Boxster Sales Article - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Brucelee · 11-29-2006, 02:03 PM

I would be surprised if they dropped the Box. It shares many parts with the Cayman and I am sure the amortized cost of this car is actually pretty low for Porsche.

It would be a shame if they did. In my opinion, it is the best value auto they make.

Perfectlap · 11-29-2006, 02:23 PM

really? that must mean you think Every Car Porsche has on offer is horrible value.
For the numbers on paper (it is a sports car afterall) the Boxster is not a value at all. Its really the caviar of roadsters. I mean fish eggs really aren't worth XXX dollars are they?? But to the target market they are indeed.

The marketplace seems to have had enough of caviar and would rather spend the luxury dollars on items a bit higher up on the price menu like the overpriced kobe beef (aka Carrera)

Roadsters are a niche market and what will spike numbers is the ability of the manufacturer to hype the car with either 'gotta have it' styling or some other buzz to attract non-roadster types to go for it. Porsche like BMW, Merc, Honda, etc.
have failed to attract those atypical roadster buyers with 987, Z4, S2000 and SLK.
A Cayman buyer is completely different type of buyer than a Boxster guy,
I can't believe the Porsche dude even brought up the Cayman to save face.

Brucelee · 11-29-2006, 02:37 PM

"really? that must mean you think Every Car Porsche has on offer is horrible value."

Only if you think the Boxster is a poor value.

Obviously I don't think that is the case.

Having said that, they COULD lower the Box price and I would be happier for it.

pecivil · 11-29-2006, 02:43 PM

I would be suprized if they dropped the Box.....but the bottom line is if they do, they will have to replace it with something else as the "entry level car". Cause if their cheapest car is a Cayman for 60 large, Porsche has got problems.

Do they remember the dark days of 94 and 94 when they sold a very small number fo cars?

They cant live on 911's and Cayman's alone. Maybe the SUV makes up for it. I dunno.

NickCats · 11-29-2006, 07:32 PM

My prediction :

I can see Porsche in the future offering three models :

The Cayenne ( SUV ), the Panamera ( Sedan ), and the 911 ( Sport ).

IMHO,

Nick

KevinH1990 · 11-29-2006, 07:49 PM

I think that the sales figures for new Boxsters are simply a function of supply and demand. There is limited demand for roadsters and many choices at different price levels.

For example, a roadster buyer could pick up a decent used Miata for $3500-$5000, a nice used Boxster for $22,000-$26,000 or a new Boxster for $50,000-$70,000. Some people who could afford a new Boxster are opting for a good used one and that is directly affecting new Boxster sales. There are also alternative roadsters from other manufacturers that cut into demand for Boxsters.
When the Boxster debuted, there simply wasn't a good alternative in the used car market. If you wanted the Boxster's looks, performance and prestige you had to buy a new one.

Many folks tire of roadsters after their three-year lease expires and don't replace their Boxsters with a new one. The replacement market now reflects a stable number of "hard core" roadster lovers and the limited number of first-time buyers who decide they prefer new over used. The folks who jumped on the Boxster because it was the next great thing have moved on leaving lower overall demand for the car.

It's not the end of the world. There is nothing wrong with the Boxster. It's just simple economics.

MNBoxster · 11-29-2006, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinH1990

I think that the sales figures for new Boxsters are simply a function of supply and demand. There is limited demand for roadsters and many choices at different price levels.

For example, a roadster buyer could pick up a decent used Miata for $3500-$5000, a nice used Boxster for $22,000-$26,000 or a new Boxster for $50,000-$70,000. Some people who could afford a new Boxster are opting for a good used one and that is directly affecting new Boxster sales. There are also alternative roadsters from other manufacturers that cut into demand for Boxsters.
When the Boxster debuted, there simply wasn't a good alternative in the used car market. If you wanted the Boxster's looks, performance and prestige you had to buy a new one.

Many folks tire of roadsters after their three-year lease expires and don't replace their Boxsters with a new one. The replacement market now reflects a stable number of "hard core" roadster lovers and the limited number of first-time buyers who decide they prefer new over used. The folks who jumped on the Boxster because it was the next great thing have moved on leaving lower overall demand for the car.

It's not the end of the world. There is nothing wrong with the Boxster. It's just simple economics.

Hi,

All good, thoughtful observations. But, it still doesn't alter the fact that Boxster Sales are now in their 6th consecutive year of decline.

If this continues, it won't take an Economics Professor to speculate on the outcome...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

1JB · 11-30-2006, 07:20 AM

I can't see them dropping the Boxster. Boxster sales are tough at the current pricing. Cayman sales appear to be good at 4-5k more than the Boxster but there's still a lot of deal making going on about the cost at least they seem to get discounted pretty heavily locally putting them right on par with the Boxster. It's actually pretty hard to find the Boxster you want it seems, just aren't alot around compared to the Caymans. If they drop the Boxster for a Cayman cabriolet they'd basically be adding 10k to the cost of a car that looks and behaves exactly like the current Boxster. All they'd really have to do is put a Cayman badge on the back of the 987 Boxster. I don't think it would sell without steep discounts but what do I know. I think they've positioned their model line-up really well right now from a pricing perspective. Boxsters seem to be selling pretty close to msrp with Caymans slightly below so the grumbling about the ragtop costing more than the hardtop probably doesn't reflect pricing reality. The Boxster name carries a very well known and a real asset as well. I think they would take a long hard look at dropping such a well recognized name. They Cayman's a great car but it will take time for the name to roll of the tongue of Porsche lexicon. Their focus is on the Panamera right now I think which fills another great niche. Nice talk about their plans here.
http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/112_0607_porsche_911_gt3_panamera/index.html

longislander1 · 11-30-2006, 07:13 PM

As I posted on PPBB, the Porsche spokesman's explanation is pure BS when you consider other cars in the market had much better October YTD sales figures. Honda S2000 was down around 18%, Mercedes SLK was down only 2.8% and Corvette was UP 17.7%. You can't explain a 42%+ drop by saying the sector was down around 15%.

With 200,000 Boxsters produced, this car is losing its exclusivity. It's gone mass market. As a result, you're getting a lot more first-time buyers (not Porsche purists, as in the past) who want the nameplate because it still has cache. They drive one for a while, say, "What's the big deal?" and then move on to another make. I would bet there are a lot of people who took a first-time chance on a Boxster, were underwhelmed (because they had different expectations), then went on to something like a Lexus SC430 or a Mercedes SLK and found they could be just as happy -- or happier. Unless you can appreciate the finer aspects of handling that you get with a Porsche, you might rather have more wood, leather, a much better stereo and a hardtop that you get with the Lexus -- not to mention the overall better service experience.

All I can say is that I find it hard to believe that my 987S has lost nearly a quarter of its value from MSRP in the 17 months that I've owned it. I had a bad sales experience, a difficult delivery situation (with PCNA not being that much help) and the one-year service from the dealer took four days (for 3.8 hours worth of work, and I'm still waiting four months to hear about my replacement windstop). Then I go to the forums and read about a pretty significant number of low-mileage engine failures, when I've never had a single failure in all the years I've owned a wide variety of other brands. When I put this all together and slap a $60K pricetag on it, I understand why I now have no loyalty to Porsche and probably won't buy another. Maybe I'm not alone and maybe that's the true reason behind the sales decline.

Perfectlap · 11-30-2006, 08:42 PM

^ ouch

Its a cyclical story with Porsche. They go high and then get ahead of themselves piss off their fans and then they go low only to resurrect from near death.
I'd say they approaching their latest crest.
You can do those sort of things when you barely make any cars when compared to BMW, Merc, Honda and the others who are doing better with their roadsters.

longislander1 · 12-01-2006, 05:39 AM

Perfectlap, that's a much better and more succinct explanation than my long rant. I guess the fans will always be loyal, no matter how much abuse they take. But with today's larger production numbers, there are many more people who are being exposed to the downside of Porsche ownership for the first time and finding it not worth the trouble or expense.

z12358 · 12-01-2006, 06:12 AM

I can only wish that Porsche drops the Boxster right now, and never bother with a Cayman Convertible. I know nothing about how classics are created but for some reason I believe the Boxster has the making of a classic 10-20yrs from now. There just something timeless about the look and the design.

The Boxster numbers should be looked in combination with the Boxster Coupe (Cayman) numbers. It's the same car with a different roof. Porsche intentionally flooded the market with Caymans these last couple of years in unison with a strong marketing campaign normal for any new model coming out. This always hurts the existing model. On top of it, they cut the Boxster allocations to dealers. Browse through the online inventories and it is obvious that even after much stronger sales for Caymans there are still much more Caymans then Boxsters in inventory.

longislander1, sorry you've been having such a bad experience with your Boxster ownership. Without a hint of sarcasm, you should consider cutting your losses and getting rid of it. It's not worth keeping something if it will remind you of misery more than it will produce pleasure.

Z.

Sammy · 12-01-2006, 09:24 AM

On a sort of related note, I wonder how many car manufacturers actually make plans for the "end of the model" before they release it? I know they plan for "freshening" every so many years, but do they ever try to anticipate the end? I know this would be somewhat of a shot in the dark, but they have years of experience and a ton of marketing people on staff that might just know a thing or two about trends. On top of that I'm sure they have a gazillion MBA's that focus on strategic planning.

longislander1 · 12-01-2006, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z12358

I can only wish that Porsche drops the Boxster right now, and never bother with a Cayman Convertible. I know nothing about how classics are created but for some reason I believe the Boxster has the making of a classic 10-20yrs from now. There just something timeless about the look and the design.

longislander1, sorry you've been having such a bad experience with your Boxster ownership. Without a hint of sarcasm, you should consider cutting your losses and getting rid of it. It's not worth keeping something if it will remind you of misery more than it will produce pleasure. Z.

I totally agree with you about the classic lines. It's one thing I like about my 987S. That's why it's such a shame sales are down and depreciation is so great.

My problems are very minor compared to other posters here and on other sites. I was only trying to point out that first-time owners coming from other premium makes may simply be buying the Porsche nameplate and don't really care as much as some of us do about the handling or other fine mechanical aspects. Their expectations on the technical side may be such that they'd be perfectly happy in a Lexus or Mercedes sports model, even if we know those cars aren't as good.

And if they come from other premium brands and have already had an exceptional sales, service and manufacturer support experience, they'll think that the Porsche's high price will automatically guarantee the same experience. I can imagine a Lexus owner putting up $60-large for his wife's Boxster and asking these questions:
What do you mean you won't pick my wife's car at our home for the service appointment? My Lexus dealer does that.
Why can't I have a Porsche as a loaner? Why are you giving me a rented Chevy when the other dealer gives me a Lexus?
Why is your shop so disorganized and messy? Why isn't my car ready on time?
Why did the engine fail at 30,000 miles? That doesn't happen on my Lexus or any of my other cars.
Why am I paying so much extra for power seats and xenon headlights? How come there's no MP3 connection?
This Porsche cost almost as much as my Lexus LS. Why don't I get the same features or treatment?
Why do I call PCNA for help and get routed by a clerk right back to the dealer (who's not helping me at all)?

I could go on and on, but I hope you get the idea. We may love Boxsters, but I bet the word is spreading among the current or potential newbies that they can get a better overall experience elsewhere.

986Roadster · 12-05-2006, 07:58 PM

i think porsche would be very smart to get out of the boxster convertible market. i would end the boxster and continue into the future with the cayman. it's a flooded market everyone is making a cheap convertible's now a days. saturn, pontiac, nissan, vw...these 4 car manufactuers have 4 cars that would give the boxster a good fight, for $20,000 less.

i see the death of the boxster.

1JB · 12-06-2006, 06:35 AM

If they stop making the Boxster the car will be an instant classic and the value will be exceptional. Used Boxsters in my area, SE PA, sell very, very fast. They are the bread and butter of monthly profits at the dealerships. Porsche will drop it once the profit margins are no longer there. Who knows we may be reaching that point. They are more expensive to make than the Cayman but retail is less. Personally I think the Boxster name is such a great trademark with instant recognition that if they do drop it, it won't be replaced by a Cayman convertible. If they drop the Boxster it will because the roadster market is saturated and the profit margins aren't there. A Cayman convertible won't be able to make any more sales and profit than a Boxster, particularly when you consider that it'd be pushing $75k US with moderate oprtions. I hope they do drop the Boxster. I'd own one of the last couple thousand made.