Neighbor has a '70 Options

[Nogoodwithusernames]

So the other day an older gentleman neighbor at our new place stopped by and said he'd seen the 914 out front and proceeds to start a question with:

"Would you be interested in..."
My brain immediately assumed he was going to ask if it was for sale, but he followed that up with:
"acquiring another one? I've got a 1970 with a 2.0liter VW motor."

To which I said: "Maybe! The wife probably wouldn't be very happy with me but we just won't tell her."

I have not looked at it yet, I want to stop by this week sometime after work and get eyes on it.
Obviously the '70 make didn't come in 2.0 standard but no reason it hasn't been hot-rodded into a 2.0 at some point.
I am not sure if there are any special issues to look out for on the early models? I've got the '74 2.0 already and am aware of the hell hole check, sagging longs, and such. Will check for wiring hack jobs and just general condition of things.

I wasn't planning on getting another car right after moving, and just getting started with a fairly major remodel, but we will see... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

[Nogoodwithusernames]

Well I stopped by and had a quick look at the car, it's better than I expected but worse than I hoped (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

It is semi taken apart currently, with the interior out and various trim off etc.

The motor is indeed a "VW" -4 motor with Webers (no idea on actual displacement other than he says it's a 2 liter), the old local VW mechanic built the motor and he always did good work for me until he passed a few years back. Would likely just need a refresh with some new seals and new valve springs etc.

Longs looked really good from what I could tell, the covers were already off and I didn't see any rust areas in structural parts, just some very slight surface rust around a few of the welds on the longs where paint had flaked a bit. Would rub off with my finger.

The bigger concerns are rust elsewhere, the paint has some bubbling in various areas. Top of the front fenders near the windshield and around some of those similar spots around the car. And the low spots in the floors underneath the seats have some rust holes.

Everything looks pretty stock and not hacked up and mangled by any PO's.


Now the question is price, he didn't really have anything in mind and my perception is a bit warped having my '74 nearly given to me at $3k running and driving.
Obviously it's going to need a lot of work and a lot of parts to get it back on the road, but it's lived under a carport for a long while and doesn't seem to be a cancerous patient that needs extensive surgery.

Does offering $1200 to start with seem fair or is that a lowball offer? Facebook and Craigslist are anywhere from $1k - $28k. I asked what he was looking to get for it and he didn't have an answer so I told him I would do some research and come back with an offer.