1974 Porsche 2.0L , question? Options

[mlindner]

A friend of mine mentioned he owns a 74 Porsche 914....really. its a 2.0L, really. How long have you had it.......Bought it new in 74 (one owner). I'm thinking of selling it. Have not driven it in 15 years......then he said, original paint, no accidents etc. How about rust, he said the rocker are good, little rust under the targa sail area...said floors and trunks are good. He's retiring, and not interested in a project getting it going. His question is, would people rather buy it the way it is and get it up and running or should he do it and have to ask more for it. Thats the question. I told him I would post this but he should take lots of pictures to show the overall condition in detail. So, pictures to come and more detail (milage around 56,000). Best, Mark

[Tom_T]

Mark -

Pending pix, it depends on what the condition is, cuz if it's "all original" condition is retrievable as an all original 914 with spot repairs for any rust, or is it a condition needing a full resto.

Additionally - if your friend doesn't want a project, then why consider a project just to sell it off?

If it hasn't been run in 15 years, then all rubber lines/hoses/parts/bushings/tires/etc. probably needs replacement, & who knows what else it needs when it last ran, & since sitting. So all that could cost him more time & $$s than he wants to put out.

On the other hand, he may just find that if he does all that work & gets it running again with him owning it outright (i.e.: only costing him time & $$s to do the work) - that he may just want to keep it, drive it some, & then sell it later on, cuz I doubt that prices will go down much (they didn't drop much in the 2008-10 recession, & are back up more now since then).

What else would your friend get instead, what does he like & not about his 74 914-2.0, & what other options are there, & his other considerations.

Often this is the wife saying fix it or get it out - as I know! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
So he should think about it thoroghly before selling then regretting.

Otherwise, he can look at the Hagarty prices & with you determine what it's worth as a project - #4 Poor or less - vs. him fixing it up as a survivor/preservation car if possible - which are few & far between.

Depending on how much he drove it when, being in a "Salty Roads State" - it may have more rust lurking, than seen so far. So use Jeff Bowlsby's list to assess it with him.

http://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/zTN_Gen_914CAF.pdf

Even aside from the personal attachment of an original or long time 2nd - 3rd owner, with the price escalation of 911s spreading to our 914s, it's more of a serious consideration of sell or not. Look what happened to 356s & Speedsters which you could pick up for a few hundred to few thousand a few decades ago!

Good Luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[Dave_Darling]

"A little rust under the sail panel" generally means the car is rusting up from the bottom, and the only visible rust is the stuff that has gotten up to the surface in that area. There's a good chance that all the stuff below that is in sorry condition... But you won't know without inspecting it!!

--DD

[mlindner]

thanks Tom, great reply. I will give him Jeffs list. FYI his interest now is to spend more time fishing ( spend the money on a new boat). Mark

[EdwardBlume]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

A little rust under the sail panel warrants caution. They don't rust from the outside down.

Also, cars that sit for 15 years get there for a reason.

Otherwise, sounds good. It could be a terrific project and with some work a wonderful car.

Get on top of it before the flippers find it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)