Comprador

As I spec out my 9th 911 I am suffering from a little bit of sticker shock.. sorry if this has been covered; I couldn't find any dedicated posts to sympathize with but at $143K for the Carrera S I am buying, I'm kind of blown away with the base and option costs.. the scariest option being the painted front headlight windshield washer nub.. really? Porsche AG couldn't just paint it as part of the car?

Anyway sorry to rant, I'm still ordering it, just amazed that we are now in Aston Martin territory for a non turbo or GT3 P car. Can't wait to take delivery of this thing.. planning on a Euro del and a week of ripping up Europe's roads

Marine Blue

It all comes down to what customers are willing to pay.

I wonder what margins are on 911.

clembo

You are correct, the money they want has gone to new levels, at least they have responded by bringing the performance there as well.

My largest concern with the new 911 is the price. Now we don't need all of the crazy options that Porsche offers but somehow we keep checking the boxes (I know I did). The pressure that the increasing price puts on the car will be viewed differently by different buyers. Yes, some may cross shop it against other cars that don't perform like a 911, but cost about the same.

Porsche wil need to keep the performance on the cutting edge, as well as the overall ownership experince or they will have issues. At these prices, we will hold them to a higher level of expectations.

barihunk

I'm guessing the margins are off the charts. But with demand apparently still high, they can price their options however they want and people are still going to buy the cars.

I do agree that a new 911 is now in gently used aston/maserati prices. Which is frankly a bit ridiculous.

solomonschris

I'm not so sure that the margin on the base car is out of line. Afterall, the development costs are defrayed over a far fewer number of cars than say a VW Golf or a Ford Fusion for example. The margin on many of the options, however, is off the charts. My C2 cab had options of nearly 30% of the base price. I'm sure it is a better car for all of its options, but is it 30% better? Probably not, but a 911 is not an appliance like my Audi. It makes me feel great whenever I drive it. It is a constant marvel that deserves a bit of personalization.....one just can't get carried away.

chuckbdc

The only problem is that a gently used Maserati or Aston offers less in most dimensions than a reasonably optioned 991S, and then you have an Aston or a Maserati to keep running.

gmsracing

I agree prices are way too high. Frankly, for me, it is too much and while I might have considered 997 prices; 991's are too high. But as long as folks like yourself, (congratulations!) can and do continue to buy them at that price, they will continue to make them.

kosmo

yes totally silly. And its these highly optioned cars that take the biggest depreciation. FYI Floor mats were a $110 option on the 997. Be thankful P has decided to "throw them in" on the 991.

jw1977

I'm a 997 owner and have been shocked when I go to spec out a 991. How do think the prices will be on the used market? I would expect the values would drop on the highly optioned cars really fast?

chuck911

Most of my time is spent reading up on global financial affairs, which puts me out of tune with the majority here who want to whine ineffectually about what people are willing to pay, what deals they can get, etc etc. The last time this came up the only other person I recall getting it right is Rainier, maybe another one or two, in any case none of the others were American. Americans seem to be utterly oblivious to the fact that prices are rising because our currency is printed with abandon by a central bank able to issue (more accurately, counterfeit) the worlds reserve currency, thereby exporting inflation around the world.

I don't know why this is so difficult for people to grasp. It should be pretty obvious. Gas in the 60's could be had for around 10 cents a gallon. Today gas is right about the same 10 cents a gallon! With one catch: you have to pay with your gas with the original dime from the 60's, the one minted from 90% silver. Those have retained purchasing power. The counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes made of paper have not. THAT is the one AND ONLY reason your Porsche today costs so much more than back then!

In all of US history, from the time of the Pilgrims landing up until about 1913 there was mild price DEFLATION across all commodities. Don't take my word for it, google it, the charts and stats are there in abundance. PLEASE do this before whining on about options and what people are willing to pay. The fact is that in terms of REAL MONEY the Porsche on the market today costs LESS than in decades past. Again, don't take my word for it. Look it up for yourself! Prices fluctuate in the short term but if you pick some time say 10, 20, 30 or more years ago look at the USD cost of a 911 back then, look at the price of gold back then, convert the 911 price into gold ounces and WALA! The cost of a Porsche in terms of REAL MONEY- gold or silver- has gone down. It is only because we price the car in Federal Reserve Notes that it APPEARS to cost more!

Wages of course always lag inflation, which is why when priced in FRN's the Porsche not only appears more costly but costs more in terms of the hours needed to earn enough FRN's to buy one. Another reason why the car costs more because of the Federal Reserve and has nothing to do with Porsche, or demand, or any other car maker. Its not Porsche, its the currency!

hepmonk

Just say no to nipples!

futurz

As one who occaisonally trades currencies and a lot of commodites, I can only second what chuck911 says. Who knows, maybe in ten years we can sell our 991's for the same nominal price we paid today, but of course, $130K won't buy then what it buys today. It's all paper and faith, in other words, a con game. Enjoy them while we can!

Dr.Bill

Well, part of it is Porsche.
The facelift R8 from Audi will be priced similar (if not lower) than the current model. And now it will cost less than many of the dozens of 911 variants.

And yes, Porsche prices are now crazy. In gold, silver bars, or heads of cattle - still a lot.

cwrm4

It's all relative. My 964 C2 Coupe was nearly $80k in 1993, which is roughly $125k in 2012 dollars.

The advent of the plasticky 996 seemed to set a lower price point for the 911 line, which sort of "recalibrated" what a 911 new should cost...for a while. Now though I have to agree with the OP...I've been spec-ing out a 991 and, holy crap, all those check boxes and option combos and you-have-to-pick-this-if-you-want-to-pick-that really pile on the $$$.

Comprador

I think I will delete the nipples.. great idea.
As for some of the other replies, I can whine if I want to effectively or ineffectively. I'm aware of global markets, deflation etc.. In the oil business we charges what people were willing to pay (we thought) Look at the Rolex Daytona in steel - you could buy that watch for 6600 USD a few years ago and flip it for 11K. Today they are 11K.. I get it. Its all about demand and those like myself paying up. And I can complain about it and still buy it. I hardly need to be lectured about "missing the point". I remember when several years ago, the new 996 (i believe) was released at a substantial discount to the 993.. 5K ish as I remember. I get paying for new, better tech but we all have long memories about what is value and what isn't..