Congratulations in getting your $$ back!
Thank you for sharing your story with us. Having paid for cars over the Internet where wire transfers in the past to dealerships that i have never visited, this makes put a pause on that practice . It is a tremendous leap of faith to execute. Happy New Year!

 

I bought the 718 Spyder over a Boxster S because of the engine. I currently have a 16 GT4 and had a 2009 Boxster S. No 4 cylinder for me when I am spending over 100K. I have driven the current Boxster S and didn't like the sound of the exhaust. I get my 2020 Spyder next month. I bought my Boxster in NC when our dollar was worth $1.10. I drove it for two years and got my money back. My current GT4 is for sale. If I don't sell it prior to delivery I will be trading it in at an agreed amount. I'd sell you my GT4 if you paid me near my asking price. Good luck with your search.

 

FWIW, another data point...just got back from a dealer local to me, who has a "Demo" 2019 GTS with PDK, which has 1,900 miles, can be sold "as new", but only 3.25 years or so left on factory warranty, and they are asking "sticker, because there aren't any/many others around". To which I replied, "good luck with that".

 

I looked at a couple of those ‘new’ 2019s with similar results. I asked for at least a 20% discount and rheyvsaid no way. Not enough cars coming in for 2020 and dealers are trying to maximize profit on what they have. I was starting to see some 2017/2018 Caymans coming off lease and finally hitting the market, but prices were high for CPO cars.

 

Interesting, on the flip side I hope this trend continues as I will be trading my GTS at the end of the year

 

The 718 model with the turbo 4 has been a total flop for Porsche. The dealers might not be acknowledging it to you in person but if you search any dealer's inventory, you will still see 2019 718's on the lots with 2021 inventory coming right around the corner. If you're planning to purchase a 2019 or 2020 718, you should be asking and accepting nothing less than a very large discount. At this point, the only 718 models that will be "worth" any value will be the 4.0 GTS, GT4, and Spyder. The H4 GTS will tank in value once the 4.0 GTS hits the lots.

If you're seriously shopping for one of these cars and looking for a value play, go for it but I wouldn't walk into a dealer and start negotiating that way. I would still recommend you try my method of emails. You will inevitably find at least one dealer that is being honest with themselves and will sell the car at its current "market value" which is at a very deep discount.

 

so this is just a data point for the thread.. i prob bought it a bit overpriced but the 718 CPO had limited supply on the east coast. I got a 2017 718 Cayman for $49k w. 8k miles and 2.5 years warranty.

 

cars.com shows 53 new caymans of every single trim, base, T, S, GTS (except gt4) Model year 2019 across the entire country. If these things were just covering lots like bird **** as you allude to, I think there would be a lot more posted to the most popular car sales site.

my local dealer, a very high volume dealer in the Philly market has 1 in stock and it wasn’t there a few weeks ago last I checked, maybe a transfer.

im not sure where you got your opinion from or why you feel the need to go on the 718 forum to bash them so bad, but you are entitled to your opinion. I think you’re very much wrong.

furthermore, there’s only 23 used Porsche Cayman GTS on cars.com posted across the entire country. The cheapest one starts at 69,999. I’ll take a clear cut look at the market to see what these cars are worth.

 

I'm not bashing them. I like the cars and don't necessarily care if they have a turbo 4 or flat 6 but the purists do and the 718 engine model has not received glowing reviews. Good review for their driving dynamics but not so great when it comes to engine at least as far as sound goes. How much that affects your driving experience is personal to each person. Some will not touch the 718 because it's a turbo 4 and others don't even know that what a turbo is.

Now as far as thinking that the 718 is a sales success, I'll respond to your comment to ask that you re-read your own comment to understand why I say that the 718 flat4 turbo isn't doing so well. We're already gong into August in a few days of 2020 with 2021 models coming right around the corner and you said that there are 53 2019 Caymans across the country. Those cars might be brand new on the showroom floor but whoever buys them will take an immediate 2 year depreciation driving them off the showroom floor and hopefully, they negotiate a price to reflect that. 3 years if the 2021 models start arriving before the 2019 gets sold. How many 2019 Boxsters are there in the country?

I'm not bashing the car. Don't take it as that so no need to defend the car with me. I've got an order in for the 718 Spyder so I like the bones of the car even though some of the bones are from the GT3 but it still says 718 on the back. I'm just commenting on the thread that is speaking about the 718 market. If you're looking for someone to give you props to help you feel good about your purchase or future purchase, I don't think this thread is going to give you that. I think in general people are not very happy with Porsche going to the turbo 4 and that is why Porsche added the 718 to the name of the 982. They're trying to draw a lineage of the turbo 4 to past racing glory to help sell the turbo in the 718. It's nothing more than marketing but it doesn't seem to have picked up as well as they had hoped. Covid didn't help this either with sales coming to a halt overnight for everything. The Cayman and the Boxster have to also be their lowest volume line as well so I don't think that helps either. SUV are top sellers. Behind that I'm not sure if 911 or Panamera is next highest volume and then 718 would have to be last. Don't know how Taycan is doing as I haven't read any numbers.

 

I think your analysis is spot on. Driving a sports car with a 4cyl engine is a mental blockage for some people and they will never be able to get over that fact. The 718 was derided for its sound since day 1 and that negative sentiment stuck with it despite the fact that all other review points of the car were superb. Also just in general, in a market which is entirely dominated by SUVs, 2 seat sports cars are going to be a tough sell for most.

 

No point in saying anything in a 718 forum that doesn't sing the cars praises. This is a sensitive bunch. Not sure how anyone is still arguing the 718 was a sales success, simply look at the numbers. The Turbo 4 didn't sell as well as the flat 6, there is no denying it. Porsche knows it too, hence the 718 4.0

Doesn't make it a bad car for the right buyer, but it's not the most desirable model for many.

 

And it shows 133 2019 911s across the country.

 

Since there are more than twice as many 2019 911s as there are 2019 718s sitting unsold that *must* mean that the 911 was a poorer seller right?

Lies, damned lies, and statistics. Challenge your assumptions and look for data that refute them as well as those that support them.

 

I just bought a 2018 Boxster GTS CPO after first considering the 918 Boxster GTS. I've had it for a few days and get the whole Boxster/Subaru sound complaint but sound isn't what stirs my emotions as much as pure performance. For those who gravitate to be purists yearning for a Flat6 sound, that's find. Can it affect sales, certainly but no more than a pandemic causing an uncertain market for pricey two seat sports cars. I mentioned the sales volume and available inventory in negotiations, but also note there were literally tons of 1-2 year old 911's with less than 10k miles out there as well.

 

luckily for the 718 market those people are dying off. Anyone who grew up in the 90s idolized the word “turbo”. Maybe some old heads can’t drive a 718 because of it, but let’s face it, those people are the 911 or bust crowd anyways.
718 surely was not a sales success but there’s very few 2 seater sports coupes that are. It’s not a good model to try to make money on for a manufacturer. NA 6 or not, Cayman sales are never going to explode up. It’s a dying segment in general.
718s will resell just fine once younger people are able to afford them either through depreciation or them just growing up and earning more.
the only fact I was trying to argue was the person I responded essentially calling the cars worthless and no value whatsoever. That’s just asinine.