.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

To be rigorous, we should begin by asking where the final car is assembled and by whom? A Porsche employee or no?

Then you would have to follow the parts sourcing, likely all over the world.

To me, if Porsche has their name on the title, the car is a Porsche, for better or for worse.

If the car is a hit, Porsche wins.

If the car is a turd, they lose.

That is life in the Global Economy.

:D

Well, after ordering a new Boxster today, I was told that the car is coming from Germany, or at least the engine and most of the parts. But I got the impression the whole thing is going to be shipped from Germany.

As near as we can tell, the point of origin makes little difference. We think you new Box experience will be great.

Best of luck/

:D

What dictates one car being made in Stuttgart versus Finland is a simple matter of production capacity. There is no difference other than that Porsche had more orders for Boxsters than they could produce at Stuttgart. No mystery here.

The cars made in Finland are sent to Porsche in Germany, then Porsche puts various models together on das boot.

You will not know where it was made until your dealership gives you the VIN.

At least his is the way it was over the years.