Thinking about trying a 914 for my next car. I won't be buying one for a few months so I'm trying to do as much research as possible. The three main competitors at this point are the 914, a Superbeetle, and a Datsun Z-car, though I would love to find the right Volvo 142e. Overall I'm looking for something older, imported, and most importantly easy and cheap to work on. The 914 seems to fit the bill.

My favorite things about the 914 are the looks (I like different) the handling, and the fact that it's a Porsche. I also like that parts and information are still plentiful.

My least favorite things about the cars is that they're slow. I really want a car that runs about a 7 flat 0-60 time and a low 15 1/4 mile...not that I'll ever take it to a dragstrip, I just want that kind of pull. The TypeIV seems to have potential but I haven't been able to find any 1/4 mile or 0-60 results for modified cars. How fast is a 914 with a 130-140hp Type IV, and how much does it cost to put that motor together?

Thanks!

0 to 60? What about torque about mid corner? When your front engine rear drive car spins out or pushs itself off the road, your 914 will make your hair stand up on the back of your neck and your asshole puckers... real tight! Bye bye! That's the difference.

My ex DD. MR2,93 turbo.
Easy to work on?....not, but 165K miles with only one rear wheel bearing repair.
Belts at 70K & 140K, but that was maintenance.
Now it's a SCCA C Stocker.

I hadn't thought of an MR2 for just that reason. NOT easy to work on. I love them though.

I really want a 914. Maybe I could live with a 16 flat 1/4. I just have to have more power than these cars offer stock. Is it really THAT hard to get a 2500cc TypeIV to push a 914 to 60 in 7-7.5 seconds?

Fiat X19 - Buy a set of wrenches that you can cut off or bend to get to the bolt !!!! Never enough
space to actually get the wrench in !!!

I liked my 60's Alfas but they do take some attention.

Italian, German, and Japanese all have a different feel.

I prefer the 914 w/ a 6, very go-kart.

No, it's very easy. Just continue to follow this forum and all your ?'s will be answered

Find someone who has a stock 2l, a modified T IV, a six and a engine conversion and get a ride in each.

I love my 914-6 with the 2.7l motor. But very expensive to convert and rebuild. (great sound! You will always be on it just to hear that six howl.)

I believe I am around 5.5 0-60 to give you a perspective.

As far as cars to get, there are a ton of cars that could fit the bill. I had a 944 turbo that was quite fun, but slow off the line. The 240z is easy to work on, but I didn't like the engine sound. And it felt more like a truck engine. (Stock)

A friend has a 1991 MR2 that he bought new. 300k miles! and the engine has never been apart. all the hoses needed to be done, and he has had to have the exhaust manifold replaced.

-- brett


-- brett

Beetle: Quirky with a capital Q, slow with a capital S. Can be made to handle OK but not great; go-fast parts are common.

Z-car: Neat car. Follows the old formula (front I-6 engine, RWD, early ones may even be live rear axle?). Decent handling for its age, decent power. Classic looks, particularly (to my eye) the older ones. Newer ones do have independent suspension and V-6 motors. SBC swaps are pretty easy and can make it a real quarter-mile car.

914: In some ways out-quirks the Beetle. Handling was phenomenal for its time, and can be made excellent even by today's standards. Slow in a straight line. SBC swaps are well-known, as are other swaps (911 six-cylinder engines, scooby motors, etc.), and the Type IV can be hotted up if you're willing to experiment and/or spend lots of money with someone like Jake.

The 914, even in stock underpowered form, is more fun IMHO than either of the other two. It's not super easy to work on, but it's not that bad either.

--DD

Great info, thanks guys. I was really hoping that building a Type IV with 150hp would be a piece of cake, and something often done for relatively little expense, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

Mike -

First of all

Second - this is all IMHO BS -

Third - other cars noted first, then 914s:

Volvo 142e - not a chance - go for a P1800 if anything - slope back or hatch back (more rare) ~ far more class & fun & eye catching - even if not a dragster.

Superbeetle ~ if you're a real Dubber fan - go for the Karman Ghia - better looks & lower CG ~ still not a great handler, but classic & classy Dub!

Datsun Z ~ must assume you mean the contemporary 240Z of the original era, & back in 1975 when I started looking into getting a sports car, I went through them all - including the 60's & 70's 912, 914, Healys, MGB/MGC, TR6, Fiat 124 & Alpha Spyder, etc. & the above - even Vette's, but the 911's & Italian Stallions (F, L & M) were well out of my budget then.

It boiled down to the 914 & 240Z, with a 2.0 914 winning out on handling & retained value 94% vs. 80% on the Z (all the others were much less) ~ & the Z could outrun the 1.7, 1.8 & somewhat the 2.0 in a straight line - it was no comparison on the curves!!!!

Guess which won out with me? 73 914-2.0 purchased 12/75 after looking at many 1.7s & 2.0s

.... In 79 a rich kid buddy got a new 930 Turbo (0-60 5.5 sec IIRC) which would absolutely blow me off the line & on the straights, but could hardly keep up in the curves - although some was that he was a crappy driver! ... he was still

- so the 914's mid-engine, CG in your lap or lower & about 6" above the pavement, wide track (wider than 911/930).

FAT Performance, AutoAtlanta, Jake Raby (MassIVe) & McMark & self-builders have jacked the 914 1.7, 1.8 & 2.0 Flat Fours to 2056, 2270, & up for various prices accordingly - so it all depends on how much money you want to pay for how much muscle (HP & TQ), but go get a 60's US Muscle Car if all you care about is straight line 0-60, or a current super-car if money is no object.

Go out & drive a bunch of 914s with the various stock & built & swapped engines to see what's right for you, & drive your others on your list too for comparison.

That's what really did it for me - not the resale value retention (now collector value) - besides it was fun to spend a year "test driving" everything I could - even some I knew I wasn't going to buy but were fun cars to drive (BMW 2002tii, 2.8/3.0csi, etc.) !!!!

Go have fun & maybe you'll end up back here as another 914 whacko of some sort - CW to tweaker!

Straight-line speed is definitely not all I care about. I am a handling-first person, which is one reason that I am looking at the 914. I don't want to drive a slow car. This is a car that will be taking me most of the places that I go on a daily basis, not just a track thing- if it were a track-only car I could live with less power.

I wish there was a way I could test drive all of the above mentioned cars! I don't know anybody who has them or anything which does not make it easy. These aren't the kind of cars that you see on a lot regularly to stop in and take a spin in (part of the reason I like them!)

With a user name of mikeb23ft I assume you are a fellow Volvo nut. I went through the same exercise regarding what hobby car I was going to buy. I'm in California so it had to be smog exempt so 75' or older. I just junked a nice 75' VW Scirocco with a full cage - and I had a hot 2.0 16V ready to drop into it. Deal killer was no body parts availability, especially glass and seals. After a year or so I gave up.

It ended up being between the 914, 240Z or Datsun 510. I have always liked the looks of the Z but I hate the driving position as I can't really see the front of the car, plenty of parts, they rust and nice are getting $$$. The 510 seemed to have good parts availability, they have an odd rear suspension and finding a good 2 door is getting hard. Last up is the 914, I had driven one at an auto cross a long time ago and beat the owner pretty badly (stock 2.0) and liked how it drove, I found this place and discovered that parts and info were not going to an issue. All the cars have rust 'issues' so beware. All the cars take to engine swaps if you need more power. I found it easy to find a nice 914 (listed here in the classifieds) that was nearby and fairly priced and went for it. This site is the best deal in town for everything 914 - if you have a question it most likely has already been answered and can be searched for with ease. If not there is most likely someone who can answer or help get a part you can't find.

Hope that helps a bit.

Hi. Forget the Super Beetle, and either stick with a 914, or a Volvo 122S. Good Luck! Mike.

This is a really good assessment.

The fun factor of a 914 is higher than the other choices...

If power is a limiting factor and you're willing to get your hands dirty (which it seems you are) then the T4 engine is a decent candidate. It's an extremely simple engine, and if you spend your money on the right expensive parts (IE heads, Intake and Exhaust) then you can get 150hp easy. Assembly of a T4 is cake. And yes 150hp will move a 914 around mighty quickly. Consider that you've got at least 400lbs weight savings on anything else on your list, except the beetle which won't handle for sh*t without serious mods.
That all being said, horsepower ALWAYS costs money. You'll still have a good $3K-$6K into it, depending on how far you decide to take it and how much you can do yourself. Look at double that if you pay somebody else to do it for you. Engine swaps MAY be more bang for your buck in the power department. However, by the time you add in conversion pieces, custom work, bodywork to fit a radiator, suspension work to correct balance, ect., you'll come in with at least as much money, and more time/hard work into it for that extra HP.
MY humble conclusion, you'll have tons of fun with even a stock 914, and with 150HP it would be a blast. I would stick with the T4, unless you plan on being able to roll up to the nearest Corvette or whatnot and take him stoplight to stoplight. It's just lighter and simpler. IMHO
BTW

Mark D.

The assembly portion of creating 150HP TIV can be just as easy as a stock 2.0, using the correct combination of components and preparation.

Cheap? No.
Valuable? Yes.

I think that for fun/$, the best deal out there is a 914 that's been converted to a 914-6. With the increased horsepower, there are not many cars that can keep up with them, especially on the twisties! Since they were not put together at the factory, they do not have the $$$$$ asociated with a factory -6, but generally have higher horsepower, and are one of the best values out there. Converting one yourself is a great project (if you enjoy working on your own cars, it's not really hard), but you'll have a lot more invested in the car than if you bought one already that's been converted.

These days, there are also 914s that have had a V8 or Subaru conversion as well, but the -6 conversion is closest to what the factory did.

Happy hunting!

I will deliever my 914 with a pile of spare parts to your door. It handles VERY well. PM me for details

Follow the link to my ad....

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=103582

I think the fact that I've never driven any of the cars in question is making things significantly more difficult for me to decide. My current goal is to try to find some of these things and test drive them. The 914 is my first choice but it's hard to make a statement like that having never driven any of the cars...so I'll say I THINK that the 914 is my first choice.

I am totally willing to get my hands as dirty as I need to and build one of these cars to a 150hp level. I don't feel the need to race 'Vettes but I do feel the Ricky-Bobby-esque desire to go fast.

And yes with a name like Mikeb23ft I am certainly a huge Volvo nut. My first 3 cars were Volvos and I'm sure I'll have many more in my life. I still technically have the B23ft powered car but it has a tree growing through the hood back in my hometown.

URY914- I would be all over that if I had an extra 2500 in my budget!

If your only going to spend $2K you better be willing to get your hands dirty. Finding a decent car on the east coast for $2k will be tough. Not impossible.

Of course, getting my hands dirty is part of the fun...if I wanted something I could just get in and drive I'd find a Civic or something! I'm also willing to start with a 1.7 car and live with rust.

Oh, so you want something to put up on jackstands.....why didn't you just say so? You've come to the right place.

Oh, so you want something to put up on jackstands.....why didn't you just say so. You've come to the right place.