I don't have a 914...yet.... but I voted anyway:D

Tim in Sac

My best friend had one in high school and I bought one a few years later. The one I bought back in 1979 is my one and only 914 and before I turned it into a race car I put +/- 100,000 miles on the thing. I figure over the years I have taken every nut/bolt/screw out of it at least once.

Actually it was a natural progression from Matchbox cars-to-Hot Wheels-to-plastic 1/24 scale models-to-slot cars-to-my last toy, a 914.

the only other thing that feels like driving a Porsche is driving another Porsche.


cg

70 914/4 on jack stands

The cost of my 1st 914 ......................................$900.00
The money needed to get it running..................$500.00
The hours spent learning how "not to do it".......100s


The feeling of accomplishment, excitement, and exhilaration that comes from driving the ultimate in fun...
Priceless

I have owned 5 914s in various states of disrepair. Several of which I sold and later bought back.... I just can't let go. Through it all they have been more consistant (consistantly in need of repair) that many of the people I have met...

Besides what would I do with all my free time and money if I didn't own a 914

No other car I can think of gives me such a full emotional experience. I drove a spiffy new Audio A4 Quattro V6 for a while. One of the few new cars I have owned and certainly the most refined. It worked everyday. You got free service for a year. It was fast. But man was it sterile. Power steering. Power brakes. You just felt disconnected.
But with my current 914 (my third in 17 years and hopefully my last):

The top off elation on a 72 degree spring day.

The despair of sitting in Atlanta traffic on a 99 degree summer day.

The pride when the 20 something at the Starbucks drive-thru asks, "What kind of car is that? It's cool."

The terror everytime I grind it going form first to second.

The bewilderment when the engine putters and dies after just being cranked or when the idle goes from a stable 900 to bouncing around 200 for no good reason.

The blinding rage one gets doing a valve adjustment.

The endless dreams and fantasies about taking my 1.8 to a souped up 2.0. Or a 300 hp Porsche six. What potential my little car has. Brembo Big Reds up front. Some polished 16" Fuchs. The list and fun just goes on and on.

I don't drive it for transportaion...I drive it because it feels like a part of me.

Because the car is very good-looking. It's a work of art. I think the 914s built during the 914-6 years are some of the best looking Porsches ever. Everywhere I go, at stop lights, getting gas, people always ask me about it and tell me how cool it is. I especially like it when the young people like it. It's not all about speed and power to me. I collect cars as works of art. From many angles, and with a nice paint job, the 914 is really stunning. (You have to have that top off though!) I wouldn't invest 100s of hours and lots of bucks into a car I didn't think was worth it. The 914 IS worth it! Mine's a '72 914 1.7. Had for over 12 years now. First saw one parked outside the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. I asked the owner what year it was. Had to wait for him to come out. It was a '72. I knew what my dream car was at that moment. I found it a few years later. Been in love ever since.

I guess there are several reasons:

-It is a form of therapy, but I don't pay the psychiatrist, I pay Tom.

-I like crawling underneath it every week, totally amazed that it still runs.

-I get plenty of laughs going home every night. (or is that laughed at?)

All kidding aside.....I'am the Village Idiot!! I'am a glutton for extreme punishment. Whatever fixes I come up with really helps when someone calls in with a dead 914 question, especially ignition problems. (my specialty)

It is a daily driver and is a barrel of monkeys to drive. Besides, having fun with the Honda crowd is a ton o' fun. Nothing out there handles or responds like it.

Eat Healthy, Eat Rice!:D

Because I like aesthetically challenged mid-engined cars with a reputation for unreliability and spontaneous combustion.

I was threatening to buy a Lotus and my wife started to get nervous and suggested I buy a Porsche instead. I didn't want the engine in the trunk, so I bought a 914. Then another.

Then we had twins and I bought the Lotus anyway.

Oh well.