Quote:
Originally Posted by southernstar
I also believe that he is not merely the exception that proves the rule, as others here have opined that they would have purchased the 996 over the 986 if prices had been similar at the time of purchase..
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Which is why most Boxster owners do not repeat, they really weren't 'roadster' drivers at heart. They were either A) curious, as most people are about convertibles in general, or B) in the second hand market, they made the flawed assumption that buying the Boxster itself was cheaper without taking into account the maintenance and repairs -- running a Boxster is not really any cheaper than running a water-cooled non-GT/Turbo Carrera. The Boxster requires nearly the exact same or very similar over-priced parts, expensive oil changes and specialized labor just the same. As far as convertibles, the Boxster design itself brought in customers who had thought about Porsches and finally buying a convertible merged the two dreams.
The 996 didn't have that draw, so it didn't have the 'untapped market' element of the convertible. As a result in the begining the Boxster cast a much wider sales net than the 996. Many other brands have done this with convertibles as well. Put it this way if the Cayman had been launched years before the Boxster it would not have outsold the 996. Afterall the Boxster was the first ever purpose built roadster by Porsche. Just like the Cayenne (long overdue) also had the untapped market element of the first Porsche SUV. Both Boxster and Cayenne brought in many looking for that specific vehicle type first, brand second. On the other hand the 996 draw was more about mechanical practicality. The potential for building Carrera sales numbers was better in the long term, once reliablity relative to the 'antique' Carreras, was proven. Once the convertible itch was scratched the sales figures didn't really build the same way, if they increased at all. Also why Carrera owners are much more likely to be repeat Carrera buyers than Boxster owners. And the enormous supply of 996/997 means that even if the new 991 Carreras are not to the coupe drivers' liking they have plenty, really endless variations, of water-cooled Carrera options at significant discounts. And as we know, most of those are recreational drivers who arent' really interested in the performance advantages of a mid-engine car. Certainly not if means being in a less comfortable, less practical car.