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Craig J.
Guest
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 Posted:
Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:05 pm Post subject:
Why are Porsches expensive? |
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Why are Porsches, particularly the 911 variants, so expensive (at least
in US anyway)? This is something I have been wondering about ever since
I was a youth. I've asked many people this same question, and I always
receive different answers. Some say the cost is mostly due to having it
imported over to the United States, some say it's due to cost of labor,
some told me it's the cost of the materials, etc. Which of those, if
any, are the correct reasons why Porsches are so costly?
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Devils944S2
Guest
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Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:51 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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May I also throw in...there ain't many of them. Which also factors into
cost...
Keep this in mind when talking about Porsches.
There are more Corvettes alone than there have been Porsches built from day
one. Combine every model, 356, 911, 924/944/968, 928, Boxster, Cayanne, and
there still are more Corvettes. |
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Pete M
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:51 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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In news:1113757545.855416.279110@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com,
Craig J. <nightwatchman94@hotmail.com> decided to enlighten our sheltered
souls with a rant as follows
| Quote: | Why are Porsches, particularly the 911 variants, so expensive (at
least in US anyway)? This is something I have been wondering about
ever since I was a youth. I've asked many people this same question,
and I always receive different answers. Some say the cost is mostly
due to having it imported over to the United States, some say it's
due to cost of labor, some told me it's the cost of the materials,
etc. Which of those, if any, are the correct reasons why Porsches are
so costly?
|
Because once you've driven a 911, nothing else will do.
--
Pete M
Mercedes 260E, Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2
Ford Capri (ressurection started)
"Never moon a werewolf"
COSOC #5
Scouse Git extraordinaire. Liverpool, Great Britain
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Martin²
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:51 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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....because they can get away with it, Porsche is THE most profitable car
company.
BTW Porsches (and cars generally) are lot more expensive in UK , Europe and
RoW.
Regards,
Martin |
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Steve Travis
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:51 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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Pete M wrote:
| Quote: | In news:1113757545.855416.279110@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com,
Craig J. <nightwatchman94@hotmail.com> decided to enlighten our sheltered
souls with a rant as follows
Why are Porsches, particularly the 911 variants, so expensive (at
least in US anyway)? This is something I have been wondering about
ever since I was a youth. I've asked many people this same question,
and I always receive different answers. Some say the cost is mostly
due to having it imported over to the United States, some say it's
due to cost of labor, some told me it's the cost of the materials,
etc. Which of those, if any, are the correct reasons why Porsches are
so costly?
Because once you've driven a 911, nothing else will do.
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Marketing aside :), Porsches are expensive because of several factors:
a) The technology they use isn't cheap.
b) They're built for the track (whether you take them there or not is
entirely up to you).
c) The handling of a Porsche is like nothing else.
However, the total sum (even if you ignore all of the above) is that
Porsche prices their car at a point that allows them to maximize their
profits. |
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Jim Keenan
Guest
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| Posted:
Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:44 pm Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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Devils944S2 wrote:
| Quote: | May I also throw in...there ain't many of them. Which also factors into
cost...
Keep this in mind when talking about Porsches.
There are more Corvettes alone than there have been Porsches built from day
one. Combine every model, 356, 911, 924/944/968, 928, Boxster, Cayanne, and
there still are more Corvettes.
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This is probably the main reason - economies of scale. Porsche makes
about 50,000 911s and Boxsters annually now, and about another 50,000
Cayennes. BMW makes about 1,000,000 cars annually........ |
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Ottar Holstad
Guest
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| Posted:
Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:54 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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| Quote: | Why are Porsches, particularly the 911 variants, so expensive (at least
in US anyway)?
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Here are the prices in Norway, in Norwegian Kroners. The exchange-rate is
about 6.2 per 1 dollar, so the base 911 is about 193 000 US Dollars... You
lucky ba*******
http://www.porsche.no/index.php?page_id=23 |
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Sheldon
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:39 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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"Craig J." <nightwatchman94@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1113757545.855416.279110@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | Why are Porsches, particularly the 911 variants, so expensive (at least
in US anyway)? This is something I have been wondering about ever since
I was a youth. I've asked many people this same question, and I always
receive different answers. Some say the cost is mostly due to having it
imported over to the United States, some say it's due to cost of labor,
some told me it's the cost of the materials, etc. Which of those, if
any, are the correct reasons why Porsches are so costly?
|
Simple supply and demand. And, compared to other "exotics" they are a
bargain. You can put a Turbo up against cars that cost twice as much.
The only car that even comes close is the new Corvette, IMHO. It looks
great, has lots of power, is fun to drive, but still ain't a Porsche. Many
of us have Porsches that are getting up in years, but the cars are still
tight, work very well, and hold their value. My 79 SC is tighter than many
new cars I've driven, and is a blast to drive. They are truly race cars
that can be driven on the street. |
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Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:36 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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Again, some of you guys are not going to like this,(and I am a Porsche owner
and fan), but it costs a lot of engineering bucks to make as fine a car as
Porsche does because they are constantly improving a well-engineered car
that started with a not-so-good engineering idea.....rear engine.
OK let's hear the rebuttals'
Thanks,
Joe |
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Pete M
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:58 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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In news:huC9e.85923$f%4.77698@bignews1.bellsouth.net,
josephgliebe@bellsouth.net <josephgliebe@bellsouth.net> decided to enlighten
our sheltered souls with a rant as follows
| Quote: | Again, some of you guys are not going to like this,(and I am a
Porsche owner and fan), but it costs a lot of engineering bucks to
make as fine a car as Porsche does because they are constantly
improving a well-engineered car that started with a not-so-good
engineering idea.....rear engine.
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Heh, I was happy with the early 80's 911. I think they stopped making them
more fun with the death of the air cooled 911, and they're only just getting
back to making them real again now.
| Quote: |
OK let's hear the rebuttals'
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No arguments here. I enjoy the battle of driving a hammer flying backwards.
--
Pete M
Mercedes 260E, Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2
Ford Capri (ressurection started)
"Never moon a werewolf"
COSOC #5
Scouse Git extraordinaire. Liverpool, Great Britain |
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Steve Travis
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Apr 21, 2005 6:55 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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josephgliebe@bellsouth.net wrote:
| Quote: | Again, some of you guys are not going to like this,(and I am a Porsche owner
and fan), but it costs a lot of engineering bucks to make as fine a car as
Porsche does because they are constantly improving a well-engineered car
that started with a not-so-good engineering idea.....rear engine.
OK let's hear the rebuttals'
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Don't most real sports/race cars have rear/mid engine designs? :)
Most exotics are rear engine (Ferrari/Lamborghini/Porsche/Pagani etc).
Actually, Porsche tried the front engine design, and it just didn't seem
that the Porsche fans were too interested. |
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fbloogyudsr
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Apr 21, 2005 7:15 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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"Steve Travis" <steve.travis@gmail.com> wrote
| Quote: | josephgliebe@bellsouth.net wrote:
Again, some of you guys are not going to like this,(and I am a Porsche
owner and fan), but it costs a lot of engineering bucks to make as fine a
car as Porsche does because they are constantly improving a
well-engineered car that started with a not-so-good engineering
idea.....rear engine.
OK let's hear the rebuttals'
Don't most real sports/race cars have rear/mid engine designs? :)
Most exotics are rear engine (Ferrari/Lamborghini/Porsche/Pagani etc).
|
No. Ferrari has mid and front engines. Lambo and most others
are mid. Porsche has rear (911 et. al.) and mid (Boxster). Other
than the DeLoren, almost no other cars than 911 use rear. For that
matter, most front-engine performance cars can be termed mid-engine,
since the engine is (almost always) behind the front axle: Corvette,
Ferrari, Jaguar.
| Quote: | Actually, Porsche tried the front engine design, and it just didn't seem
that the Porsche fans were too interested.
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IIRC, the 924/944 was the best seller for Porsche for many years.
Floyd |
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Jim Keenan
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:14 pm Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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josephgliebe@bellsouth.net wrote:
| Quote: | Again, some of you guys are not going to like this,(and I am a Porsche owner
and fan), but it costs a lot of engineering bucks to make as fine a car as
Porsche does because they are constantly improving a well-engineered car
that started with a not-so-good engineering idea.....rear engine.
OK let's hear the rebuttals'
Thanks,
Joe
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The Boxster is not rear engined, nor is the Cayenne, and they account
for well over half of Porsche's total annual production. The soon-to-be
introduced Cayman is a Boxster coupe.
Porsche produces relatively few vehicles annually and the R&D, labor,
materials and other costs of production, plus a profit, have to be
realized from this small pool of products. That's what makes them
expensive, not the design of the company's flagship. A design, by the
way, that has proven itself in competition and in the marketplace for
decades.
What Porsche do you own? I have a 2002 996 and my experience has been
that most folks who knock the 911 haven't lived with one. |
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Phil Indablank
Guest
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| Posted:
Fri Apr 22, 2005 3:57 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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My guess is that a Porsche is designed by engineers, not accountants
like some other automobile manufacturers. |
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Steve Travis
Guest
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| Posted:
Fri Apr 22, 2005 5:04 am Post subject:
Re: Why are Porsches expensive? |
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fbloogyudsr wrote:
| Quote: | "Steve Travis" <steve.travis@gmail.com> wrote
josephgliebe@bellsouth.net wrote:
Again, some of you guys are not going to like this,(and I am a
Porsche owner and fan), but it costs a lot of engineering bucks to
make as fine a car as Porsche does because they are constantly
improving a well-engineered car that started with a not-so-good
engineering idea.....rear engine.
OK let's hear the rebuttals'
Don't most real sports/race cars have rear/mid engine designs? :)
Most exotics are rear engine (Ferrari/Lamborghini/Porsche/Pagani etc).
No. Ferrari has mid and front engines. Lambo and most others
are mid. Porsche has rear (911 et. al.) and mid (Boxster). Other
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Yup, you're right. My bad. I lumped in mid (in front of the rear
wheels) and rear engine vehicles together.
| Quote: | than the DeLoren, almost no other cars than 911 use rear. For that
matter, most front-engine performance cars can be termed mid-engine,
since the engine is (almost always) behind the front axle: Corvette,
Ferrari, Jaguar.
Actually, Porsche tried the front engine design, and it just didn't
seem that the Porsche fans were too interested.
IIRC, the 924/944 was the best seller for Porsche for many years.
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Sure but neither was designed to replace the 911 (that's what the 928
was for, and it did relatively poorly).
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