Should I pull the trigger on a 914?

[Nathans_Dad]

The only non-911 Porsche (well except for a 356 which is out of my price range right now) that I have thought about owning is a 914. I found one for sale locally, 1973 2.0 L which the owner says is pretty rust free, specifically the "hell hole" under the battery box he says has no rust. There is a one inch hole in the rear trunk which will need to be fixed but he says that is the only major rust on the car. Runs and drives, interior looks ok from the pictures. He has put coil over Bilsteins, new brakes and new tires on the car. It needs paint, badly. He apparently started prepping the front end for paint and then quit. So the front decklid is primer gray, the rest of the car is yellow and the driver's side front fender has been sanded so primer is showing through.

He is asking $4k for the car. I am thinking about buying it and sticking it in the garage until next year when I will have the cash to restore it. The plus side is that it is a 73 2.0L which, from what I hear, is the most desirable 4 cylinder model.

Thoughts?

[deathpunk dan]

96mm p/c
web 186 cam
dual webers
tangerine racing header
etc

vrooom

[Nathans_Dad]

$4000 is his asking price. I asked on the pelican 914 forum and got one response that said it was worth at least that IF it is really a low rust car as advertised...

[cantdrv55]

Yes, I think the 73-74 2.0 is the most desirable. If I had the garage space, I'd have a 914 too. The car you describe sounds like it is priced right. Check out www.914club.com though and ask them. How are the longs?

EDIT - Now that I've seen pics, they are asking too much. The paint job alone is $$$.

[charleskieffner]

word to the wise here. it already needs work. if you want a project you will have one. if anything i have learned from restoring old planes cars trucks dirt bikes street bikes, is buy the one that you can afford that needs the LEAST amount of work!

your not buying it to work on it, your buying it to drive it............right! and then the next thing you know you have a to do list a mile long and then an upgrade list 5 miles long and pretty soon your buried! there are plenty out there in great shape that a divorce/death/job loss/boredom whatever elicits sale that are in better shape. its one thing to do it yourself the pride the experience blah blah. but its another to find hidden things that get real spendy that need immediate attention now before you can enjoy it. the older i get the MORE INSTANT GRATIFICATION I WANT!

think about.................wouldnt you rather be driving it???????

[Nathans_Dad]

Oh, here's the other variable in the equation...

I have a family member who has a 1973 911E coupe which is in excellent condition but does not currently run. Basically the carbs needed fixing about 5 years ago and it he never got the thing running again after that. Currently the carbs are off it and the exhaust is off too. It is sitting under a car cover in his garage. We have talked about me buying it from him off and on for a couple years, a few months ago he seemed more serious about it. Since I am family he said he would sell it to me for a little over what he paid 8 years ago (which is about half what it would sell for on the market). I'm not sure if he's going to go through with it or not, but we discussed my buying it next summer after I move...so that would give me 3 Porsches, two of which would need work.

Too many projects at once?

[Nathans_Dad]

Hah, found the car for sale over on the Samba website. Here is the link to the ad:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=332830

[charleskieffner]

hell yes too many projects! burn out and a stack of beer cans will be the end result. pick one if your hell bent on restoring something. like i said the entire goal of any vehicle you like is to drive it, not become a POW to it!

i pick my battles wisely now. my 87 which was in outstanding shape and a great price has allowed me to go overboard on handling and safety items, but in the mean time nailed me btwn the eyes on the a/c system(entire system replaced). thats just one component that was spendy. it hasnt gotten to the prisoner point , but it has made me a few times walk away wondering what next am i gonna find wrong. to do a proper restoration on anything involves total teardown and alot of time.................ALOT OF TIME! ive been on my 87 7 months straight now. lots of bucks/time , true arizona sweat/blood(no tears yet) and the goal is to get it on track again as soon as it cools off.

its 19 yrs old going on 20. and with that or any vehicle there IS going to be big time hidden expense when you get to that particular component or components. then you fall into the "dreaded while your in there" trap and the fun becomes zero.

with 113k on my mtr and tranny there is a rebuild in my future coming up. but btwn little jaunts to the mtns to escape the heat and a couple of track days the bugs have mostly been squished killed or discarded.

ask me about my penton 175 jackpiner that is a complete concours ground up restoration that has sat for almost 3 years because i burned out on 30 yr old bike restorations!

[DaveE]

Being from PA I've seen some pretty sorry 914s. An easy way to tell if any structural trouble is simply take off the roof, have someone stand inside straddling the console leaning against the targa bar and check your door gaps. Hopefully a San Antonio car will look fine. Not too many PA cars do.

[serge944]

Sounds too expensive. I see [what appears to be] MINT 914 on craigslist for that kind of price. Paint is anything but cheap, unless you are capable of doing all that work yourself.

[Nathans_Dad]

Yeah, I've been looking on the Samba and it seems like for the amount of paintwork that it needs he is about $1k too high on the price. He seemed pretty firm on the price over the phone, but who knows once I take a look at the car. He might take $3k for it, I don't think I would offer more than that given the paint needs.

Of course the intelligent thing to do would be keep my money in the bank, see whether I can get the 911E next summer and THEN decide if I want a 914. They won't be too much more expensive in a year than they are now.

[scottmandue]

Been a while since I priced 914's but the money seems high for a car that needs that much work.

[Howard Agency]

Well, I've said it before, but..

A 73-74 914 2.0 could be the most fun of any Porsche I've driven. Mine weighs 1835# with a stock 95hp engine. Not as a daily driver, but my car of choice for canyon dancing, DE and balmy days.

A wheel at each corner, 4cyl, 4 plugs, a removeable HT that fits in trunk, 25+mpg, roomier cockpit than 911, can carry 2 sets of clubs. Funny looking, but it does get around.

Have taken mine on medium trips (LA-SF) and will attempt the run from here to Moab UT for the Red Rocks Classic next month, 750 miles each way.

Advice? $6500 would get you a really nice one. 914club.com has a wealth of info and classified. Grin factor:

[Nathans_Dad]

I think I'm attracted to them for two reasons: 1) the possibility of a DE car, I hear 914s rule in DE and I might get into DE stuff after I move 2) more importantly, they are kinda quirky looking. Certainly not the usual "sports car" look. There is something endearing about them.

My biggest problem with them is that I am a little bit of a tight fit at 6'4"...the guy down the street has one that I have driven and I fit...barely.

[stevepaa]

I am also looking at 914's again, and I think I would opt for a good runner, or at worst one with an engine problem. I will not do body and paint agian.

I suggest spending the 6500 and get a good one.

[charleskieffner]

nathans dad..........im 6'3 200 # and i fit in our 914 2.0 like a glove. they haul ass, cheap on gas, and its concours. white/black interior. love the thing. had the dreaded battery light rusting that since has been fixed a few front hood chips also fixed. all in all a great car. not one thing negative to say except its not a 914/6. check 20thstautoparts.com. they get them time to time in great shape from auctions or check pca zone 8 for listings or azcentral.com for sunday want ads, aside from autotrader here in phx. lots of them buzzing around in various stages of grace and disgrace. we got ours the day before barretts auction a few years back from original owner with only like 13-14k miles on it. he had trailered some other cars down for auction when boss got wind of it. bought off the trailer parked in dezert north of auction site. the secret is to let the OTHER GUY dump wads of cash into it and have to get out from it, thereby YOU dont have to do all the work on it! good luck

[Halm]

I have owned 8 P-cars since 1971. Of all of them I am most nostalgic for the 914 2.0's. I watch the various classifieds every week looking for the Bahia Red '73 2.0 I sold 4 years ago. If it came on the market in the same shape as I sold it, I would find a way to own 2 Porsches.

$4k for that car is way too much money.

[Don Wohlfarth]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad

He is asking $4k for the car. I am thinking about buying it and sticking it in the garage until next year when I will have the cash to restore it. The plus side is that it is a 73 2.0L which, from what I hear, is the most desirable 4 cylinder model.

Thoughts?

There's a big difference between doing the necessary stuff and driving it and restoring it. If restoring is your goal you don't want to put the car on the track. If you still insist on restoring it you need to be able to do all the work yourself. Otherwise you could easily spend 10-12, maybe 20K turning this car into a nice 8-10K car.
This car has been for sale for 6 weeks. If it's such a deal how come it's still for sale? Buying this car now and letting it sit for a year or longer doesn't make a lot of sense.
Figure out what your goals are before jumping on this one.

[Howard Agency]

Originally posted by charleskieffner
nathans dad..........im 6'3 200 # and i fit in our 914 2.0 like a glove. they haul ass, cheap on gas, and its concours. white/black interior. love the thing. had the dreaded battery light rusting that since has been fixed a few front hood chips also fixed. all in all a great car. not one thing negative to say except its not a 914/6. check 20thstautoparts.com. they get them time to time in great shape from auctions or check pca zone 8 for listings or azcentral.com for sunday want ads, aside from autotrader here in phx. lots of them buzzing around in various stages of grace and disgrace. we got ours the day before barretts auction a few years back from original owner with only like 13-14k miles on it. he had trailered some other cars down for auction when boss got wind of it. bought off the trailer parked in dezert north of auction site. the secret is to let the OTHER GUY dump wads of cash into it and have to get out from it, thereby YOU dont have to do all the work on it! good luck

I agree! Bought my car 3 years ago for 5800, fresh engine, trans, decent paint/interior. Since then just normal maintenance, Optima battery, 2 sets of tires (street and track). Knock on wood! 73's came with Bilsteins, sway bars, light bumpers and a few other goodies. Best of the non sixes.

Charles, are you going to RRC ? Several AZ guys coming up.

[RoninLB]