987 Cayman prices

[OlberJ]

Noticing that they're dropping under the 15k Mark finally.

With the 981 on the way, they're only going one way.

So what do we think, 10k starting point from next spring? Really want one but not into throwing money away.

I'd like one to play with so new suspension etc is a given. 996 to tide me over until then?

[Actus Reus]

10k sounds a bit optimistic. In fact I could see the 'halo effect' of 981 cars slightly firming up cheap 987 caymans as the Cayman gains wider recognition. You're right in general though - they're only going to get cheaper.

[6C4GTS]

OlberJ said:

Noticing that they're dropping under the 15k Mark finally.

With the 981 on the way, they're only going one way.

So what do we think, 10k starting point from next spring? Really want one but not into throwing money away.

I'd like one to play with so new suspension etc is a given. 996 to tide me over until then?

What is wrong the 928 - looked a decent example?

[mollytherocker]

OlberJ said:

Noticing that they're dropping under the 15k Mark finally.

With the 981 on the way, they're only going one way.

So what do we think, 10k starting point from next spring? Really want one but not into throwing money away.

I'd like one to play with so new suspension etc is a given. 996 to tide me over until then?

10k in a year for a good one? I very much doubt it. They are popular second hand buys and well regarded. If you can find a good one now for 15k, I would say that is a solid purchase depreciation wise.

I dont think buying a 996 to 'tide you over' for a year makes any sense and would cost you more.

Edited by mollytherocker on Tuesday 19th March 23:25

[OlberJ]

928 is good. Just a bit thirsty. Fancy trying something smaller/nimbler. Tempted to keep it tucked up and let it slowly appreciate though.

Molly, don't expect a good one for 10k, purely that they'll start there in a year. Few kicking about around 13k and probably selling for less. Imagine about 15k would get a pretty good one next year.

996s can't have much more to drop so investing a similar amount in a decent spec c2 to tide me over till then would make sense.

That or an s50 z3mc which seem to be climbing.

I know depreciation is a dirty word but I'd rather buy a slightly tired car and replace/upgrade than lose out through bad timing.

[mrdemon]

OlberJ said:

Noticing that they're dropping under the 15k Mark finally.

With the 981 on the way, they're only going one way.

So what do we think, 10k starting point from next spring? Really want one but not into throwing money away.

I'd like one to play with so new suspension etc is a given. 996 to tide me over until then?

Why would you be throwing money away.

Older cars are cheaper, the longer you wait the older the car you will end up with.

[OlberJ]

Older cars are cheaper to a point but they'll slow down when they get to low teens.

The drop for most vanilla Porsches seems to be quick from 20odds to low teens when the newer model comes out.

I don't mind buying the older car at the far end of that and replacing/upgrading parts as they'll need. I see that as investment to my hobby.

I'd hate to get in at the near end of that, get hit with depreciation AND have to replace tired parts. That would be throwing money away to me.

I like to buy low with a budget in hand because you never know what will need replaced.

[Mario149]

Actus Reus said:

In fact I could see the 'halo effect' of 981 cars slightly firming up cheap 987 caymans as the Cayman gains wider recognition. You're right in general though - they're only going to get cheaper.

Hmmm, I'm not sure I agree with this. From my point of view the original Cayman has always looked dire to my eyes whereas the new one looks fantastic. Everyone has always known that if you want a mid engined very well balanced car (as opposed to arse-engined engined handling and all the pros/cons it entails) the Cayman was always there, nothing has changed in that respect. But it will always remain the baby brother/cheap option compared to it's 997 sibling in most people's eyes.

The difference is that now by all accounts Porsche has produced an absolute stonker with the 981. Meanwhile, the 991 has got bigger, fatter and continued it's inexorable march in the GT direction. You'd have to be unbelievably desperate for rear-engined handling to spank £35k more on a sensibly specced 991S than on a 981S....made all the more amusing by the fact that with every generation Porsche does it's utmost to dial out the very traits that make a 911 a 911. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's just evolution and the market is moving on and the 991 is by most accounts a fabulous car.

I can't see many people with a £15k - £25k budget who like 911s suddenly being tempted to a(n old) Cayman instead of a 996/997, likewise the people with that budget who liked the idea of a(n old) Cayman to start with aren't going to miraculously start liking them more. However I can see a whole load of people in the market who would traditionally buy a new (or nearly new) 911 suddenly looking at the 991 in light of the 981 and thinking that it's an awful lot of extra money to pay for some slightly quirky handling, an extra 2 seats for kids and arguably worse looks. Power wise, it makes even less sense when there's a good chance they might be coming out of a plain 997.2 C2 which has only a few more ponies but also more weight that a 981S.

Personally for me, and this might be biasing my post, I think the 981 is a bit of a game changer. As I said in another thread, for me Porsche-wise it's always been 911 or bust. This is the first time when I haven't given a monkey's about the new 911, and equally the first time I've ever been even remotely interested (and I'm currently actually very interested) in a Cayman

Edited by Mario149 on Wednesday 20th March 10:48

[Actus Reus]

Fair enough - valid point concerning the 997 prices - if they keep going downwards, then can only exert a downward pressure on the 987 prices.

However, I'm not sure you're quite right with the 981 vs 991 theory. The 911 is, like it or not, the icon. It's the car on kids' walls, it's got Turbo and GT models, Targas, 4WDs - in other words it can be almost all things to all people. It is, I grant you, a lot more expensive than the 981 (indeed, I agree with you - right now I'd buy a 981 over a 991, excluding GT3), but there are some, indeed many, people that will pay that premium. In fact what is the biggest part of the 911's market - I'm guessing it's wealthy people who want a fast, flash, but reliable and slightly practical car. I don't think that part of the market cares for the 981 Cayman - they buy Boxsters and 911s, and will continue to do so.

Dunno though - the OP's question was regarding Cayman prices, and I still think it'll only be the rattiest and high mile cars that hit £10k next year.

[Mario149]

Actus Reus said:

The 911 is, like it or not, the icon. It's the car on kids' walls

That's what I was thinking, but I wonder if that's still true? And what also occurred to me was that all (well, let's say most) of the people who can afford to buy a new 911 will be of a certain age (let's say 30+) and would have had a 911 on their wall very different in form/size/spirit as to what is on offer now. So weirdly, if they're "enthusiasts", I reckon they'd stump for the 981S as the car most similar to the 911 of years past.

Actus Reus said:

In fact what is the biggest part of the 911's market - I'm guessing it's wealthy people who want a fast, flash, but reliable and slightly practical car. I don't think that part of the market cares for the 981 Cayman - they buy Boxsters and 911s, and will continue to do so.

I reckon you're right on the money with that actually. It'd be interesting to see how many customers the Panamera has poached from the 911. Part of me wonders whether they made the Panamera deliberately butt ugly so as not to poach too many

[Actus Reus]

Also a very good point - but I think the 911 badge still holds serious kudos - look at Car Magazine's best car of the last 50 years for example. And the 991 does seem to be a little bit more sensible and grown-up than perhaps it did, but look at every other offering - almost everything has gone the same way, from Golf and 205 GTi right the way through to 911. It remains to be seen how the 991 will be regarded in years to come - I don't think it will be the runt of the litter by any means, even in enthusiasts' eyes.

As for the Panamera - I'd be interested too to know where these customers come from - to me I've always regarded it as the Cayenne for people that don't like 4x4s...

[OlberJ]

Foreign tastes are different to ours. They seem to lap them up.

[Trev450]

Very true. Countries such as China regard large luxury cars as a status symbol. And ugly or not, its still a Porsche!

[BubblesNW]

Thread resurrection ...

It seems 987 Cayman prices are holding up pretty well. There is one at OPC Leicester for £52k, Jan 2012 car with a high spec and only 5,400 miles. That's higher than all of the CRs in the OPC network.

[BubblesNW]

Are Leicester OPC monitoring my posts? Price lowered by £2k overnight. Still higher than all the CRs in the system though ...