Interesting debate, but too early to tell how well these cars will sell at these price levels. Still a finite market for cars that cost $100,000 +. And if you consider what these cars will cost for rest of world customers, the numbers go up dramatically. Increasing prices while setting your goals to substantially increase your unit sales is an interesting marketing approach. If Porsche's not discouting them by late summer I'll be very surprised.

 

Orders are racing into Porsche right now for the 991 - not sure from where, heard its kind of slow in Toronto. I am sure they want to keep margins high and frankly I think they can - nothing even comes close. Porsche have cornered the market nicely with all their vehicles. The only manufacturer I thought might had a chance to give them a run for their money has been too busy trying to beat out Mercedes and Audi (yes BMW). I just configured a very nicely loaded Cab S and it came to 150k before taxes.. a bit heavy for what I hope to make just a summer ride; may have to strip out options or go with the base (or Boxster S). Or... do what Porsche execs expect me to do when I bought the uber loaded Cayenne - just shut it and pay! Got a $1500 courtesy discount on the Cayenne LOL - guess I owed them considering I pretty much stole the Targa

I do the math a little different in my head - might take me an extra month or 2 to make up the difference in the car I really want versus the one I will settle with, is that worth the special feeling In my configuration case I have about 16k of items that I could forgo (full leather, PSE, Adaptive 18, painted vents, PDCC, silt platinum painted wheels).. but if it means keeping the car another for longer rather then "whats next" then maybe its worth it!

 

When comparing pricing of the 997.2 and the 991, also keep in mind that to get about the same power to weight ratio you have to add the $16,900 Powerkit option to the 997.

 

That was a great buy on a well specced car. It just goes to show how patience is rewarded when buying a Porsche. I wanted a roadster to compliment my V12V and I bought a 10 Boxster S new last spring for 10K under sticker. the car was sitting at a dealer with 145 Miles. There won't be a 991 like that for a while but I saw a GTS Cab with a sticker of 132K at dealer that could be had for 110K. So you can imagine how a used one with 3-4K would sell. If it were me, I'd buy a GTS with similar HP and look for a 991 in 2 years.

 

While I want to buy a 991, I just can't. Not so much because of money as much as personal perspective. Currently I have a '07 turbo and I really enjoy it. One of the main reasons I enjoy it because I got the car with low miles and about a 40%+ discount off of sticker. If I had paid MSRP I do not think I would be as comfortable considering the amount I drive the vehicle (not my DD). I'll just have to settle with driving my TT to the local dealership on Sundays and staring at the new models (at least for the next couple or so years).

 

Actually the new Boxster is looking luscious And I love the sound of that V12, so sexy!

 

Good point, not question I think the 991 is an overall more refined and capable ride which is why I honestly believe the premium is justified however I feel that this time around you have to do more analysis on what you really actually want. I think a base 991 might actually perform close to the 997.2 S .. no?

 

The new boxster is definitely a head turner. I too configured one that approached 90K.

 

My 0.05 cents:
1) Porsche, like BMW,M-B,Audi and anyone else who can, has been gradually raising prices. Granted, they are offering "new & improved" product but I'll offer up it's where you can see it (interior) and will be cheaper where you can't, so watch out...
2) Initial orders will always be high b/c it's new and "plenty" have been waiting for this. Let's see where things are a year from now...
3) Porsche has always been the king of what I call Chinese menu ordering (everything a la carte). As soon as you add some goodies the price starts going through the roof. The best "value" lies in the base model of any 911 line b/c we all know options are worth cents on the dollar at resale...
4) Porsche is NOT an exotic. It may compete with Ferrari, Lambo, A-M at performance levels and even price in some cases, but they are ubiquitous. To most people they don't even know 996 from 997 and so on, which is actually what's appealing to me at the moment and also why I've been chasing a 997.2 GT3.
5) Porsche no longer makes it's real $ from 911 sales. With the Cayenne & Panamera doing well, it's probably OK with them to charge more and sell less 911 & variants. Hopefully, we'll see lower production and this can help resale of all going forward.

 

We also need to expect a price increase of 2% or 3% a year due to inflation.

Agreed.

Very true. Fortunately for me, I like sports cars to be simple, so I don't care too much about options beyond those which enhance the driving experience.

Agreed on all points. I too like that Porsches don't grab too much attention, and I wish they grabbed even less (not the case with our Cayman R).

The sales of the 911 may be lower, but I suspect that the profit margin on a 911 is more than a Cayenne and possibly also Panamera.

 

I have to say you nailed all of these points. Just to add a bit, I had my Boxster S serviced recently and the sales manager who apparently ordered my car greeted me and complimented my colors. He told me how excellent the new Boxster S is going to be and echoed your comments about Porsches shift to 4 door vehicles as their financial foundation. He even went so far as to say that they will be making fewer sports cars in the future. So may be they will become more exclusive.

 

As a comparison I just bought a 2012 997 S Cab in mid November. Comparing exact options list on 991 is about $7K over 997. I doubt if I would have got as good a discount on 991 if any. Also if I waited my trade in of 99 996 Cab would have been less. The difference in cost would have probably been a deal killer for me on a new car. I'm happy to have the last of the 997's.

 

We drive Porsches because we like them, there are pro's and con 's for sure but in general, Porsche's 911 series is one of the few supercars that can be used as a daily driver, can be bought at a reasonable price for the base model ( if you can ever find it) and a whopping additional 50% for an all song and dancing version. Porsche , now under the leadership of VW, Porsche will have to contribute to the corporate balance sheet and will be forced to re-use some of the corporate assets. So now we are seeing 4 doors, SUV's, some hybrids and electrics soon I bet. This all helps to spread the costs across on the Volkwagen / Audi / Porsche and others in Europe and Asia marques and platforms. The result can be a killer for the brand. What is the difference between Oldsmobile, Chevrolet or Ford and Mercury?? It's sheet metal and a selection of options and functionality for the corporate parts bin and oodles of marketing. It is already happening. Look at the corporate image on all the new Porsches, the interiors are starting to look alike, the SUV's are already identical looking to the VW Touareg line. More to come I am sure. That is the danger. Powerful engines?? You can get the same and more with more reliability from Ford and Chevrolet already. You get a better design for Aston Martin and a bunch of other brands... The Koreans are catching up quickly, they are bold and have no fear to invest. It's all about long term commitment with them unlike the Quarterly driven business Porsche is locked into. It's going to be an interesting race. Should I decide to get a new toy... The choices are endless. Porsche is just one of them.

 

+1 !!!

 

I just ordered my 991 and agree that it seems a lot more expensive. I've bought and sold enough Porsches to know that you hardly get anything back on the expensive options. My new 991 will cost more than my last 997 turbo and I'm keeping options down (except full leather, pccb's, premium deluxe mega plus package, etc).