This is my first post. I have come across a 914 and was wondering what you all thought about it. I had a 78 924 when I was younger and have always wanted another Porsche. Its a 74 1.8 914 and the body is straight and clean, the original paint looks very good with very minor blemishes. Interior is fully intact with driver seat side bolster tears, but all else is really good, just dirty. Headlight motors work great, very minimal rust under the bonnets. The hell hole is great and very minimal rust. Exhaust and heat exchange is intact and engine will even run... well, idol. It was fitted with webber carbs instead of the injection system and when gassed it dies... main jets? Anyway, original steel wheels, tranny shifts fine, clutch is good, brakes are fair, tires are decent enough for now and the suspension is tight. Clean title, asking price is $1500. Any thoughts, fears, suggestions, things to ask or take into consideration?

Look for rust, then look for rust, then look for rust.

Also, take someone from this site with you. A trained 914 guy will know what to look for. Usually the price for asking someone to look at a car is just a few beers.

first and formost you have come to the right place for advice ...clean rust free 914 better look again with an icepick ....look closely around the jack post under the rocker panels ....pix would be good so people can help you look it over ..did you do the magnet test on the body?..1500 sounds like a good deal ..good luck........ be very careful maybe someone in your area can help you do a PPI


Again

MikeC

Just my two cents, but for $1500, it seems like a pretty safe bet, especially if the chassis is sound, paint is good, and the engine runs.

The last time I looked, a pair of weber carbs in good condition might be worth $500 by themselves.

One question -- how can you be sure the tranny shifts well if you can't give it gas and drive it around?

A wise man by the name of Rich Towle once told me "Look for good chassis and paint, everything else is easy."

Anyway, good luck with it!

you are doing the right thing to research before buying

as has been said... Rust, Rust, Rust! these are the first 3 things to look for. whatever you "find" in rust, rest assured there's at least double to triple that that you won't find right off.. that said, if the hell hole and rockers are solid, you are pretty much golden... everything else can be fixed...

my .02 if this one is not what you think it is cracked up to be... get the best you can. most complete, rust free, car.. even if you have to have it shipped from somewhere else, you will be glad you did... it costs much more to FIX, than buy one that has been fixed(or was never "broken")

after that, I say completeness, originality (not that you have to keep everything original by any means)... but sometimes it's hard and expensive to find that 1-2 little part that some idiot thought "I don't need that" only for you to find out "oh, crap, I need that"

Thanks guys for the help. True, I dont know if it shifts well, but the gearbox feels crisp and the seller says it does and this time, I actually have a good feeling about it. Sometimes you just know when someone is genuine. Pics below, tell me what you see! I know the obvious like door panel is off, water in the floor (cracked rear window seal), chip in the bumper, etc. She needs some love, but...

can't go wrong. The car is worth two grand for the parts.

Looks like it was converted to "Carb", not "carbs".

I'm one of the few on the board who will admit to running the much-maligned single Weber carb like yours. The biggest issues with a single carb is that the intake runners are long, allowing time for the fuel spray to precipitate back into drops before they reach the combustion chamber. That's why you have the flooding issue that causes it to die upon accel.

I will say that with good tuning, you can get the single-carb setup to run well in warm weather (say, over 60 degrees outside), but flooding is an issue when either the engine or the ambient air is cold.

You have to run a little rich to compensate for the long intake runners, but with good tuning, that can be reasonable too.

I'm sure I won't be the only one to say it, but if the back window was leaky, move the seats forward and pull up the carpet to check for floor rust. Don't want to step inside and fall through!

PS - I'm planning to switch my 2.0 to dual carbs to improve the running. If you have a stock Cam, consider going back to original F.I. If it's a Cam for Carbs, there are plenty of places to find dual carbs with the proper intakes.

I agree that it looks like a good deal, but go back over it with an icepick or screwdriver & really poke at that hellhole. Also check around the brake pedal & clutch pedal area (there's rust and what looks like standing water there). It also looks like it's missing a few things. Door handles? If you can find a local 914 owner, take him with you. Welcome, and be advised these are addicting, and this may be the first of a stable of 914's (most of us have more than one).

Awesome guys, thanks. I have the door handles and assembly in the glove. Also he is throwing in the short intake manifolds so I can run dual carbs, they are drilled for the 1.7 or 1.8 bolt holes. Also the fiberglass rear spoiler and if I want to throw in an extra $250, he has a rebuilt 2.0 engine for me, unassembled but complete.

did no one see the hel hole pic? i thought this is obviously a parts car or extensive rustoratation...
climb under the car and take pics of the pass long, pull back the backing pad on the pass side, take a close look at the holes under the battery
this is not a rust free chassis!
good luck getting two grand for the parts if you decide to part it!
don't like raining on a parade...but do due dilegence before the purchase
or buy it for parts and get a rust free chassis to put the parts on....
my two cents

I think I see a crack in the driver rear quarter by the bumper. It could be bondo cracked. It's a wierd spot unless it's a colision repair. I also think I see the top of the long rusted through below the battery. It might be a good keeper or a good parts car. At least you might be able to drive it slowly home. If you can show the owner the rust tell him he should throw the 2.0 in. You might ask him to stand in the pass door jamb while you measure the door gap with and without him standing in it. Don't jump on it yourself. Unless you do 914 body repair it's a parts car.

I agree with Steve, if this isn't a parts car, it's a take-engine-out and start cutting out the rusted areas. Looks like a pretty big repair job.

I say look really close the Place just below the Battery, running out the running Board (form the passenger door check the square hole that the Jack goes in), because that "hell hole" looks pretty darn rusty.

Make sure the doors close good. (often the body sags (due to fatigue and rust)

Look in both trunks under the mats for rust.


PS look for Rust, then rust again and again, spend a good hour checking out every bit of rust you find.

how long has it been parked on the grass like that? Parking over the naked ground is a great way to rust the entire underside of the car.

if possible and the owner will allow, jack the car up under one of the donuts (as if you were going to do an oil change) and check the door gap -- it should be uniform.

Another test of the chassis flex --
1. take targa top off,
2 open door,
3 get in car and sit (this works great if you're a bit....heavy)
4 roll window down,
5 close door,
6 roll window up,
7 try to open door.

If the door opens and the window doesn't stick at the top that's a very good sign. If it does stick at the top...
glass half empty = chassis flex due to rusty long.
glass half full = window just needs adjusting.

DANGER WILL ROBINSON. My car had a minor leak at the back window, and there was major rust on the firewall, under the tar. Ice pick the seams and try to pull up a small chunk of tar...open the inspection places in the center tunnel and flashlight and mirrow the insides. Chances are you'll find a mess o'rust.

Not that the car isn't drivable until you decide to fix all the stuff, but the firewall and long under the battery is critical to driving now. Find a member to go with you, if possible.

Good luck with the car and don't let first love bite..there's always another one out there. Ask me how I know

Almost forgot..check into NY smog laws. Carbs can give you problems if they require smog.

Good stuff. Im happy to get some truthful responses, it is sometimes tough to see past her sexy lines!

Im going to go back out and take more pics, pick around and see what i can see. Having second thoughts now. its a really tough decision because its a low price, but if the damage is that extensive, it wont matter how cheap it is.

BTDT

Is that water puddled left of clutch?? Drivers door gap looks tight up top?

Sorry, but I don't see this one as worth putting a bunch of $ into.

good eye, things aren't lining up right, there...

my first teener did that... I bought it before I knew better. and I paid more than they are asking for this car... if you want to part it out, you have my blessing if that is how it is... if it's sagging like that... it's a parts car unless you really want to invest a lot of time and money into making it right.

If that's original paint it's the only original silver 914 in the world that hasn't crazed and faded from UV. Cars in the northern lattitudes did fare better but it was a widespread and widely known issue 'in the day.'

Paint can hide a multitude of sins, and there is no upper bound on the cost of a $500 paint job.

True, Im getting the feeling this might be one to let go. Good thing I talked to you guys about this and did some research, otherwise I might have been in for a rough road.

Yep, that driver's door gap looks suspect. And the hell hole looks bad also. I don't know if I would bother with this one. Check it out really close. If he will let you jack it up, put some of that blue painting tape along the door gap. Jack it up by one of the donuts and see if the tape now has stress wrinkles. If so, the chassis is saging! If this is your first 914, keep looking and spend the extra money for one in better shape. You will be $$ ahead in the long run. Check put CAMP 914.com to see what a good 914 should look like.
Oh yea,
Tom

Appears to be loaded with rust...IMO if you wanted to build a cut up racer it would be a good place to start ..If you wanted a real clean classic to just cruz with and have fun I would leave it alone good luck

MikeC

After looking at the pics and considering this car is sitting outside and doesn't run, $1500 seems high. By doesn't run I mean start it up and driver around the block and out on the highway.

As said before, ice pick or even medium flat head screwdriver on the area below the battery.

Ask the owner to remove both rocker covers to see the longitudinal. If he refuses, I would run away or offer $500.

It is tempting to buy a 914 close to you. This specimen does not appear to be in great shape.

Other dings for me would be 1.8L engine (vs 2L) and single carb which doesn't run.

One other thing, the rear panel where the trunk lock is appears to be dented.

By the way, if I may be so bold, what is your budget for purchase of a 914? Usually the more you spend, the better your chances of getting something that can be driven right now.