I always liked the Boxster and I've wanted one since their introduction back in the mid 90s. I flirted with the idea several times over the years but it would have taken a major hit on the budget and required too many other practical sacrifices. When the 718s arrived, I was a bit disappointed with the direction Porsche (and most other manufacturers) were going with small displacement FI engines. The flat-6 was always synonymous with the Boxster/Cayman in the same way the inline-6 was with the BMW 3 series. (The winds of change are really upon us).
I really thought I had missed the boat and regretting not buying one when I had the chance. It pushed me to bite the bullet and I bought a 2016, 981 Cayman S less than 2 years ago. And I'm SO glad I did. The car is just phenomenal.
When I had the Cayman at the dealer last fall for an oil change and radio software update, I asked about the 718 GT4. The (981) GT4 is the car I really wanted but it was too far out of the price range and they were all already spoken for by the time I was getting serious. Nothing was firm last October but it was widely suspected that the 718 GT4 would come out sometime in late 2019 or early 2020 and with a return to the flat-6 engine. And the dealer was taking deposits already back then, although I guess it was all unofficial. I spoke to the salesman for a while before he would even confirm that such a list even existed. And I was dismayed but not surprised that they wanted a $20K deposit and they seemed reluctant to really discuss it further since I'm not one of their marquis customers. In a fit of pure madness, I asked him, if I were to put down a deposit today, how long it would be before my number came up. He seemed reluctant to talk specifics but he told me, already back then, that it would probably be 2 years or more before I got my hands on one.
In reality, I'm glad I overcame the [destructive] urge. I was estimating the price point at around $90K and was doing the mental arithmetic at how much I could get for my car and if it was feasible. But we're already $10K over that number and by the time it's out the door, you can probably add another $20K on top of that in options, prep, taxes, etc. I'm glad Porsche is returning to the Flat-6. But I'm a bit dismayed at how far up-market they're climbing. I realize it's a GT car, but paying over $100K for a Cayman seems like madness. Still, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of people lining up to order one.
EDIT: In 1988 a well option 911 was around $40K. At the rate of inflation, that would be around $85K in 2019 dollars. Now, you can barely buy a Cayman or Boxster for that and a 911 with a bucket load of options is pushing $130K.
Edit 2: I noticed the car has also gained about 100-lbs over the 981 GT4
