Waxer

Manufactures sales stats aside, time will tell if the 991 proves to be a success. I am skeptical of any corporate claims (but by profession as a lawyer I am naturally skeptical).

Since Quadcammer is shying away from my question I would nevertheless like to draw his attention (and Vern's and Boolala's as well) to the thread started by Neanicu on the 991 forum asking for criticisms on the new 991. Guess what. There was no shortage of criticisms by those "clowns" either.

I hope Porsche is reading and listening to the criticisms as the 991 has potential to be one of the great 911's. (hey, kinda like the 997GTS ) if they listen to their ownership base.

I grew up in Livingston. What a small world.

At the end of the day remember we are all on the same team (Porsche). Lets stay civil out there.

Palmbeacher

Thank you for proving my assertion

rodsky

Brilliant . I'm dying of laughter. Thanks for brightening up my day.

This chap is getting more enlightened by the day.

By the way, I have quit my day job and am now driving around So Cal doing all sorts of reconnaisance on 991 sales, same store sales at PinkBerry, gas vs. diesel, BMW sales and Rolex Watches. This anecdotal evidence is super powerful I tell you. This guy i just met, coincidentally a Doctor prefers Rolex to Panerai, and sold his Mercedes for a Yugo. I have already reallocated my investments based on said anecdotal information. I also fired my broker as i will now be relying on this new method of data collection vs financial statements that have been audited or analyst reports etc. I also went long on RIMM as I saw two people using blackberry's. They also told me that they loved them and hated using iPhones, Droids etc., as they couldn't stand the non tactile key boards. They said the BB was the last true smartphone. The new ones have too many features, are too luxurious etc. think I did the right thing?

Mike in CA

I have nothing to gain if the 991 sells well or not and I had no preconceived notion about whether the car would be a success, therefore I have nothing to be in denial about.

I've read statements attributed to Porsche executives in several publications that they are at full capacity building 911's, and are considering plant expansion. This is not something they would be doing in order to build additional obsolete models. I've also seen sales figures from more than one source that indicate 911's are selling well, therefore I am dealing with real data from reputable sources, not delusions.

On the other hand, the only information which contradicts this input are assertions from a few people on an internet chat forum, that they haven't personally seen any 991's or have had conversations with other's who haven't. (BTW, since there are over 250 million registered vehicles in the United States, and at most only about 3000 of them are 991's, this doesn't surprise me a great deal.)

So what seems more meaningful; Porsche's statements and published sales figures or some guy in Florida or Texas or wherever who hasn't seen any 991's during his daily travels? I'm not saying it's impossible you're wrong, but I think I know which side the smart money would come down on. At the very least, it wouldn't require delusional thinking to make the choice.

Feel free to believe whatever you like. It really doesn't matter to me. As I said, in 6 months we'll know who was right. For my part, I'll admit if I turn out to be wrong, but I don't think that will be the case. And I'll gladly leave the convoluted nonsense to others.....

Palmbeacher

Well Mike, as you're not rollicking in some pathetically inept attempt at sarcasm like a toddler enthralled by his own excrement, your comments merit a response.

And I have been told by people who sell and service them that they have zero on order and cannot move what they have already in inventory. Personally I rather doubt the veracity of statements "attributed" to marketing execs than statements told me first-hand by Porsche dealer staff whilst looking me straight in the eye. But you are certainly entitled to trust whomever you choose.

Texas and "wherever" are not South Florida. This is a disproportionately large market for Porsche, as well as a hotbed of comspicuous comsumption. Not seeing anyone driving the new Porsche on the roads here is like not seeing anyone carrying a gun in Texas, or not seeing two gents holding hands in San Francisco: strikingly unusual and highly
significant that something is amiss. Again, I uphold your right to disagree, no matter how misguided such disagreement happens to be.

hakaida702

I saw two 991 parked in front of the valet section at the Wynn casino this weekend. Does that mean the 991 is selling better in vegas than so. florida? Other than a panamera those were the only porsches parked up front along with an assorted group of other high end cars.

Mike in CA

Your sarcastic statement about my disagreement being misguided doesn't come across particularly well given your own association of sarcasm with scatology. You do see how it might appear that you yourself are rollicking, don't you?

Nevertheless, against all odds, I'll continue to be civil. There isn't enough hard information yet to resolve our disagreement definitively, so continuing to argue about it now would be stupid. Until some future time......

Waxer

Quad: apologies. I just noticed that u did respond. 991 is a 911. I just like the 997 better for my reasons as stated. Things may change
with the 991 in time and my feelings about it too.

Mike: in reviewing the sales data u linked to it appears that sales figures jump with any significant change i.e. Increase to 3.6 liters in 2002 and the 997 in 2005. The 991 figures seem behind those figures.

rodsky

This is funny stuff... Thanks chaps for the constant amusement..

Anecdotal update tip for the day - go long VW. Saw several on the way to whole foods in West LA.

rodsky

Waxer, that seems right. 2012 was a big jump over 2010 and 2011. So either the economy was dramatically better or the 991 was the impetus for the increase. Sure there were small numbers of leftover 997's in there, but they were also selling 997's in 2010 and 2011, so that doesnt really matter too much. But at the end of the day, the total number of 911's sold was much higher in 2012 and I would say (IMO) it was due to the 991 being released.

Palmbeacher

Although none of the indices support the assertion that the economy is improved, in this election year the current administration is making every attempt to change reality. They desperately need to alter the true perception amongst the voting masses that the administration's reckless leftist-socialist economic policies have been a resounding failure. So it is not beyond reason that "official" statements such as (to quote our illustrious leader) "the private sector is doing fine" have inspired a number of spendaholics to fall off the wagon.

I would say (IMO) that seeing is believing. If there have been so many 991s sold, then where are they? Why the f*** has NO ONE made more than an occasional spotting ANYWHERE? Who can truthfully say he has seen more than 3 991s on the road thus far? Anyone?

SSST

The whole I don't see many on the street, so they much not be popular train of thought is just silly. I don't see many 996 tt cabs on the street either, but they sold every one that they made.

The 991 isn't the latest Camry. There are only a few thousand sold in the states in any given year. This is a miniscule fraction of the total number of cars on the road. You are probably not going to see a lot of them on the street outside of a PCA event. Ever.

You don't need actual sales figures to infer the obvious.

FnHern

Palm: OK, truce, I'm gonna do away with the sarcasm and attempt to be civil.

I do concede to and respect your point about you (and others) not seeing many 991s and that South Florida is a huge market. But given the relatively small number of people who post on this board vs. the massively large overall markets that include 991 sales, seems like a big leap to take that anecdotal data and conclude that 991 sales are a bust particularly when published sales figures seem to indicate robust sales. And there are plenty of folks who have seen 991s.

Just to be clear, and to echo Mike's comments, I have no vested interest as to whether the 991 is a success (other than the fact that I'm a Porsche fan and I root for Porsche's overall success). I don't feel like a loser one way or the other based on 991 sales.

Mike in CA

Waxer, I agree with Rodsky; both the state of the economy and the model change are in play here so it's hard to separate out the effect of the 2 variables but the fact is that sales in 2012 are far outpacing 2010-11. FWIW, I'm not sure how valid it is to compare these numbers to sales before the economic meltdown in '08. BTW, the site I linked to has already been updated with June numbers and the sales trajectory still appears strong. Take that with a grain of salt, if you must.

For me, the quote by Bernhard Maier about Zuffenhausen plant capacity in the Reuters article posted by sixstos (post #180) is at least as telling as the numbers. Of course if people believe he is flat lying......

And if I interpret your signature line correctly, on this 4th of July, thanks for your service.

Mike in CA

+1 Exactly.