As a daily street driver looking to purchase a 996, should I stay away from vehicles that have been track driven?

 

only in the sense that if they have been tracked they have probably been modified to handle better (also read as harsher ride) and you won't like it on the street...those of us who track our p-cars usually take better care of them (maintenance/oil changes etc) than those who don't...if you have some fear that a track car has been abused don't buy one

 

I wouldn't rule them out. But see note below on revs

My belief is that each car should be judged on it's own merits.

My first filter is mileage/price. For me I had 2 considerations when I was shopping last year. Based on my budget I was in a early yr 996. From research I knew there might be some issues with that engine type, but also saw that the percent failure reduced with certain factors.
Factors:
1. RMS leaks.....seemed to be that if it was going to happen 90% happened before 40k miles
2. Cylinder wall issues......this is a time bomb. But if you happened to have some other issue with the engine and tore it down....mechanics could tell if you had bad ones or not. Also if the engine made it high miles...most likely okay.
3. IMS failure.....rare but has happened. I try not to think about it.

So when shopping I looked at 55-70k mile cars with either no RMS history or having the latest RMS replaced. I figured this increased my odds.

With a track car you have possibly a higher chance of getting the other fatal issue.....mechanical over rev. (shifting from 6th gear 150mph to 3rd and over revving engine) Easy way to see this is by scanning the computer.

What I ended up with was a car that had a rebuilt engine (original issue top end but when open he decide to go through everything) This engine thus had been inspected internally for any cyl issues and seals. It had 8k on it when I got it. I got a Durametric system and read the computer and was able to see that the car had been over revved at the time just prior to the owner I had got it from. If the PO I had bought it from had done this check....he would have relized it was going to be a bigger bill then he thought. (he knew it had issue, but price was right for it he thought)

Other considerations are mods....not so much in the asking price but in the what you might want in future.

I really knew that I wanted one with coilovers and aero kit. Since the markup on the sale price would be minimal to the retail cost of adding these in the future. In the end I compromised on the engine being fresh, wheels, exhaust, 3 spoke steering, alum pedals and radio.
This past year I have bought the pieces for the aero kit. Timing for these was key. Through this board, ebay, craigslist I was able to purchase these at very reasonable prices.....Next will be the coilovers.

Hope this helps and happy shopping! You are looking at the best possible time in my car buying years!

 

I wouldn't touch one that was tracked extensively unless it still had the mods and I was going to track it as well. Tracking a car beats the hell out of it and will shorten it's useful life considerably.

 

In response to this, track cars are generally better maintained with very frequent service and attention paid to the slightest mechanical issue. Oil, transmissions, clutch, brakes, etc are always in excellent working order. Most track drivers don't skimp or try to "get by" on parts that aren't 100% (or at least close). Track cars will not, however, be in pristine exterior condition. This could result in a discount for looks, i.e., no garage queens.

Granted, the engine does work harder at the track, but IMO it's a crap shoot whether you have a good engine or not

As always, get a PPI on ANY car you are interested in.

-td

 

Agreed.

 

Totally agree. Cars that are tracked are maintained to such a higher standard that they're almost better cars to look at. Odds are if they had cylinder wall issues or RMS issues they would have already shown themselves.

I'll even take it a step further. I'd put my tracked 996 up against a 99% of the porsche's on the road in a Concours event and guarantee I win. Yes, I'm that guy at the track with "all that blue tape" at the track...but I'm a professional detailer too and there's no excuse for anything but perfection.

Andy

 

i agree with chuck. especially if i know the person that i'd be buying the tracked car from. in a way, it's an opportunity to get some great mods already done on the car.

 

I do trackside tech inspections at PCA events.

I would say that 90% of the cars I see are meticulously maintained with fresh fluids and brakes, good tires, and driven fast but not flogged. Another 5% are maintained and driven with less care but often far better than the average street car. I would not be afraid to own any of these.

The final 5% of the cars I see are frightening... loose lug nuts, CEL and Brake service lights glowing, tires corded, dark fluids, fluid leaks, etc. If they do pass tech inspection I see these same cars being flogged on the track with lots of overrevs, spins, off track excursions, flatspotted tires, boiled brake fluid etc. They are not maintained or driven with care. Do not buy one of these at any price.

 

I just bought my first Porsche but I do come from the kart racing world and would say that if a regular track person has the car that it is maintained better than the garage queens. The guys that were the fastest at karting were the guys that had the junkiest looking karts mismatched colored body parts etc. But were mechanically very sound


I would not be afraid of a tracked car

 

By the sounds of it the next car I buy I should be looking specifically for a track car.

 

I track my car about twice per month. It goes through a meticulous overlook every month and change the oil every 5k miles. It is a tip so there is no missing shifts and the engine purrs. I am amazed how these cars can go on the track and perform greatly, then roll up the windows, turn the AC on and drive home. What a car. I've had the car for almost two years and I have put about 40k miles on it. It is a 99MY and just added the race seats along with the roll bar and harness. The only other mod is the GT3 sway bars. So far, my track rookieness isn't asking for more. Besides, my PCA instructor has often saved me money by his favorite quote "If I can drive your car faster than you, It is not the car..."

 

Ditto to what everyone else has said. I've tracked my car and I look after it religiously. Brakes checked, regular fluid changes, mechanical consideration, everything and more you'd expect from a daily driver. I know if something doesn't 'feel right' with the car way before something needs changing and I won't skimp on cheap performance parts as that could end in disaster on the track.
I'm sure most will agree that the secret to a fast driver is smoothness, something that I aspire to on a track. Unlike many daily drives that will be red line hammered hard between green lights then stabbing hard on the brakes, thrashed round the back streets...

 

DON"T TOUCH a TRACK CAR!

sure everybody meticulously maintains them... brakes... oil. etc... but tracking is *very* hard on the car and magnifies the weak points of the 996 motor... oil starvation will not show its face immediately... but over time... cylinder scaring will not show its face over time... clutch and gearbox wear will happen... over time..

YOUR TIME and YOUR MONEY !!

whatever you do... do a "leakdown test" and a compression test... personally I wouldn't touch a car that was tracked extensively.

 

Tracking a car extensively and having a car on track are completely different.