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,

[dlkawashima]

No disrespect intended to the other great shops, but you don't have to travel hundreds of miles to find a good shop to do a PPI. I can think of three off the top of my head in Santa Clara Valley that I can recommend without hesitation:

Ken's Sportech in Campbell
RMG Enterprises in Sunnyvale
Heyer Performance in Mountain View

I went through the same thing as you two years ago and I was fortunate to find a beauty only 10 milles away. The Bay Area has a lot of nice 914s. You *should* be able to find one locally ..... the benefit being that you can see it in person and test drive it. I believe your price point is spot on.

One thing I would seriously question is leaving the car outside. I know we have great weather here in the Bay Area, but leaving a 40 year old car out in the elements 365 days a year is asking for trouble. Keep in mind that insurance companies like Hagerty require that you garage the car in order for them to provide coverage. If you do keep it outside, a waterproof car cover, at minimum is essential.

[TerrySmith]

No disrespect intended to the other great shops, but you don't have to travel hundreds of miles to find a good shop to do a PPI. I can think of three off the top of my head in Santa Clara Valley that I can recommend without hesitation:

Ken's Sportech in Campbell
RMG Enterprises in Sunnyvale
Heyer Performance in Mountain View

I went through the same thing as you two years ago and I was fortunate to find a beauty only 10 milles away. The Bay Area has a lot of nice 914s. You *should* be able to find one locally ..... the benefit being that you can see it in person and test drive it. I believe your price point is spot on.

One thing I would seriously question is leaving the car outside. I know we have great weather here in the Bay Area, but leaving a 40 year old car out in the elements 365 days a year is asking for trouble. Keep in mind that insurance companies like Hagerty require that you garage the car in order for them to provide coverage. If you do keep it outside, a waterproof car cover, at minimum is essential.

Thanks, those look exactly like the shop references I was looking for. Sonoma is a little to far from Sunnyvale to be practical.