Boxster S vs. Cayman S prices

[evoke]

Just out of curiosity, I ran the Porsche Configurator and built a Boxster S to a virtually identical spec to the Cayman S that I have just ordered. It worked out at £3K less than the Cayman S. I included a hardtop and the wind deflector (part of the Bose option).

So, for £3K what extras do you get? A shade more power and less flexing of the chassis, hence, a generally better drive if you drive the car hard. Obviously you lose the option of top-down motoring.

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: rumba

It worked out at £3K less than the Cayman S. I included a hardtop and the wind deflector (part of the Bose option).

So, for £3K what extras do you get?

I think your costing exercise is a bit unfair. Most 987's I've seen don't bother with the hardtop as the current softtop option is so good making the need for a hardtop redundant. Add back the £1500.00 and you have a fairer comparison IMO []

 

[oliver]

Had it been the other way round (ie the Coupe been launched first, and the Roadster introduced later), you can bet your life the Roadster would have been more expensive.

 

[dereksharpuk]

I don't agree with Oliver. I bet that if Porsche produced a 15 bhp power upgrade, put the vario cam 997 top on the engine (VarioCam Plus), modified the exhaust system to produce a much better sound, colour coded the front spoiler and much more besides you can bet your bottom dollar that the cost increase would indeed be in well in excess of £5K!

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: oliver

Had it been the other way round (ie the Coupe been launched first, and the Roadster introduced later), you can bet your life the Roadster would have been more expensive.

Had it been the other way around Porsche probably would have gone to the wall and been bought out by VW/Audi group in a rescue bid

IMO Porsche are cashing in on there current success story starting from the launch of the 986 in 96 through to Cayman 06 []

It must be a reward to all the Boxster owners past & present that the extra profit margin will be squeezed out of the new hardtop brigade

 

[Alex Postan]

ORIGINAL: daro911

ORIGINAL: rumba

It worked out at £3K less than the Cayman S. I included a hardtop and the wind deflector (part of the Bose option).

So, for £3K what extras do you get?

I think your costing exercise is a bit unfair. Most 987's I've seen don't bother with the hardtop as the current softtop option is so good making the need for a hardtop redundant. Add back the £1500.00 and you have a fairer comparison IMO []

I believe that this attention to the price difference between the two cars is off the mark. It seems to me that the two cars appeal to different markets. Taking me as an example, I am an older buyer with over twenty years experience of owning and racing Porsches. I am happy to have paid £48,500 for a Cayman but just did not want a Boxster at all. Nice as they are to take to the pub, I can get sunburn and windburn plus the occasional splat of birdsh*t on my forehead by getting on my pushbike.

The sales figures over the years to come will be the test of Porsche's marketing proposition, engineering specification and price.

Out of interest, I wanted to replace my VX220T (a truly quick car) and the only other choices with mid engined format were:
Lotus Exige
Noble
MR2
Ferrari 430.
Lotus and Noble are too raw to use all day and everyday, the MR2 is too small, slow and has no luggage space and I can neither afford the Ferrari nor do I play football or wear gold jewellery. (p.s. Q: how do you tell the difference between a Mexican whore and a J.A.P.? A: The Mexican whore has fake gold but real org*asms and the J.A.P. has real gold and fake org*sms)

Other possibles (not mid engined) are GT3, Carrera 4S, Aston Martin, BMW 6C but they all have their engines at the wrong end of the car (either end is the wrong end) and they are all hugely expensive.

In my biased and reactionary opinion, If you compare Porsche prices across the board with just about all of its competition, you will find that the combination of practicality, dependability, performance and driving experience are not available from other suppliers and the price is always less than its competition. For these reasons, Porsche is making money and unless they do, we will not be able to continue to own and drive these wonderful cars in the future.

 

[dereksharpuk]

Marketing forces always apply. Take the Mazda MX5. It is super little roadster with perfectly adequate performance and roadholding. Yet at £12 new (yes that is what I paid for a brand new UK supplied Mk 2.5 last year), it represent excellent value. So don't tell me that a Boxster at almost 3 times that amount reflects true build costs. It is merely what the importer thinks he can get away with.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

£12 ?!
Wow - introduce me to your dealer!

If we're talking build cost and profit for Porsche, perhaps we'd better stay away from discussion of 996/7's...[]

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

It is merely what the importer thinks he can get away with.

Precisely [] hence ridiculous premium on the Boxster Coupe IMO

 

[Guest]

I think you are being a little unfair.
We live in a country with a free market. Competition is encouraged, collusion, cartels and price fixing is illegal.
The prices is set at a level where the production and demand roughly equal ech other.
If the don't the price will move.

Many other daily items have far bigger mark ups that cars.
Mobile phone accessories are particularly good. Some items that cost 20-30p to make will sell for £5, others that cost £1-2 can sell for up to £20. Just imagine if Porsche employed a 1000% markup.
How much do you think a ringtone costs to make? Yet it sells for £1, 2 or some for £5.
CDs costs pennies to make, and even allowing for the margin to the music owner, there are big markups.

Everyone takes what they can.
You can vote with your wallet if you don't like it.

These types of pricing issues are the price to be paid for not living in a communist dictatorship.

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Stuart Martin

I think you are being a little unfair.

Tongue in Cheek actually []

 

[Alex Postan]

ORIGINAL: daro911

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

It is merely what the importer thinks he can get away with.

Precisely [] hence ridiculous premium on the Boxster Coupe IMO

Have you driven a Cayman yet?

 

[Alex Postan]

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

Marketing forces always apply. Take the Mazda MX5. It is super little roadster with perfectly adequate performance and roadholding. Yet at £12 new (yes that is what I paid for a brand new UK supplied Mk 2.5 last year), it represent excellent value. So don't tell me that a Boxster at almost 3 times that amount reflects true build costs. It is merely what the importer thinks he can get away with.

I am completely certain that the build costs of the two cars is substantially different. The Mazda is a perfectly good car but it does not have the same complexity, quality and development as the Cayman or the Boxster. Add these expenses into the number of units you expect to sell and then you get the true build cost and selling price.

To put this another way, simple chemotherapy drugs can cost £750 per dose. This reflects the research, testing and licensing of the drug and not the cost of the chemicals shaken into the cocktail. Profit comes only after these expenses have been paid.

Porsche makes cars to make a profit for its owners, not to be nice to us. The fact that we like their cars means we buy them again; this is good business and seems so natural to me. Why is everybody moaning about the prices that Porsche charges? If you don't like it, buy something else! Fancy a Z4 coupe?

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Alex Postan

Have you driven a Cayman yet?

Alex I drove a Cayman for over an hour in my own back yard on all the routes I know like the back of my hand. The car is absolutely fantastic but not for me. I have owned convertables from the day I past my driving test and I wouldn't want it any other way thanks. When the weather is dry, day or night, you can't beat that wind in your cockpit feeling [] IMO.

Bottom line for me as a 987S owner is the Cayman under normal driving conditions is just a Boxster with a more expensive roof option [&o] Its proven extra abilities on the track over a Boxster would never be experienced by me and with 0-62mph 0.01secs quicker than my 987 I can't see any real big gain there to get excited about.

 

[Alex Postan]

HiYa Daro
My route to an from the office takes me 16 miles through the Cotswolds on the B4425 from Burford to Cirencester. I frequently pass a Boxster coming the other way whose roof only ever seems to be up if it is raining hard. Hot on his heels is another that always has its roof up, even at the height of midsummer sun.
I can guess which would be you and which would be me! I had VX220's for 4 years and only had the roof off three or four times in that period. And one of the times I got a large splat of birdsh*t on my forehead - that really hacked me off.
So, the Boxster is a hell of a good deal; it's great isn't it?
Alex

 

[ClubRacer]

There is clearly room for both the Cayman and the Boxster, and as has been said, long may Porsches profitability continue so that we can enjoy the cars.

Taking a look at the Supercar section of EVO rather confirms this - best car overall: Carrera GT. A look down the price column/stars rating makes the GT3 way ahead on value.

You can pay £45k for an Exige (at 240bhp) compare it with a Boxster S or Cayman for quality; but then I'm preaching to the converted here!

[] Happy with my choice!

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: ClubRacer

There is clearly room for both the Cayman and the Boxster, and as has been said, long may Porsches profitability continue so that we can enjoy the cars.

Can't argue with any of that ClubRacer but just like New Labour ministers bombards us with "spin" on a daily basis, selling the Cayman as anything other than a Boxster Coupe has a similar feel to me except its coming from Porsche's marketing ministers with a £5K premium attached []

 

[ClubRacer]

ORIGINAL: daro911


Can't argue with any of that ClubRacer but just like New Labour ministers bombards us with "spin" on a daily basis, selling the Cayman as anything other than a Boxster Coupe has a similar feel to me except its coming from Porsche's marketing ministers with a £5K premium attached []

Now your scaring me. Porsche like New Labour, surely not!!

I think it is a Boxster Coupe too; and I like it, but won't be tempted until they do an RS version - which might be just about the time I can afford one....

BTW is the third type those who don't count??

 

[Alex Postan]

ORIGINAL: ClubRacer

ORIGINAL: daro911


Can't argue with any of that ClubRacer but just like New Labour ministers bombards us with "spin" on a daily basis, selling the Cayman as anything other than a Boxster Coupe has a similar feel to me except its coming from Porsche's marketing ministers with a £5K premium attached []

Now your scaring me. Porsche like New Labour, surely not!!

I think it is a Boxster Coupe too; and I like it, but won't be tempted until they do an RS version - which might be just about the time I can afford one....

BTW is the third type those who don't count??

Look guys, the Boxster name and format is 10 years old now. Let's stop this endless downgrading of the Cayman into a Boxster Coupe. Why don't you freshen up your (I didn't say tired) image by referring to your cars as Cayman Convertibles......

Oh Ho, Ho Ho HO! Let's hear some teeth gringing Nicht Wahr?

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Alex Postan

Look guys, the Boxster name and format is 10 years old now. Let's stop this endless downgrading of the Cayman into a Boxster Coupe. Why don't you freshen up your (I didn't say tired) image by referring to your cars as Cayman Convertibles......

Oh Ho, Ho Ho HO! Let's hear some teeth gringing Nicht Wahr?

Was saving that for MY07 Boxster "S" with 3.4L [] Alex hand on vario cams which handle do you prefer for the mid engined sports car be it soft or hard top variant "Boxster or Cayman" [8D]