1.8L vs 2.0L Options

[Cal]

After owning early 911's for years I've decided to find a mint/excellent condition 914 to possibly purchase.....ideally a '73 2.0L. I've found a possble candidate that's for sale through a very reputable member here. The only issue.....it's a '74 with a 1.8L. Question......in the long run would I regret not waiting for a similar 2.0L to hit the market? Is the performance difference that noticeable between the two? Here's a photo of the 1.8L car in question. Any advice would be helpful....I'm all ears.

[messix]

rule one, buy the least rust cleanest car you can find.

rule two. reread rule one!!!!

you can find a 2.0l to put in it or go 1911cc with pistons and a bore.

[JeffBowlsby]

All things being equal, a 73-74 2.0L will always hold the top spot in terms of 914/4 value.

That being said, condition is the highest criteria and man of the highest value 914/4 survivor cars are 1.8L. Engine size does not seem to matter at that level, its mostly about condition.

This page is not that current but is only a couple years out of date.

http://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/RecentSales.htm

[Big Len]

Lots of good advise in this thread because Cuda911 had the same questions last year.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...236672&st=0

Read the entire thread and pm Cuda on what he thinks. Or perhaps he'll chime in.

If you had a stock 914, even a six, and raced my daughter's new Civic in a quarter mile, you'd see nothing but tail lights. But that's not what these cars are about.

As Jeff said, condition is more important.

[Bleyseng]

Hold out for a 2.0L as the 1.8L is pretty low on the HP department. Condition is always important but are you going to drive it or show it?

If you are planning on showing it then condition is it.

[Dave_Darling]

You'll notice the difference in power between the 2.0 and the 1.8. But if you're going for a "driver", where originality isn't a big deal, engine swaps are very easy. Building up the 1.8 into a better-performing 1911cc with higher compression is also not that hard--so you'd have the original engine, but re-configured for more power.

If the car itself is nice enough, I say go for it. Who knows how long it will take you to find a 2.0 in "good enough" condition?

--DD

[Steve Snyder]

If you are looking for performance info:
http://www.p914.com/p914_performance.htm
Navigate the left side buttons for HP, Torque & Acceleration characteristics and comparisons of the various 914 stock engines.