914 for Junior?

[cantdrv55]

I've considered a 944 for him but folks on the 911 board seems to think maintenance costs will kill me. I'm still thinking about a Volvo 240 but whatever I buy for him, I'll drive once in a while also and I just can't see myself in a square tank. My question to you is, would you consider the 914 safe enough for 16 year old? He's only thirteen now, very mellow and studious but things can change. Also, what's the outlook on price for a 914 in three years? I realize this is like looking into a crystal ball but I'm wondering if it's smart to buy a project car now or wait three years and buy a well-sorted out car. I'm afraid the supply of these cars will dwindle thus price will go way up.

[jim912928]

Project cars can be a great bonding experience for dad and son! go for the 914 now!

[mike95125]

I think that a deascent project car would be an awsome idea. You can both work on it, bond, its inexpensive, and if he is allowed to contribute his craftsmenship to the car he will be less likely to get carried away with the cars capabilities later on and wreck it. By the time I have kids I am gonna have to settle for a honda or some contraption like that. You are lucky to be in the time period you are.
Good luck.

[John Rogers]

When our youngest daughter turned 16 (6 years ago), we bought a 914 and she started auto-x's with the SCCA and finally some DE and Time Trials. She won her class (by 13 secs) at the Porsche Parade in 2000 which was pretty good. She also learned how to trouble shoot engine and breakdown problems, change brake pads, bleed brakes, etc. I'd say if he is a "car guy" then get it. A 914 is a geat carrot for keeping grades up! Good luck.

[Biggy72]

I'd say make him get a job at 14 and let him buy what he can afford. I did. Started out with a 69 bug, I didn't even have it until I was 16 though. Too many people are just givin too much now of days. I've always had to earn everything I've had and I think I learned quite a bit about having a work ethic and being proud of what I have in the process. I don't think enough kids are raised like this any more.

[cantdrv55]

Thanks for the advice about making him pay for his own car. Believe me, I considered it because that's how I was raised. I got straight A's until I got a job. Then, having money for gas and girls became my top priority. Soon I was missing school because I couldn't wake up early enough after working the late shift. He's just like me when I was his age so I'm trying to prevent him from making the same mistakes. He'll do chores around the house and for local relatives for his gas money but that's all. Plus, if I buy the car, I have control of it.

Thanks for your advice about buying the car now so that we can bond while working on it together. That's what I had in mind as well. I was just worried about safety and cost of a 914 to purchase now or later when, maybe, demand has outstripped supply.

[R. Boger]

My son Clay will get his licenses in 2 more months We are still trying to get the car ready, (put it back together) Just start the project in plenty of time to finish if you have a dead line. We have both really enjoyed working on the car. I have told Clay that the car remains in my name untill he has a job and can handle the responsibilty of owning a car. Start buying parts along, it will not hurt your or his billfold as bad. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR PROJECT.

[bowlsby]

For more info on the 914 than you ever imagined, come meet us at the 9:14 breakfast on Saturday. Its a fun and active Bay Area group.

Check this thread for details:

http://www.914club.com/bbs2/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=9241&

or

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?threadid=149720

[mikester]

Nobody has answered the safety question...

Thus I will be the stick in the mud. 914's are not by today's standards safe cars. Where as the volvo 240 probably is close. Kids don't need fast cars, they aren't responsible enough by definition (hell, I'm not responsible enough now) adn it just plain isn't wise. That being said, a 914 isn't exactly your run of the mill fast car. With the stock engine that's never been rebuilt however fast it goes it's going to take some time getting there. So in that respect I think a 914's okay. But in a collision I think a '14 would likely be creamed by most of the cars on the road today.

Projects with Dad are great bonding experiences. My Dad and I did fish ing and radio controlled airplanes until I was about 20. We live 3000 miles away from eachother now and talk on average about 5 times a week. So I think it would be a great way to get close to son if he's into cars.

Another good thing about the 14 over the Volvo is that the Volvo has passenger capacity which the 14 doesn't. You're kid won't be the one they all come to for a ride.

[Alfred1]

Originally posted by cantdrv55
Thanks for the advice about making him pay for his own car. Believe me, I considered it because that's how I was raised. I got straight A's until I got a job. Then, having money for gas and girls became my top priority. Soon I was missing school because I couldn't wake up early enough after working the late shift. He's just like me when I was his age so I'm trying to prevent him from making the same mistakes. He'll do chores around the house and for local relatives for his gas money but that's all. Plus, if I buy the car, I have control of it.

I think you're exactly right about this - and my experience was almost identical to yours. I've even read an article (posted on the outside of one of my Prof's doors) where they showed a correlation between highschool students having part-time jobs and poorer grades. IMO, good grades are the most important thing.

[uncwSoccer]

I picked up my 914 when I was 15, a 911 and a mustang at 16, and a 944 a couple years later.

The 914 and 911 are much more enthusiast cars in terms of both ownership and drivability, whereas anyone who can shift reasonably can move a 944 down the road and keep it running with a friendly mechanic.
I insure my 944 for around 400 a year, a joke compared to others, and maintenance is relatively easy on the wallet.

Alot of young drivers are getting 944's and IMO they can be too much car in the wrong hands, the power isn't mindblowing but easily enough to get you in trouble and the high top end speed isn't good for irresponsible drivers.

The 914 really is a "classic" sports car at this point, it requires someone to deal with the lack of AIRBAGS(this is for a teenager right?), A/C, power steering, power mirrors all that jazz and to spend alot of time troubleshooting and doing preventative maintenance.

The three cars you've mentioned are covering alot of spectrums. Does your son want a sports car, a classic car, a low maintenance car, a track car? Modern conveniences, airbags? My suggestion would be a late 80's 944, post 86, 2.7 not the 2.5 with **dual airbags**, non-turbo.

-Dan
Wrecked more nice cars than I currently own.

[tat2dphreak]

go for it... any project car/truck! my dad did that with me... I bought a truck with my money, then he helped me fix it up, get the engine right etc... it was a great learning/bonding experience!!! as far as safety concern... a 914 (stockish engine) would be much slower and easier to control, than say, a chebbie with a 350 in a 30 year old piece of american iron! it will teach a new respect for the size of vehicles(Soccer moms in SUVs) today... if you still want a fun alternative... maybe a BMW 2002?!?!

[lapuwali]

My 2 cents: go for the project, which HE pays for, and you buy him a trip to Skip Barber or Jim Russell for his 16th birthday. Cars are only as safe as their drivers.

This palaver about airbags and relative safety...The 914 would've been creamed by the average car on the road in 1974, too, when the average car was still a Yank Tank with just as much mass and even worse brakes and handling than a current SUV.

After driving cars where I've been mostly looking up at other people's license plates for over 20 years now, I have yet to total a single car (touch wood).

If you really want to teach him about how his personal safety is his responsibility, buy him a motorcycle. They do wonders for reminding you that it's your job to protect yourself from the other drivers, not the job of the thing you're riding/driving.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The 914 has both good and bad points from a safety point of view.

The bad ones are obvious. The car is very small, which makes it hard to see when people are used to looking 10 feet off the ground for the other SUVs and Mac trucks. It is also built of fairly light-weight (and thin-gauge) metal, which is not as strong as your average old Yank Tank. The main things that prevent side intrusions (say, SUV bumpers or even Honda Accord bumpers!!) are the longitudinals, which are below the level of most of those abovementioned intrusions. Get hit from the side and you'll be very unhappy.

The good points: The front trunk, rear trunk, and even the engine bay are crumple zones. I've seen 914s that have taken some terrific wallops in the front or the rear and had the occupants survive with relatively small injuries. And some with not so small injuries. But from those two directions, the 914 actually is pretty decent in a collision. Especially when compared to most 1970-vintage "sports cars".

The 914 also has "active safety". It is small enough and agile enough to get out of the way of impending accidents. But the driver has to be aware of his surroundings and has to know what to do when trying to avoid such accidents, or Bad Things will tend to happen.

So, is a 914 safe enough for a 16 year old? I don't really know. I'm tempted to say "Sure, go for it!" But I'm not a parent...

Buy it now or later? Yes, that's what you should do. If you want a father-and-son type project, get one now and start working on it. It always takes longer and costs more than you think it will. If you're looking to spend less money in the long term, get the best 914 you can right now. Get a friend to drive it every month or so--if you do the driving you may very well get hooked and need to buy another 914 for the son.

If you can't do that, wait until the boy is almost 16 then buy the best 914 you can. Don't be afraid of spending top dollar for a 914--you'll save every penny of that and more from not having to repair everything. That really is the least-expensive way to go.

I feel that 914 values have already hit bottom and are climbing again, albeit slowly. So you'll pay a little more if you wait, but you won't have to maintain the car in the meantime. And you won't get hooked on it as noted above.

Did I mention that these little cars are addictively fun???

--DD

[norustscott]

Average 16 year old male in a 914 on public roads. no no no no no.

[tbil]

It's a personal choice, but with my kid, I have to think about my parential responsibility of providing a safe environment. If he wants to kill himself, after the age of 21, then maybe I didn't do my job instilling the right values but it's his life at that point.

At 16 though, a kid is going to make mistakes on the road, either pushing the limits or not anticipating someone elses mistakes. I want my kid in something with air bags, ABS, modern collision protection including a decent amount of metal.

The father son projects are really important - good luck with your decision.

[cantdrv55]

Good points by all. Yes, father-son projects are great for strengthening relationships but I have to consider that 914s are sports cars. I'm torn but fortunately I have some time to ponder this.

[Rouser]

I agree ... Father-and-Son projects are great, but a 914 isn't the car to go with. When something breaks in a 914, it can sometimes cost ... a lot. Teens like to part with YOUR money, not theirs.

Teens are impatient; 914's require patience. Teens know-it-all; 914's are a learning curve. Teens are fashion and peer driven; 914's are 30-years-old and the fashionable rice cars aren't. Teens wanna boom-boom-boom anna zoom-zoom; 914's ... well ... only sit two.

As far as insurance is concerned, 914's are listed as "Porsche," NOT "VW," and 16-year-olds rip you a new one when it comes to liability rates as it is, let ALONE comp. & collision.

I enjoy my 914, and LOVE Porsches; my 4 grown sons own a '02 MINI Cooper, a '90 Miata, a '93 Celica GT, and a '94 Celica ST. They all started out with the best, HUMBLE, most reliable hand-me-down clunker(s) I could afford (a VW Jetta, a Geo Metro, a Mazda 323, a Subaru GL).

The cars hauled their shoe-leather buddies, took them to their part-time jobs, and helped show their girlfriends (and after college, wives) a nice time with money left over.

Start 'em off small; fewer regrets.

[Acox914]

OMG... i can relate to both! I am currently 17, before i got my teener, i was drivin our family's volvo 240 wagon. that thing is safer than a freakin bank vault! made of real metal! then i got my 914. it was a gift to me for my 16th biurtday from my car guy uncle. i have dumped 3 grand into my car of my own money (summer job as a life guard) the 914 is a great father son bonding tool. some parts are cheap, some arent, but it is all really fun to do. i absolutely love my car, and the people i meet associated with this car!. my car now has 5 lug fuchs, tarett swaybar, m caliper front suspension, and turbo tierods. the hard part about my car is realizing that it wont survive an encounter with a SUV. so- you must drive it safer! lol

[Joe Bob]

I was once mellow and studious....look what happened.....