Well, I too will tell my tale. I got my 1st '74 914 2L at the age of 19 (about 1988), thinking that after the 4 or 5 VW bugs I had had I was moving up in the world. The car was originally yellow, but someone had painted it an ugly brown by the time I got it; it had an A/C unit (didn't work) and was pretty good at attracting the girls. It was my daily driver and lasted at least 1 1/2 years, until the engine blew. I took it to a shop to have it diagnosed, and being a poor student, didn't have the money to fix it (I ended up just giving it to the shop -- what a mistake!)
After helping my father restore his '61 356, and once again finding myself a student again (Law school), I figured, "Why be practical, get another 914." So, in May 2000, I traded my '90 Toyota 4Runner to a shop in exchange for a '70 914 2.6L big-bore that had sat in its lot for the past 10 years (I also got some cash.) The car had only 200 miles on the engine, 911 brakes, racing suspension, steel brake lines, etc. I have since started on the needed bodywork, added 16" Boxster rims, CD 4-speaker stereo system, Dino steering wheel, etc. I am planning on painting it Tangerine again, and am slowly working on re-doing the interior.
This is one fast, fun car to drive! One of the best decisions I’ve made.
Ty Carss, San Diego, CA