27,000 mile original '74 on BaT, This will be interesting Options

[Big Len]

I'm going for it, $71K.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-porsche-914-59/

[Big Len]

Not that my opinion matters much, but do I think this car has 27,000 miles?
Yes, I'm buying it (not literally). Here's my reasoning -

First, I've followed BaT for a long time well before they had auctions, so these are just my oberservations. Many cars with low mileage are east of the Mississippi and north of Interstate 40. They have low mileage because the WEATHER SUCKS. We get maybe 6 months out of the year with lots of rain and cloudy days. In winter, the roads are covered in salt and acid-like brine that dissolves metal, so unlike California and other places, the car stays unused for those months. This applies for all collectable cars, not just our 914s. This car has remained in that zone.

Looking at the car, it's condition is very good. All the carpets look near new, the hardware, the upper heater hoses (Yes, I know wonkipop, you mentioned he ordered new ones, but those part numbers are different than the ones going to the fan), any touchable surface, and the body and floor panels look great. There are some oddities. It looks like the car was partly driven on gravel roads, perhaps a long driveway to the house as the chassis looks dirty and lightly chipped especially around the springs. For whatever reason, the owner didn't bother to clean this area.

I read George's opinion early in the comments section and granted he knows 100X what I know, but I was a little surprised by his negative comments. He called it "a stripper". Well, it may not have fogs and a console and chrome bumpers, but it does have tinted glass and factory F & R sway bars. I wouldn't have called it that. And I don't care about the striping. No harm, no foul.

Listen, I don't think it's worth $70K, but buyers on BaT put a sizable premium on low mileage, colorful cars. They have developed a pretty big audience of potential buyers and it only takes 2 dreamers to run up the price to $60K and above. If this was a 2 liter with all the options, yeah, I'd go north of $82K or so, crazy, but again, it only takes 2. The stoppage in bidding is typical, so I wouldn't go by that. So I'm betting on the bidding and not so much the car's value. But who the hell knows.

[wonkipop]

Not that my opinion matters much, but do I think this car has 27,000 miles?
Yes, I'm buying it (not literally). Here's my reasoning -

First, I've followed BaT for a long time well before they had auctions, so these are just my oberservations. Many cars with low mileage are east of the Mississippi and north of Interstate 40. They have low mileage because the WEATHER SUCKS. We get maybe 6 months out of the year with lots of rain and cloudy days. In winter, the roads are covered in salt and acid-like brine that dissolves metal, so unlike California and other places, the car stays unused for those months. This applies for all collectable cars, not just our 914s. This car has remained in that zone.

Looking at the car, it's condition is very good. All the carpets look near new, the hardware, the upper heater hoses (Yes, I know wonkipop, you mentioned he ordered new ones, but those part numbers are different than the ones going to the fan), any touchable surface, and the body and floor panels look great. There are some oddities. It looks like the car was partly driven on gravel roads, perhaps a long driveway to the house as the chassis looks dirty and lightly chipped especially around the springs. For whatever reason, the owner didn't bother to clean this area.

I read George's opinion early in the comments section and granted he knows 100X what I know, but I was a little surprised by his negative comments. He called it "a stripper". Well, it may not have fogs and a console and chrome bumpers, but it does have tinted glass and factory F & R sway bars. I wouldn't have called it that. And I don't care about the striping. No harm, no foul.

Listen, I don't think it's worth $70K, but buyers on BaT put a sizable premium on low mileage, colorful cars. They have developed a pretty big audience of potential buyers and it only takes 2 dreamers to run up the price to $60K and above. If this was a 2 liter with all the options, yeah, I'd go north of $82K or so, crazy, but again, it only takes 2. The stoppage in bidding is typical, so I wouldn't go by that. So I'm betting on the bidding and not so much the car's value. But who the hell knows.

@Big Len - the seller ordered the heater blower hose splitter from auto atlanta and fitted the second hose. not an original part.

his photos show some images of it in an older previous state. it had only the one hose from the fan as per 1.8s from the factory before he fitted the splitter. the hoses themselves are not original. some kind of aftermarket hose replacement. originals are finely ribbed. most cars you see still with them have suffered splitting on the rib corrugations.

i know a little bit about the fans on the 74s (and i think the 73 1,7s too). only because its not in the PET. another one of those glaring omissions and errors. i chased it all down. the fan with the single hose outlet is from the VW 411/412 variant. a special fan due to engine bay space restrictions. the VW sedans and fastbacks used the twin outlet fan that is on earlier 914s. VW (or is that porsche) did an economy version on our later cars. deleted the splitter on the fan from the variant and gave us only a drivers side connection to the blower. you could order the 412 splitter and extra hose from the dealer and it may have even been fitted as standard in 75, though i have seen examples of 75 1.8s that tend to say they came standard like ours with one hose.

there is nothing there in that blower fan set up the seller has that is unique or original.
its a mod he has done in the last couple of years.





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i agree with you about cars from the NE and the mid west.
i have one.
and yes this blue is one.
i'm not seeing 27K miles on it but. a bit more.
but not 127K - so i am with you on that.

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i am also with you on it not being a stripper.
that was i think harsh of dr 914. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
this one has sway bars and would have had them from new.
just like mine.
it really makes them good to drive.
i get what doc is saying, but i don't mind pole dancers. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

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correct, it only takes 2 to have an auction.

be interesting to see.

i am certainly not adamant about my opinions.
in fact if i lived close enough to that car location and still lived in the states,
i would definitely take a look at it in person.
i would in fact be interested in it.
not because its a 27K m car, but because its probably a 70K m car in good to very good condition. you can still drive one of those and have fun with it.

a real genuine 27K mile car, you would have to put it away and not drive it.
at least at this point in time half a century later. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)