So I've been on the hunt for about a month now and found this locally. It has alot of receipts and came from the southeast. The body has no rust and the 2.0 fi engine runs well. I havent been able to find out if it's ever been rebuilt know it needs some attention to the suspension, possible tie rods, the right rear caliper rebuilt, and the roof leaks. They are pretty firm at $5500. Any advise you might have would be very helpfull. thank you

The pics look great....

but what lies beneath???

take a pic of the battery tray, undercarrige, move the floor mats, check the jack posts and the front and rear trunk floors. that should tell you some more. pic of the engine bay would be nice too

so far so good

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/How_to_buy_a_914.htm

click here

Thanks, I'll check that out.

The good news is I looked under the carpet and under the car and couldnt find any rust.

Ask for a set of local eyes to look the car over. Nothing is better than the help of someone who had torn one of these babys down to the core.

If it checks out rust / collision wise, $5500 is not unreasonable for a 2.0.

You won't see rust on the floors if the original tar is still in place. Car looks great and price is very reasonable IMHO - if it is close to rust free. But if it's rusty in a couple strategic places, the car is shot. Find someone who really knows what they are doing and never trust the seller. They might think they are telling you the truth and not even know.

""The body has no rust""

Check for rust in the most likely places. Look closely at:
battery tray
floor of each trunk
under spare tire
around all bodymoldings, especially windshield ans sail panel areas

If those all check out, buy it. firm on $5500, ask them to give you any extra parts they have, original wheel, etc. as part of the deal.

If you can, have a local 914 guy look the car over before you hand over any $$. There are a lot of ways to hide rust, and you need to pay attention to the rust-prone areas.
Welcome aboard, be prepared to have a hard time wiping the smile from your face after a spirited drive.

Even if it has some rust that needs attending (and it does, even if the owner *really* does not know it - it is a 914) I thnk that $5500 is a fair price for a well running car outside Cali.

if the pass side jack posts are solid and the firewall just ahead of the batter is not too trashed that is a fair price.

Just, don't be surprised when you discover rust in the floors or firewall later on. You will not really be able to tell until you start probing with a pick or screwdriver.

As long as it will pass the big butt test chances are that the car is in good shape.

Zach

I really like that color combo, $5500 seems like a good deal to me.

As others have mentioned, check for rust in all the stated areas.

If things looks pretty clean, looks like a deal!

Awesome guys, thanks for all the advise. It will be used.

I did test drive it, It was a blast, I cant tell you how happy I am that I decided to start looking at 914s seriously.

My wife just pointed out, way in the background of the first pic, there's a pug humping a boxxer. good sign?

I really really like to see under the rocker panels before I buy a car
see if the owner is willing to do this.

if it is rust free, they should have no problem
if they do have a problem with it then either:
1) they know its rusty
2) they have no idea how to clean the longs and thus it is rusty whether they know it or not.

brant