To Buy or Not to Buy?, 914 found Options

[Spider]

Hi All:

Been looking for a car to drive daily that get some mpgs. Found a nice RX-7 and a 944, then remembered a friend of mine has had a 914 for 20 years, garage kept the whole time. He takes it annually to a mechanic to see if it needs anything. Right now, won't start and they think it needs starter.

It is for sale. He asked me to "make offer". I don't know anything about these cars except for what I read here, so looking for a little help.

1972. Think it's original motor and F.I.. Said to run well, and I believe what they are telling me, but I would be buying it "as is" without hearing it run or driving it. They drove it about a tank of fuel's worth every summer for the last several years.

Obvious Problems:
Surface rust on back truck floor (think I could Por-15 it)
Rust bubbles on body, including under both door handles
The rear trunk hinge mounting tab is broken at the body. (Needs welded?)
Missing rubber pieces over bumpers (are there any decent used ones?)
Missing side marker lights
Repainted. Original color was orange. Repaint is lousy
Top of roof not smooth. (This bad paint or maybe a repro roof?)
Seats re-done in red velour (yuk!)
Needs starter or ?
Car shows 85k miles but ODO has been broken for 20 years.

Basically a 40 year old car that's never been restored.
What do you think it's worth?
These things sure look fun!
Thanks!

[Rand]

The most important factor is how bad the rust is under the battery tray, down the frame rail toward the firewall, along the rear corner of the floor on passenger side, around the suspension console, etc. You'll hear it called "the hell hole." That one area will determine the car's value more than the other items you listed combined.

[malcolm2]

The standard roof was not painted. It looks like fiberglass. Rough, pebbly surface and they were flat black. I guess it was the 912 that had a roof that matched the car, but it did not come off.

Clark

[Mike Bellis]

Rust will be much worse than it looks. $1500

[pt_700]

while they do get good mpg's, not many would consider them daily drivers. that said, if you're comfortable depending on a 40 year old car for such duties, we bow down before you!

bumper tops can be found at local wrecking yards from time to time and i'm sure there will be some for sale in the classifieds here too. not really urgent, more cosmetic though. those in great condition can be quite expensive.

tops originally had the textured finish. sounds like the one you're looking at was just painted over.

all in all, not a bad sounding car (check for the rust issues rand mentioned). if you're mechanically inclined or can pay somebody to fix all the little things that need attention on an old car, go for it!

if there's not too much rust, see if they'll take a grand? someone else here recently got a decent one for $750! i recall paying $1000 for my '71 1.7 w/ very little rust (ca car) about 15 years ago. if it were running w/ little to no rust, it might be worth $2000-3000 or more.

[rnellums]

That car could definitely be a DD, but you will need to go through every bit of it to do so. I wouldn't buy it without inspecting it with a magnifying glass for rust. These have been known to rust in half from time to time...

[ripper911]

not many would consider them daily drivers.

Some of us do. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif)

I say, go buy a starter and slap it in there, takes about 3 minutes. Watch it run and look over everything, then buy it if it checks out.

Then drive the hell out of it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[rjames]

What are you looking for in a car? If it's just better MPGs, you could do better than a 914. If you're looking for a super-dependable daily driver then this car probably isn't it. If MPGs and dependability were your only criteria I'd say go get a used honda or toyota.

A 914 can be a daily driver, but I don't know that I would recommend making it one if you've never owned one before. A 38 year old car will require work. That's why this one has been sitting in the garage.

It takes time to work on cars, or money to pay someone else to do it.


And yes, these cars are fun which is why you'll probably buy it. Good luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Spider]

Thanks for all the advice.

I did offer a grand last night, and they were thinking $2k. I have to push the car out to get a better look at rust, but honestly, I am not looking to do a concours resto, but to have a fun driver.

I do work on all my own junk (mostly) and am not afraid of keeping it running. It appears to be pretty simple and easy to work on if I can figure out how to get to the dang engine.

My commute is a no-traffic, ten-minute drive at 75 mph or a back road with even less traffic that takes 15 minutes. The plan was 4 studded tires and lots of drifting. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Such a cool car. Still blown away that it is FI, 4-wheel disks, and a five-speed in 1972! Makes my 70 Challenger seem archaic.

[tod914]

Not to discourage you on the 914, but the RX7 (depending on what year), might be a better choice since it's in nice shape. What's the scoup on that one?

[SirAndy]

Still blown away that it is FI, 4-wheel disks, and a five-speed in 1972!

Porsche 914: Blowing you away since 1969! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)


If you like drifting on dirt, check this out:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=1541689


Oh, and (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[Spider]

If MPGs and dependability were your only criteria I'd say go get a used honda or toyota.

Nope - My motto is, life is too short to drive boring cars.

[Spider]

Not to discourage you on the 914, but the RX7 (depending on what year), might be a better choice since it's in nice shape. What's the scoup on that one?

VERY nice car. '87 with only 50k original for $3k. Still leaning heavily toward that one, but it is 4 hours away.

It looks like Mazda ripped off the 944 design with that generation of RX. That's what got me thinking Porsche in the first place.

[Elliot Cannon]

If you have some mechanical/welding skills, and aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, buy the 914. Offer $1500 less what it might cost to get it started. The car is a blast to drive and despite what some might say it CAN be made into a reliable daily driver. It just won't be right away. (See first sentence of this post) It might take a bit of work. If you haven't guessed by now RUST is the major issue. When I bought my first 914 I had a welder spend 6 hours cutting out and replacing rusted metal. Try to find someone near you that knows a little about the car and can help you with a pre-purchase inspection. Good luck. If you decide to buy the car there is a huge amount of advice and expertise on this web sight.
Cheers, Elliot

[Cairo94507]

I would say, with what you have described, if you put a starter in and it runs, $1,500 would be the price. If the starter is not the problem, $1,000. Good luck.

[SUNAB914]

offer $500.00 for it, you will make your money back either way.

[carr914]

The OP already offered $1,000 and didn't get the car!

Try $1200 - 1500

[jsayre914]

My car is also a daily driver 120+ miles each day.

I say GO FOR IT !!!

The car will repay you with great handling, cool friends, and people that just cant help but say " nice car"

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving-girl.gif)

[PanelBilly]

Nice car


Hey I must be one of those people.

[PancakePorsche]

I daily drive my 1976 to and from work 110 miles a day and average 30 MPG. Still passes California smog. Don't count it out !