88 Data file in association with Beverly Hills Car Club

What place do road tests have in the 21st century 911 market?

You’ve researched, decided, then waited for the perfect 911 to appear for sale at a specialist… but so has everyone else. Should you just snap it up, unseen? In the current trading climate, has the road test become superfluous?

Both our panel agree they do have a place, encouraging the importance of taking them, and can cite examples of road tests being pivotal in a buying decision. Philip Raby, of Philip Raby Specialist Cars, says about 60 per cent of buyers road test before buying. He recalls one example. “We had a father and son, undecided between a 996 Carrera or a 996 Turbo. They’d viewed a 996 Turbo somewhere else, but were refused a road test, so left a deposit on the car. They subsequently came to us and took examples of both out. Only then could they decide that the non-Turbo 996 was the car they preferred. So they bought from us instead.”