The Porsche Cayman: The smart money choice

1. The Porsche 911 market

2. Cayman pricing stability: A key advantage for buyers

3. 718 Cayman: Supply increases, prices settle

4. 981 and 987 Generations: Proof of long-term value

5. GT Caymans: Calm performance and one extreme exception

6. Conclusion

The Porsche 911 market

The Porsche 911 remains one of the most desirable sports cars ever built. Its status is unquestionable, and historically it has been a safe place to park money in the car world. Recently, however, the 911 market has become more complex.

Over a short period, Porsche raised 911 MSRP several times, resulting in a total increase of around 10%. This pushed used prices higher, particularly for the 992 generation, and created ripple effects across older models like the 991 and 997. Prices fell, then surged again, and have now largely stalled.

For current owners, this has been great news. For buyers, it introduces risk. Nobody knows whether prices will stabilize, drop to compensate for MSRP hikes, or continue fluctuating. Buying a 911 today often means accepting uncertainty – and potentially higher depreciation than expected.

Cayman pricing stability: A key advantage for buyers

In contrast, the Cayman market tells a much calmer story. Porsche did increase MSRP for the 2025 model year, but only by around 3.5%. That change was not enough to disrupt supply and demand or cause sharp movements in used prices.

As a result, Cayman values have followed smoother, more predictable trends. This stability allows buyers to make informed decisions and estimate future value loss with much greater confidence. You may not see explosive appreciation like in some 911 models, but you also avoid sudden corrections.

718 Cayman: Supply increases, prices settle

The 718 Cayman experienced the same pandemic-driven price surge as nearly every performance car. Values peaked, then began to decline – first quickly, then more gradually. Since the beginning of 2024, depreciation has settled into a steady and measurable pattern.

Year-over-year changes show:

• Base model: –0.5%

• Cayman S: –3.3%

• GTS: –4%

• GTS 4.0: +1.3%

One important factor is supply. Many owners rushed to buy 718 models when rumors suggested the next Cayman would be fully electric. As a result, the market saw a noticeable influx of 2024 and 2025 cars. These newer examples depreciated slightly more, pulling averages down – but without causing instability.

981 and 987 Generations: Proof of long-term value

Older Cayman generations demonstrate just how resilient the model can be. The 981 Cayman, for example, has shown remarkable price stability since 2024. Base and S models saw minor gains of around 1-2%, while the GTS remained effectively flat. These changes are small enough to suggest a balanced, healthy market.

The 987 generation tells a similar story. The rare 987.2 models typically trade around €37,000, with minimal year-over-year movement. Even the older 987.1 cars have barely shifted in price since 2023, confirming strong demand for naturally aspirated, analogue Porsche sports cars.

The Cayman R stands out with notable appreciation, but this applies mainly to top-condition cars in a very limited market.

GT Caymans: Calm performance and one extreme exception

Standard GT4 models have matured into stable assets. The 718 GT4 typically trades between €130,000 and €140,000, while the 981 GT4 sits just above €100,000. Both saw modest increases of around 1% last year, reflecting controlled demand and limited supply.

The GT4 RS, however, is a different story entirely. Prices fell rapidly after launch and declined another 12.5% last year alone. With current values gravitating toward the original MSRP of roughly €200,000, many early buyers who paid inflated prices have absorbed substantial losses.

While depreciation is now slowing, the GT4 RS remains the most volatile Cayman on the market.

Conclusion

The Porsche 911 will always be the emotional choice. Its image, heritage, and sound are unmatched. But emotions often come at a price.

The Cayman, by contrast, offers something rare in today’s performance car market: consistency. Depreciation is moderate, trends are predictable, and long-term value has proven surprisingly strong. On average, the Cayman performs better than the broader sports and supercar market, which sees annual declines of around 1.1%.

Inspired by the analysis of our friend @fourwheeltrader. Make sure you check his other videos

https://www.youtube.com/@fourwheeltrader

Are you already a proud owner of a Porsche Cayman? If so, check out our selection of parts for this car at the following link:

https://octoclassic.com/product-category/porsche/cayman

Photos sources: configurator.porsche.com, porschesewickley.com, pca.org