How Much to Get In?, Looking to buy 1st 914 Options

[vesnyder]

Currently own a 911 SC and looking to purchase a solid fix-'er-upper 914. Thanks to this board and Doug Hardman (aka CptTripps) I've learned a great deal about 914's over the last several weeks. What should I expect to pay for a solid 914 that I can drive and fix up? Anybody have a project that fits the bill?

[skline]

Millions of hard earned dollars.

You could get lucky and find one out in California or Arizone for about 3 or 4k and then you would be able to fix it up while you drive it. Then you will only spend about another 3 or 4k so by the time you get done, about 6 or 8k.

[CptTripps]

Glad to see you made it here! Welcome!

Good ones in our neck of the woods are few, and far between. The word 'Solid' doesn't apply to many cars out here. I'm going to Cali next week for WCC, and MAY buy one out there...if I get home and decide to sell it, I'll call you first.

I got mine in Michigan, but he moved there from California. My longs are solid, but my floors were shot.

Take your time and get the 'right' car. You won't regret it. First time you drive a 914, you'll know EXACTLY why everyone here is so nuts over them.

[ArtechnikA]

as you already own a 911 (i have a '71E) i know you will be able to relate to these generalities:

1) there is no upper bound.
i kid you not, some of these cars, and i am NOT talking about megabuck race cars with provenance, are knocking on the door of $100k. the Collectors are beginning to notice. $50k sounds like a lot (well, it does to me !) but the fact is that with the Euro exchange rate, our cars are starting to look reasonably priced, especially to Europeans, especially to those comparing them to equivalent locally available cars. and where they take the market, sellers follow.

2) all 914/4 are $10k
3) all 914.6 are $15k

corollary: buy the best, most rust-free example you can afford.

you can spend less than $10k getting into a /4, but that's where you'll be by the time you've dealt with 30 years of weirdnesses, "deferred maintenance", and various age-related ills. $10k seems high for a /4, but i assume it will require an engine sooner rather than later, and is more likely than a /6 to be the victim of rust, neglect, deferred maintenance, and Mickey-Mouse tinkerage. that is my opinion, based upon my experience. others will have had different experiences, and formed different opinions, which you are as welcome to accept or ignore as you choose as you are mine.

4) there are good, reasonably priced cars out there. cash talks, bullshit walks. be ready to make the deal when the car you want comes along. good deals don't last undiscovered out there for long.

this is usually where i talk about not being too fixated on color and trim level because rust repair will cost you 100X the cost of replacing the Sherwood radio you hate. but you've been around 911's so you know this.

[CptTripps]

I'll be into mine for about $7,800 when all is said and done.

Item Est Cost
1973 914-2.0 $3,200.00
Steering Wheel $270.00
320i Brakes $220.00
Paint $600.00
3rd Brake Light $25.00
Interior $350.00
Door Panels $225.00
Speaker Pods $75.00
Center/Dash $225.00
930 Tie-Rods $175.00
Rear Calipers $100.00
Re-Seal Car $700.00
Washer Pump $20.00
Gas Lifters $80.00
Pedal Board $60.00
Fuse Box $99.00
Long Reinforcement $275.00
Pedal Cluster Rebuild $110.00
Fuchs $425.00
Floor $400.00

Total: $7,634.00

Now I did a LOT of stuff that you don't have to do, but you usually end up at about the $5K mark...I think 10K is a little high if you are just looking for something to tinker with.

[TheCabinetmaker]

Welcome to the club Snyder. Not all the low rust cars come from Cali. Those guys just think they are special. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

Just keep looking and you'll find one in good shape that you like. I've seen three in the last year here in Tulsa that sold in the 7K area that were rust free cars. They are out there!

[ninefourteener]

QUOTE (ArtechnikA @ Apr 15 2005, 05:11 AM)

corollary: buy the best, most rust-free example you can afford.

Agreed..... I spent a bit more than most entry-level 914s, but then again, this is my second one.

For $7500..... I got a completly rust free example... not even the battery tray, or the rear trunk has rust. Plus the engine and tranny were new.

Granted..... the ad it was posted on was poorly written, and had no pictures.. so I had to call the owner on it, and drive 5 hours to Chicago to put a down payment on it.

I'm not rich, so I partially financed it. But its well worth it. In 2 years, my biggest problems have been a dead battery and a leaky fuel line.

I financed through Soveriegn Bank.... payments and interest rate are VERY reasonable on classic cars.

But yes.. I agree..... get a good one.. don't get a fixer-upper.

Welcome!!!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif)

[ArtechnikA]

QUOTE (CptTripps @ Apr 15 2005, 08:23 AM)

I'll be into mine for about $7,800 when all is said and done. ...I think 10K is a little high if you are just looking for something to tinker with.

i priced in the 2,0 engine rebuild, and not some of the 'personalisation'

[ninefourteener]

Call me crazy...... but this seems like a pretty clean car at a pretty clean price.

Granted.. I'm not a real big fan of the graphics... nor am I thrilled about losing my entire front trunk to a Monster A/C unit. Whatever..... I bet it keeps cool in there.

Nevertheless... car looks straight, clean, and nice.,..... and the price seems reasonable:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...ssPageName=WDVW

And no.. I'm not affiliated--LOL

[BMartin914]

When I got into these cars not long ago (about a year) I was looking for the same thing - a fixer-upper. Once I began looking seriously I found that I was coming across basically two types of cars - rustbuckets and well taken care of rustfree (for the most part) cars. I ended up throwing my original budget out the window and picking up a really nice '75 locally. I have had VERY few problems and have no regrets.

[tat2dphreak]

I agree... get the best you can afford... and 10k for the project is about the norm I say(for a 4)... you can do it over several years(like me) to make the 10k mark seem like less... (2-3 k per year) or spend the 8-10 k outright and be driving your car and do the little things as you want...

I don't want to add up what I've spent, but it's over 6k so far, for what started as a 1500 roller

[Eric_Shea]

Welcome to the club. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)

Don't believe a word you've read... they haven't factored in the divorce, counseling, gas at $3.98 a gallon, rare targa tops from the lost warehouse at $600 a pop.

Seriously, I think Scott (skline) answered your original question (What should I expect to pay for a solid 914 that I can drive and fix up?) as best as can be answered. Rich then went on to explain what you can expect to spend getting it fixed up. Tip: Keep the reciepts for the "next" owner to add up. "Never" add up your reciepts! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif)

You should be able to fork over 4 thousand green ones and get yourself a fairly rust free driver from SoCal or AZ etc. They "all" have rust somewhere. Look at a bunch of them before you settle one one. Have some trusted club members (is there such a thing?) do a PPI for you. Know "all" the places to look for rust, damage, etc.

[skline]

A perfect example would be the other day when Brando and I were picking up the trailer, we saw a yellow one off the side of the road on a frontage road and stopped to look at it. Looked really good from the street. The sign in the window said 6k. It was a 70 or 71 and not one panel on the car matched in color. The doors turned out to be mostly bondo alone with several of the body panels. It was a 1.7 with a tail shifter. That car was not even worth half what they wanted for it. On the other hand, Clayton and I have picked up some nice cars in the past for a fair price and have sold them for a fair price as well. The last few were nice cars that would be perfect for what you are looking for. We find them all the time.

[ninefourteener]

This was my first teener. It was a lot of fun... paid $3500 for it. It had its fair share of good, and bad.

Good:
1.7 engine with dual Webers... ran great.
Side shifter tranny worked well
No rust Arizona car
No crack in dash or glass
Fuchs

Bad:
Paint was a "6".. barely
Foglight grills were all "ghetto'd" up
Ugly luggage rack
Horribly ugly seat inserts
Electrical problems out the wazoo
Cost me nearly $1000 to get it to St. Louis (including PPI)

All in all though....... not a bad deal I don't think. I'm not sure what you're looking for exactly...... but I think I got a great deal on both cars I've bought..... so the deals are out there.... just gotta look.... and be prepared to buy on the spot.

Best of luck (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

[anthony]

QUOTE

a solid fix-'er-upper 914

Why a fixer? What are you itchen to fix? For less than top dollar you get a car with a tired body or a tired engine or both. FWIW,

nice paint job: $4000
stock engine rebuild: $3000-$5000
full tranny rebuild: $3000-5000

Remember, parts often cost the same as on your SC. Buy a good running car to start with. Even on a nice 914 there will be plenty to fix and tinker with and restore.

In the three+ years I've had my 914 I've put about $10K miles on it. There are guys here that I met three years ago that have barely logged 500 miles because their car is always up in the air. Would you rather drive or fix???

[lapuwali]

Sometimes the journey is its own reward...

You almost NEVER make back what you put into a car when restoring it, unless you get very lucky and find a rare Ferrari in a barn for sale by someone that doesn't know what it's worth. Even then, it's an iffy proposition. Buying a very nice 914 that runs well and looks good, but it's a show winner, could very well cost you $8-10K, and the person you're buying it from may very well have spent $15-20K to get the car into that condition.

There are also plenty of people who've taken $750 cars they bought from some frustrated person who gave up on the car, it's been sitting in their garage for 10 years untouched, and they just heard last week they're being transferred to another country. Said car can usually be got running using Ebay parts and your labor for another $500-1000. Then the process of turning it into a decent car begins, which can take years.

Somewhere in the middle, you see LOTS of 914s that the current owner got for $3000, has spent many hours and another $3000 on (over several years), and it looks OK, and runs OK.

[boxstr]

Snyder You are best to listen to most everyone who has posted to this question. They have been there and done that. Anthony is correct in questioning "Why a fixer"? Exactly. Why, well if you have a pile of money and want to get rid of it quickly then go with the fixer.If you wish to buy a car that you can enjoy and drive then look for something that is ready to go.

People call me constantly asking if I have a fixer or project car for sale. The first thing I ask is what do you want the car to be.
Most just want to get in cheap. Thats is the first mistake, you are not getting in cheap, you have just opened the door to the vault, and the funds will soon be flowing out.

You can buy a 914 for $1000, then engine overhaul and trans overhaul, brake caliper rebuilds,rust repair, paint job, interior refurbish, small rubber items, bumpers, new windsheild,the list will continue, until you add it up and you could have purchased that 914 for $5000-8000 and been all done

CCLINCAMP914MARKETREPORT

[mudfoot76]

AFter reading all the advice, and watching for available cars, I had determined for myself that the best thing to do was find the most rust-free example I could. I was lucky to find a local guy to shipped a car from california. I paid $6800. Original battery tray intact and in great shape, hell hole is fine, longs as perfect as can be for a 30+ yr old car. I wasn't crazy about the paint job or wing on the back, but that has grown on me. I knew the tranny would need new synchros sooner than later, but the engine was a fresh rebuild (little did I know that the PO did some slipshod work on the engine internals)...anyhoo, engine grenaded 18 months after purchase but from what I can tell no PPI would have told me that in advance...still better than replacing rust IMO....