newbie suffering from google fatigue, considering a purchase and conversion Options

[jkhinch]

Hi,
I've tried hard to do my due diligence before posting a simply clearly newbie question like this - but giving up the ghost.

Here's the deal. I've located a 914 that I think is in decent shape. By decent shape, I mean my wife doesn't think its in decent shape (i/e - its not ready to roll). It only has one rust hole. The interior is stripped out and ready to be painted. It has a 1.8 ready to be carbed. The interior has bee displayed so I can see that its in acceptable shape.
Priced in the neighborhood of $1500.

i've also located a low mileage turn key 97 Subaru 2.2. For in the neighborhood of $500. I thought nearly doubling the hp sounded good.. but I'm suffering from forum fatigue and now can't tell if I'm getting way over my head ..... only to later wish I'd dropped more hp in.

Furthermore, since my M.O. is to get bored of a vehicle after 4 or 5 years, what is the reasonable value for a non-v8 non-stock 914? If I pick this up for roughly $2k, paint thoroughly for $2.5k, add any conversion needs I can't have fabricated myself... do I have a prayer of recuperating the cost or close to it at some point in the future? I clearly do not have the budget for a complete kit.

Thanks! Josh

[McMark]

To expand on my other answer:

Most people have a limited amount of time and money to throw at a project. And every project consumes some of those resources. It's pretty much standard procedure for new 914 owners to make a giant list of modifications/upgrades and jump into all of them at once - starry eyed and dreaming of having 'the baddest 914 ever'.

Avoid the deep end. It collects stalled 914 projects. Figure out the minimum amount of work necessary to get it running safely. Undertake that and get a feel for how big of a project it is. Once it's running, start prioritizing your modifications based on time/money and necessity. Move on to the quick and easy projects that don't take the car off the road. For the bigger projects, make sure you collect as many parts as possible before turning the first wrench. Make sure you have cash saved up to see the project through, including the inevitable surprises and hidden expenses.

It's not a very glamorous answer. But I've done quite a few 914 projects and this is the wisdom of my experience.