[Cyclesafe]

Re-posted in a new thread per Viffermike:

I plan to order a 2019 Boxster base this year. I have contacted a few dealers online but they just aren't forthcoming as to availability and allocations. Instead they are trying to upsell me to 2018 S's and GTS's.

I want a base because it is more than enough for my purposes which is to have a car to knock around here in the beach cities of So Cali. I want a MT and the 18" wheels to remind me of the '58 MGA I drove in high school. Don't need the extra HP and don't need the performance goodies. Never once used the launch control on my Macan Turbo and after the first week forgot about all the PASM and sport settings. And I don't need to spend $95k for a four cylinder engine.

What is the current availability situation? Will they take an order and give a discount on a 2019 base or am I too early in the product cycle? I would wait until next year to get a good price. Input appreciated.

 

[rdmustang]

I got a 7+% discount on a 2019 ordered in April but discounts are largely dependent on size of the dealer. If you're willing to order out of state you may save a lot more even with delivery costs. I almost purchased from Beverly Hills but it would have added an extra 2-3 weeks and I didn't want to wait that long. Wait time from order to dealer delivery is always around 3 months.

 

[Viffermike]

And I received what amounted to a 6.5 percent discount for one of the first 2018 base Caymans, ordered in May 2017.

For these cars, discounts aren't really tied to seasons or time of year when ordered. They are, as @rdmustang alludes to, tied to the willingness and availability of specific dealers to 'make a deal' -- and the available allocations they have for each model, both in terms of custom orders and filling their lots.

What you've encountered so far -- an attempted 'upsell' to an S or GTS -- has not been unusual this year. For instance, Porsche AG stopped production of 'S' models completely for part of the year to produce the first run of GTS cars. The result was nearly no available allocations for 'S' models during that time. At this point in time, Porsche AG is dealing with revised emissions rules that is affecting both planning and assigning allocations for all models, so future allocations are all over the map, all over the globe. It's likely being based primarily on perceived demand -- and in the U.S., the base model is simply not as 'in demand' as it likely is in, say the EU.

The approach I would take is to call as many dealers as you see yourself willing to buy from, tell them that you're interested in ordering a base 718 Boxster (while emphasizing that you're not interested in an S or GTS), and asking these three questions, in order:
- For what month is your first available custom-build allocation for a base 718 Boxster?
- If I placed an order with you, how much would the deposit be (there will likely be one), and would it be refundable?
- Most 718 owners I know bought their cars for a price below MSRP. Would you be willing to make a reasonable deal?

From there, your decision will likely make itself (with our help, of course.)

As for wait times ... they've been all over the map, too, but again: it's all tied to the allocation slot, which is the month that the car is built -- not the month that the car is delivered. Generally, most U.S. Porsche dealers can't fill out a month's worth of orders until Porsche AG opens that month up to the dealers -- which typically happens about two months or so ahead of time. So say you order a car tomorrow. The typical timeline is:
- Car ordered: October
- Allocation month: December
- Car order locked: November
- Car built: December or January (depending on factory delays, etc.)
- Car delivered: mid-February to mid-March.

Between order and delivery, I received my car in about three months. I was anticipating five, which is about average.

 

[RGM718]

My 2016 followed the pattern of about 3 months from order. I ordered that one in May 2015 and took delivery August 2015. As I noted in your other thread, I ordered the 2019 the same time this time, too, May but it had a delivery of November. This is my 3rd Cayman from this dealer and they usually enjoy a decent number of allocations including their fair share of harder to get Porsches such as 911 GT3RSs (in fact one was there when I dropped in a few weeks ago..).

 

[JazzCatGab]

Zippy order to fullfillment projection

So, I ordered my basic Cayman on Oct. 2 and had a freeze date of Oct. 10. The order confirmation page I got from my salesman today says I have a November allocation month. The order has my commission number on it and Estimated Arrival at Dealership of Jan. 4, 2019. Status V210.

Sales guy seems pretty impressed with how quickly this progressed, and reading other experiences here, so am I. I mean, if it works out, that is a three-month order to delivery experience!

 

[TEST DRyVer]

So, I ordered my basic Cayman on Oct. 2 and had a freeze date of Oct. 10. The order confirmation page I got from my salesman today says I have a November allocation month. The order has my commission number on it and Estimated Arrival at Dealership of Jan. 4, 2019. Status V210.

Sales guy seems pretty impressed with how quickly this progressed, and reading other experiences here, so am I. I mean, if it works out, that is a three-month order to delivery experience!

With the way Porsche allocations work, you simply got lucky... Which is of course wonderful, when it happens to you. It just so happened that dealership you went to had an allocation slot for the exact car you wanted to order, and the freeze date was only a week out from your time of order. Try that another 12 times this year, and the odds of that happening like that again would be unlikely. Had you not taken that slot, the dealership would of placed an order, within a day or two before the freeze date, for a showroom car. That's essentially what all Porsche showroom cars are. They have XX amount (24- Cayman's, 8- Cayman S's, 4- 911 GTS's, etc...) of a specific car allocation they get per year, all of them usually have freeze dates attached to them. Our job as Brand Ambassador's is to sell all the builds before they even hit the showroom. Of course that doesn't always happen, unless it's a rare specialty model (GT3, GT3-RS, ANY Targa, GT2-RS, etc...). Hence why you get to see a beautiful arrangement of new Porsche's when you go to a dealership. These were units the dealer personally built and ordered for their specific type clientele in their local district. If it were up to the dealership ( myself included ), the dealership would be full of brochures, leather samples, color samples, fabric samples, etc... And not a single new car! Of course that would make for a boring experience for anyone walking into a dealership, but that would mean every allocation is pre-sold and spoken for. Granted, this would be a dream come true for me since this is how I make my living
But definitely consider yourself fortunate! Not for scooping up a new Cayman build (although we're all fortunate here to have such beautiful cars), but for scooping up a build on the exact car you're looking for, with a lock date a week after you place your order.
Btw, you'll love the car!

If there's anyone else here having problems getting an allocation for a specific Porsche or want to deal with someone that's simply direct and straightforward, PM me your cell number and I'll reach out and either help you secure an allocation or simply give you advice from an insiders perspective.
Remember, I've only been working with cars for 3 years (Porsche for just over a year), but I've been an enthusiast and a performance car consumer my whole life.

 

[JazzCatGab]

But definitely consider yourself fortunate! Not for scooping up a new Cayman build (although we're all fortunate here to have such beautiful cars), but for scooping up a build on the exact car you're looking for, with a lock date a week after you place your order.
Btw, you'll love the car!

Thanks for the perspective, and now I feel particularly fortunate! I'm not at all lucky at games of chance, horses, lotteries, etc., but I'm dull enough to accumulate good karma apparently.0 When you say "exact car" I'm assuming that you mean that they had a slot for a base Cayman build. I think my build is particularly spare with essentially the sport chrono package, PASM, black sport pipes (the Sport Exhaust seems to be standard for 2019), and for aesthetics and creature comforts, Porsche Entry and Drive, agate gray paint, Apple CarPlay and the smart phone compartment. I'm not going to be driving it daily as a commuter car or typically on long trips (although I plan to take the better half on overnights within a few hours of curvy roads from home). I simply wanted a "classic" hardtop sports car for the simple pleasure of driving it and maybe doing some SOLO II racing.

 

[TEST DRyVer]

When you say "exact car" I'm assuming that you mean that they had a slot for a base Cayman build.

Yes, exactly... So the build slot with Porsche is for an exact car. They can't use a base Cayman slot to build a base Boxster, they can't use a Cayman GTS slot to build a base Cayman, and so on... If you want to order a 911 C4S cab, but the slot they have available is for a 911 C4S Coupe, it's useless. We have the ability to trade build slots with other dealers, but you're at the mercy of the lock date of that build slot. So if you asked me to order you a base Cayman, and I only have a build slot for a Cayman S (Porsche will not change anything), I have to trade my Cayman S slot with a dealer that has a base Cayman slot. But when we make the trade, I find out the base Cayman build slot I just traded for doesn't lock for another 6 weeks. Then, you have to add an additional 6 weeks to your build time because they're not going to start your build till after the lock date. It's essentially an organized mess!

 

[JazzCatGab]

Wow! Even more exacting than I imagined!

Now this is picayune but I am just curious, I got a copy of the original confirmation page and then my sales guy sent me another a week later. The only difference I see is on the “Model Type” where it is now "982120 982 C7 2,” where originally it was "982120 718 Cayman” and I suspect that is only a more specific definition of the model type. So, assuming the 982120 means a base Cayman (or is it just Cayman), what is more specific about the "982 C7 2" portion? Or is this one of those "nobody knows except the factory" kind of details? There are 7 priced options on my order, at least two of which (PASM and Sports Chrono) that may require significant modifications in the base construction of the vehicle, but then those options include sport tailpipes and paint that would be physically different also, and possibly the smartphone compartment that may require a different wiring harness (or not). Anyway, any more words of enlightenment? I appreciate your intricate knowledge of the process so let me know when I tip over into Crazyland.

 

[ZuffenHouseRules]

what is more specific about the "982 C7"?

This would be a 718 with Corvette engine, so-called 'LT conversion'.

 

[Viffermike]

This would be a 718 with Corvette engine, so-called 'LT conversion'.

Or maybe the mid-engine C8 ... :: ducking :: >

 

[JazzCatGab]

Ah. Hello Crazyland!!

 

[Michael1]

What's a realistic length of time from order to delivery? I've seen seven months, but I don't know if that's typical. Three months seems to be on the low side. I don't know what the upper limit might be.

 

[Zzyzx]

What's a realistic length of time from order to delivery? I've seen seven months, but I don't know if that's typical. Three months seems to be on the low side. I don't know what the upper limit might be.

Placed my order end of July, allocation became available end of August, built mid september, shipped beginning of October. Should be at port of Houston tomorrow.

 

[RGM718]

It is probably on the Euphrates Highway which left Jacksonville for Houston, evening of the 27th. Google Euphrates Highway expected arrivals and you can see when it is moored in port. Mine unloaded Saturday at Jacksonville and is on the truck to my Dealer as we speak.

 

[Michael1]

Placed my order end of July, allocation became available end of August, built mid september, shipped beginning of October. Should be at port of Houston tomorrow.

Congratulations! So yours took about three months. Earlier in this thread, it was said three months was "lucky".

 

[Michael1]

Anyone else got some input on this. What is a realistic expectation for lead times?

 

[GregW]

It all depends on whether your dealer has an upcoming allocation that can be adapted to your specifications.
Also the cars routinely arrive ahead of time by a couple of weeks.

 

[Zzyzx]

It all depends on whether your dealer has an upcoming allocation that can be adapted to your specifications.
Also the cars routinely arrive ahead of time by a couple of weeks.

This was my situation on both counts. My dealer didn't have an allocation at the time, but one became available in just over a month. The ETA on my car was mid-November. It's looking like this Saturday for delivery.

 

[Michael1]

I wonder what percentage of dealers are honest about their allocations when asked about them.