Define pure perfection. More me, squeaks and rattles aren't important at all because I don't care on a sports car. I usually listen to music or the engine/exhaust sound or I'm way too concentrated on driving.
My 997 Carrera S has now 7400 km on the speedo, I own this car for more than 6 months now.
Due to the 20 mm chassis, it has some minor rattle noises which almost can't be heard unless I'm driving on a really bad street.
The first gear doesn't pop in from standstill from time to time (very rare) but it got better. It probably has to do something with alignment, I'll have my dealer look into it as soon as I have my first oil change around march.
The clutch (pressure plate, clutch disc, etc.) have been exchanged because of a strange clutch operating noise when starting from standstill very slowly. Porsche didn't have an immediate explenation and because the noise got louder with the cold season, I got a new clutch.
Otherwise, no problems. I know of a dealer car which got a new clutch because of some excessive testdriving but otherwise, I never heard of same problems occuring very often. There is no perfection. My wife owns a Mercedes SLK 32 AMG which has now over 13000 km on the speedo. The car is two years old and NEVER had a problem. NOTHING. But ask other SLK 32 AMG owners if their cars have been trouble-free.
I think the 997 started off pretty good without major quality flaws. Porsche is still a little company, even if they've grown fast over the past years. I think quality is pretty good right now, they just have to improve customer commitment and communication to offer a customer service which is at par with their prices. Sh.t happens, there is no perfect product but it really matters how Porsche treats customers and their problems. If they leave everything to the dealers, they'll loose in the end. Because a lot of dealers, especially in the US, don't sell only Porsche but also other cars like Audi and Volkswagen. And some of them apparently need to learn the difference between the treatment of a customer who spent 100000 bucks or 30000 bucks for a car. In my opinion Porsche needs to improve their treatment of the customers in the event of a repair/warranty issue. A nice loaner, a generous solution regarding repairs and a FAST solution...this is what customers expect from a first class car manufacturer. They still have to learn that.
Oct 2004 build.
