Hello and welcome to the forum! Other members will likely chime in, but if you're able to get the S instead of the base model, I would go that route, especially if you're planning on tracking the car. I'm attaching a link to our site's DIY tech articles on the 986 platform, this will be a very useful guide if you're planning on doing the maintenance and fixes yourself down the line. Please let us know if you have any questions and best of luck on the purchase. Let us know what you decide on.
Porsche Boxster 986/987 (1997-2004) Technical Articles