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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ what should i do?

Posted by: i love porsche Jan 14 2006, 06:35 PM

so ive been thinking lately,

im a college student, trying to do a full restoration on my 914, also, not having a really steady job is hard too....i love my 924S, and if it was my only car, it would be perfect, but i have the 914 im dying to drive, and i need to throw money at it, while in the meantime i want to AX the 924S, BUT im very afraid of damaging it from driving too hard, because its my daily driver for one, and repairing it (even though i do my own work) will be really expensive...

so ive been toying around with the idea of getting an 89 or so Ford Escort GT, theyre incredibly cheap (good example for less than 1k) and reliable, and fun to drive from what ive heard, so i can still AX it, but with alot less worry.

also, i can probably get close to 4k for my 924S, so that means ill have a couple grand to throw at the 914, which means i can drive it a whole lot sooner

any thoughts?

-Aaron

Posted by: type47 Jan 14 2006, 08:09 PM

you're spread too thin without financial support. this way nothing is done right. put the 914 in your parents garage until school is out and you have a job. then the fun can begin.

Posted by: i love porsche Jan 14 2006, 11:57 PM

but that is really disheartening...ive had the 914 for over 2 years....and all i want to do is get her driving again...i want to have a project car..

Posted by: Aaron Cox Jan 15 2006, 12:32 AM

dude, i so hear you.

btdt. you have a job, just be thrifty i guess....

your sell the 924s is a good idea, to cash in for a reliable, but cheaper car.

Posted by: Seagrave Jan 15 2006, 12:37 AM

Restorations will always, ALWAYS, cost more than you expect (let alone have). Previous advice was correct. If the car is worth doing, put it away for now and save it for when you have more than a student income. As to the 924, keep it. There are less of them in good shape now than there are 914's. Drive it. Don't spend even MORE money buying something else and insuring that too. Likely the 924 won't depreciate and don't let people tell you that it is a POS. That's the same thing they said about 914's 20 years ago. Who's laughing now?

Posted by: Loser_Cruiser Jan 15 2006, 01:53 AM

If you do decide to get an Escort gt may I suggest you try and find a newer one than an 89. The 91-96 escort gt's had the mazda 1.8 litre DOHC engine in them. The 1.8 litre miata's used the same block and essientally the same every thing just a lil different because the motor wasnt mounted transversly. Even though its newer there still pretty reasonable price wise. I got mine for 500 bucks. It has a lot of miles on it but I have had it for about a year and a half and the only thing ive really had to do to it was change a clutch but that was my own fault, just learning to drive stick and i didnt catch on very fast. This is what mine looks like. I think specs say its 2300 pounds and with 130 horse and 130 ft/lbs of tourque its still pretty fun.

Attached image(s)

Posted by: Hybrid_Teener Jan 15 2006, 01:53 AM

just drop out and run weed from the canadian border?

Posted by: Loser_Cruiser Jan 15 2006, 01:54 AM

By the way that picture is from when i first got the car. Im not that fat any more.

Posted by: Hybrid_Teener Jan 15 2006, 01:59 AM

hmm.. if you want a Ford, I'd get the SHO over the GT..

nice Yamaha engine

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nice-Vehicle-Good-daily-driver_W0QQitemZ4603387829QQcategoryZ6238QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Posted by: dlo914 Jan 15 2006, 02:08 AM

what about a cheap import? 87-91 nissan 240sx? 87-91 Toyota Corrolla Coupe? 91 Nissan Sentra SE-R..this little coupe has a lot of potential...but yea only a suggestion if you're into imports

Posted by: Hybrid_Teener Jan 15 2006, 02:37 AM

87-91 240sx is cheap?

Posted by: dlo914 Jan 15 2006, 03:18 AM

QUOTE (Hybrid_Teener @ Jan 15 2006, 12:37 AM)
87-91 240sx is cheap?

you can easily find one for under 1k...here's one on http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/121211447.html for $675 in New Jersey

Posted by: dlo914 Jan 15 2006, 03:19 AM

or this http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/115491726.html for $800 only downside is that it's automatic...

Posted by: jd74914 Jan 15 2006, 10:46 AM

QUOTE (dlo914 @ Jan 15 2006, 03:08 AM)
what about a cheap import? 87-91 nissan 240sx? 87-91 Toyota Corrolla Coupe? 91 Nissan Sentra SE-R..this little coupe has a lot of potential...but yea only a suggestion if you're into imports

I don't care for imports, but I do think that the early 90's Sentras are pretty doog. Cheap and lots of them are 5speed. A girl I know has a very early SE-R and the car just won't die.

Also for Jap cars I would look at a late 80s/early 90s CRX, they seem bulletproof and cheap.

Besides their size the SHO Taurus's are nice. They seem to be really fast. My calc techer just sold his and he said that he had it up to 140 and it still had more left. Just get the 5speed version, I remember him saying something bad about the autos.

Posted by: jhadler Jan 15 2006, 11:13 AM

Previous comments are spot on. Restorations are NEVER cheap. If you have time, tools and skills (welding, painting, etc.), then it's not -as- expensive, but it's still costly. If you have to pay someone to do any of the work, add another zero to the price tag.

As for the cars? Keep the 914 in storage till you can do it right would be first go. The 924? If it's really a 924S, does it have the M030 suspension? If so, that would be a killer autox car. And as for autox damaging the car? It's less wear on the car than driving to and from work or school. Maybe brake pads and tires... Granted, the 924S is not the cheapest car in the world to maintain, but it is a nice model to have. If you are determined to sell it, and get an econo hatch. Get an '89 Civic Si. They make excellent autox cars, are dirt cheap to maintain, have great cargo capability, and there are a host of great aftermarket suppliers out there for them.

Still, my suggestion would be this: Keep both P-cars, store the 914 for a later day, and enjoy the 924! If you sell either of them, you may later want one again, and they're only getting older...

-Josh2

Posted by: i love porsche Jan 15 2006, 11:50 AM

there is a war going on inside my head right now....

i know what you all are saying about keeping the 924S, it is a great car, and i dont see it depreciating any time soon, but...its just expensive, any time i want to do some work on the car, its going to cost me at least 100 bucks, and i am doing it all myself...

i am definetly taking my time with the 914 restoration and trying to do everything the right way, but its soooo stressful, wanting to drive it...and with an extra couple grand...it will come much sooner, i say it all the time, money is the thing that is holding me back in the restoration...

as for a replacement car...im kind of set on an escort GT, for a couple reasons, 1- i REALLY like the looks of it, i know, its weird, but it has that rally car look...which is just awesome to me, 2- they are dirt cheap because there really isnt a demand for them, 3- ive heard mostly great things about their reliability and handling and such..its not a lotus, but its still fun...and i wouldnt be so worried about it, as i am about the 924S...

so ive come to this conclusion....im going to keep my eyes open for a car, but it has to be the right one, good price, low miles, nice condition, not abused (i know they are out there, there were 2 on ebay a while ago with 50k miles) so if the car comes along and its right, then ill get it and the tradeoff will happen, if the car never shows up, then ill stick with the 924S, which i do enjoy oh so much...so fate will decide...

Posted by: Loser_Cruiser Jan 16 2006, 12:49 AM

Hey if you do go the escort route and want a site kinda like this check FEOA.net (Ford Escort Owners of America) lots of good information and its broken up into the different model generations. Good luck with what ever you do.

Posted by: i love porsche Jan 16 2006, 11:12 AM

perfect! thanks so much for that site, ive spent the last 4 days lookin for an american escort club....cause all i could find are european ones...