75 914 worth $4000?

[mouseroar]

Hi all,
I've finally got the approval from my wife for a 914 purchase and have found a 75 1.8 for $4000. The car is the personal car of the owner of a porsche dealership and mechanically is very sound. It has a rebuilt motor and runs excellent. The body is straight and paint is decent (though it is that awful shade of lima bean green). It does have some nagging minor flaws such as a rear trunk that doesn't sit properly and one of the top rear latches is missing the spring. This is a CA car, so it just has the standard battery tray rust with no other problems. Also, this doesn't have the appearance group options.

So, though I've done my research, I wanted to put the question out there and get some feedback. Does this sound like a good enough deal? The guy's not budging on the price. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[John Rogers]

If it will pass the smog test that he'll have to get done before he sells it, I would go for it. There will be some who will say the price is too high, some will say about right and some will say it is low, but the bottom line is: if you like it, buy it and start to enjoy it! The longer you wait, the longer you will not have a 914 to play with and besides an unusual color is neat to have at times! Good luck.

[Joe Bob]

Your profile does not say where you live. The previous poster is correct....most states require smog certificates and the 75 was not the best one out there...if you are in CA, you would need some asssurances that the motor is compliant.

Give us some more imformation and we can give some more guidance....what size motor? 1.8 or 2.0...ect....

Good Luck.

[mouseroar]

Yeah, I'm in California and the seller said he will get it smogged. It's a 1.8 with the stock fuel injection system.Thanks for the feedback thus far...

Steve

[campbellcj]

The 75 may be a good value, but I personally would keep hunting and try to find a 73 or 74 2.0. A clean 73 may be hard to find in that price range but one needing some work and/or paint might turn up. (Watch out for rust! Rusty 914/4s are no bargain no matter how cheap!) As you know 73 or earlier are exempt from CA smog inspections and also have slightly more power and less weight. FWIW I paid $2700 for my 73 2.0 w/ appearance group but it was pretty rough and I have put significant time and $ into it to get it where it is now. Good luck!

[This message has been edited by campbellcj (edited 02-26-2000).]

[Joe Bob]

Not to rain on your parade, but the 1.8 actually has less horse power than the earlier 1.7s....you would be better off waiting for a 2.0 and spending the same $$ or a little more....or going with a smog exempt earlier model.

I have a few leads on some...send me an email and I can direct to a few....
mtz1@home.com

[John Rogers]

Another thought...if you had bought it Friday instead of asking us, you could have been driving around with the top off like we did today in San Diego cause tomorrow it will rain the weather says, or even worse, it may get sold to someone else!!!!

[mouseroar]

I'm up in the San Francisco Bay area where it's been cold and blustery....I've been stalling on the purchase until it gets warm again...;-) Seriously, I appreciate all the suggestions...Leaning more towards just buying it and addressing power upgrades as time goes by.

Thanks,
Steve

[JP Noonan]

Just a thought... have you looked at the 914 buyers guide on this site? Also check out the 914 club site for more buying info and classifieds, that will give you SOME idea of what these cars are worth. Grated SOME idea means that there are people selling rust buckets as rust free and others who are trying to sell a 914 for $10,000+...with a 4 cylinder!

[mouseroar]

Yeah, I've checked out the 914 club site and even followed up with some 14's posted there...either it was the seemingly killer deal, but meant travelling across country or local cars which turned out to be heaps. I was, however, able to get an idea of general price ranges...thanks for the tip though...

Steve

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The rear trunk not sitting straight could be the sign of a big problem. One of the most popular reasons for this is a broken hinge pivot. Check in the engine compartment where the rear deck lid hinges live. One of them may be broken. If so, it is a bit of an ugly repair to fix it. Lining it up can be a chore, but if you can weld it probably won't be too bad.

I wouldn't pay $4K for it myself. There are enough other cars out there; if you wait you should be able to find a good one that you like.

--DD

[dbeardsl]

About the color... is it the same "awful shade of lima bean green" as
This? Called Ravenna Green (L65K).

Don't be bagging on my color man. There are only 4 or 5 in the state that I know of that are the same color.

I initially was a little hesitant, but it has really grown on me, and now I love it and wouldn't have it any other color.

Now that I have completely gone off subject,
Yes, I think you should buy it, sounds like its in pretty good shape. If you like the car, and can get it smogged, then just get it. Besides even if it does have 8 or 9 horse less than the 1.7, these cars aren't about speed anyway. Right?

Have fun.

-Danny Beardsley

[iustasail]

Do you want a car that is quick and corners well? Or do you just want to cruse around and don't care what pases you? I bought a 71' 1.7 because I thought I was the later, it was quite inexpensive and had very little rust. But the car had no swaybars and a tired engine and I found that I wanted more out of it after I got used to it. With what I spent in time and money adding 1.9L 96mm big bore kit(about 97 HP), having the heads machined(to take the 96mm kit), front sway bar, 205/15 tires, apparance package parts, interior etc... I could have purchased an emaculate 73' 2.0L and still had cash for upgrades. So; just be sure all you want is 76 HP and a more complicated more expensive FI system, then the 75' 1.8 sounds ok. Upgrades on these cars are expensive and take time; so get more performance than you initaly want because in the end you may very well want more than 76 HP!

[This message has been edited by iustasail (edited 02-28-2000).]

[mouseroar]

After waiting a few days and thinking about the car, I'm thinking that I'll wait it out and see if something better comes along. The tweaked trunk gives me reason for concern and there are enough of these in the Bay Area always coming up for sale, I'm thinking I can find a better deal. I have seen alot of 2.0's in the range of $3-4000...just was kind of stuck on this one as it was mechanically sound (rebuilt motor,etc.)

And Danny, didn't mean to dis your color. I do know where you're coming from...in my youth, I had bought a pink and raspberry cal bug with the intention of repainting it...but it just sort of grew on me...

Thanks to all...

Steve

[mejulihn]

Brian,
Do you happen to know the actual difference in weight between a pre-75 car and its later cousins? Obviously the 5-mph bumpers added extra weight plus smog pump, EGR and CAT. Is there anything else that would account for the weight difference?