FMV of 914's, Condition vs $ Options

[Pistachio]

Hi everyone! Wow, what a great resource to stumble across on the web! There seems to be a wealth of knowledge here - glad I found it.

I don't own a teener, but following one of the best pieces of advice I ever got - "If you're thinking about selling something, you ought to." I've sold off my Mustang auto-x'r & am searching for a 914 to play with.

While I admit I haven't been hunting for very long, I'm really confused with the asking prices I've run across so far. They've ranged from about $250 for a parts car to about $14K for what appeared to be a very nice, low mile, 1 owner car.

Here's the point of this post
While I'm in CA, I live in a fairly isolated, rural area. It's roughly a 4hr, one-way, drive to Reno, Las Vegas, or L.A./SoCal from my location, & that's where I'm most likely to find 914's for sale. In other words, it's not a hour or two to go look at a car. SO, I'm hoping that you guys can give me some idea of what I'll be looking at at various price-points.

I think beaters or projects are well within my skill level, but since this will be my 1st 914, I think I'm better off with a "complete", running car. ('cause I'm much better at putting things back together if I took them apart. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) ) HOWEVER, I'm not looking to get into a huge repair project either.

I need/want what I'd call a DD. Probably has "cosmetic" issues, but it's solid, straight & square. Runs & drives... ok. No major rust issues, ect & so on. Something you could/would drive everyday & wouldn't really have to appologize for (keeping in mind it's a 30+ year car). A "project", but a drivable one - if you know what I mean.
I do intend to modify it, so I'm not looking for that pristine survivor, or that rare collectable model. Might be nice to find, but I'm not willing to really pay for it.

Kinda hard to descibe what I'm looking for, but considering I'm going to be investing an entire day + gas to look at anything, I'm hoping you guys can tell me what a "typical" asking price range you think I should be looking for.

TIA