Why did you choose the 914 instead of some other car?

This being my first 914 and first car to restore. I've since wondered why I didn't choose a camaro or firebird ... You know, something with HORSEPOWER! I chose the car because the styling appealed to me and it 's a car that sticks out of the crowd. It has personality.

Why did you choose the 914?

[Joe Ricard]

Intended as a joint venture with my 15 yr old son . So far he keeps working on the car and I haven't strangled him. YET
My nieghbor asked me why I would let my boy drive a Porsche as a first car? My repy was " would it be better to let him get a BUG? Sure he said. I then sowed him the 4 wheel disk brakes the so called roll bar. little bitty motor, a few articles of people who survived pretty bad crashes. and the haineious amount of cool points these cars have and well now he is looking at his beat up Maxima in a different light.
P.S. Thanks to Sweater914 I can show him how not to drive his car. Hey buddy spinning 5 grand in that focus around my nieghbors was not cool.

[prattrc]

When I was a young man of 20 (1997), I bought a 1972 1.7 from my girlfriend's stepfather. Tangerine, chrome wheels and bumpers, and dual delortos. It was the first 914 I remember seeing. I fell in love. Then I got married. I was forced (by circumstance) to sell the car. Ever after, I lusted for another. Then I found my 73 2.0 and all was right again. I'm reliving my youth every day.

[rfoulds]

prattrc.
You are not reliving your youth. At age 24, you are experiencing it. You are entering your best years, don't blow it!

At 40, I am hitting mid-life crisis head on with a 914 and loud Bursch exhaust.

I chose the 914 because of its uniqueness, low price, and ease to work on. The feel of driving is what makes the choice for me. the 914 just feels like a fun car to drive.

[norustscott]

Because it is as odd looking as I am...Actually, I am a sucker for the underdog. Aside from the driving experience, the car can't help but attract stares and questions at the local car events...It is just a fun car...for less than 10 grand.

[sweater914]

oops, sorry joe, honestly i kept it at the posted limit, 4 grand in first gear, didn't do anything stupid, my neighbors ***** too, they see me zoom to the posted limit or a little over and think i'm doing 70mph in 500feet, i'm sure your neighbors give the same attention to your 928 at 2 grand

as far as the car, kind of hard to turn down a gift, i must admit though before it was given to me i was enthralled with the car, the shape was different, driving it made me a believer, the sitting position and that big tach did it for me

[campbellcj]

Honestly, it was sheer luck in my case. I was looking for a fun & unique car to drive and play around with a bit whilst restoring my 911 (which took 2 years and an obscene amount of time and money).

I almost bought a 951 (944 turbo) when I stumbled on the 914 and bought one on a whim. I knew next to zero about the teener at that point. I had been planning to tinker a bit and then sell it in 6 months, but you know how that goes. 2 1/2 years so far.

Now here I am..."my name is Chris and I'm an addict"

[DDS]

'cuz the engine is in the middle.

At age 37 I was investigating Lotus Europas and joking about planning a mid-life crisis. The thought of both scared my wife, especially the Lotus. Exasperated, she said "Why don't you just get a Porsche". Not one to miss an opportunity, I did.

Six months into the out-of-control totally fanatical restoration, wie and I conceived twins. Te celebrate I bought the Europa anyway.
Three young kids, two sports cars no garage.

[GregS]

This is a scary thread, as it is so timely. My wife and I have a beautiful '73 911T which, notwithstanding a cold start issue (turned out to be a bad cold start valve), just runs and runs, is a blast to drive, turns heads like all old 911's do, just needs routine maintenance, etc., etc., etc...We also have a '73 914 which suffered an engine compartment fire before we bought it, has a bus 2 liter in it, is apart in pieces on the garage floor, needs every upgrade done to it that I could find in the tech articles, needs new upholstery, carpet, some (relatively, for a 914) minor rust repair work done to it, new paint, yada yada yada...My wife is being medically retired from her job which means that our funny money is going to drop about 30 to 40% after tax. Some of the toys have to go...So why am I selling the 911 to keep a car that will be, probably, months before it even runs again, 2 years in the making before its anywhere near what the 911 already is, never mind what I'd like it (the 914) to be?
When we bought the car, it was sitting in a field with about a half a dozen other 914's - they all ran, of course. Only this one wasn't running. I bought it from a friend of mine, and try as he might to guide me toward one of the working cars, this car kept dragging me back. So, maybe, as I think somebody has said about cats (and earlier, about 914s) you don't choose them, they choose you. Am I, like I think its Jeff - "a sucker for a lost cause?"
Or, maybe like Chris - "My name's Greg, and I'm a caroholic?"
Or maybe, what I want to do with the 914 just seems more achievable than a lot of the stuff I thought about doing with/to the 911. I'm sure it will wind up costing a bunch either way, but to me, there's just something more approachable about the 914. I'm also pretty certain that, in the end, it will outhandle the 911, but we won't say that where too many guys can hear it! No flames, please.
Well, I've got to go to work and won't be back to the board till after midnight MST. Thanks for the opportunity to get all of this out!

I'm feeling better all the time.......

[914]

Guys,
I Was In High School 12th Grade,Had To
Have A Porsche,Bought A 1971 914-4,
Still Have That Car Today 25years Later
I've Owned Many Cars,But Still Have It
My Only Regret That I Wish I Bought
The 914-6 Back Then!!
Alan

[Barber Dave]

I originally bought mine to be different, friends have Muscle cars , nice but all the same. Wife thought it was a ridiculous car for a fat 63 yr. old man to buy, Well then I new I just had to to prove her wrong. $50.00 bet once got in it I Couldn't get out without help. I WON !!!! but I was hooked before that anyway.



+ It was Black , the only color god intended a car to be... Dave

[WOODPIE]

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I liked the 914 when I saw my first one, probably around 1971. It was at a gas station, and I was walking by on my way to buy beer to sneak back into the dorm. I looked inside and was surprised to see how much room there was (no console) and the shape of it was somehow very intriguing. A few years later, out of college, married, and working a night shift while my first wife taught gradeschool, I got a wild hair and stopped at the dealership on my way to buy groceries. I sat down with the salesman and placed an order for an '74 1.8 in Ivory. Didn't even sit in the car on the showroom floor, much less take one for a drive. To my pleasant surprise, the bank OKed the loan, and a week later I drove a new 914 out onto the road. New car smell, completely foreign(to me) shift pattern, no leaks, did I mention the new car smell?
In a few weeks I became familiar enough with the gears and clutch that I was able to chirp the tires in second and third, and that took me back to the dealership with an odd sounding clunk. The motor mounts were covered by warranty, but a year or so later, when the clutch needed replacing, no warranty, and I decided to become a Porsche mechanic.
I lost that car in an accident in '79, and drove mostly forgettable vehicles for almost 20 years. In '97 I picked up my present 914, a '75 2.0 that originally hailed from somewhere on the west coast. It still sports a 'Peninsula Porsche -- Monterey" license plate frame and an oil change sticker on the door frame from a Chevron station in Hawaii. It has seen a lot more country than I ever have....or will.
My present wife (three is it? my, how the years do fly by) also owns a teener, black and gold '73 2.0 with Empi's, and it needs to be de-riced just a little bit.
These are both daily drivers, and both dependable. While it is nice to think, and read, about 2.27 liter engines and 140 lb. springs and Koni shocks and sway bars, I love my cars just the way they are. I simply don't want to drive anything else.

Ed

[Curvie Roadlover]

A friend of mine bought one for his son on his 16th birthday. He let me drive it first and I fell in love. I love the mid-engine, the 2 trunks and the looks I get from people. Here in Michigan they are VERY RARE to say the least. When I'm in my car and someone doesn't stare at it, I know they just don't get it ;-) . I bought it 2 years ago with 123000 miles and the only things I've done to it were get new tires and drop in a CD player (Blaupunkt, of course). It still runs great.

[robby750]

I bought my first 914 in 1976. It was a 73 1.7, black. I was 21 years old. I would hop in that car on friday evenings and take a thousand mile trip on the weekend. I did that numerous times, sometimes with a buddy, and sometimes alone. I loved that car! One night someone stole my CB radio (they were really popular back then) and I made the fatal mistake of filing a claim with my insurance company. They paid the claim and also informed me that they would not renew my policy because it was a "high performance sports car". I couldn't find another company for less than $1000.00 per year so I had to sell it. Ten years later I finally find another 73. This time a 2.0 and its black also. Kept this one till about 1996 when day the left rear tire starts rubbing the body. The suspension console was rusted and falling apart. Took it to Automobile Atlanta after a phone call to the "Doctor" who told me they could repair it for $600.00. Two weeks later they told me it would be more like $6500.00, just to get the body solid. So, I find a 75 at my local repair shop. Car is pretty solid, and it runs fine. A 1.8 all stock, and I buy it for $3500.00. Another trip to Atlanta to pick up my rust bucket and a shopping list in hand for the small items I know I need. I believe all those horror stories about AA. I was very dissappointed with the service and especially the attitude of everyone that I spoke to will in their establishment. Anyway, now I got 2 914's. The 1.8 is a dog, and the 2.0 is tired. So I have the 2.0 pulled out and completely rebuilt and installed in the new car (thanks Stuttgart Motors, Lex. Ky.) That was about the time I discovered the internet and that there are others out there just like me. And I found Pelican parts (a godsend). 914's are very rare in this part of the country. It is not uncommon for me to not see another on the highways for a year or two and I drive alot. To me, that is one of the most satisfying things about driving a 914, it is - Unique.

[scotty914]

well it was long, long ago i was 21 (1993) and in the navy, a guy on my boat gave me a ride from the barracks to the boat

well the first turn at 30 mph did it for me i was hooked, but Burt did not like pushing me to my side of the car

well now i have a black on black 75 1.8 that will never see a real mechanic and i am an electrician, some problems wont be problems

but there is the clogged injectors, rusty tank, ruined afc meter( which i did ), the blowing of lots of oil out the pipe on the way home when i bought it, rusty exchangers, broken door handle, bad seals, grinding second, sagged springs, loose rear window, battery tray just let loose, and some rust

oh this is supposed to be why DID buy one

[Scott S]

Dad had a '71 914-6, bought it from our neighbor who had been transferred out of state in '76. I was in 2nd grade. I'll never forget riding in that car around Orange and Newport. It was the lighter orange color, and to this day no high dollar stereo comes close to the mixture of that 6 cylinder exhaust note combined with "Benny and the Jets" that was coming out of its 8 track player.
Great memories...

He sold it to a business associate in '82 when we moved to Colorado. It was totaled in '83.

[TomInVegas]

Ok, I'm just a little different. I'm building a homebuilt airplane and found the 74 2.0 wrecked at a charity auction and thought I could use the engine for the plane. Well, the car chose me like someone else mentioned. I saw that it ran and I had seen several at a local pickapart and decided to restore it instead of parting it out. Got it for $100.00 but now have $2400+ in it and counting. It's the best handling car I've ever driven! Now I need a new engine and need to fix the standard rust spots but it looks great and is a blast to drive, not to mention the looks I get when I'm on the road.

Tom Kilgore
Las Vegas, NV
Yellow 74 2.0

[Bill Rister]

In the early 70's I would almost drool when I saw a 914.. I just loved the "new" body style. And I even tried on a couple for size. But the income wasn't all that great and I just couldn't see buying a new car.

I have since acquired a couple of Healey's and larger passenger car but still loved the looks of the 914. One day I was visiting a car dealer friend and started across the lot to look at his '36 Chevy project car. Suddenly I spotted a white 914 sitting off to the side from the normal display. "Whoa! Let's look at this one!" He said it was off to the side because it wasn't his, belonged to a friend who'd had it in storage about 10 years and asked him to put it on the lot for sale. The price, I thought, was right... $1500. After getting it home I found I had a car with many faults and much work ahead of me. But I finally had a 914!

That was 3 years ago and much has been done with more to go. I drive the car but not hard. And get lots of admiration from teenagers over this coooool car.

[MJHanna]

Track car of course. Having run 911's and a 930 on driving events and on the track I decided it would be cheaper to have a 914 to run on the track rather than the 930. I. E. missed shift = rebuild the engine etc. (of course by now I'm in the 914 as much a rebuild would have been on the 930.) Ran this car both on the street and on the track for years, finally 3 years ago it went totally on the track only. As it is still stock fenders and has a 1.7 badge on it, it really puzzles a lot of other cars on the track when they get passed. Current project is another track car, almost a tube frame 914 with a 6. You just can't beat them for handling.

[jnp914]

My reasons were all competition oriented. I currently race SCCA, in Improved Touring. I wanted something different from the Sentra I had raced the past four years. In looking through the IT spec book, I noticed the 1.7 and 1.8 914s were legal in ITB. If I used a cutoff date of 1972, I could race the 914 in SCCA, in PCA and in some vintage events, depending on the acceptability to the specific vintage organizations.

Plus, I remember seeing Ginther's orange Porsches race in SCCA races thirty years ago.