value of a 914.....

[bell]

hello, i'm a 911 owner (i always post on the 911 board) and have a 914 question.
a friend at work's mother has a 75' 914 that hasn't been run in a 3-4 years and wants to sell it. i'm thinking of getting it for a small project and letting my father have it off and on for the summer.
i need an idea as to what a fair price for it would be (more fair for me )
it has around 75,000 miles, a very nice interior (looks orig.), and the only rust was in the battery tray which has already been replaced. my coworker tried starting it but it wouldn't fire up. the body is in decent shape with no rust, but does have cracks in the paint (which is yellow with black bumpers/text on doors, it also has a small duckbill spoiler on the rear. i was told it has the 1.7? in it.
other than the obvious surface rust on the brakes there "appears" to be no other problems. i trust the fact that it ran good before it was parked and has been living in a garage.
any help/opinions/thoughts appreciated.

[Paul_Heery]

The value of a 914 can vary widely according to the condition, mileage, lineage, local market conditions and most importantly your desire. It sounds like your friend's car may have some potential. Here is what I look at when looking at a candidate.

First off, the amount of rust on the car is important. There always will be some. It's just how much you are comfortable dealing with. But, be very careful. Some of these cars are past the point of being salvaged.

The next thing that I look at are the numbers. Do they match? This is not necessarily important to all people, but to me it is. I like a candidate that I can sort to near stock condition. If you are just looking for a fun ride, you may not care about this.

There are a lot of other things to consider. But, you get the idea.

To answer your question, if there is nothing really wrong with the car and it approached meeting my criteria, I would put a value on your candidate ranging from $ 3,200 to $ 4,000.

[bell]

when i looked at it there was very little rust underneath and only a few small "rust bubbles" forming under the paint. there were also no oil leaks down low. i'm thinking i'll be able to get it for 1500-2000. other than the ussual small dents the car seems to be very solid. engine wise what happens on the 914's when they aren't runn or moved for that long?
thanks for your help

bell
85'911

[Paul_Heery]

I should have mentioned this before, but you should familiarize yourself with The Pelican Parts Official Guide to Buying a 914 . It will tell you what to look for.

As far as the engine goes, that's a crap shoot. I've seen them start right up after sitting for 5 years after just attaching a new battery. However, that's not something that I would recommend. Plan on at least tearing down the engine, replacing all of the gaskets, changing the oil, cleaning out the gas tank and adjusting the valves. While you're doing that, you should find if you've got any other problems.

$1,500 is a good price for a decent chassis. Throw in a decent engine, transmission and primo interior for another $500 and you've got a sweet deal.

[sammyg2]

i would not spend more than $1000 on it unless you can get it running to make sure the engine and tranny are good. The rust bubbles scare me, too.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

I've seen photos of some really amazing 914s. The amazing part wasn't even that they looked fantastic from a foot or two away--the amazing part was that cars with that much rust didn't fall in half! Rust can sometimes hide very very well. Open up the bottom of the rocker panels (three screws) and poke around with a screwdriver. Don't be too surprised if lots of rust falls out. Ditto the area under the "already been replaced" battery tray.

The brake fluid will need to be replaced, and chances are decent that the whole brake system will need rebuilding or replacement.

If it were truly "practically" rust-free, I personally would value it at around $1500 for my own use. But I live in an area where 914s are not that common, and I really don't want the California smog hassles of the 75.

--DD

[bell]

thanks for the help.......i'm going to see if i can borrow a digital cam to take some pics.

bell
85'911 targa

[campbellcj]

Be sure to tread carefully and check everything out.

RUST = evil.

Also note that "ran well before stored" is a used-car euphemism for "I had no idea how to fix it and/or no money, so I gave up and parked it for X years."

As Dr. Dave mentioned, a car that sat for that long will need special attention to brakes, vacuum and fuel lines, body seals, tires, and so forth. The gas tank and FI might be gunked up too. All easily solvable issues, just time and money.

[jabb]

This will help.....

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/How_to_buy_a_914.htm

1000 - 1500 sounds good....

Good luck watch out for hidden RUST

[DDS]

1.7 would not be the original engine. Check the induction too, was it carbed? If someone went cheap and stuck a carbed 1.7 in a heavy '75 you can bet it is really, really gutless. If it is a relatively unrusty 2.0 you will do well at $1500.

Rust, rubber seals, rust, cond. of exhaust, rust.

Post the case no from the engine, or a pic with the air filter off here to confirm which engine you have.

A quick compression check should will determine whether it is OK enough for Dad's weekend fun without major work.

[Joe Bob]

Read the VIN#s, 475XXXXX is a 75....the third number IDs the year. 74 and 75s came with a 1.8 or a 2.0. If you get an engine # we can tell you what the case came from. The 1.7 was a 70-73 model engine.

If it has a single carb....it's garbage, dual carbs, not as bad, original FI you are in better shape. The stock motors don't get an improvement from adding carbs. The cam profile does not have any overlap and the adding of carbs actually decreases performance.

[bell]

i should have access to a digicam this weekend so i should have pics by monday. the car was originally parked when the clutch cable broke, and not fixed due to a death i think, not certain but don't really want to ask. i've known him for years (although not his mom) and he's the one who broke mom's cable he never got around to fixing it because he's busy like me AND has a fiance.
if anyone here has any questions about car audio/security, or custom fabrication for any fiberglass panels and such, just start a thread then email me to goto it since i'm not in the 914 board alot.
i haven't done alot of 914's but still have a VAST knowledge of audio/fabrication.

bell
85'911 targa

[DDS]

I've got a question bell, and I'll start a new thread, thanks for the offer.

I want to install a good system in my 914, ideally putting a removeable sub under the dash where the console would go if I had one, and speakers in the doors.
Would you recommend this approach, and if so what reasonably priced components would you specify? I would build the sub enclosure myself. TIA.