Are Dealer Sales of Boxsters Really Bad?

[Wayne 962]

I heard today that sales of Boxsters were lagging, and that the dealers were stocking up (they didn't want to be), and were having to give incentives to get the cars out of the door. Last I heard, there were waiting lists. I guess the economy slow-down has hit the sales of the Boxster?

Anyone have any additional info on this?

-Wayne

P.S. I will let this topic sit here for a while, and then I will transfer it to the Boxster forum (need more posts there).

[Obin Robinson]

i'm not sure about things as a whole, but they're flying off the showroom floors over here. i have several friends that have bought them in the past few months.

obin

[GIBSON]

The dealer here has several on the floor, that's a first, also has several 996, very unusual. (Monterey, CA)

Bruce Herrmann

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Hell, last time I went to Scottsdale Lotus they had two 996 Turbos on the showroom floor (one Tip, one manual). 'Course, I didn't ask the price. Could be they were gouging worse than most.

This was right after the 996T came out and were supposedly nowhere to be found. I think a lot the perceived "demand" issues have to do with distribution and allocation rather than actual shortages or oversupply. Supposedly there's a few months' wait for a new WRX here in Phoenix, but my father reports 12 of them on the lot near him in Jersey.

But, yeah--the economy is lagging. A friend of mine had his eye on the new M3 and has decided to wait a while instead...and he could retire now (at the ripe old age of 42) if he wanted to.

[pwd72s]

Don't really know about new sales, but have noticed that the classifieds in The Portland Yellow Pages (aka, THE OREGONIAN) have been listing plenty of low mileage Boxters for sale. Don't know if the economy a factor either, because these ads started showing soon after the Boxter was introduced. Perhaps unhappy customers? I have heard some "lemon" tales about the Boxter. The "spends more time in the shop than in my garage" type of tales. Anybody else hearing this?

[old_skul]

This thread should be closed and moved to the Boxster forum.

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

[Bill Wagner]

Every weekend I get a copy of the Washington Post and go over the ads just to see how much the cars are selling for. I've noticed a recent dip in the prices of second hand Boxters....like about $5-10K. I haven't really seen such a dip in 911 prices. It makes me wonder how well a Boxter will hold it's value in the long run.

Bill Wagner
'91 C4

[Wayne 962]

I'm curious to see who would pick a '97 $27K Boxster over a 1988/89 Carrera Cabriolet. I think that it would be a tough choice for me. I personally think that the late 80's cars a bit overvalued when compared to the 911SCs...

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Oh, and I did hear today that they have replaced something like 65 Boxster motors in Florida alone this year under warranty. I do hear about reliability problems, but nothing specific...

-Wayne

[pwd72s]

With me, it's also an aesthetics thing...I just don't like the looks of the new waterpumpers, Boxter or 996. IF I were looking for a watercooled roadster with a fat rear end, same price range of $50,000 or so? I'd probably opt for the new 'Vette.

[This message has been edited by pwd72s (edited 07-16-2001).]

[roGERK]

There were 3 Boxsters in my local dealership showroom on Saturday - normally there is one. But with such a small sample size its a little risky to draw conclusions.

As for the reliability, there have been persistent rumours of the early cars having fundamental design flaws in the engine. But I've never seen any offical acknowledgemnt or explanation from the factory.

- roGER

[88911coupe]

I have a friend here in Dallas with a Boxster that has had a major engine oil seal replaced twice and he was told this was a relatively common problem. Other than that, the car has not had any other problems. If I replace my 88 it will be with a 993 model.

Buck
88 Coupe

[pwd72s]

I agree with Buck...when the 993 came out, I thought it had gorgeous lines. Then, the Boxter/996 came out...I guess we can all make mistakes, even Porsche. Yes, the 996 clan can argue speed & performance, but so can the Viper folks, and that car looks like it belongs in a comic strip instead of on the road.

[This message has been edited by pwd72s (edited 07-16-2001).]

[John Brandt]

Even as Porsche fanatics, many of us would consider alternatives. The watercoolers do "feel" like japanese cars and as such they loose a bit of their unique selling proposition. Especially in the 986-price segment, they put themselves into the fray with the Asians.
In other words;
Though the Boxter is undoubtedly a fantastic car, it feels more like a mass-produced Japanese car than any previous Porsche. Without some of those wonderful, but tough-to-describe Porsche traits, we'll be more inclined to price shop, and think about the whole thing more logically. Ultimately the car becomes more “commoditized”.
If boxter sales are slacking I’ll bet that’s why. The S2000 can’t be helping; the new Z car won’t either. I see a lot of well done Cobra kits being driven around too, many by guys who once owned Porsches. Corvettes may at this point have more MOJO even than 996, and just wait until the new one arrives in a couple of years. And if Lotus actually sends an Elise variant to the USA…

We may be missing the point though. I don’t think that the people on this and similar BBs are necessarily target customers for new P cars. If we were, the waterpumpers would be different in many respects.
There seems to be almost uniform discomfort with the new cars from the old guard types and the company surely is aware of that. The sad truth is that they made cars EXACTLY as we wanted them to until a few years ago; when they figured out that they could make a lot more money selling to a different demographic.

I, like most of you, grew up watching Porsches racing and winning at all levels and that’s much of the reason I drive them now. I just don’t get the same kind of feeling from Boxters and I just can’t keep from wondering: Will Porsche still enjoy the kind of following in ten or twenty years as it does today?

[pwd72s]

By Golly, I think John nailed it! The new stuff has all the "soul" of a rice car...no real personality of it's own. I've driven older Corvettes, and the new C-5's...you can still feel that car's lineage & tradition. If you could drive blindfolded, you'd know what you're driving. With the Boxter and the 996, it would be tough to know it's a Porsche...

[MRM]

Bruce Anderson confirmed in the June Pano issue that he drives a late model Boxter. He said that Porsche had some quality problems with the first models, but that they have been worked out and he loves his. FWIW, I do like the Boxter, but it's nothing compared to my 84 Cab. I regularly drive by them and comment, "It's an ok car for someone who can't have a Carrera" (or SC, or early S, . . . etc)


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MRM 1984 Carrera Cab Eurospec

[GIBSON]

John's comments are interesting and brings up the point that Porsche did hire the Japanese a few years ago to help them with
production ideas. They taught Porsche how to provide parts at a specific time in the assembly process, eliminating storage costs and other costs associated with production.
Porsche was able to lower costs significantly and increase profits in the bargain. While I doubt that much of this Japanese influence carried over into design and styling I do see John's point that there is some Japanese "feel" that was not there before, most obvious to me in the dash. Not to say that the 996 is not a true Porsche, it just does not speek to many of us on this board as we feel close to the Porsches that evolved from the old air-cooled days. The 996 seems quite a bit removed from the early cars. Many of us feel the 993 is the 911 in it's finest evolution but we keep driving the earlier cars out of love of the essence of 911 "feel and sound". For many fanatics, once the fan sound was gone, so was the thrill.

Bruce Herrmann
73911S

[89911]

I don't know about dealer sales, but there is a glut of off lease cars on the market, at least 2 or 3 a day in the paper. As soon as they upped the power in the "S" and the standard model, adios old Boxter. I wouldn't be suprised to find them in the high 20's soon, not that anybody would want them. I read in Panorama how many of these owners are pissed that Porsche went out and instantaneously devalued their cars like this.

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8 9 9 1 1, The last of the line.

[Wayne 962]

People are pissed? What gives them the right? Are you pissed when your computer is obsolete when you get home? Some people have all the nerve. They bought the car to use and to drive - obviously not to appreciate them in value.

The cars I have seen are already up in the high 20Ks...

-Wayne

[Doug Zielke]

I think 89911 is right.
There are quite a few used Boxsters for sale around here. Talking with a salesman-friend of mine, he claims the larger motor, and then the S model, caused a lot of people to trade up. Many of these cars are leased, so it's a logical upgrade.

I'd like to buy a used Boxster to keep my 911 company, and for my wife to enjoy, but even 4 year old Boxsters are holding their value far better than I expected.

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'81 SC Coupe (aka: "Blue Bomber")
Canada West Region PCA
The Blue Bomber's Website