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You’ve heard your father, friends, or overbearing neighbor say it for years: “That thing lost half its value the second you drove it off the lot!” As annoying as they might be, they’re not entirely wrong. Depreciation is an inevitable reality for the vast majority of vehicles, save for rare, collectible nameplates. Still, even with the march of time and value lost, one marque defies depreciation: Porsche. In fact, the Porsche 911 holds value better than any other popular luxury or performance car. 

The Porsche 911, 911 Cabriolet, 718 Cayman, and 718 Boxster hold value with the best

A Porsche 911 Cabriolet, the model with the worst depreciation, shows off its convertible top in a studio.
A Porsche 911 Cabriolet | Porsche

According to the latest five-year depreciation data, Porsche boasts four models with the highest value retention percentages.

ModelAverage 5-year depreciationAverage difference from MSRP
9119.3%$18,094
718 Cayman17.6%$13,372
718 Boxster25.1%$20,216
911 Cabriolet26.0%$42,227
Overall average38.8%$17,221

Unsurprisingly, iSeeCars attributes the hardtop 911’s market-leading value retention to the model’s popularity. And popular it is. The 911 has been a favorite commuter, toy, and trophy of the wealthy and powerful for over 60 years. 

What started as a handsome air-cooled sports car evolved into one of the staples in the modern performance market. Today, fans can have all-wheel drive (AWD) coupes, sun-soaked convertibles, or taut, light-weight track stars– all under the 911 nameplate.

That popularity is evident in the Porsche 911’s 9.3% depreciation in five years. Specifically, the German luxury performance retains 29.5% more of its original value than the nationwide average. Further down the marque’s lineup, the 718 Cayman shrugged off 17.6% of its original value. 

Drop-top Porsches lose value more than their hardtop counterparts

The hardtop Porsche 911 and coupe-only Cayman take the No. 1 and No. 2 spots among popular nameplates with the highest value retention. However, depreciation hits the convertible 911 Cabriolet and the drop-top 718 Boxster harder than the coupes. 

For instance, the 718 Boxster loses 7.5% more of its original value than the 718 Cayman. Shockingly, the gulf between the 911s is 16.7%. Still, even with the differences, the Porsche models retain much more value than competitors like the Chevrolet Corvette.

Source: iSeeCars Value Study

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