Should I get a 914?, Advice on buying and owning a 914 Options

[TerrySmith]

So, I just joined 914-World because I've been thinking lately I would like to get a 914. OK, so I've wanted one since about 1980 but never got around to it. Am I too late?

I have almost no mechanical skills and no facility to do much work on the car myself. I would want to use the 914 as a weekend toy and maybe a DD so it needs to be nice looking and everything should work correctly and well. I have no garage space for it so it needs to not leak rain. I don't want oil stains on the driveway, etc. I do prefer close to original (not a perfectionist) and not majorly modified or race prepped. No V8s, Subaru motors or flared rear fenders, etc. No speaker holes in the doors. Prefer pre-1974 for the Chrome bumper look.

Would like to keep the whole thing (original cost plus restoration costs) below $20K - lower the better of course. That probably means no 914/6. Preference would be for one already restored.

So, bad idea, good idea, fun, doable or PITA mistake?

Also, can anyone recommend someone (a shop) who can do PPI, restoration and maintenance work in Silicon Valley who really know 914.

Thanks,

[Tom_T]

IMHO in CA I'd suggest staying away from the 76 MY, since they're not smog exempt - & the law to push the exemption to 81 MY was recently "killed in committee" by our illustrious state legislature & the greenies, so that smog check requirement won't change any time soon. On even the best car, something is bound to fail in the smog system at some point on a +/- 40 year old car.

So the 76 link above is not a good choice - even if a great color & aside from some other issues which I spotted on it.

Instead, look in our classifieds here, as there was a number of very nice 70-75 MY 914s - one seemingly very nice original survivor 73 914-2.0 Marathon Blue metallic over black interior with dealer AC option south of Sacto which might fit your needs, & they may negotiate into your <$20k range. The 73-74 914-2.0 is my & many's sweet spot, but the early 1.7s & even the 1.8 are fun to drive.

Your $20k or less budget & flexibility in car condition & details seem very reasonable, as you can certainly find a very nice DD level 73-73 914-2.0 in the teens $'s & the rest should be less (top concours level show cars are sometimes north of $20k).

However, do get an expert to do a PPI for you on any 914/classic car, & spend the money for a reputable shop to do a full check-out.

Luckily in the major CA cities, you can find independents who are expert on 914s & classic aircooled P-cars. Original Customs (McMark on here) in Napa & Rich Bontempi's HPH in the Bay Area are 2 top choices (both mentioned in posts above), and there are some other choices too. Hopefully some other Bay Area folks will chime in with others.

Although many on here do use their 914s as DD - which is a testament to their build quality & durability, due to the scarcity & cost of some parts - remember that we're talking about a +/- 40 year old car now. To put that in perspective, in the 1960's when I got into cars in high school, we thought of the then 30-40 year old Ford Model A's & T's, Woodies, etc. as REALLY OLD junkers to buy cheap!

I'd think of a 914 as more of a 3rd car or back-up DD, since you don't have the advantage of doing much of the work yourself. If you can't garage it, then adding a carport as noted above is a good choice - whether the metal or stick-built flavor is your next best choice, but moving the newer car to the driveway & giving the 914 the garage slot is a better choice, given that the older cars don't have hot dipped rust proofing bodies, like the newer cars do. My 85 BMW 325e & 88 VW Westy sit outside, while my 914 & event the 914 parts shell get the 2 garage slots!

Also consider not spending as much on a 914 for a "Super Cherry" car, if it's just going to sit outside in the elements.

I've found Covercraft's top of the line WeatherTech (?name?) storm-proof top of the line cover great on my 2 cars sitting outside, even if we don't have snow out here. Your Bay Area weather now & last week is a good indication that you'll have heavy weather to deal with, in a car which is notoriously susceptible to the "tin-worm" - even in dryer southwest climates.

In addition to looking at the classifieds on here, also check 914club.com, ClubNARP.com, Pelican's boards, Panorama's (PCA) & Excellence magazine's classifieds, Craig's Lists, & eBay's & LemonFree's with a daily email notice of your search. Here & 914club also have email notification of CL ads, the latter covering 100% of the US, but I'm not sure if here is also 100%.

Good pricing/value resources are Excellence & Hemmings' magazines, & Hagerty insurance's & NADA's Classic Cars online pricing guides. Here are some links to get you started...

http://www.excellence-mag.com/resources/bu...guide/856880138

http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/197...arga-2-0/Values

http://www.hagerty.com/valuationtools/HVT/...eport?vc=879762

You'll find opinions & perspectives on here & similar 914 websites as diverse & varying as asking a group of 10 lawyers for AN opinion - and getting 100+ opinions! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
So take in what of mine & others fit your needs & mindset.

There are many good knowledgeable members on here up in your area, so I'd suggest getting together with some of them to pick their brains.

It's about time for those guys to set up another 914er's Breakfast or something.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

Happy Hunting! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[TerrySmith]

IMHO . . .

. . .You'll find opinions & perspectives on here & similar 914 websites as diverse & varying as asking a group of 10 lawyers for AN opinion - and getting 100+ opinions! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
So take in what of mine & others fit your needs & mindset.

There are many good knowledgeable members on here up in your area, so I'd suggest getting together with some of them to pick their brains.

It's about time for those guys to set up another 914er's Breakfast or something.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

Happy Hunting! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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Tom,
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I much appreciate the advice.

I have only one garage space. It would never occur to me to put the $75K Cayman outside to make room from the $20K car but you made a pretty good case for doing just that.

I think I need to find a nearby garage to rent. A self-storage place around here quoted $400 / month for one car. Too much. Maybe a private garage would be doable.

I have and will continue to investigate the links you provided.

A 914's breakfast sounds good to me.

Thanks!