I’m totally new to the scene so please excuse my ignorance lol…..I’ve been looking around and found that out of all the Porsche that I’ve seen the 914 is what catches my eye the most…..now my uncle and father completely turn up their nose to it because the car is not held with the same regard as the other options such as the 911.…..at the end of the day it would be my money being spent and as long as I’m happy then it’s worth it…….now I’ve been told that a fair price to find a “drivable 914” is around 3K but again I have no idea……could you be kind enough to give me a second opinion on if that’s right…..and then from their what I would be looking at to have the car restored

a drivable rusty undependable 914 is 3 grand. These cars are so popular these days that the prices have been bid up astronomically. A GOOD 914 is ten grand. For that price you can buy a low mile original paint 944 turbo or even a 968 or an older (74-80) 911! So WHO in their right mind would want a 914???????

I WOULD!

lol so more like 10 you say........but what if i wanted to have it taken apart and put back together with fresh nuts and bolts.....i guess what i'm trying to ask is this the kind of car that would take the kind of money that i should be using as a down payment on a house to do......or is it something that can be done without cutting off my head......bottom line.....would 20K take me where i need to be???

If you did the work yourself 20 k would make a very very nice car. (this means farming out work like paint and body after you strip the car, building the engine yourself but having the machine work done, etc.
If you dropped it off at a restorer figure 40 grand. Luckily, there are still cars out there for reasonable prices that need very little (unlike 356 or 69-73 911 912 models)
However the rage and the sheer joy is to buy a lesser 914 and restore it to its former glory with maybe some tasteful mods along the way (like the gt clone route!)

The sky is the limit as is true with most cars. Do you already have every tool you'll need? Do have a lot of free time with no chance of distractions over the next several months? Do you have an indor space where you can park the car for the next several months?

Sadly I’m not a mechanic, but on the bright side I’ve got a close family friend that is a race car driver (he runs a 500HP karmann ghia) and he can build an engine with his eyes closed lol…….if you were to open up his chest you would find a pumping VW emblem…..he’s told me that he could handle a 914 with no problem if I was to get one

They're simple ... they're easy to understand with a little effort ... projects abound ... people in SoCal help immensely ... they ain't that expensive unless you are into buying new parts and doing a complete restoration to factory new.

There are quite a few original or restored ones for the low teens, depending on what you want to do with it. Your in the right state for these, back east they have to pay premiums for non rusty cars.

You are in California, which is the grail for old cars without a ton of body rot. I bet you could find a great running car with little to very manegable rust for ~5K.

What you do with it from there, the sky is the limit. The best thing about these cars is how ease they are to make into what you want them to be, from bone stock to highly modified demons.

Zach

Check here for a comparison.

Camp 914 '73' 2.0 Marathon Blue

Or run up the coast and grab this -6 conversion.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=108391

You 'll have a great support group in SloCal to help you out and you can then beat the smirks off your Dad and your Uncle's faces... nothing like little chunks of marbled rubber being shot up on their hoods to make believer's out of them.

Then... when they put their cars for sale after you've shamed them, you can offer them pennies on the dollar for their engines and suspension goodies. "Donors" we like to call them here.

first

second, it depends on where you are, there's a nice marathon blue in the classifieds for 7500, and from CAMP914, it's probably a good, safe bet.

I just saw that someone else already posted the link to it.

I will say this... be willing to pay extra for a nice one, and it will save you the money in the long run... avoid rust as much as possible


Eric, you are a lot more skilled than me. I'd be tempted but afraid at a non-running 2.7... it might need another engine and that could easily be another 5-6k (I'm guessing b/c idk what a good 3.0/3.2 would run)

So first - the answer for your Dad, Uncle & any other taildragger nut, is let them follow you in the twisties in your 914 , with their 911, 912, 356, etc. & try to keep up - THEN they'll understand!!!!

You'll note a distinct "Silence of the Hams" afterwords!

BTW - every time somebody shows up at our PCA OCR Porsches & Doughnuts in a nice 914, all the taildragger guys come over to - so not all of "that crowd" pooh-poohs 914s anymore!

First thing is to start looking at the cars for sale ads in the classifieds here, 914club (sign up for the Craig's List notifications there too in any area you're willing to travel to for one), ClubNARP, Pelican, TheSamba, etc. & even at CAMP914, AutoAtlanta, etc. to get a feel for what's out there & which model you want, colors, price vs. condition, etc. You can also sign-up for Lycos notification of any 914's in the e-zone for various regions.

There was a 1 owner yellow 73 or 74 2.0 up in Pleasonton or the SF Bay area for $14,500 or so which looked interesting, and several others in the $5-10+k range around SoCal.

Happy Hunting!

lots of guys in our area are a great help. if you find a car you want to look at, post here or the club and see if anyones around to go check it out with you. if not take lots of pictures!! i would offer personally but i am a lowly newb nyself.

nevertheless, send me a pm if you want my limited info on the subject.
welcome to the madness...
Dave

non rusty car on the east coast? yep, i saw one the other day, next to a herd of grazing unicorns

I've paid north of $ 3000.00 for a roller and spend more than $ 1,000.00 to get it here. More than once. Your in the land of the 914's start shopping you'll do fine.
Check the classifieds here. There are a couple really good deals now for less than $ 8000.00.

There are still nice cars out there. The trick is to find them. I'm new at this also. I bought a '70 with no drive train (thinking V8) in January for $250. It turned out to be VERY rusted in all the common areas. The following weekend I found and bought a '74 with nearly no rust anywhere and a blown 1.8 motor. But this was a 12 year garaged car and very complete. Two weeks later I bought a '73 (rust bucket) with a 2.0 motor for $750 (good motor). With two donor cars and one good one I ended up with a very nice car. Selling the extra parts here helped pay for the build as well (bonus).
I guess what I'm getting at is that it can be done on a budget, but not without space and some mechanical skills. I would think a decent car could be found for 5k+.

A "little" far for ya maybe, but there are cars out there.

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/1795190098.html