craig66

Question for those picking up especially in cold Northern States. How important is it to take it for a test ride before signing the papers. Mine will not be one of those that sat out for any length of time and so I am less worried about potential port related issues

Reason I ask is that I am likely going to have to take the car in the cold and I am not sure that taking it out for a spirited drive from the dealer in rush hour is a good idea. Reality is that I will go over it with a fine tooth comb both inside and outside but if there are mechanical issues or issues with sounds or rattles or such like I am unlikely to refuse the car and will rather just deal with it under warranty.

Is this a bad idea. Certainly on a nice summer day I would absolutely take the car for a spin. I will be putting on winter wheels but I am not sure they will put them on for me until I have signed for the car especially as they are not purchased from the dealer.

kaylie

Always test drive before signing. I once didn’t do that on an ordered m3, signed, drove it off the lot and a few miles into it dct failure. Had to flat bed it right back. Worse day ever after buying a new car. It was all downhill from then on with that car. Wait till the weather clears a bit and give it a go at least 5 miles.

Bluehighways

I highly recommend a Test Drive before signing! Also I'd strongly recommend picking the car up in daylight, preferably on a sunny day. Give both the exterior and the interior a serious OCD inspection. This is NOT the time to be a nice and understanding person. It can be a real bugger, if not impossible, to make a warranty claim on something that could just as easily been damaged on your drive home from the dealership. A close inspection and written agreement (with pictures) prevents any misunderstandings later on!

Also, FWIW, most dealership service write-up areas are camera monitored in 360 degrees. If the car is driven through one of their service lanes the dealer will have a complete and recorded view of the car. Which they might be able to share with you. Dealers do this to deal with unscrupulous and/or clueless customers, with existing damage on their car. Sometimes folks will claim or mistakenly believe the dealer damaged their car when it was in the shop. A complete video recording of the car when it was dropped off by the customer often saves misunderstandings later.

rk-d

It makes sense why some would recommend a test drive before signing. That said, I've never actually done that on an ordered car. Just a walk around - the most likely area of concern is body work/paint.

detansinn

If you're buying a new car, I don't think that such a test drive is critical. Not having to worry about a test drive is one of the perks of buying a new car. If you discover any issues on your drive home, or heck, during the warranty period, you can contact the dealer and they'll take car of you.

As you noted, between traffic, weather, and unfamiliarity with the vehicle, it's not going to be terribly valuable anyway. PDI is performed to ensure that you don't have any of those "this is broken" issues right off of the lot.

SeanWRT

In my region or any regions that I'm aware of...there is no such thing as test driving new car (or any car other than the test drive car).

You can inspect the exterior/interior of new car all you want though.

mathus7

Have taken delivery on four new Porsche cars in last 15 years and only did an inspection at dealer on pick-up day. No test drive of actual purchased car.I did, however do test drive of another sample at dealer prior to placing order with the exception of my current 2020 992 C2S and a 2006 Cayman S ordered upon announcement. No problems with with any of the cars except for the annoying numerous service bulletins on the 992. All of those needed corrections would not have been revealed with a pre-delivery test drive.

craig66

Thanks all, take home message seems to be check the car thoroughly inside and out from a visual perspective. Make sure to do it during daylight hours, if it is a nice warm day and the roads are empty then take it for a quick spin around but if it is cold, dreary, rainy rely on the fact that it is a new car with a 4 year warranty and although annoying, if something shows up it will be fixed under warranty.

Thanks all.

Richard_Wallace

The last 10 new cars I purchased (including my 992) I did not see until they dropped it off at my house (dealers were all not local on my last several fun cars). I always inspect them when they arrive and take them out for a quick spin of course to make sure everything is good. That is some of the joy of buying new. Used cars it is a different story of course, though I have bought a few of those sight unseen as well - if I know the dealer/broker and I put a return clause on it, if major issues.

Also - your new porsche can be driven in this weather (unless snow or ice without winter tires) - take it out for a cruise (take it slow if it is below 50 degrees, due to summer tire slip) - you will be fine, won't hurt it :-)

aggie57

One of the differences we found weird with new car buying in the States was this ability to actually drive new cars in stock or pre-delivery. Down in Australia or NZ if you asked to drive anything other than the dealers demo, well no it doesn’t happen. At least not in my experience. As a new car buyer you expect nobody else has driven your new pride and joy other than as needed to get it off the truck and onto the lot.