I recently placed an order for a loaded 981S with close to $20k in options, including PDK, PASM, Sport Chrono, full leather, 20s and some packages. As much as I like the look of the car, I keep having second thoughts on spending this much on a Boxster. I tend to have a short attention span when it comes to cars and and am ready to move on within 24-36 months. Since most options do little to enhance resale value, I am afraid I will lose my shirt when the time comes to swap out of this car. I am thinking that the better move is to either take some items out of the Boxster (I can't decide what to drop but PDK, Sport Chrono, Infotainment (kills me that I need to spend $4k to control my ipod through the radio) and full leather are on my potential hit list), or drop the order and see if I can pick up a leftover lightly equipped 2012 991/991S in July/August when the Boxster was due to arrive.

I usually get very excited when I order a car but this time, the excited only lasted a day or two before the rational side started to kick in. What would you do?

 

Yes, its a lot for a Boxster but with the 991 going WAY upmarket to appeal to the newly rich Chinese and Middle Eastern markets, the new 981 might be the Porsche sweet spot.

 

I am currently in a same boat and having difficulty justifying all these options. On top of necessary performance options like PDK, PASM, Sport Chrono, etc., Navi and other misc features quickly add up. I'd already bought one if all these options are ~$10k.

It makes me laugh every time when someone mentions about "poorman's Porsche" because base price is $50k~$60k but I've yet to see any BASE Boxster nor Caymans. All around $70k+.

Many will say that jump on 991 due to a resale value and I agree to some extents. As you said earlier, if you are going to move on after 24~36 months, I'd consider 991(S) without a second thought. I tend to keep cars for easily more than 4 years (my Cayenne is 6 years old...getting 7 years old and going strong without any breaks) so I don't mind buying highly optioned Caymans (resale values are negligible in my book).

Another main reason why I am holding back is the new SUV, Macan. I fell in love with the concept (most likely going to be very different but still ).

Are you going through Hoffman Porsche? I am also from CT. Just curious.

 

Hey - I am in Fairfield County and ordered from Danbury. I made my final changes today - dropped PDK, Sport Chrono and Platinum painted wheels and added PSE and colored wheel crests. I struggled with the PDK v. manual going back and forth several times but after my love hate relationship with the DCT in my current M3 and the lack of involvement that I feel when driving it, I decided that I would enjoy the stick more. Yes, the PDK shifts faster than hell, but I am never going to track the car and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a clutch pedal. Without PDK, I see little reason for sport chrono. It is more gimmick than anything else and not worth nearly two grand. All told, my MSRP is still in excess of $76,000 - a fair clip above the $62k base price - yet still about $30k less than a lightly optioned 991S.

 

Very nice. I am from Hartford area. Will you be daily driving this? What color combo did you go with? The long wait begins!

 

Racing Yellow with black top and black full leather interior with sport seats. It won't be my daily driver. My M3 is going but I also have a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and a Cayenne. The Boxster is scheduled for July build and August delivery.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I also ordered a Boxster S from Danbury Porsche (July build/August delivery). Even without adding the ceramic brakes, PASM, or PTV, I wound up with $30k in options. A $90k Boxster S sounds crazy, but a 911 Cabriolet with similar options would be much more expensive. Having owned a Cayman S in the past, I already know how much fun the Boxster S will be to drive on the Merritt Parkway.

 

The most useful advice anyone can give you is to follow your gut. You cannot go wrong.

Also, if resale value is important to you...options are worth essentially zero come time to sell.

 

Buy a car that you want to own and drive. Resale value is not the reason to buy any car - especially new. Buying a new car is the most illogical thing you can do so don't second guess yourself. Order what you can afford and drive it for 10 years.

 

I'd wait until the new Boxster comes out, then have a look at it and test drive different variants back to back with the 991. That should help you decide which car and options to get. IMO, buying a car without driving it first is too risky.

 

Wow, I thought that I was bad. Mind if I ask what you ordered?

As for ordering the car without having the opportunity to drive it, in the unlikely event that I don't like the new Boxster once I have a chance to drive it, I'll cancel and my dealer will get to sell me a 991 and get to sell the Boxster that I ordered to someone else. That being said, I have driven the current 987s and 991s a fair bit and like both enough to buy either. I suspect that the new 981 will be a blend of the two with many reviewers saying that they like the car better than the 991 and that it may be the best car that Porsche currently builds. I don't see my pre-order as much of a gamble.

 

It is a surprise anniversary present for my wife. I was going to go with the Anthracite Brown metallic with a custom color interior, but I would not get it in time. So I went with the Guards Red exterior and a lot of red interior trim pieces to break up the black. It was as close to custom as I could go and still get it built in time. Here is the list of options:

Individualization
Individual equipment Prices*
Packages P91 Infotainment Package with BOSEŽ Surround Sound System $3,860
P96 Premium Package with Adaptive Sport Seats Plus $5,265
Exterior Colors 4V Convertible Top in Black $0
G1 Guards Red $0
Interior Colors AZ Leather interior in Black $3,465
Exterior 546 Supplemental safety roll-bar painted in Exterior color $635
603 Bi-Xenon(TM) headlights with Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) $0
636 ParkAssist (front and rear) $860
Performance 250 Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) $3,200
640 Sport Chrono Package i.c.w. PCM $2,370
XLF Sports exhaust system Exclusive $2,825
Wheels 400 19-inch Boxster S wheel $0
Wheel Accessories XDA Wheels painted in Black Exclusive $1,425
Interior 541 Seat ventilation $730
630 Light design package $340
CDN Air vent slats painted Exclusive $1,190
CGG Sport Chrono clock dial in Guards Red Exclusive $500
EER Interior package painted Exclusive $595
P07 Adaptive sports seats Plus, electrical (18- way, electric) with memory package $0
XSX Seat belts in Guards Red Exclusive $340
XYG Center console trim painted Exclusive $290
Interior Carbon XHL Multi-function steering wheel Carbon incl. steering-wheel heating Exclusive $1,250
Destination Charge Amount $950
Vehicle price $90,990

 

Nice. Guards Red was my second choice but I went with Racing Yellow. I think I have the only non-PDK order from Danbury. After multiple changes, here's what I ended up with:

Boxster S


$60,900
Packages

Convenience Package
P93

$1,170
Infotainment Package with BOSEŽ Surround Sound System
P91

$3,860
Exterior Colors

Racing Yellow
P3
$0
Convertible Top in Black
4V
$0
Interior Colors

Leather interior in Black
AZ
$2,385
Performance

Sports exhaust system
XLF

$2,825
Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM)
475

$1,790
Wheels

20-inch Carrera S wheel
423

$1,560
Wheel Accessories

Wheel center caps with colored Porsche Crest
446

$185
Interior

Smoking package
583

$0
Sports seats Plus (2-way, electric)
P04

$440
Interior Leather

Porsche crest embossed on head restraints
XSC

$285
SportDesign steering wheel
840

$250
Destination Charge:

Destination Charge:

$950
Total Price*


$76,600

 

Looks like you will have a great car. I do miss having a stick shift (the Mrs. needs the PDK).

 

Thanks - Where abouts in Connecticut are you? I live in northern Fairfield County and work in Danbury. We should orgainize a "meet" once we get our cars later this summer.