Tucson, AZ 914 Owners?, Potential buyer needing assistance. Options

[FMD]

Hey there, just registered recently. I normally wouldn't consider owning a 914 under normal circumstances. However, I've been noticing this super-hot black wide-body 914 (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/drooley.gif) that one of my neighbors owns and it got me thinking about the car more and more. After looking up the car a bit and finding this group, I'm somewhat intrigued by the potential that the car may posess. Though the thing is, I haven't actually been able to get up close and personal with the car other than walking in the general vicinity of my neighbor's car. I'm still trying to get a hold of him to discuss his experiences and if he can show me around the car but I'm wondering if there are any other owners in the area that can give me the lowdown and answer any questions I may have.

I'm also wondering if there are any enthusiast owners who may be able to answer my questions regarding the car's performance potential; ie, does the car really handle as well as everyone is saying in stock or modified trim and can the car compare to the handling of today's sports cars (of course weight is going to play a role)? Is the car reliable in the least? How competitive is the car (probably looking at nothing less or more than a 2.0) against other cars in its class (autocross), the 1999 miatas and the like, any chance? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/cool.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_flagge24.gif)