[rfoulds]

My 914 is a commuter, but my commute is 3 miles. It sepends on how far your drive will be each day.

I knew my 914 would be my daily driver, so I bought one specifically for that purpose and made modificatinos to help in the reliability. My last 914 was a carbed 2.0 built for racing and would have made a crappy commuter, so I have learned some things that made a difference.

The following is JUST MY OPINION!!! These are things I did to make my 914 a nice daily driver. others may disagree, but...
Some things you might want to consider:

start with a 914 as stock as possible.
master cylinder upgrade to 19mm, and brakes upgrade to BMW calipers. Or at least good, sticky pads.
I kept the stock FI, no carbs, and stock ignition.
Optima battery.
Headlight upgrade to H4.
Make sure the stock Boge struts, shocks and the stock springs are good, and don't put in the stiffer springs. Stay with the 100# springs for daily driver.
Michelin or Pirellis or other good mileage tire.
If it doesn't have it, add the sound proof pad in the engine bay.
relocate fuel pump and filter to 75-76 location.
put in good stereo, but please don't cut the door panels! Put the speakers in the stock boxes, and leave it at that.

and here is the one every one disagrees on: I have hydraulic lifters so I don't have to adjust the valves. I don't care about high revs, and huge performance, so the hydro lifters work great for me, since I don't have to adjust them and once I found and sealed all the oil leaks, it stayed that way!
You can read past posts about the lifters, much disagreement on these. A very reputable engine builder ( you know who) swears solid lifters are the way to go, but, my hydro lifter engine is VERY smooth, reliabe and quiet, which is the way I like it. If it blows up, as many say it will, then I will put in a six.

SO that's MY version of a daily driver. It won't win races, but it is fun to drive, and it starts every morning. And it cost me $3500. A lot less than a comparable rice car.