Feb to June - clear upward trend

 

With Boxster sales increasing in spring and other people waiting 4-5 months for cars to be delivered, it could well be more sales will be registered as time goes on, though there is an awful lot of catch-up before 981 levels are achieved and the Box/Cay pair today will likely never sell as well as the 987.1's, perhaps ever.

I think there were probably too many pricey 718 S's on the lots 5-6 months ago (though I decided on a 718 BS with more options but the same color specs as what I was going to order, but I had a trade and they discounted the car pretty nicely). The quandary, however, is whether even a basically-equipped 718 is too expensive at $60k. From a historical perspective, probably not. After all, my first Porsche, a 2008 base Cayman with a manual, PCM, Bose and about 3-4 other options was $58k as ordered, though I did get 7% off that. Relative to the market today, $60k for ANY 2-seater sports car may not fly, with sales of F150's on a perpetual upswing while normal car sales are dropping, millennials seemingly being less interested in cars, and "Generation Z" people chasing WRX STi's and Japanese/Korean tuner specials. For $60k, your product has to be absolutely flawless, and if you tend to only pay attention to social media and blogs (especially the British YouTube media and of course Guido the German ex-Getawayer), just one factor (the 718 sound) seems to be loudly drowning out the myriad of other pluses about the car.

 

As long as they sell enough to ensure that they keep parts, I'm happy. I prefer fewer sales otherwise, as it means my car is less common.

Greg

 

Nice post Engnr. I agree with everything you said. Here in Canada pricing of these cars is through the roof. I'm in the market for a new car and would have bought a new Cayman S. With the negative comments posted about the exhaust I'm now looking elsewhere. The handful of cars I'm considering are the GT-R, Mustang Shelby GT350 as well as a 911. I would also look at low mileage Cayman GT4. It doesn't make sense to trade my 09 Boxster for a new 718. Anyway the hunt begins.

 

The handful of cars I'm considering are the GT-R, Mustang Shelby GT350 as well as a 911. I would also look at low mileage Cayman GT4. /QUOTE]

Just a comment about the GT-R - make sure you drive it extensively before you buy it. It is a beast in good ways and bad.

Can't go wrong with a 911 or GT4

 

An owner of both a 987 BS and 718 BS compares the two.

https://youtu.be/fn9D5mrjQmE

 

I was with him till he said that he replaced the 718 with a Panamera and loved the latter. WTF?!


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Theres a new GT4 imminent - I would stay away from tracked GT4s, especially out of warranty - two many 3rd cog problems on tracked vehicles. (seen two myself going for the slow drive).

 

I wouldn't buy a car out of warranty especially one that will be over $100,000. I haven't heard anything about a new GT4. I would prefer a new one over a used one. Hopefully the new one will be less the wing.

 

July PCNA sales 987 vs 981 vs 718 in first full launch years as far as I can tell.

 

What surprises me is how well the 981 sold long after they had stopped making them and were switching the factory over to the 718. I do remember last year, well into June there were a dozen 981 Caymans in stock at my local dealer and no Boxsters. Those Caymans all were eventually sold (not even really discounted) and a few months later the 718 Caymans showed up, alongside the Boxsters that had begun coming in before. The big mistake Porsche made with their in-stock models was pushing the $85k-plus loaded vehicles when they should have had more basic models (<$70k) to choose from, though I saw more of those at the time I bought in January.

 

Then there should be ZERO 718 in stock. Instead, its easy to find them sitting on lots.

Actually I believe that Dealers are adjusting to the lack of 718 demand. There are four Porsche Dealers within an hour of my home. Three of them have only two Caymans and one has only one Cayman, a 2016 718. On the other hand if you are in the market for a 911 or Macan or Panamera or Cayenne, you'll have lots to choose from. The Dealer closest to me for example, Porsche of Towson, has 7 911s, 5 Cayennes, and 11 Macans but only 2 Caymans in its new car inventory.

 

Actually I believe that Dealers are adjusting to the lack of 718 demand. There are four Porsche Dealers within an hour of my home. Three of them have only two Caymans and one has only one Cayman, a 2016 718.

Dunno where you are but Tysons corner has 4. Arlington has 8. Silver Spring has 10. Rockville has 5. That's 27 718 within 20 sq miles or so. Thats a lot of interest piling up sitting there in lots.

 

It is true that , most people are not interested about sports cars, however, a large number of previous Cayman owners, (sports cars customers), are not interested in the 718 Cayman. (my opinion from anecdotal evidence). Thus the dismal sales figures.

Cheers

 

Egads the 718 isn't doing well, I hope that sales pick up asap!

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Haven't you heard? The 718 is being replaced by the 981.2 which will be normally aspirated and have an engine that produces 350 HP.
I bet that hypothetical Cayman would sell quite well, and not require 10% discounts to move them.

 

Oh goodie, glad to see this thread hasn't died. It slowed down for a while and I was afraid it might have outlived its usefulness.

I guess every month that 718 sales are less than the numbers from last year, the thread will be renewed. So that means us 718 owners can get our monthly dose of schadenfreude from the usual suspects.

 

To 718 owners this thread has to be like a canker sore in your mouth. You know the dam thing is there, but there's an irresistible impulse to explore the area with your tongue just to make sure.

 

Auto sales in general are down, yes. But on the whole performance variants of most cars are actually selling fairly well. One would think that such sales health would extend to any all new (err, mostly new?) sports cars.

As an aside I've only seen three 718s out in the wild, and all on the interstate in and around Charlotte. I live in Raleigh, and haven't seen a single one here. I've seen more Ferrari 458's around Raleigh in 2017 than 718s! (3 to 0) :crazy:

 

][/B] The point is to track a full year for each series..regardless of which direction sales go.

Certainly didn't mean to insult you personally, however I think the trend is pretty clear for the year, no?

The 718 is not selling as well as the 98x. End of story?

 

I didn't mean personally, just the idea that I wouldn't be fair. I don't care one way or the other how sales go. These are just facts (which is difficult these days with Fake News everywhere )

 

All you have to say is na na na na na my 718 is faster than your 981. And then stop replying to the thread. Its like a troll killing spear that cuts to the heart of the real issue. I switched from a 981 to a 718 (with a TT in the middle for good measure). Not a second thought or regret. I have only seen 1 other 718 in the Denver area since i got it and i like it that way. Not that there is a large difference in appearance to the casual observer.

 

I've seen 1 718 Cayman around me in Cleveland - and I bet in the winter I'll be the only one!

 

Can some one point me to the latest "worst review" please - I'm having trouble finding anything that is both recent and credible

The 718 GTS should be interesting.......it will be a genuine mini supercar

Did anyone start a "GT4 owners got screwed" thread when the 718S came out, if so a moderator will have to close it down or merge it with the new "GT4 owners got double screwed" thread when the 718GTS comes out or perhaps merge them all into the "GT4 owners got quadruple screwed" thread due to the 718S, the 718GTS, the GT4 glass gear box and the ten year old engine.

Marketing, just do it

Four cars that are marketing winners but nowhere near as good in real life:

In first place the Ford Focus RS - its a focus with an ecoboost engine and an AWD from that legendary performance car - the Land Rover Evoque

In second place BMW M2 - its still a two series, has so much plastic that the degassing phase requires a gas mask, at least it goes round corners and doesn't cook its brakes as quickly as every other BMW. The good news is you can get two fast laps before using your brake rotors to BBQ a steak.

In third place, the GT4 we'll pack a car out with the old **** from the 991 line, de tune it and tell the owners they can dial out the understeer with an adjustable sway bar. Its cool because its a NA manual - oops don't worry about the manual, the number 3 cog should last up to the end of warranty period and then it'll be their problem. We'll make it loud, that fools them, we can't make it fast because we wouldn't want the gear box to let go any earlier than our modelling suggests and the understeer might become so noticeable that even the internet journos will pick it up. How much mark up will we get if we add a GT badge??.

Fourth, Tesla take your pick - lipstick on a pig. A Mazda 6 with batteries and a flat screen TV. Tell the punters its a green machine and the chardonnay progressives will buy loads, well they will until the subsidies run out.

 

Tell you what: I have a hunch that if it were possible to buy a 718 GTS for $80k the fact that the huffer sounds like a 'Roo wouldn't matter at all.

 

I suspect you're right, after all didn't a large number of Cayman owners want the car to get the engine (power and torque) the chassis deserves

The problem Porsche face is the C8 will be with us soon............

 

I don't think the C8 is competition. I wouldn't consider one. It's like a Ford man switching to Chevrolet. It won't happen. I'd consider a 911 or a Panamera before I took that plunge.

 

I suspect that GM agrees with you. They have always looked at the Vette as competition for the 911, not Boxster or Cayman. Granted that the price points for a Vette, even the Z06, align with a moderately equipped 718, but the performance of a Vette has always been very competitive with a 911. Moreover, I along with many of my friends have owned both Vettes and 911s over the years. As a former track rat who never had access to unlimited amounts of money, I quickly found that it cost far less to track a Vette than a 911. So many of us enjoyed our 911 on the street and the Vette on the track.

My point is that for many car enthusiasts it has never been an either or regarding a Vette or 911. OTOH I will acknowledge that there are many 911 owners who wouldn't be caught dead in a Vette. Bottom line is that cars mean different things to different people.

 

718 sales comparison. Note the shift in peak month from July to August from the 987 and 981 cars. My guess is timing on releases

 

718 sales comparison. Note the shift in peak month from July to August from the 987 and 981 cars. My guess is timing on releases

Doesn't this belong in the "Cayman Sales Continue Downward Slide" thread???

 

I'm less surprised about the July/August reversal of 987/981 sales then I am that no one commented on the significant August uptick for 718 sales. Based on a single data point, I the eternal 718 optimist, opine that perhaps enthusiasts are beginning to understand how the good the 718 is. Perhaps the poor early U.K. reviewsicon and damnation of the car by the P9 and ******** "flat earth six society" has run its course. Then again, maybe the uptick is do to discounting in preparation of the 2018's. I prefer my optimistic first explanation.

You could of course be correct, but my guess is that some of July orders fell into August. Thus July sales were very low and August much higher, but if you average the two, you get close to June sales.

 

The original purpose of this thread was about the shock of reading a negative review of the 718 by the automotive press. That initial review was followed by others. Since the box/cay had always been the poster child for positive reviews, this was quite a shock. Discussion was to be focused on these reviews.

Subsequently, as people bought 718s, purchase threads by buyers were getting pushback by owners of previous generations with negative comments. In an effort to divert that negativity into one thread, that negativity could be focused here, in this one thread.

These items are now moot.

1. The number of negative reviews has trickled, as one might expect, to zero. Sooner or later all the "reviewers" moved on to other cars. Hence, there is no more, of few, reviews to discuss.

2. This thread, http://www.planet-9.com/718-chat/199841-sanctimonious-cayman-boxster-owners.html, is probably more appropriate for negativity, by all generation owners. Please keep negative comments out of threads by new owners. Let them enjoy their new cars. If you want to be sanctimonious, then there is a thread for that.

Discussion on auto sales can occur in the Cayman sales thread http://www.planet-9.com/718-chat/194154-cayman-sales-continue-downward-slide.html

This thread is now closed.