what is the best way to increas the value 914, long term and short term 914 investment Options

[jhs914]

Regarding those guys who "invest" $50,000 dollars in a 914 and sell it for $18,000--------I did the same thing in the stock market a few years ago. I bet the guy with the 914 had more fun losing $32,000 than I did! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/w00t.gif)

[JmuRiz]

Agreeing with all the other posts, unless your dream comes true that the car fairy comes at night and turns your 914 into a 356 Speedster, there is no investment in our cars. Just fix it up as you like and enjoy. Still cheaper than a new car payment (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif)

[firstknight13]

ok this is a good one i have over $20,000 in mine and am dumping an engine i have over $8,00 in to put a suburu wrx engine in and i won't be satisified then too and will never see a penny over 11,000 when i'm done!! even if i had over insured it they still would not pay me for a misshap!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

[qa1142]

Read "The Gold Plated Porsche"

I paid $3700, and now have likely spent that again

Love my car (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wub.gif)

That said, if you look long enough... I got my first 914 free, and traided the rust trap 1.7L side shifter for a set of good Fuchs. See $0 to ~ $400 I made money on a 914.
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/laugh.gif)

[thomasotten]

I have Over the 15 years I have had my 914 I have over 10K in reciepts and a car I couldn't sell for more than $4,000 - so, if that proves anything to you take heed: You can't make money restoring cars unless you are restoring somebody elses car and getting paid for your labor.

I once thought as you did: I bought a 74 VW Beetle for $150 once, and totally restored it. I had $2K in it when finished and I barley got that out of it.

It can't be done, it is the no-win situation.

[Dead Air]

Did you call Mr. smith?

[rfp]

Ok I'm getting the picture. I haven't made any calls yet as I can't spend any money until after my mid July vacation.
You guys are starting to make these cars sound like money traps. well you have definitely change the way I was thinking of doing things.

Is all this money going in because of maintenance or because of putting in the ultimate gota have it upgrade?

I am looking now at a ready to go or close to it daily driver with minor cosmetics and think I have found one for the right price. I am sure once I start driving it I will never want to give it up. I thought these cars would be such fun for advertising my business at shows parades and what not. I thought of putting an LCD screen in each of the trucks to show of my video work.

you guys are making the 914 sound like a money pit. How
reliable are they.

I have driven an 83 944 and loved it and have been tossing back and forth the idea of using a 914 or a 944 for my business car. I have sat in an early 914 that didn't run and can just imagine how much fun it must be to drive.

I would definitely love to at least drive one once in my life.

Is there any one out there who has owned or driven both cars and can give me a fair comparison?

I know both cars can be purchase fairly cheaply. I have seen early 944's that look practically new for around $3,000 and with routine maintain can be very reliable and relatively inexpensive to keep on the road.

so how does this all compare to the 914. I would hate to be on the way to shoot a wedding and get stranded. I am sure my wife would have no troubles driving it the 5 minuet drive to work and enjoy impressing her co-workers.

Either car I am only looking at keeping on the road during the warm months and away from salt and snow. I am definitely steering away from the rust buckets and start from scratch jobs. Looking for some one who has done most of the work and has run out of time and money sounds like a better way to get a good deal.
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/chowtime.gif)

[Babydoll]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/cool_shades.gif) Hmmm, 914 vs. 944, eh? Well, I bought my 914 for $2500 about 5 years ago, and my brother bought a 944 for double that maybe 10 years ago. He no longer has the 944, I still have "Babydoll". Both cars were a fun ride, but Babydoll was a lot MORE fun... nothing handles the curves like a 914. Both cars had maintenance issues... I probably had more, and I had the rust issues. As to the question of whether what's required on a 914 is just maintenance, well, at least in Babydoll's case, yes it is.... mostly. I suppose it's not the car's fault that somehow I managed to drop the oil cap into the engine bay, and it ended up lodged in the impeller fan (which dislodged the impellor on one end, and the clutch on the other... while driving...sigh) (Babydoll got a nice new engine re-build outta' that one...) Most of the other stuff, like a busted clutch (current issue), bad seals, leaking calipers, cracked fuel lines, bogus throttle switch, chewed-up dog teeth, rusted-out heat exchangers, are all old-car issues. My brother got tired of the "maintenance" stuff, and sold the 944. I was told that "maintenance stuff" was part and parcel of owning a 914, part of what gives the car a personality - and the fact that it's owner-fixable (for most stuff... I usually need help, but I'm improving, right zymurgist?? at least I know HOW to do an engine drop) makes it fun! I don't ever want to sell Babydoll. Go ahead, drive a 914 - then welcome to the dark side! You'll be in good company. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/cool.gif)

[tat2dphreak]

a 914 CAN be a money pit, but it can also be a very rewarding owner experience... I've driven 914s, 944s, 924s... and the only one I would have is the 914...


you don't have to spend a small fortune on a 914, decent drivers can be had for 3000 and require little work... but any 30(-35) year old car can have it's issues... a lot of time a 914s biggest issue is it's previous owner who did very little right. but if you are careful and know what to look for, you won't be throwing good money after bad in a teener... it helps to learn the cars and do as much as you can yourself... spending more in the inital investment can make for a better experience and better reliablity...


there are a lot of people on this site that drive their cars daily, and there are as many or more that have their cars on jackstands, tinkering BEFORE driving...

my car could be driven this weekend, but I have stuff I want to do BEFORE I drive it... as resto projects and as hobbies are where these cars are more expensive, methinks.

[zymurgist]

I have read that a clutch job on a 944 is a lot more involved than a clutch job on a 914. If you do the work yourself and you're not depending on it for a daily driver, it shouldn't matter much, though. I couldn't afford to drive a 30 year old 911 (please don't kick me off the 914 board!) if I couldn't do most of the work myself.

I once had the pleasure of riding in the passenger seat for a few hot laps around Summit Point in a turbo 944. That ride really changed my opinion of the 944 for the better. It was fast and comfortable, but I'm about as old school as they come. When I think of Porsche, I think air-cooled. And the handling doesn't get any better than a 914, at least not under around $30K for a nice Boxster.

As for Babydoll, the more you learn, the more confidence you will build. Even ace mechanics occasionally do something stupid like over-tightening a brake bleeder screw, resulting in having to replace a fresh caliper with only 700 miles on it. Don't ask.

[ClayPerrine]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/hijacked.gif) If we are going to hijack this thread and turn it into a thread on stupid stuff done to cars thread, I get to go first.

I rebuilt the 901 in a 71 911 years ago when I was fixing cars for a living. I had been working on 914s for years. Well, I put the transmission together exactly like it's a 914... I got it in the car and there were 5 reverse gears and one forward gear (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/headbang.gif) I put the differental in just like a 914, rather than a 911.

To fix it right I had to pull the tranny back out. To do that on a 911, you have to pull the motor and tranny as a unit.

Lost my (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/bootyshake.gif) on that job.......

[anthony]

QUOTE

You guys are starting to make these cars sound like money traps. well you have definitely change the way I was thinking of doing things. Is all this money going in because of maintenance or because of putting in the ultimate gota have it upgrade? I am looking now at a ready to go or close to it daily driver with minor cosmetics and think I have found one for the right price.

All classic cars are money pits. And Porsches can be maintenance money pits. IMO, it costs on average $500-1500/year to drive a Porsche (911, 914, 944). This is especially true if you are putting daily driver mileage on these cars. Sometimes you can go a year with just a couple oil changes and then another year you might need an engine rebuild ($$$$). Figure on thousands more if you can't resist the usual upgrades or if you are refreshing systems a little at a time.

If you spent $20K rebuilding a 914 back to new condition it would probably be a fine car with below-average reliability for a good 100K miles but in this case you'd be starting with a 100K mile car.

If you find a car, get a club member that lives close to you to check out the car with you.

[larryp]

I have seat time in a 944 Turbo S and I own a 2.7S 914/6. The 944 is a rocket, it is easy to drive, it is quiet, it rides great, it has AC, a nice stereo, and electric windows, etc. The 914 is the fastest go kart you will ever drive.

If you are around CT drop on by and try it.

[rfp]

I am Looking to buy off a member from Washington, DC
many new things done including rebuilt engine.

if I were to use it for work it would only go out on weekends maby 1-4 hours a week unless my wife kidnaps it and takes it on her 5 minuet drives to her work place. I work out of the home so I am not looking at major miles here.

[jimkelly]

Sounds to me like you have your mind set on at least buying one ( that is good ) and the current concept that when you decide to sell that you would like to make a few bucks on it ( unlikely ) but if you subtract the value of each hour you have enjoyed driving it then maybe you will break even? Good luck - Jim. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/driving.gif)

[Mark Henry]

QUOTE (thomasotten @ Jun 28 2005, 11:30 PM)

You can't make money restoring cars unless you are restoring somebody elses car and getting paid for your labor.

Words to live by...I don't do resto's on spec.

[davep]

Yes, the only one making money is the guy who is paid for his labour. The guy saving money is the buyer who could not have done it himself as cheaply. If you don't have the ability and tools to do it all yourself, you are in deep trouble. That is why we need this self help group. Perhaps you can talk someone into giving you their money-pit for free. The 944 is even more of a money-pit for someone without skills.

[Eric Taylor]

QUOTE (boxstr @ Jun 27 2005, 09:41 AM)

Best and quickest way to increase the value of your 914 is to fill the gas tank. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/laugh.gif) God I just love that one.

Man craig I think I wet myself! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

Anyway I think what above has been said it pretty accurate. 914's are drivers cars and something to have fun with for the most part. I know i'm slightly upside down in my car right now, but I don't give a dam because it's way to fun! I get so much out of the little guy and it makes me think so much that the dollars invested in the car don't really make a difference. However if I was looking for possiable profit in what I did I think that a /6 conversion would be the best way to go. This however is it's own box of worms, but in the end a /6 will hold a value much closer to your investment than a /4 would. For example a really clean /4 even with a raby motor would only bring around $8000 , while a properly done clean /6 conversion even with a similar horse power raiting could bring close to $17000. Anyway my best advice would be to find a nice driver enjoy it for the summer, and sell it if you want next fall. Even if you loose your ass a little bit,you can look at it as renting the car for the summer and to me it would be worth it.
Eric

[rfp]

"Anyway my best advice would be to find a nice driver enjoy it for the summer, and sell it if you want next fall. Even if you loose your ass a little bit,you can look at it as renting the car for the summer and to me it would be worth it."


That's kind of the concept I had from the beginning. At any rate since I am self employed it should all be tax deductible. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/driving.gif)