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

[Bruce Hinds]

I started with a rust bucket and had big plans . . . I was grinding and cutting and it became quickly apparent that the goal of a running car was not in the immediate future. I had purchase the conversion kit and a guy was putting the V8 together for me when I found a nice running clean looking 1.8 car. My wife bless her heart talked me into the running car.

I sold the heap, and drove the 1.8 as I put in the cooling system and made some necessary changes. The engine swap was done over the course of a few days. Over the next year I added other stuff like suspension and brakes. All of them are not big project if you do them one at a time on a running car.