NEWBIE: 1973 2.0 value question

[green95ss]

Hi All,

In an impulsive move, I bought a 1973 2.0. It is in excellent mechanical and structural condition, but the body needs minor work and new paint. The front hood needs to be realigned and the rear quarters are a bit wavy. I have receipts (engine rebuild alone was $5100 plus: new injectors, dash, clutch, adj. koni's, sway bars, torsion bars, new SS heat exchangers, yada, yada, yada). I also have service records on the car dating back to 1983. Right now, the brakes will need to be bled and the engine leaves a drop of oil on the ground after it has been running (which I don't consider a major issue). The interior is in fabulous shape, it runs great, and everything works. It passes the "big butt" test mentioned in the tech articles.

I am in need of space and money so I have to sell her. My question is: should I have the car painted (and some bodywork) and then sell it, or should I sell it right now as is? I would need to get very close to $3000 as-is to not completely take a bath on the car. If it was painted, how much would a car like this go for? I would keep it if it had more than 2 seats so I could ride around with my daughter, but alas it is not a 911...

I know that 914's on the East Coast that have no structural rust are more sought after than other locations, but what is this car worth? I also know that 1973 2.0's are considered good 914's to buy. What are your suggestions? Am I insane to ask for $3000 for this car as is? $5500 painted?

Thanks in advance,

Guhan

[GWN7]

Why spend $1 to get $0.50 back...list it as is and save yourself the headache of getting it painted

[blitzer]

How is the rust? I could give you 3k for it.

[green95ss]

It looks like the battery tray was replaced at some point in its life, and the jack points were also replaced (according to the PO). Overall, there doesn't seem to be any structural rust at all! The car spent its entire life in Colorado, where the air is VERY dry and they don't use salt on the roads.

The trunk has some small bubbles (<1 cm diameter, qty: 4) near the top of the lock. I also have extra springs, sway bar, oil cooler, ski-rack (yeah, I know), another Fuch wheel for a spare, owner's manual, VDO clock, and some other odds and ends.

The car looks better underneath than on top! The tranmission shifts nice and smooth. It has some sort of racing muffler that looks like a glasspack--it's loud as hell when you get on it.Let me know if you are still interested. It also has an MP3 player (kinda weird to see something so new looking inside) and the door panels have 6.5" Sony speakers (yep, I know).

Thanks,

Guhan

[anthony]

Depending on the interior I don't think you'll have a hard time getting $3K. I'd list it for $4K and see if anyone bites.

[Root_Werks]

Yeah, I would start at $4k and see what happens. Looks pretty decent in the picture.

[SGB]

Agrred. Start at $4k with a little negotiating room. I think you might get $3500 easy if the points you make can be substantiated by PPI. With new paint, $5k is pretty much typical for a car in 92.5% good shape.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Traditionally, you cannot make back any money you put into a 914 "fixing it up". There have been exceptions, but they seem to be somewhat rare. If you've found a good car, chances are pretty decent that you'll make more profit by selling it as-is rather than repainting it. Unless you can do all the painting and prep and disassembly and reassembly yourself, that is. In which case you can make some money--but the hourly rate will likely be really low.

--DD

[SGB]

Dave knows alot about the market for these cars. Thinking it through, my last (BAAAAAD) paintjob was $950. I would have prefered it not be applied at all, too, since there is pretty much crap imbeddded in the paint. The actual finish is good enough that a repaint isn't justified, but I should have prepped the car myself. So with the effort to sand/ fill/ prime/ sand and the cost of the paint job, its prolly a poor investment.