914 values dropping?, (or is it just me...) Options

[gfulcher]

Hey all.. it's been a long while since my last post - Since I'm thinkin' of selling my '72 914/4 2.0 on account of 1) moving to San Francisco proper and 2) having a hard time justifying my car hobby with my desires to be a good steward to the planet (somebody has to do it!), I've been poking around on evilbay for the going rate.

Is it just me, or have 914 values - for both fours and sixes, fallen markably in the past year?

danke,
-greg

[toon1]

Interesting points, all...

If I can't get my admittedly top dollar asking price (I park the car on Newbury Street in Boston hoping to hook that impulse buyer who just purchased a 4000 dollar broche at a boutique on a whim), I'll just keep the car.

It's not so much for financial reasons as it is we're moving into downtown SFO, and I won't know if we'll have a garage until we find a place to buy in six months or a year from now. In the meantime, bringing the car to SFO will basically destroy it, leaving it on the streets with the SUV's and all that trying to park. If I brought it to SFO, it would be to drive it, not sell it, so I'm not worried about the value, per se. Selling it in the Northeast would garner a higher price, and I would have the pick of the litter in California with maybe a few bucks left over for some modifications.

The 'good steward' comment however - it's something I'm struggling with. I'm an avid cyclist and work from home - or commute on my bike when necessary. On the one hand, I think that having a car that relies heavily on recycled (meaning used) parts has it's economies and benefits, opposed to buying new with all of the plastics and such in use today. On the other hand, having a car at all is a necessary evil here in the USA - I love to drive, but I love to ride my bike more... and the 914 is far from inefficient as compared to most of the cars on the road here in the Northeast!

But, yes, I do recycle, have a compost pile, use canvas bags and shop for locally grown / raised. In fact, my computer that I type this from is made from hemp!

-greg

PS: anybody want to buy a '72 914 with lots of spare parts? ;-)

Good plan! Move to a state that has a population growth that is out of controll, Construction is at a ll time high, the avarage commute is around 60miles(one way in most cases) the worst traffic in the worland.Soccor moms drive gas guzziling Excursions and Escalades ......

And you are worrying about occasionally driving a 914 to save the enviroment!? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

I commend your efforts,

[gfulcher]

Good plan! Move to a state that has a population growth that is out of controll, Construction is at a ll time high, the avarage commute is around 60miles(one way in most cases) the worst traffic in the worland.Soccor moms drive gas guzziling Excursions and Escalades ......

And you are worrying about occasionally driving a 914 to save the enviroment!? <_<

I commend your efforts,

I guess the original point of the post got somewhat lost by the distraction of my desire to reduce my impact on the environment.. .I guess the right thing to do is scrap my 914, and my '73 Thing and turn it into Prius parts if at all possible. Oh, wait.. Prius's aren't really made from many recycled parts... I forgot.. anyhow, I realize that my desire to reduce my affect on the planet is a personal one, knowing full well that my efforts won't really make that much difference in the grand scheme of things, especially if I simply pass along the car to someone else.. But at least I'll be able to live with myself knowing that my personal impact has been reduced - mostly on account of riding my bike and not consuming unnecessarily. My justifications are selfish, I know...

The decision to move to San Francisco is multi-fold as well.. Living in a fun, open-minded city where having a car isn't necessary is attractive to us both. I work from home, so commuting is a non-issue (also less of an impact). But damn it, those canyon and coastal twisty roads are awfully enticing...

The original point being though is about 914 values - I think the points about the stock market and overall economic health are certainly tied directly to the trend for a reduction in selling price... Be it the market, the demand... whatever - I've just noticed a downward trend in the selling price. So maybe turning my 914 into a compost bin (after removing all of the paint of course) is a good one after all.

-greg