10/23/2007 So here are the first photos since I got the car home. Everyplace that looks rusted through isn't. It's all surface rust on the outside. I pulled the steering rack cover and got a handfull of fine rust but haven't been able to inside yet. I was suprised that the cover was still there and it had the front and rear seals still attached.
10/24/2007 There's been a drought all summer but now it rains.

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10/21/2007 and I'm finally able to spend some time with the car. It's pretty complete with all of the molding and trim in good condition. The only thing missing is the air cleaner. The seller says it ran a few months ago by pouring gas down the carb. Of course it is fuel injected. The gas tank has bad gas in it so I may luck out and not have to do a rust cleaning. The drip channel around the driver side headlight is rusted away. I find a big rust hole below the master cylinder reservoir that opens into the cabin. The frame under the car looks good so far but I haven't removed the rockers yet. The battery tray is rusted but I haven't been able to get to the frame section below it.

10/20/2007 10:00AM I arrive at the seller's home with my U-Haul Tow Dolly. BTW, U-Haul doesn't list a 1971 914 in their database and they claim my full-sized Bronco won't pull a 911. After convincing them the 914 was really a VW Beetle they were happy.

So I meet the seller and here is the story he tells me. The car was purchased by his brother many years ago for the brother's son (his nephew). The son/nephew took his own life and the car sat in the garage for an undetermined number of years until the seller's brother finally died. The seller was going to fix it up but never got around to it.

Now for the car. It looks like hell. There is suface rust all over the place and the paint has deep cracks and is peeling everywhere. The tires are mismatched but it has chrome spoked wheels that look like they could be cleaned up. The seats and back panel are ripped and cut but all of the other trim is intact. The door pockets are shot and the drivers door glass is off the track. The good news is all the panels are straight and good, the trunk floors are good, and the interior floors are good. The license plate on the back is dated 1980 and the odometer reads 61,000 miles. I get the car home with no incidents.

10/19/2007 11:00PM I'm the only bidder for a 1971 914/4 and I have bid up to the reserve of $900. Buy it now was $1,495. I don't have time to see the car first but I'm committed and win the auction. I've had two 914s before this so I have an idea of what I'm getting myself into but it's still a crapshoot. The ad says 96.99% rust free and the photos of the floors look good. There aren't many pics and the description is kind of vague but here goes.

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