914 vs 911, No, not a race Options

[scrz914]

Ok, I know some of you drive/have 914s and 911s. As this is a 914 forum everyone, I'm sure, has a strong opinion about their 914s. I'd like to hear some. What are the advantages of the 914 over the 911. Why did you choose a 914? $$$?, the people?
I know that people tend to dog the 914. Since I bought my first 914 in October I have growing respect for it. But now I have a chance to get a 911 for a good price, but I still day dream about my 914. Hmm...maybe I should keep both...naw, too expensive.
Seriously, I'd like to hear what people think of 911s compared to the 914.

[fiid]

This is my opinion and should be treated as such. Read all of it before you rant.

I have never really liked Porsches that much. IMHO the 911 is rather a daft design for a sports car. It does make the car a little more practical by making it viable to have a rear seat, and does make the car different from the Front Engine Rear Drive (FERD) pack (Spitfires, Miatas, Z3s, MGs etc). I was looking to something to ease the pain of not being able to get an Elise when I ran into the 914. I quickly realised that the 914 is a seriously good car, and started dreaming about 914s with WRX motors.

Anyways - through owning the 914 I have met a lot of 911 owners and got the opportunity to ride shotgun in a totally prepped 911 on Leguna Seca Raceway. I have grown a new respect for the 911 since it really has sprouted a lot of engine tech over the years, especially managing to remain air cooled for as long as it did whilst putting out lots of power relative to the rest of the field It's a significant achievement that such aweful weight balance can be overcome to yield such fantastic racing results. Having said that, I think if people did the same amount of prep into a 914, things would get seriously fast.

As I see it the 911 captured the mass imagination, and the 914 didn't.

The 914 is betamax, which btw, had fully digital sound, and was technically far superior.
The 911 is VHS. The design was not as good, but it has won the war through mass acceptance, and then sorted the problems out later.

I think this is best illustrated by attending an autocross, where a stock 1.7 914 can keep up with some of the newer and far more expensive 911s.