What's with the 981 market?

Not much to add to your observations, but it seems to me that every car at the local Porsche dealer was fully loaded, and automatic. Worse, they can't actually sell the manual cars that they do have in stock.

 

People will take a beating with this new gen of Porsche (981/991). They are loading them up with 20/30/40k in options and Porsche is producing close to 70k of them per year..

 

I'm toying with the idea of a 981 later this year. However, when I play with the configurator I'm usually between $8k-$10k in options. If I can find used (which looks like a real possibility) with the options I want I'd go that route.

 

+981

The original Boxster was a success because you could get one in the $40K-$50K range, which was a decent value for the best sports car on the market. The Boxster S that I test drove last year stickered just over $83K.

 

The new R and GTS versions of the 981s will be worth a look...but, $80-90k? Seriously?

 

agree, Porsche has priced themselves out of a market here.

of course that market has been filled with early 997 cabs

 

What would you rather for the same price.... a new Cayman? or a 997.2 (post-new LED lights) Carrera S.

 

Interesting topic. I've never understood why anyone would buy a used 981 versus a 360 or 430... unless its a DD. I almost don't think that Porsche cares too much about the 911. They're making more money on the Cayenne and Panamera leases. 996's seemed to drop into the 20's quickly enough. 997's seem to be hanging around in the 30's and 40's.. exerting pricing pressure on the 981's. Too many options and pricing is way too high IMHO. Starting prices in the 90's. Really?

I'd do the 997 as above. However, for a DD I'm considering a gen 1 cayman in the near future..

 

I bought a used 2013 Boxster a few months ago as my DD. I found one on the lot with absolutely no options and 3000 miles. This is my fourth Porsche after an '06 911S, '07 Cayman S and an '09 911S.

The Boxster is the best Porsche I've ever had. It sounds great, it's a simple car and it was cheap. I love the 18" wheels. I don't have to worry about cracking them on bumps or scraping them on a curb. I have a two car garage so I keep it out in the weather. To me, it's exactly what a Porsche should be... a simple fun car, no extras.

The 981 is leaps and bounds ahead of the 987 in my opinion.

Edit: I do agree that 911s have just gotten too expensive though. I decided to skip this generation and bought my 355 instead. They do seem to be selling well here though. It seems like every 911 I see now is a 991.

 

I went through that same dilemma. After test driving a bunch of 997's and 981 caymans/boxter, I went with a 981 Boxter. I went in thinking I would go with the 997 but was very surprised I enjoyed the boxter more.

Some pics of my current boxter http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/porsche/428676-my-new-ride.html

 

A used 981 is significantly less $$ than a 360 or 430, or are you thinking a new 981 vs a 360/430?

 

I think you meant "Boxster."

 

Dave, after driving all versions of the 981 on the road and on the track, I think that they're aimed at women. Even the S models. They're bigger and cushier and have more of an SUV feel to them than a real Porsche sports car. I think that Porsche is taking Cayenne and Panera cues and putting them in the 981.

The unfortunate thing is if they only went the other way with it and made it rawer, lighter, and stronger, it would be a phenomenal car. There would be a wait list.

 

Porsche Chief Executive Officer Matthias Mueller said this month that the marque plans to exceed 200,000 in annual deliveries in 2015, three years earlier than first targeted, on demand for the Macan compact sport-utility vehicle going on sale later this year. Porsche’s deliveries rose 15 percent to a record 162,145 vehicles in 2013 as demand for the Boxster and Cayman models more than doubled.

Source: Bloomberg

Reuters link Porsche recalls all 911 GT3 cars made this year amid fire probe | Reuters

 

That would be highly misleading. In 2012 the production of the Boxster and Cayman was highly tapered as to not flood the dealers with cars before the new car was released.

Look on eBay and see if you see any 2012 Caymans. Lots of '11s and lot's of '14s but no 12's/13's. Porsche had to do limited models at the end of the run with the Boxster Spyder and Cayman R. Now there were 2012 Boxsters but not in the same number as previous years as the 981 was introduced as a '13.

So while you think that you're pointing out something informative, you're really just parroting Porsche's marketing speak and using their twisted numbers. That's their game.

 

FML

 

The new 981 is lighter, stronger,faster and better handling than previous versions. They are more comfortable than the older models, but so is the 991 and even the 458 in more cushy than older mid engine ferrari s. The new Porsches are more cushier than ever but with better performance. Keep in mind the 991S is faster on the Ring than the previous generation gt3!!!!

 

I was thinking used 991 in general being as expensive. My bad. Although I bought my 360 for less than the price of the average used 981!

 

Damn, you got your 360 in the low/mid 60's?!

 

The 981 IMO, actually looks more masculine/aggressive than the base 911's. When I first went shopping for a 997 base or S, I was constantly put off by how soft they look, especially compared to the 981's. Only until you get into the turbos/gt's do they start looking less feminine, again IMO.

The 981 compared to the base or the S 911(997) again, felt more raw to me when I test droves tons of both. For example, the engine noise is much louder in the cabin compared to the 911, same as tire noise, two traits I doubt women would prefer over the more luxury/polished 911's. The ride on the 981 is smoother than the 997's but the 991's offer the same ride now as the 981. Again, this is not including the more hardcore 911's.

Being objective here, as I'll likely get a 991 at some point but I'm honest about the fact that the regular 911 or S, mostly look softer than the 981's.

 

Agreed.