Damian in NJ

See if there are marks where a fire extinguisher may have been mounted.

Hoosier_Daddy

+1.

Mine are very discolored. In fact, one of the guys at my local indy shop joked one morning... "Hey, nice big maroon brake upgrade!"

Michael-Dallas

That's what I did. When I tracked down the previous owner of mine, I told him that I was going to eventually track it (not a lie!) and I was curious how it performed at the track. He said he never took it to the track, but did a couple of highway runs. I asked him how fast he got it up to as well.

Of course, these questions occurred after I bought mine so he had no reason to lie to me.

///Michael

DesignerGenes

And THAT'S the truth!

The cars were made for it. Owners who take to the track are, generally, better owners; and I'd expect to tell someone buying my car how well it does on the track -- in fact, I did just that and got an excellent price on my 1996 993 coupe just a year and a half ago. Of course, the car has to LOOK good too, not just track well.

IamSMC

I searched "buying tracked" and this thread was the closest on topic...

First, I have no issues buying a tracked car because I have tracked all my cars and as DesignerGenes quoted, tracked owners tend to be more meticulous of maintenance because no one wants a breakdown at the track

But unfortunately, potential buyers who haven't tracked misunderstand tracked as equating raced, so they put the requsite out "never tracked" for their new purchase, however, I've seen more poorly maintained Porsches which have never "set foot" on the track....go figure

Macster

Some owners who track their cars are more meticulous about the car's maintenance, but not all. There have been posts even here clearly indicating the owner was not giving the car the type of servicing it should be getting with its track time, even putting off addressing possible cooling or braking issues that should be promptly addressed for even a street car, let alone a car about to be tracked.

And no driver, no matter how good he is with servicing/maintenance, can't undo the extra wear and tear and stress the car receives while on the track.

It is always up to the individual. If he doesn't mind a tracked car, even a mod'd car, then fine. But if an individual in looking for his first or last Porsche doesn't want a tracked (or mod'd) car, that's fine too.

As for being made for tracking... check in with the GT3 owners who have had cooling pipe fittings fail on the track...

These cars are good cars and have quite a bit of margin, design/operating margins, to tolerate rather well being subjected to the track. But they are not race cars with A/C and air bags and cup holders.

Sincerely,

Macster.

mmm951

Bingo.

My car has about 70K, with about 16K track miles on it and still runs like a Swiss watch. Trust me, one would never know it has been beaten on the track.

All of the signs mentioned in this thread can easily be taken care of, most easily the brakes. My car does not rattle, squeak, or shake and still drives like the day it came off the showroom floor. Actually, a good bit faster. It has been properly maintained and that is the most important thing to look for.

The motor has a racing block and can easily take any abuse street or track days can dish out, so that is not a big concern. Most 996's at this age need a suspension replacement, so if this is done then there is really not much more to worry about. Again, proper maintenance is the key.

deckman

I am not sure if this would work but you could look at the average miles per hour driven. If it seems high it could be a tracked car.

fdorn

White Porsche lettering on the calipers will yellow with a lot of heat.

SSST

Large number decals on the hood and door panels might be a clue as well.

dacbap

and maybe the helmet and driving shoes in the trunk

"02996ttx50

telltale sings of my car having been tracked were

(1) discolored caliper paint
(2) scrubbed outside edges of front tires
(3) custom frt brake ducting
(4) roll cage previously installed, and install points under carpet rear and upper rear shelf
(5) bought from known racers that live for willow springs

SimonK

Stalk the dude you want to buy from for a couple of weekends! If he is a track junky he will go racing on one of them!

Ps. Raise the car. Look for bits of tyre debris stuck in/on various places (stuck-on rubber bits on inner wheel plastics, rubber bits stuck on shocks, stuck in-between springs, and on stabilisers). You would be surprised how much rubber bits get stuck everywhere as tyres shred the thread.