Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. That is something to keep in mind when specifying new cars. The manufacturer might give you basically unlimited customization in every color, but that doesn’t mean you should use them. Unfortunately for this 718 GT4, that seems to be the case here. Buckle up!
The 918 Porsche Cayman GT4 was one of those cars that was a somewhat realistic purchase I thought I could swing once they started aging and future generations would drive the prices down on. Or so that is what I thought. For a good while there, it seemed to be trending that way. From 2017 to mid-2020, lightly used examples were between $80,000 and $90,000, and with talk of the 718 GT4 coming soon, we thought prices would keep creeping down. Well, that didn’t happen because of the perfect storm that happen post-2020 and now we are still hovering around sticker price for cars with over 10,000 miles and some of the really nice examples are well over $100,000. Maybe in another six years?
The Porsche 718 Cayman GTS is one of the few new Porsche’s that launched with a thud. Everyone wanted the classic 3.4-liter flat-six, maybe even a 3.6-liter, but instead they were served up a turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four. To make it even worse, it sounded like a Subaru WRX. Porsche owners don’t want Subaru sounds. The numbers on paper were mightily disappointing as well, given their performance in the real world was nearly identical to the 718 Cayman S. That means you paid over $12,000 more just to get the standard GTS stuff like brake-based torque vectoring, the Sport Chrono package, adaptive dampers with a lower ride height, 20-inch wheels, and sport seats that are otherwise optional on the Boxster S. In that light I suppose that was a good value? Either way, Porsche knew they screwed up so went back to the drawing board and thankfully gave us the GTS 4.0. However, that doesn’t mean the flat-four versions suddenly fell off the face of the earth.
Today, we have a 2018 up for sale in New York with the great color of Sapphire Blue Metallic and just 6,200 miles. But I hope you aren’t expecting a deal on this one.
The 2016 model year was the last for the 981 Porsche Cayman chassis, and you know what that means: Random special editions that no one has heard of or really even asked for. This is the Cayman “Black Edition” that was just a handful of options packaged together and some “Black Edition” door sills. There were no performance additions or even suspension upgrades. We probably saw this coming as there was a 2012 Cayman Black Edition which was, you guessed it, the final year of the 987 chassis. They really don’t do anything to resale value other than a “that’s interesting” passing comment since it literally is just a bunch of pre-selected options, but hey, those door sills are cool, right?
If you’re looking for ‘bang for your buck’, Porsche probably isn’t going to be your brand. You pay a lot for Porsches compared to equivalent vehicles from other brands, but on the other hand you do get a that badge. How much value that brings is naturally up to you. You could argue that it is worth it in many cases, but sometimes the numbers don’t lie.
If you want to start entry level, the 718 chassis is going to be launching point in the low $60,000 range; the base 911 is $40,000 more. However, buying a 718 for that $60,000 and change is nearly impossible given the options and how quickly they add up, and the dealer probably won’t order you one unless you are the best customer they have. The solution? Looks in the used market and hope something turns up. That is what we have today in a 2019 Cayman that had an MSRP of $73,000. Three years and 20,000 miles later? Well, I bet the used car discount isn’t going to seem as much as you’d think.
Green and brown is like chocolate and peanut butter to me. Smooth all the way. If I ever went the route of actually spec’ing a car from new, it would be a nice dark green, over some kind of tan of brown leather. I’m sure I’m not alone in this, so when this 2006 Porsche Cayman S popped up for sale, I naturally had to take a closer look. Forest Green Metallic over Special Cocoa Leather. Yes, please. However, once I started taking that closer look, it didn’t seem so lovely anymore. Let me explain.
I’ve been harping on and on about the new Porsche 718 GT4 and for good reason, it is a really great car. I love it and if they ever dropped about $25,000 off the sticker price, I’d find a way to make that happen. I doubt that will ever be the case, so they just aren’t worth it to me yet. However, there is a really great option if you want a 718 to feel special without spending over $100,000 just to get in the door. The 718 Cayman T. The best part? It starts at $69,000. Nice.
Recently I looked at an interesting special-order color Cayman that had a few too many mods in an off-beat color combination to really be desirable:
Well, I’m back with another odd color combination on a Cayman S, but I think this one is a whole lot more desirable. So let’s check out this Forest Green Metallic over Sand Beige leather 987 S:
As the months, and now years, go on, we wait to see if the prices of 981 Porsche Cayman GT4 will finally start dropping. The 718 GT4 has been out for about six months now and judging by how many are sitting at dealers, both new and used, finding one is not difficult. So what gives? Inventory goes up, prices go down. That’s the law of supply and demand, right? Apparently Porsche GT prices apparently didn’t take that class in school.
While the Porsche 986 Boxster might have been the car that saved Porsche with its massive popularity, the 987-derived Cayman was what made the mid-engine design popular with track enthusiasts. Especially in more potent “S” form, the Cayman is a giant killer with sublime vehicle dynamics and plenty of punch even without a turbo. The 987 refresh in 2005 fixed many of the perceived visual faults of the 986 Boxster design with a slant towards a more aggressive look. The Coupe added a smooth, flowing hatchback line to the 997-inspired exterior, creating a lightweight, 7/8ths scale mid-engine 911. That it was less expensive than the traditional flat-6 lineup didn’t hurt, either. It was, and remains, a hit.
Despite that, it’s not a car that we feature often here. I’m not sure why, because the Cayman S is really one of the more affordable ways to get into a newer Porsche coupe. On the downside, that means that it’s not usual to find modified examples, and today’s car falls into that category. However, despite the mods I think it’s worth a look for a few reasons – probably the most notable of which is the color combination.
