New to the boards, deciding between 912 and 914... Options

[Turbo74]

Hey everyone!! I am in the market for either a 912 or a 914 and would like some input.. The only experience i've ever had with a 914 was a '73 ITB race car that i only owned about 6 months but i loved the car.. As for the 912's, they seem like alot of fun too but from what i'm gathering the maintenance on them are nightmares. How are the 914's maintenance wise?? Do they make decent runabout daily drivers? I already have an early 1974 911 Carrera with a turbo stuffed in it so i'm not looking to go fast.. Just want a fun little porsche that gets good mileage. Any help would be appreciated, I just dont know which way to go! Thanks! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/aktion035.gif)

[lapuwali]

$4K for a drivable 912 is a great price. Make sure it still has a 616 engine in it (the Bug engine looks quite similar, but makes a LOT less power). The engine type number is on the top of the case, just forward of the crank pulley, and should be 616/xx. Lots of people throw a Type I in the car, and while a big Type I could probably make about as much power as a stock 912 engine, probably more, if you decide to resell it, the price will be a lot lower, and big Type Is have fairly short lifespans. A complete rebuild of a 616 costs about $7-8K, hence the common nature of a Type I swap. A Type 4 swap is also done from time to time into the 616 engined cars, and you can easily get better than stock power and better than stock longevity, but it still hits resale pretty hard.

Parts availability is actually very good even for the earliest SWB cars. The balljoints are a totally different design from the later cars, are hard to get, and quite expensive ($300 EACH). However, they last for 30+ years, so you won't replace them twice. A complete later 911 front end will also just bolt on, so you can get better brakes and the cheaper balljoints. Weather seals, trim, etc. are all readily available.

Another difference between the early cars and the later 911s are a near complete lack of creature comforts. There are no heater blowers in the swb cars, only the engine cooling fan. If complete, the heater actually works very well, but it's pretty bad at demisting the windscreen while idling on a cold morning. Expect the headlights to be quite dim on low beam.