Taking your car to DE is an excellent way to learn the car's handling in a controlled environment. Ditto what others have said - plus:
Debris & dings: cover the front with something. I used clear plastic carpet protector from Lowe's. $10 a roll. Slap it on any old way the day before track days, remember to cut out the holes for air ducts
, and peal it off gently at the end of the day. Works great, I never had any paint damage from 4 DE's.
Brakes: Just put in a higher temperature brake fluid like ATE Super Blue, which is pretty much the track standard fluid. That's it. The Boxster brakes are wonderful right from the factory. Inspect, or have someone knowledgeable inspect your pads before and after each day. Not hard to do - the track community is very collegial, most other car owners are glad to share their knowledge.
Tires: Tires will get chewed up a little on the edges, and make a little more noise on the interstate. It's a price you have to pay...
Helmet: Mine cost under $200 for a Bell. Not all helmets are equal. Check the rating required for your track. Most tracks require at least SA 2000. Check before you buy. Some are going to the later rating of SA 2005. So first, find out what the track requires, then go to a site like saferacer.com and look for the cheapest name brand helmet (Bell and G-Force are good) that meets your need. Check the closeouts (last year's colors) and you may find a bargain, but be sure the rating is right. They will mix non-rated helmets in the closeout mix. Beware.
Warranty: Hmmmm. Little cloudy here. If there is a good Porsche aftermarket shop, you may want to use them to do your track preps. Course, when you go in for the 15,000 checkup sporting bright blue brake fluid with the fashionably worn edges on the tires, they might put the pieces together. I feel like track days should not affect repairs like the A/C doesn't work, or a window lift motor craps out. But if, say, your clutch goes out and you show signs of tracking, there could be a negotiation that follows...
For me - it was worth every nickel of it. Feeling the car do what it was designed to do, in a controlled environment, was a blast. And if I had broken my clutch I would have paid the aftermarket shop to fix it, and not bothered to go to the dealer.
It's a ton of fun. Hope this helps. BTW, each HPDE day I got 6 x 20 minute outings, 2 hours total track time per day. Can't beat it.
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