I had the rear wiper on my 987S. I didnt plan on having it.... just so happened that it was there. Rarely used it and made waxing a pain. I made sure my 981S didnt have it.

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Mine came without the wiper and I don't think it is needed; due to what I am guessing are the aerodynamics the water never seems to accumulate on the rear window. I do use RainX on the rear window so that helps as well. Good luck with the configurator, I spent hours configuring a Boxster and then bought a Cayman off the lot

 

I was wondering if anyone orders the rear window wiper when purchasing a Cayman?

I haven't seen any cars with a rear wiper, so I assume it's because it ruins the lines of the car, or it just isn't needed, or isn't practical?

Your thoughts are appreciated; thanks!

I was asking myself the same question, being that I'm in the process of purchasing my first such car. The one I will be buying (it's on the showroom floor and I'm haggling, almost impossible with Porsche, lol) doesn't have the rear wiper. Personally, though I have no experience, I'm happy to do without, FWIW.

(BTW - Playing around with the "configurator" on the Porsche website can drive a person crazy and quickly add $20K worth of options.

I'm having a tough time determining which overpriced option I can live without.

I guess my fear is not ordering something and then regretting it later; this is what happens to us "OCD types".)

I feel your pain, lol. It's a nightmare, isn't it?

Something I have done is to search all 2013 and 2014 Porsche Approved used Cayman S in the country (I'm in Switzerland, so there aren't so many such vehicles out there), and compared options. Interestingly, based on my research, here nearly all the cars have the same configuration: 99% have PDK, PASM, Sport Chrono Plus, phone kit, Bose sound, plus the vast majority with full or partial leather interior, then a fairly even split 50/50 when it comes to things like Sports exhaust, PDLS and PVT. This has helped me decide what is higher priority (thinking ahead to future resale) and what can be considered truly a matter of taste and budget. Of course, this approach isn't foolproof, but it has helped me focus on what others are buying in the same market and calmed down my use of the configurator, lol. Hope this helps.

 

Wow; thanks for the speedy and informative replies!

 

Functional or not, it just looks bad in my opinion. Don't have one on mine and never had a need for it either.:cheers:

 

only time I can think the wiper would even be useful would be if it was snowing. Even then the glass is heated. Just not needed on the Cayman.

 

I don't need a wiper. I never drive my car in the rain. :taunt:

 

Here in Portland it drizzles most of the year. I think that's a big factor. Where we last lived (Galveston) there would be occasional torrential rains. Anything that improves visibility--front or rear--is a plus for me. One bad accident can give a person such a perspective. I don't know how much I will need it but I ordered it because of the drizzle. It's not an expensive option. I don't care how it looks.

 

I have a 2014 Cayman S and I ordered it with the rear window wiper. First, I like how it looks. Second, its not that expensive as far as Porsche options go. Third while people have discussed rain x and and the aerodynamics, those are only helpful at speed. Granted most times you will be driving, not parked. However, I have had hatchbacks with slanted rear glass in the past and I found it very helpful to use it when parking and its raining. When the car isn't in motion and rain is coming down it collects on the glass and/or makes it more difficult to see out the back window.

This isn't a daily driver for me so its not essential, as it was on a prior car I had that was a hatchback. However I'm happy I got it and like how it looks on the car.

To the OP, looks like you are in MA. Sometimes I take it to the cars & coffee meets in Taunton, MA that I posted about in the Northeast regional section of the forum. You are welcome to come and take a look at it at some point when I bring it again.

Here are a few photos of the car.

 

Thanks again for all of the helpful responses.
I haven't bitten the bullet yet and placed the order for a new Cayman Base; I'll analyze the options to death before I commit; then I'll need to pursue the approval of my wife.
I can see there are pros and cons, along with people liking and not liking the rear wiper - but you guys are not helping me to narrow down my choices of options!
('Just joking; I'm new to the forum and to Porsche, and I am very appreciative of all the support I've got so far on this site.)
I live north of Boston, but I'll check-out the northeast regional forum for opportunities nearby to see owner's cars.

 

I thought long and hard about this and eventually decided not as the sales guy said he had never sold one with a wiper and they weren't needed. I use mine as a daily driver and here in the UK it rains. And rains. And rains. In slow traffic it would be a godsend but at motorway speeds is irrelevant. However, I do think it ruins the lines a bit.

If you live somewhere it rains a lot and you will drive in traffic a lot and its a daily driver I would get one.

 

Had a rear wiper on my C4S and loved -- absolutely LOVED -- how it looked. Didn't do squat in terms of functionality. Absolutely worthless! But, did I mention I liked the way it looked?

 

I didn't get it and literally have not thought about it again until I saw this thread. I haven't had any visibility problems in the rain.

 

Had one one my 944S2 and don't on the CS. As others have mentioned it's irrelevant when driving, aerodynamics does a fine job of cleaning the window. First time you go to back up at night with a street light or two to turn every drop into a starburst the rear wiper becomes really handy. Rain-X helps but just isn't the same.

 

Looks lame. Don't get it.

 

I've had a 986S and a 997 GTS. neither car had a rear wiper, but there were a few occasions when I did wish I had the wiper, mainly for low speed visibility. I ordered the rear wiper for my Cayman GTS.

 

Agree with Budman!

 

I think it diminishes the car's appearance by approximately 0.1%. I just used mine this morning. I'm building a new garage, so my cars have been sleeping outside :-(. It was cool and damp this morning, and my rear window had a thick coating of mist and zero visibility. Tapped the rear wiper stalk and BAM! Visibility restored.

 

In my 350z days (same hatch design) we were removing the rear wiper. It was standard, looked ugly and was heavy. And was totally not necessary.

 

And also broke at 75mpg and above... I don't remember the number of times I had to "adjust" my 350z's rear wiper...and that was in addition to adding a penny to the trunk stoppers