Those of us afflicted by a love of cars from a young age each have our own poster cars, but one surprising common thread is a particular poster featuring multiple cars. The “justification for higher education” poster has seen several revisions over the years, but almost all of them feature a Porsche filling one of the slots in the garage. Not only are these German sports cars brilliant fun to drive, they’re expensive, exclusive, and out of reach of most enthusiasts. Or at least they are when new. These days, Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster have defied Porsche’s tradition of strong resale values, and although the models are still in production, earlier examples are now cheap enough that you can pick a nice one up for new Honda Pilot money.
Keep in mind, because these cars are still in production, nobody on the street will be able to tell that you didn’t buy one brand new. You can still walk into a Porsche dealership and buy a 718 Cayman or Boxster that looks and sounds exactly like it did in 2017, 2018, or 2019, and while that means there isn’t huge incentive to buy a new four-cylinder mid-engined sports car, there are some good reasons to buy a used one.
So how nice of a late-model Porsche can you get for new three-row crossover money, and what sort of problems might you have to keep an emergency fund for in the event something goes wrong? Needless to say, we combed the internet to provide you with a handy guide.
What Is It?
Back in the 1990s, Porsche decided it needed to streamline to survive. The air-cooled 911 was due for replacement, and a smaller, slower, different sibling using much of the same parts had the potential to replace the slow-selling 968, cut costs, and boost profits. What Porsche came up with was a little car called the Boxster. With a smaller displacement flat-six in the middle, it was the perfect little brother to the iconic 911, and not only did it help save Porsche, it was joined by a tin-top version called the Cayman for the next generation. However, if we flash forward to 2016, we can see where Porsche decided to alter the formula, upsetting some customers in the process.
For the 2017 model year, the updated Boxster and Cayman both adopted the 718 model name prefix as an homage to the 718 racecars of the 1950s and ’60s. Another change? Two fewer cylinders in almost all variants. Yep, for the standard, S, and early GTS models, the flat-six was gone in favor of a pair of turbocharged flat-fours. Redlines were down, torque was up, and these expensive German sports car suddenly sounded like Subarus.
But wait, didn’t Porsche start out with flat-four engines? What about the 912, the 356, the 550 Spyder, and countless other earlier models using flat-four engines? While this new engine layout worked with Porsche’s heritage, the affluent weren’t huge fans. As a result, this is a late-model Porsche sports car with a fabulously balanced mid-engined layout that you can pick up for far less than you might expect. Oh, and since it’s still in production, nobody will be able to tell the difference between a used one and a brand new one. How about that?
At the bottom end of the market, you’re looking at the base engine, a two-liter turbocharged flat-four dubbed the MA2.2 making 296 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s plenty of power for a relatively small sports car, and Porsche claims zero-to-60 mph times of 4.9 seconds with the manual, 4.7 seconds with the PDK dual-clutch automatic, and 4.5 seconds for PDK cars with the Sport Chrono package. In reality, Porsche’s figures are quite conservative, so expect it to feel that quick in the real world and beat those numbers in magazine testing.
How Much Are We Talking?
When I wrote that you can pick these things up for Honda Pilot money, I wasn’t lying. A loaded Honda Pilot Black Edition stickers for $55,675 including freight, but you can find a litany of 718 Boxster and Cayman models going for less than that. On Wednesday, this 2019 718 Cayman that cost around $82,790 new sold on Bring A Trailer for $54,000 with just 11,304 miles on the clock. That’s an unbelievable depreciation rate of around $2.54 per mile. Oh, and it’s not some stripper spec model, it has the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the Bose stereo, the Sport Chrono package, heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, navigation, Apple CarPlay, dynamic LED headlights, 20-inch Carrera S wheels, the works. Sure, white on black might not be the most inspiring color choice, but this is a staggering amount of car for the money.
Oh, and it goes down from there. Let’s say you’re okay with a few more miles, a few less options, and one extra model year in exchange for a roof that goes down. Well, this 2018 Porsche 718 Boxster sold last month on Cars & Bids for $45,800 with 22,400 miles on the clock. It’s still nearly new! Oh, and this isn’t an absolute base model either, as it has the fancy headlights, the 14-way heated and ventilated seats, the Bose system, the PDK automatic, a litany of parking aids, and a leather-lined cockpit, among other options. That’s in well-equipped four-cylinder Ford Mustang territory, but it’s not a Mustang, it’s a Porsche. How about that?
So far, all well and good, but what if you want to row your own gears in a car that isn’t some shade of the German greyscale rainbow? Well, you might need to search a little harder, but you’re in luck. For example, this 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster with the manual gearbox and Guards Red paint sold in November on Cars & Bids for $42,250. It’s not even a high-mileage example, with just 28,600 miles on the clock. That’s $42,250 for a red manual Porsche convertible that looks, as far as anyone can work out, exactly like a brand new one.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
The big common expense on earlier four-cylinder Porsche 718 models is a rather short water pump lifespan. The part itself is likely cheaper than you’d expect at $265 from Suncoast Porsche, but you need to remove the exhaust to get to it, so budget about $3,000 at a Porsche dealership to have it done. Of course, a good independent Porsche specialist garage will have a far lower hourly labor rate, so a quick look at Porsche Club of America recommended shops could save you a bundle.
Speaking of cooling system components, the coolant reservoir caps on early models can strip when tightened down too hard. Thankfully, a replacement is only $32.20 from Suncoast Porsche, a cheap fix for an expensive car.
Another common issue is squeaking while driving along. In this case, it’s not a sign of prematurely worn suspension components, but instead just interior bits moving about. There’s a great thread on 718forum.com about remedying these noises, but a $7 can of lithium grease and a $15 roll of felt tape will fix almost everything. In fact, if your currently daily driver has interior squeaks and/or rattles, pick up some felt tape. It works on just about everything, and it’s a recommended fix by many manufacturers.
Otherwise, these cars are rock solid, with no catastrophic problems, and you can drive them every day. Plus, Porsche long-term parts support has historically been awesome, so if you’re looking for something to keep for the long term, this is a car you should be able to get factory parts for in 10, 20, even 30 years.
Should You Buy A Four-Cylinder Porsche 718 Cayman Or Boxster?
While you definitely aren’t buying a new Porsche on a middle-class budget, you can buy a second-hand 718 Cayman or Boxster, and I reckon you should if you want to hold onto it. Not only are these cars new enough to have new car reliability, ever since Porsche got away from the dreaded IMS bearing, its sports cars have been properly reliable.
However, with depreciation already having hit pretty hard, don’t expect huge financial recoup if you want to get rid of a four-cylinder 718 Boxster or Cayman after a year, or two, or three. If you’re looking for a used Porsche for the short term, you’re likely better off with an older model that’s already hit a depreciation plateau.
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer, Thomas Hundal, Porsche, Cars & Bids)
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My reaction is not, “wow, I can get a good price on a late model Porsche,” it is “wow, some idiots are really paying a lot for a Pilot.”
I’ve purchased new 2022 and 2023 bof trucks and recently helped a relative buy a new 2024 crossover, and financially literate people experienced with car buying are not paying over $50k or even $40k for something like a Pilot.
Inflation can only happen if gullible people let it.
You want a 987.2 for about $10k less. It has the motor that doesn’t blow up. If you’re so inclined, you can work on it. The .2 has things like heated/ventilated seats, heated steering wheels and all the comfort stuff that the 986 and 987 didn’t have.
You’re likely to get them in a somewhat boring color, probably with a PDK because they were introduced right as the recession hit, but IMHO as a Boxster nerd, they’re the price value bargain right now.
And they still make sweet, sweet boxer 6 music.
I took the arguably ‘right advice’ of this article, at arguably the wrong time (just under a year ago), for the ‘right’ spec per the comments (read: good color). I traded my 2021 Civic Type R in Boost Blue Pearl that I had bought new and driven over 40k miles through a move across the country, my second home purchase and first renovation, and a divorce… for a lightly used 2018 Sapphire Blue Metallic 6MT base 718 with Sport Chrono, Sport Exhaust, Premium Package, Bose, 20″ Carrera Sport wheels in graphite, and not a whole lot else.
I know people rag on its engine, but for my use case and in this specification. this car has felt like a ‘greatest hits’ compilation of many of my favorite bits of my favorite cars I’ve owned yet. The color is quote close to my beloved 2006 Honda S2000 in Laguna Blue Pearl. The engine has a similar powerband to that CTR, with a similar old-school Turbo spool sensation. The mig-engined-ness feels like my 2005 Lotus Elise, but with a build quality matching my 2015 Macan S. The shifter, while not quite as good as any of my S2000s or even my CTR, is still pretty damned close. Yes, perhaps the sound isn’t quite as good as my Fiat 500 Abarth or others, it’s a nice blend of burbly in sport exhaust and sport engine mode without being obnoxious. Some slight uncorking of this may be in the works.
But the thing is, I drive over 100 miles round-trip a day due to my commute and current life situation, and have gone through a New England winter (on dedicated winter tires) while netting an average of 30 mpg and feeling like a million bucks every day. Sure, some compromises are made, but holy SMOKES can this this store a plethora of stuff! The frunk extremely conveniently fits whatever dimensions a standard US full-height rectangular laundry basket is, complete with overstuffed clothing and a few bags on top. The trunk fits plenty behind the engine, but also quite a bit above if you don’t need much rear visibility (you’re not starting from much), and the little side pockets beside the engine are quite handy and cavernous as well, if a bit hard to reach.
I did the first oil change through a local Porsche dealership after a misunderstanding of what was covered under the cost, along with the quote for its current and pending next full service through the dealership. Instead of returning to the dealership or even an independent for what the car needed next (oil change, engine air filter, cabin air filters [there are two], spark plug change), I bought a QuickJack 5000TL, Porsche iCarSoft 2.0, oil filter socket, and some bendy / extension spark plug socket bits. Including the consumables for that service, I spent under $2000 (still not cheap, I know) to do what I was quoted as being > $5k from the dealership. However, most of that was a one-time pain (especially the QuickJacks, which I also justified for their safety), and now the maintenance isn’t much more costly than a normal car, just a bit more time-consuming due to access. In exchange, I get to feel really special to have a daily-driven car that functions beautifully with German-solidity, returns among the best mileage of any car I’ve owned (only my ND Miata bettered it, according to Fuelly), and brings me happiness in joy at a time in my life when I needed it the most.
Just don’t check trade-in or similar value through any of the industry standards, because they don’t seem to care about the color or options the way actual would-be buyers seem to care. Should I ever want or need to part with this beaut, I’ll almost certainly need to go through one of the online auction platforms to see any reasonable return. I *know* the value dropped since owning it partly due to the market, and partly due to me adding over 25k miles in 10 months… but my word have those been delightful miles, and well worth the price of entry.
I fail to see how a $42k car is a bargain… that becomes yet another car payment, which is a luxury that not everybody can afford. In my mind, “affordable” is $10k or less, aka something you can buy in cash without being rich.
Yeah we are in a weird spot for car prices. It sucks how normalized it has gotten.
You can’t find a 718 used in good colors! I want one in hot pink with the blue interior. But nooooo, most of them are in boring colors! Porshe has the best paint selection, but people don’t buy the cool colors!
I really wanted to like the 718. I had the money lined up and went for a test drive. Though it is fast, the (relative) lack of torque way down low is noticeable and it almost hit 80 mph in 2nd gear. Just not my thing.
German luxo cars have always have heavy depreciation. Nothing new. Especially to Autopians, I suspect.
I doubt many folk cross shop used Porsches vs Honda SUVs.
But makes for a catchy headline I guess.
They may be the price of an extremely loaded Pilot to purchase, but the maintenance will probably end up costing you an arm and a torso if you keep it very long.
$54k is really nice used Z06 money. Or new Z4 handschalfter (probs misspelled) money. Ehh.
Not many people (or any..?) consider a Z4 to be better than a Boxster.
A new boxster? No. But an older one? I’d say it would come up short compared to a new Z4.
Who has $56k to drop on a new car and buys a Honda Pilot?
The person who walks into a dealership to buy a Pilot, gets upsold on just about everything, and walks out with a loaded Pilot and a $996 a month loan for 72 months and doesn’t realize what they’ve spent.
I mean, unfortunately that’s just what family cars cost now. I certainly wouldn’t option a Pilot to the moon and back like that but for a nicely equipped Pilot, Palluride, etc. you’re generally talking mid to high 40s at this point. That’s also what you’ll pay for a reasonably equipped Grand Cherokee, and probably less than you’ll pay for a Toyota Sienna/Highlander/Grand Highlander because Toyota dealerships mark shit up obscenely and people still pay for it for the reliability.
I know all of this because my wife is going to need a new car in the next year or two, we have a dog, we have a kid due in July, and plan on trying for two spawns. I’ve done probably too much research into family haulers as a result and dear god. The vast majority of them are lousy and horribly overpriced.
Really the only things that distinguish them from one another other are powertrains, design, and interior quality. They’re all more or less soulless transportation blobs. So…what are you left with? For me personally it’s “let’s get the one that’ll last the longest” and “which one is best on gas/least environmentally destructive?”.
You’re left with the Japanese offerings, and they know that, their dealerships know that, etc. Before you know it you’re paying 50 large for an appliance. Is that fun? NO! Would I rather spend 50 large in car bucks on countless other things? YES! Is there anything you can do about it? Sure, but you’ll be compromising in at least one major way.
Used Acura TL wagon
What is a TL wagon?
I bought a 23 Highlander Hybrid last year for $42k (MSRP). Granted it was a low trim because that’s all they had, but I still bristled at that price. I’m sure the Pilot with all the bells and whistles is a nice car, but… not $56k nice… I know that’s just the world we live in now though.
Yeah a hybrid Highlander is near the top of our list. It’s not exactly soul stirring but it’s an amazing appliance that we’ll have for 10+ years and never have to think about.
It gets the job done of hauling the kids, their friends, and all their related accessories around. The gas mileage is pretty reasonable too. We bought it to replace our 08 Highlander Hybrid, which never gave us any trouble, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed for similar reliability and longevity.
As an owner of the previous gen, 981 Boxster with the flat 6, a few observations:
The red car for sale, unless it’s a Photoshop adjustment, is Carmine Red not Guards Red. Same as mine. Guards red is much more orange and I have no idea why Porsche makes so many of those. It’s not a great color but Carmine red is wonderful.
If you do choose to buy this, or any other Boxster and take it to an independent mechanic, make sure that they perform the cleaning of the body drains as it can cause rust. Dealer maintenance schedules might be overly conservative here but doing it regularly can save you headaches if you plan on keeping it a long time.
The 718s outperform the older Boxster/Cayman in nearly every way but you should listen to them. They don’t sound awful (well to me they do) but sound unrefined I guess is the best way to describe it. It just doesn’t sound like a Porsche. The flat 6 is so much better in this one aspect. It’s not really fair to call it a Subaru engine as Porsche has much better reliability especially with things like head gaskets. But they do sort of sound like a modified WRX with too much boost. This is of course to individual taste.
Unless you have really nice roads where you live I do recommend the base model over the S. It’s quite a harsh ride in the S and the base feels plenty quick with a relatively low weight below 3000 lbs. The S is noticeably quicker though.
These are an absolute pleasure to drive in most any configuration. Just budget a lot for regular maintenance if you can’t do it yourself. Like, a lot. Picture it in your head and double it. My basic annual service was $950 at the dealer. But it’s worth it to me at least.
Buy the Cayman over the Pilot. You’ll be happier overall.
(Callback #2)
I love the 718s and almost bought one. In the end, I couldn’t get past the turbo 4, but even with it, I felt it sounded tremendous for the engine it had. I also think that, driving-wise, they are incredible cars.
Every time I drove one from 2017 to 2019, I felt like they were underappreciated. When people could get past the whole flat-six=Porsche thing (like me), they would be very happy.
As you pointed out, they are now the entry to almost new Porsches. What a gift!
As an owner of the previous gen, 981 Boxster with the flat 6, a few observations:
The red car for sale, unless it’s a Photoshop adjustment, is Carmine Red not Guards Red. Same as mine. Guards red is much more orange and I have no idea why Porsche makes so many of those. It’s not a great color but Carmine red is wonderful.
If you do choose to buy this, or any other Boxster and take it to an independent mechanic, make sure that they perform the cleaning of the body drains as it can cause rust. Dealer maintenance schedules might be overly conservative here but doing it regularly can save you headaches if you plan on keeping it a long time.
The 718s outperform the older Boxster/Cayman in nearly every way but you should listen to them. They don’t sound awful (well to me they do) but sound unrefined I guess is the best way to describe it. It just doesn’t sound like a Porsche. The flat 6 is so much better in this one aspect. It’s not really fair to call it a Subaru engine as Porsche has much better reliability especially with things like head gaskets. But they do sort of sound like a modified WRX with too much boost. This is of course to individual taste.
These are an absolute pleasure to drive either way. Just be prepared… maintenance cost is higher than you will expect no matter what you expect.
Don’t pay someone to clean your drains. Buy a trombone cleaner for $10 on Amazon and do them yourself. They’re easy to find and clear. For the drains inside the cover stowage area, you can buy little drain covers for a few bucks to keep them from getting plugged. Rennlist has an easy do it yourself article.
Not only will you not have to worry about your car getting flooded, but you’ll learn something about it along the way. 🙂
Last year I bought a Cayman with the PDK, heated seats, LED headlights, on 19″ rims for about the money you’re talking about from Carvana with just a bit under 18K miles. I absolutely love driving it, and I’m already up to a tick over 23,000 miles after having it one year. The Mrs. and I took it from Pittsburgh, PA to Niagara Falls for a long weekend last year and it was a great road tripper! Once you get it up into 7th gear on that PDK, keeping it sorta close to the speed limit (ish) we logged over 35 MPG.
what year?
2018
I’ve only recently started to care for Porsche at all. I periodically look at 987 Cayman’s, which really are still more money than I would ever spend on car, but more in the realm of what I could dig up money for. But I also want to take a Cayenne S or Turbo, cut the body off and stuff it in an old Wagoneer. So Porsche is growing on me. Slowly. I hate ragtops though, so its Cayman only for me.
Do they really sound like Subaru’s? I mean the subie pop-pop is all down to header design. Equal length headers remove that sound completely. But I daily a turbo Saabaru (no flat brims or douche flutes here) and I grew up around the peak of the Rice period, so I loves me that sound, even if emitted by a Porsche.
I’d go for a late first gen Cayman instead of a 718 myself, flat 6, most bugs already worked out. Well, let’s be honest I’d go for an Evora but that’s a bad idea I’d just have to try anyway if I had the money, haha.
I’m so conflicted about these. On one hand, I legitimately think the 718 is one of the most beautiful cars currently on sale. It’s elegant, timeless, and looks special without being too gaudy…and while an infuriating amount of rich people insist on buying only grayscale cars (seriously. If you browse Parsh listings like 75% of them are black, white, gray, or silve) there are some absolutely fantastic colors on offer for these.
They’re also depreciating a lot by Porsche standards. So what’s the catch? Well…the fact that they have what are essentially fancy Subaru engines isn’t exactly a selling point…and neither is the fact that you can get a 981 Boxster or Cayman for even less or similar money and nice 987s for new Miata money.
Those two versions have nothing but flat sixes. Base? Flat 6. S? Flat 6. GTS? Flat 6. The only way to get the most beloved Porsche engine in a 718 is to get the GTS or the GT4 RS. The former are not depreciating much at all and the latter are almost entirely mothballed in rich douchebag compounds under lock, key, and armed guard.
Are 718s still amazing cars? Of course. Can turbo 4 cylinders be great and characterful engines? Yes, my daily is powered by one of the best ones ever made. Is it a proper Porsche sports car engine?
…I dunno, man. The market seems to agree with that take too. If they dip into mid 30s I might feel differently, but for $45-$55,000 I can get something with a flat 6 and that’s what I’m going to do every time. And to follow up on what I said earlier, you also have to keep in mind that most of these are old lady spec. White or greyscale, automatic, black or tan interior, none of the performance options.
If I’m biting the bullet and going for maximum Parsh for my dollar I just can’t see myself doing so with a white over black automatic with a 4 popper. I know it’s objectively great to drive and PDK rules/Im one of our resident dual clutch sickos…not to mention if these existed in a vacuum they’d be great.
But they don’t. This much money can get you a comparably nice 981 or a risky 911. Those are the directions I’d rather go in. I don’t need to feel the wind in my hair while hearing WRX noises. I’ll be vaping and putting ASS GRASS OR CASH NO ONE RIDES FREE stickers on the damn thing before I know it. NOT TODAY, SATAN!
We’ve got a 718GTS that gets tracked almost exclusively and can confirm they’re rock solid track weapons that can embarrass lots of faster cars in the right hands. The engine sounds awesome and with an exhaust you get to hear fun turbo sounds.
Do you have any experience also with the left hands?
Those are usually my hands lol. Worth noting with the right suspension now that it’s got an exhaust and tune the GT4RS gets it in the straights but the 718 is absolutely on rails through the corners
These are great cars for the money. However, the turbo-4-banger is a big part of why they’re so affordable. It needs to be weighed against the 6-cylinder variants for some context.
In late 2020, I bought a ’14 981 Boxster S 6MT and almost no amount of torquier and faster could get me to give up the sound and spine-tingling crescendo of the NA flat-6. It’s been perfectly reliable and a tune ACTUALLY opens up power on them since they are detuned from the factory by actually closing down the throttle plate to limit the power. This same 3.4L engine made 350hp in the Carerras and can do that, or better, in the Boxster S’.
This. Flat 6 or no dice.
sheeeeeeooooooot, this right here is heck dang gosh darn good parsh
Can someone explain why people care that their car looks like the current model year?
Vanity.
So people will think they can afford an $85K toy car
Resale
The older the vehicle you buy, the less you’re gonna lose on it