[stevedee]

My first post, and no doubt will get me in trouble with some 914 purists.

I'm from San Diego and am looking to get a 914. I've had a couple before, but sold all when I moved from Iowa to San Diego. Now I want another one.

So I drive up to LA and check up on two that are for sale, a 75 2.0 and a 76 2.0. The 75 ran excellent, but the paint job was nasty and lots of dings. The 76 had better paint, but seemed to hesitate over 4K and the interior was awful. By tomorrow, they'll both be on ebay.

Disappointed, I drive back to San Diego to look at a "custom" 74 914 advertised in the local paper. The car is beautiful, the paint is near perfect and just a tiny bit of rust where the battery tray used to be. The area behind the seats (pillars??) that used to hold the back of the top is gone; in its place is a ragtop. There are air ducts behind the doors in the rear panels. The engine, a 2.0, seems easier to get to.

It's called a Speedster and I've never heard of them. And it's absolutely gorgeous! But the 914 purist in me says this should not be. But I want it!

Any thoughts?

Torn in San Diego.