There's no reason to belittle the 914.
As mentioned, they are fun to drive, and with a bump in hp they can be great fun to drive. Given their age, i am not sure they are much cheaper than a 911.. $8K 914 motors? yikes.. Plus you still need to address suspension and brake upgrades.
They should be enjoyed for what they are and not be bought to "impress" anyone.. because if you need constant validation from others, you have some serious other issues
For those with short memories, when the 911 first appeared, many 356 fanatics derided this softer, heavier, "not a real porsche" because of its 6 cylinder heresy.
Then the 914 came out an no one liked them.. but they sold 120K of them in 6 years.. and they went on to beat up 911s when driven well and certainly when modified.. then no one liked the 944 series cars.. but they sold 120+K of them and they were balanced, and they had features like reliable AC and Heat
.. then no one liked boxsters.. but they've sold close to 200K worldwide... yadda yadda.