Would you buy a 987 that was tracked 4x?
 

Low mile 987 (under 10K miles) in great shape and was tracked 2x in 08, 2x in 09 and zero since. Brake fluid was changed to amber fluid and checked out fine.

This is a privately owned car, well cared for, has aftermarket exhaust and owned by the 2nd owner since 1500 miles.

I like the car and the options but should the fact that the car has been tracked 4x be an issue? I assume the track issue will lower the price, even if a little bit.

Thanks.

Have a PPI done, but I would not be apprehensive of 4 track times. These cars need their exercise and legs stretched every so often. Happy shopping.

I know nothing about tracking a car but is the car pushed to it's extreme the entire time? Is it something that in 4x would amount to 3000 miles or more like a few hundred miles? Would a PPI be able to tell if there were any tracking issues?

06 S, 10K miles, tracked 4x asking $34900. What to offer?

The 05 S at Subaru dealer has 20K miles and price of $26900.

Ok
 

1. The 2006 has the IMS that can't be easily/cheaply upgraded. Drop the engine, split the case, ship the entire IMS, etc.
2. There is tracking and there is tracking. A DE under some controls on speed is one thing. A real competitive race is quite another. Was the proper service done before each event? After?
3. A PPI that looks at over-revs could tell you something about how the car was treated.

I'd rather have a driven hard, fanatically maintained car than one babied and where the service was ignored. And 4 track days may be trivial.

Cars that've been to the track are usually better maintained than cars that sat.

Mike's item #3 would be the killer for me - the 987's can be scanned for 5 levels of overrev (ignitions), while the 986 can only be scanned for 2 levels.
Any indi who does the PPI can print off the overrev picture - if the car's DME has registered level 2 and above, I think Porsche will invalidate any warranty anyway.....

And based on these comments I don't see much of a reason to pay a premium for an 06 S with 10K miles and an aftermarket exhaust over an 05 S with 20K miles and stock exhaust (and more dealer service because of the miles).

When I compare the two cars I am interested in they have the same options (Bose, xenon lights, pcm w/o pasm, sport chrono package, heated seats, etc,. Looks like the 05 S wins out....

To answer your question directly, if the car has been driven at 4 DE's in a couple of years and had the proper maintenance during that period, I would not be put off from buying the car.

We've done roughly 8 track days a year in our 06 since new. Probably 1/4 of the 30K miles on the car are at the track; I did a oil analysis last fall on the car which showed contaminants and metals way below the average for a 2.7L motor. I change the oil at 5K intervals and brake fluid at least once a year.

I think the 05 S 20K mile car can be had for at least $3000 less than the 06 S 10K mile tracked car. Should know for sure tomorrow.

Someone with lousy clutching skills can ruin a car leaving their subdivision.

I'd rather have a car thats been tracked.

This is all incorrect information stated in Steve's response. The 987 has 6 ranges of over-revs, not 5. And any ignitions in over-rev range #1 and #2 are fine. Rage #3 is not good, and #4-6 can void warranty.

Four track days is no biggie. For example, PCA runs excellent events. Sounds like an honest seller to disclose the track days, that's good news. Do a PPI, to include a DME readout and an oil filter dissection.

Ok, so I know not to be scared of the lightly tracked car if the PPI is fine.

Any thoughts on 05 vs 06? I am not sure of the build date of the 05 to see if it has the upgraded IMS.

05 has 20K miles, 06 has 10K miles.

well he disclosed the track usage but what about the autocross usage? Someone who has ventured onto the track at least once has probably made at least one appearance to a local autocross club. Four track events more so.
Track usage isn't too bad since you're generally trying to drive smoothly with minimal abuse on the car. Autocrossing is completely different, the car is jerked around severely, more wear on the brakes, tires, suspension, etc. The engine isn't really affected since its designed to work best in these conditions but I wonder how the gear box/trans migh be affected sometimes since all of the work is done in second gear or speeds up to 80mph. If the lot is crappy and full of debris and that micro gravel there could be some cosmetic issues like chipping near the wheel wells, front and rear bumpers and hood. Many people tape up their cars because of this particularly when using r compound tires that suck up everything on the black top and kick it back onto the paint. One autocross here and there is probably no biggie but someone who has done a whole season's worth of autocross races, year after year might cause me to check out his maintenance habits...all mileage is not created equal.

I would be leery of the 05, as the price seems a bit too low. Mileage & condition are everything in "fair" pricing. I would want to have an independant party take look at the car before even considering it. The 06 seems to priced at a more representative level, especially considering the premium placed on cars with low mileage.

I agree with the 05 pricing, it seems very low compared to the asking prices for other cars on the web. There are a handful of 05 S cars with under 35K miles for under $30K. One in TX for $24,985 and even more at the $29,000-$30,000 range. I do know of one guy who traded his 05 S with 50K miles and they gave him $21K.

The only options that differ on the 05 vs the 06 is the 06 has 19" wheels, short throw shifter and sport steering wheel. Both have Xenon, Bose, colored crests, heated seats.

$26,900 seems like a good deal for the 05 but $34K seems very high to me for the 06.

The market is seldom a national one-price
 

market and I see asking prices varying $4-5k on a regular basis for what sounds like the same car. Add in the motivation/desperation of the seller, the time of year, the location, the "dealer premium", etc and there are reasons for price variation.

Philly is high, Raleigh is low. And out in the sticks is even lower...got to give the city folk some reason to want to go outside their usual shopping radius.

Understand the seller and why he wants to sell now. If it makes sense and you can see anything that would seem to confirm it....

I use the national look to use as justification for why my price is reasonable but there is an advantage to buying locally..the ease of first inspection, the knowledge of who to go to for the PPI, the ease of doing local bank business, the not having to pay for the flight there and the drive back, etc. So I'm not above paying a bit more for a local car...in fact did so rather than a 1,400 mile away car the last time I bought.

Mike,

I wish there was a local S to check out. The 05 is in KY and the 06 in IL. I'm looking nationwide and have no issue with having the car shipped to me. The last two cars I purchased were sight unseen after PPI and I was pleased with both cars.

If I went with either more $$, as in over $35K or more miles, or both, there would be about 3 cars within 150 miles of me. I'm sticking to these two choices for now and will see what can be negotiated.

I like the 06 and the options but the more complicated IMS upgrade and $7,000 premium over the 05 have me doubtful about getting this particular 06.

Just dropped the price on an '07
 

I've made offers to both. $28000 for the 06 and $25000 for the 05.

Should know about the 06 tonight and the 05 tomorrow.

The 05 has countered to $26,900+taxes, tags, documentation fees ,etc.

The 06 has 19" wheels which I like and 10K less miles but in reality the cars are very similar.