914 on Ebay - Opinions / Advice

[Stophos]

This 914 has been calling me but I am really not sure what its worth or if the choosen component are the ones to use.
Take a look here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___914-PORSCHE-VINTAGE-ROAD-RACE-UNASSEMBLED_W0QQitemZ230331314731QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q 20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Truck s?hash=item230331314731&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=65%3A7%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318.

What do you think of the included components, engine etc. and what do you think it is worth as is and when assembled?

Thanks - Chris

[herman maire]

I think for $10K I would keep a eye out for a clean 914 with a 6 cylinder coversion.... I am not a big fan of the 4cylinder motor... just the sound bothers me

It looks like a nice clean car though.

[Lavanaut]

Looks like a pretty nice platform with some quality parts, but building that engine isn't going to be cheap, make sure you budget for what that (plus everything else required to finish the car). My guess is that the seller has started to gain an understanding of just how much that may be and that's why he's looking for a way out. Happens a lot.

You're not going to get into a decent 6 conversion for 10k either though. If you have already figured in the cost of finishing the eBay car and can live with it, it might be worth considering if only for the fact that the flare work alone costs an arm and a leg to have done, and many of the cars out there will have glass flares instead of steel ones. Then add in paint...and you start to see the value.

Might even be worth buying the car and selling off the engine and using it as a platform for the six of your choice...probably the best of both worlds.

[Matt Monson]

His "buy it now" is a bit high. That's about what the car would be worth finished with all of those parts installed. As is usually the case with these old Porsches the cost to put one together exceeds it's value by a good 20-30%.

I personally wouldn't pay more than $7000 for that car, and even then I would need to be local and able to go over it with a fine tooth comb and look through all the boxes of parts that are included with it. Welded steel flares are great, but if they weren't installed right, that paint that looks great today may be cracking on you a year after you get it on the road. There's lots of little things like that I would want to see in person to assess.

Based on your location and the location of the car, this may be an option. I suggest pursuing that and seeing what a firsthand glance lets you know about the car.

[infraredcalvin]

+ 1 above

Part of what gets you a least half of what you spend is a car that is well put together with a proven setup and some wins to show for it. This guy is a long way from fat performance so who knows who did the machine and if it's any good. You're going to spend more $$ just checking the work he had done. I also think 200 hp is a little unrealistic for the parts he has unless he's building a high rev 10 - 20 hour engine, and this is not a "home build" project if that is your hp expectation.

agree with above, set your limit at $7K and see what happens.

[ISpeed2day]

Just do whatever you want.

Other peoples opinions are just other peoples opinions.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

So it has an un-assembled E-prod motor, but isn't anywhere near what an EP car should be. Figure 200 HP is well on the optimistic side of an EP 1.8 (unless it's your "Runoffs motor", maybe!) with almost no fan. This obviously does not have the "sewer pipe" cooling system, so it needs a real fan on the motor for it to live. Add in the steel body, and it's probably 300+ lbs overweight for an EP car.

If it were finished it could be a fun car--but one without a real place to run that I know of.


Then again, that's just going off of the description, without inspecting the car myself, or really understanding all of what is offered and its intent.

--DD