More Going from 911s to Boxsters/Caymans | FerrariChat

More Going from 911s to Boxsters/Caymans

Discussion in 'Porsche' started by PhilNotHill, May 17, 2014.

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  1. PhilNotHill

    PhilNotHill Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jul 3, 2006
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    #1 PhilNotHill, May 17, 2014
    Last edited: May 17, 2014
    Just had my annual service done on the Boxster S. the independent shop which only does German cars told me more and more people are going from 911s to Boxsters/Caymans. Is this a local phenomenon or a national/regional trend?

    BTW: They also told me I would have no trouble selling our 2011 Boxster S. Alas, not interested.

    Looks to me like 911s way outnumber Boxsters/Caymans in the Roaring Fork Valley by 10:1.

    and Cayennes outnumber 911s by 4:1.
     
  2. hardtop

    hardtop F1 World Champ

    Jan 31, 2002
    11,285
    Colorado
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    Dave
    New Porsche sales for the 1st 1/4 US:
    Boxster 933
    Cayman 922
    911 2535
    Panamera 1466
    Cayenne 4280

    Total 10,136

    If you consider Boxster/Cayman as 1 model: 1855. 911 still sold 36% more.

    "4 doors" make 57% of total sales. Any wonder they are coming out with the Macan?

    A friend of mine bought a Boxster Spyder new and his wife drove it so much, he bought another. He tried new ones and, like me, found them lacking. I ended up getting a Cayman R.

    Personally, 911s never appealed to me. Unless you want a back seat and more power, Boxster/Cayman offers a better balanced, sportier car with plenty of amenities if wanted. Maybe more are coming around to my way of thinking.

    Dave
     
  3. DriveAfterDark

    DriveAfterDark F1 Veteran

    Jan 1, 2007
    9,148
    Norway
    Interesting. I think the Boxster/Cayman are so good these days that they offer all the power, handling and "Porsche-ness" you'd want.

    One other thing is that 911 has become more expensive, which means a lot of people can't justify the premium for the 911 vs. the Boxster/Cayman price which is actually considered very fair by many (priced as it should be, not too expensive).

    I also think that the Boxster/Cayman platform has finally become accepted (well, sort of) as a proper Porsche. The lines are much more masculine for this generation than they used to be.
     
  4. steveintoronto

    steveintoronto Formula Junior

    Mar 24, 2007
    256
    I also think there exists two very separate markets. The new car buyer, and the used car buyer. Porsche can't move a manual car new, yet second-hand, everyone wants a stick. Same I think with the Cayman/Boxster vs 911. 911 is very desirable to the new car crowd, but many more used car buyers seem to appreciate the virtues of the smaller, more sportscar oriented Boxster/Cayman than those buying new.

    Not limited to Porsche, either. Subaru recently pointed out that they make cars for the 1st owner, not the fanboys who were all upset but much more likely to be buying a ten year old Subaru than a new one.
     
  5. hardtop

    hardtop F1 World Champ

    Jan 31, 2002
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    This is true for many brands, including Ferrari. Paddles were an extra 10K+ on new Ferraris but sticks sell for more on the used market. I see the same whining about BMWs, Porsches, etc. about companies "losing" the enthusiasts with the new cars yet they keep setting sales records. Incidentally, when I was shopping for a Cayman R, I noticed PDK equipped cars seemed to just sit. It looked to me that 2 pedal and 3 pedal cars were about 50/50 on the market. I don't know what the percentage was new. A local dealer did tell me that PDK cars now make up the great majority of new car sales. The days for sticks is numbered.

    Dave
     
  6. Canine64

    Canine64 Formula Junior

    Dec 18, 2005
    303
    Not around here. 911 is still king and even more so at all the track events I attend. As the 991 keeps going up in price though, I suspect the entry level cars will start making some inroads. Kinda funny though that the "entry level" box/cay are $60k and up with fully optioned models banging on the door of $90k. Sheesh.....

    I will always have at least one manual 911 in my garage. Told the girlfriend that I will be buried in one. Still feel that if you can drive a rear engined car well/fast/competently, you can drive anything.
     
  7. tervuren

    tervuren Formula 3

    Apr 30, 2006
    2,469
    A major reason for this, is not just enthusiasts - but maintenance costs. Auto's are throw aways if you have a transmission failure, but manuals are much cheaper/easier to rebuild.
     
  8. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 5, 2002
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    I've got a Cayman S on order (manual, incidentally). The salesman, who is a member here, told me that around 90% of the Cayman/Boxsters they sell are PDKs.
     
  9. VGM911

    VGM911 Formula 3

    Apr 8, 2007
    1,379
    New Jersey
    For me, the 911 has the appeal of "in car" storage behind the front seats and the ability to recline the front seatbacks when you need to take a break on a long trip.

    So....my next Porsche will be a 911.
     
  10. Midnight Oil

    Midnight Oil Formula 3
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    Jun 29, 2006
    1,070
    The 981 cayman/boxsters are in a class of their own, in terms of purity, fun, small and just incredibly well balanced and easy to toss around.

    Besides the GT3/gt2, I found the 981's the best handling and most fun to drive out of all of the 911's.

    People like to dismiss them for whatever snobby reason but the fact remains, they are an incredible package for the money and I've yet to find better.

    Having said that, I recently got on the list for the 991 GT3, which I am a big fan of.

    I'm also keen to see and get a firm date on when the 981 cayman/boxster GT4 is going to launch, as I know it will be incredible and possibly a purer driver experience than the GT3.
     
  11. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    I just took delivery of my Cayman S. What a great car! The 911s have become too bloated for me... the Cayman weighs about the same and is 2 inches longer than my old 85 911 Carrera-- and has a fair amount more power.
     
  12. Chupacabra

    Chupacabra F1 Rookie
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    Sep 30, 2005
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    Congrats on the new car! I really think the Cayman has become what the 911 used to be in many ways. In fact, one of the reasons I love my 993 so much is that fact that it reminds me a little of my old Cayman S. I drove a new Cayman S not long ago and was really impressed -- I think I may have to become a repeat buyer :)
     
  13. TheBigEasy

    TheBigEasy F1 World Champ
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    Jun 21, 2005
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    Ethan Hunt
    Porsche needs a smaller sedan now. M5 / E63 competitor.
     
  14. WPOZZZ

    WPOZZZ F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2012
    6,477
    Honolulu, HI
    I think the 991 is a very capable car, but it is too big. I have my 77 930 and my 02 996 turbo and wanted a fun car that was everyday friendly. That would be a car more along the size of a Cayman/Boxster.
     
  15. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

    The new Cayman and Boxster are both bigger than my 911SC.

    Parked next to a new Cayman at a P-car gathering several weeks ago... was surprised how big it was.
     
  16. WPOZZZ

    WPOZZZ F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2012
    6,477
    Honolulu, HI
    I think the 987 is about the same size as an SC, with the 981 a little bigger, but still smaller than a 996/997. And the 991 is even bigger than that! Cars keep getting bigger these days. Whatever happened to the sub-Boxster Porsche was developing?
     
  17. Jon H

    Jon H Karting
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    Oct 23, 2008
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    New issue of Excellence has a great article on the Boxster/Cayman GTS's.
     
  18. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 26, 2005
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    Those numbers look very strong for the 981 Cayman -- I remember the first gen barely touching 100 units per month. Reinforces my impression that it was a very successful makeover.

    Agree with you on the 911. The back seat is pretty useless, and from a performance perspective the Boxster/Cayman just feels more poised (and now looks better).

    Only speculation, but the new car buyer has a warranty and the new-ness of the mechanicals in his favor. After 6-8-10 years, it's just you, your car and your wallet. I have DSG in my Audi -- truly great gearbox, probably second only to Porsche's new PDK. But I won't be keeping it much beyond the warranty period.

    This is exactly the situation with F430s and to some extent 360s -- stick shift cars seem more sought than the F1 or dual-clutch cars.
     

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