Well, I did a search of the forums and can't come up with an answer to my question. So here it is:

"How much does it cost to own a 914?"

I am talking about Total Cost of Ownership. Price of car, parts, repairs, etc... If you don't fee comfortable talking about it publicly, please PM me.

I am wanting to get me on, but after lurking here on the boards (and having quite a few talks with Lawrence) I am beginning to think this is not really in my realm of finances. If I plop down $5000.00 for a "good" car (definition differs depending on what day I speak with Lawrence), how much am I going to spend making the thing a totally dependable, clean driver? Most of you posting on this board seem made of money; with several Porsches.

As I told Lawrence, I am getting really discouraged. I've never worked on cars other than the basics...brakes, rotors, wheel bearings (on my old 318i in Germany and on my 92 Dodge), tune-up..that kind of stuff. I don't even own a tool box .

Okay...whinning, pity party over. Please enlighten me on the TCO of a 914.

-Dan

5-6k will get you a really nice 4 cyl. daily driver type. 7k I think is very near concourse/perfect.

If your willing to spend 5k, You should be able to find the nicest one around.

Andrew

Total cost of ownership varies widely.

Best advise I can give is to take your time and buy exactly (or very close) the car you want. Don't buy a car with all sorts of plans to fix-up, rebuild, fix rust, etc etc. Your TCO will be very high if you do that. Buy a car that you will be happy to just get in and drive. If you can't afford that car, then don't buy one.

Obviously, we would all like to buy that perfect 3.2L 914-6 but I'm talking about realistic expectations here.

Fixing a car up will almost always far exceed the cost of buying what you want in the first place. An engine rebuild can easily exceed the purchase price of the car. So can rust repair or body work.

If you are talking about a 914-4. Insurance is cheap and maintenance can be very reasonable if you start with a good solid reliable car and do the maintenance yourself. Don't be scared - it's really not that hard. Personally, I wouldn't even consider buying a 914 for under $5K. More likely, I'd spend $7K or $8K and get a really nice 914-4 if I had it to do all over again.

But that is with 20-20 hindsight. Most all of us start out with a sub $4K car and dump lots of money into it over a period of years. Then once you've spent another $4-5K on top of your initial $3K purchase price and realize that your car is now worth $4K at best (and still has a bad paint job). At that point you will begin understand what I'm talking about and wish that you bought that $8K car to start with.

Demick

So 5k gets my foot in the door with a "nice" car. What's the upkeep? I will only have $5000.00 max to spend this spring when I plan on getting one. This based on what was said by Demick is the cause of my dilema. After that initial 5k...i got nothing. Any extra work costing over $100.00 wil have to wait or be planned out. Hell, Rusty says a taillight is a c-note. Does anyone see what I'm getting at? I have to find a 914 for $5000.00 or less and NOT put much more money into it. I really don't care what it's worth down the road after I pour money into it...I just need a dependable, fun driver. I guess I'm not the "collector" type. I just want some cool wheels and not pay a fortune. Have my cake and eat it too, huh?

-Dan

Plan 2k or more for the first year (your gona wana modify it... hehehe)

then hmm 1k for normal stuff? Dont know, havent had my car long enough to figure it out..

This going to be daily driver upkeep?

Or weekend toy?

unsure what you're asking, really. what you say you're asking is cost of ownership, but your questions seem to be asking for cost of acquisition...

there's a saying in the 911 world: all early 911's are $15,000. you can get in for less, but that's what you'll have spent by the time you address all the 'issues' ...

i've got a few Porsches, but only one - the 35-year-old one that Lawrence knows pretty well - is running. the others i've had for more than 25 years. my wife and i have regular jobs.

so - to extrapolate on the 911 story, "every 914/4 is $5000." having seen cars prepared to national Concours levels, i'm not quite so ready as Andrew to say you can get one of those for $7,000. and you can get into a very nice driver that will serve you well for less, but it will probably need attention -- brakes, tires, dampers, springs, interior bits, paint... if you insist on all that being new-car perfect, NO 30-year-old car is going to be a good match for you. if you can look past the niggly bits and address them on an as-needed basis, you can do well. the better the car you get into, the less stuff will require doing.

MOST stuff on these cars can be done by mere mortals - having patience, the proper tools, and sometimes -- alternate transportation - helps a lot, as does a good support network, but that's what we're here for. you can even treat the engine as ONE part, and replace it with another one, if you don't want to get into engine work. and these cars can go a LONG time between major engine work.

so that's acquisition cost.

actual cost of ownership - they have little motors and get good mileage. they don't burn much oil, and most leaks are easily addressed. they're light, and tires and brakes last a long time in standard transportation service. most standard replacement 'wear' items are readily available and not too expensive.

if you can drive it and enjoy it as-is, it can be very economical to own. once you head down the slippery slope of making things "just a little better" there is no upper bound on expense...

if you're determined to do something radical - like uprate ALL the suspension, repaint everything, and install a firebreathing 3,8-l GT3RSR engine and flipped R&P transmission to suit - yeah - that's expensive. some guys on this can, and are doing stuff like that.

i really like my 911 and while it has a certain cachet, i'm sure very few people know i've got WAY less money in it than most people have in their new Toyota/Nissan/Saturn/Chevy daily drivers ...

Thank you ArtechnikA. Yes, I just want a fun driver (see above). I'm not that concerned (yet) with upgrading everything. I just want a car that the paint is nice, the engine is alive, and I wouldn't have to worry about it falling apart on my son or I while driving it. This car will be one of four so definitely falls in the "secondary" vehicle category. I can just hear the wife if I spend $5k on a 914 only to have something brake that costs another $1000 to fix. It would sit in the garage waiting on me to come up with the money. (maybe my fear isn't TCO...maybe it's of the wife )...anyway, please chime in people. I'm one of those anal retentive types that has to research and bug the hell out of everyone just to buy an item; so I could use all the input this club has.

-Dan

P.S. Yes, Rusty I know you're tired of this discussion..but I need outside opinions too.

Ha Ha. Join the club.

There are plenty of fairly nice 914's for $4-$5K. Like I said, most of us have started out with a sub $4K car. Don't let me scare you - I was just giving you the advise that I would give myself if I had it to do over again (very few people listen to that advise).

Remember you are considering a 30 year old car. There is no way you will not have to spend ANY money on the car in the first year - so you need to plan a reserve. Don't worry - after having the car for awhile your pockets will loosen up as you get bitten by the bug and suddenly those $700 Koni's don't sound so expensive.

Demick

here's my experience for what it's worth:

bought a 75 914 with 85k miles in 01 for $4k. it was/is realllly clean. motor was great. first year cost was about $275 for oil changes, tune up and valve adjustment. in 02, the fuel pump went out: $235 for replacement. later that year i dropped a valve seat. which leads us to today...... a new engine rebuild at about $5k. and i am going to pay the mechanic what he wants, cause i love my 914.

I'm willing to spend the money to sort out the car...it will just take time waiting to build up the funds. I understand that it is a 30 year old car; and yes, I am NOT expecting a "like new from the dealerhsip" car.

My worries stem more from the pain of having to see my baby sit there while I save up the $$$ if some major repair becomes necessary (and listen to my lovely wife explain all the reasons I should have bought something else). I guess this is why all you owners consider this a labor of love?

-Dan

P.S. Come on all you owners..don't be shy! Give me an idea what one ends up "investing" in a teener.

See, that's my fear! Do you have ANY idea how long it would take me to save up another $5k? The only reason I'll have it next spring is my year of tax free income for being in Iraq. Can you say, "Hurry up income tax?"

I'd probably have to just end up selling it and take a loss just to get the garage space back. But understand, I have wanted one of these since I was 16 in high school!


-Dan

the risk of an expensive failure comes with every used car.
you want a warranty, you get a new car (some fraction of whose purchase price covers the warranty ...)

we no not invest money in these cars; we spend money on these cars.
they will take all you will give, and come back asking for more.

i figure every car costs something like $2000/yr over and above gasoline.
(at which rate i'll be on-schedule with the 911 about 6 years after i'm dead :-) ...)

that's exactly why the mechanic hasn't worked on it in a year and a 1/2 ($). fortunately he was nice enough to keep it at his garage.
this forum is what has inspired to me to get it fixed again. what a cool group of people to be associated with.
and i bought it because it was the car i wanted when i was 16, too.

TCO is initial cost plus COO. COO, or Cost of Ownership = maintenance costs.

Unless you get a car fully refurbished, the costs will be initially high to get the car into a reliable condition and then plateau to your regular maintenance costs. If you don't get one in this condition, you will experience replacing parts at unknown intervals. You can get rebuild costs of all subsytems: engine, tranny, susp., brakes, etc. to account for these costs.

COO or Preventative Maintence is the cumulative costs to replace all wear items at regular intervals (tires, oil, brake pads, bearings, etc)

I know you want real numbers but parts and labor prices vary. People save on labor costs by learning on this forum and DIY. If that is not for you find a competent Porsche mechanic and get an idea of what maintenance will cost you.

I suggest you find a car that someone "invested" alot of money to get it to a reliable condition and wants to sell it without regards to the investment. Like others have said, you can get a deal but getting it reliable may cost you 2-3x more.

Good luck,
Felix

Dan, If you want I'll go over my situation.

Im 17. I bought my 914 2 years ago, piece of junk. But it had virtually no rust (any rust, I have fixed). I spent, hmm 2k? maybe a little more, on my wheels, tires, 5 lug conversion, suspension, brakes, racing seat belts, and a little bit of money on my engine. I will be spending another 2k Very quickly on doing a v8 conversion, mainly for reliablility. I think that for 5k I could get a rebuild engine that I would want to drive, and for 3k I could get a rebuilt engine with 95 hp.... OR for 1.5 to 2k I could get a v8 that I REALLY want to drive! I have been working on doing flares, and striping the car for paint which I will do myself. All in all I think I will have 5k into the car, I bought it for 1k WITH 2 parts cars. Let me put it this way, I dont have a job, and the only money I have gotten was from selling parts...

I am at the bottom of the barrel as far as money goes, I've put a tiny bit of money into it and I could sell it for maybe 2 times what I put into it. Would I do it again? Hmm, I have 400 miles on it since I've owned it... Probably not... lol

Buy the best you can afford..

Andrew

Want to see some shocking figures, find this same/similar thread on ferrarichat.com......

Spent $12k within first 6 weeks of owning my 308GTSi, and that was just the beggining!!

Glad its gone, 914 should be here in a few weeks!!!

The following a just personal experience. The views expressed are not the views of this board or the President of the United States.

First story...
I bought my car for $5k a few years ago. I have atleast another $6 into it now (Don't ask how!) Of that money, only a small amount was needed to keep it running well. I did a rear wheel bearing as my first ever DIY car project. I then paid someone to tune up the dual carbs (6cyl 2.0L). That and two oil changes was all that was done to this car and it runs like a champ. As a mater of fact, the rason I sold my '95 GTI VR6 was that the 914 ran better and was more reliable. Granted I have a Passat to fall back on when it rains (leaks a bit) of if I need to do work (body stuff a-coming). No, my car's not the pretiest around, but it is reliable even by the standards of the past decade.

Second Story...
A friend bought a 914 from a guy in the LA area on whim. I think he paid about $5k, but only he and the seller know for sure. He and I then drove the car back to Boston (3100 miles) in two days with only a minor fuse problem (damn rain!) It didn't stop us, only limited our turn signal use. He put in a bit of money once we got back, but I think the car could have been driven just fine for quite some time more. He then drove it from MA to SC. I've lost track to the work he may have done down there, but I do know he's done it all himself. He's also a DIY green-pea and a computer geek at that!

A Porsche can be a great daily driver and done so on a budget if your not afraid to get your hands dirty. Between this board, the sky rat board and JD's rennlist (boards and email lists) there is an amazing support system. People WILL help you out. Outsiders think Porsche Owners are pricks. Some are. Most however will drop everything to help you with Parts, know how, and/ or hands on grunt work.

Side note: Thank you for being where you are. Never stop being proud of your service and country!

WoMBaT, Echo the feelings of all here regarding welcome to the nuthouse, and thank for for serving our country. Most newbies don't get the secret handshake stuff right off the bat, but here you go.

Want an investment? Stay away from cars.
Want a dependable driver? Buy something with a 10yr/100k warranty.

And if you have a dependable driver, do you want a second car that you will love, hate, curse, all in the same day? Don't care about status (not a real Porsche, you know)? Like to get your hands dirty and buy fire extinguishers in the 3 pack just to be safe?

If yes to part 2, you MAY be ready for a 914. Bought my first one 1 1/2 years ago on ebay. "A really nice 73 2.0 with all the proper improvements for C improved racing, and still fine on the street. Rust free, blue plate CA car. Ready to go"

$5800 later, I owned Suzi. Have put about $2500 in to make her 'rust free and ready to go', but sure was worth it. I wouldn't hesitate to take here cross country, but with no air or heat, can't imagine as a daily driver, and I would send the family ahead to the destination.

The good news what you do get. 30 year old go cart that when well driven, will whip just about anyone's butt on a canyon road. It's hard to describe the feeling of coming up behind an Enzo on Mulholland and flashing your lights. God, I love this car!

So much so I bought another. Tell you that story another time

you'll need backup reserves. save up another grand or two, then put down the 5k. these cars are a blast, put they can be a major stressor if you get over your head or out of money.

STAY SAFE

nathan

if your 914 is for fun, I've found they are happy with a budget... a little at a time and they are pateint and will let you do projects a little at a time... the better project you can start with, the less little projects you have to do later, which makes the car cheaper IMHO

No way. Figure on $10-15K for a "perfect" car. What I would call a very nice daily driver these days goes for more like $6-9K. I'm talking about a fully sorted out 73-74 2.0L car that has no issues, no rust, nice interior, nice paint, maybe low mileage, and possibly a rebuilt engine/transmission. At the lower end of the daily driver scale ($5-6K) the cars will have some issues - either not perfect paint/cosmetics, higher miles, worn syncros, etc.




Frankly, you might want to rethink classic car ownership if you couldn't afford an engine or transmission rebuild. Sure that is a worst-case scenario but it may happen.

The other way to go might be to buy a decent 1.7/1.8L car and keep it alive with used parts. The cars sell for less than the 2L cars and engines are cheaper. For example I've seen people frequently give away tail shift trannies and 1.7 or 1.8L engines. Everybody wants 2L stuff but can barely give away 1.7/1.8L stuff.




My theory is that just driving a 914 will cost you on average $500-1000 per year not including the cost of the car. Of course, one year it may be $5000 for an engine or $2000 for a transmission but the next few years may only cost you tune-up parts and oil. The better 914 you start with the less "catch up" maintenance will be required.

I bought a really nice car and two years/10K miles of driving later have cost only a few hundred bucks.

How do you value the FUN factor when you engine drops a valve seat - surely the thrill of a car on jack stands is worth $10k by itself! That outweighs the cost of the car AND the cost of the rebuild :-) Profit indeed!

Sarcasm aside... it's worth mentioning that you need to spend the right $5k on the right $5k car. There are plenty of $5k cars - but most of them probably aren't really worth that (people always think what they have is worth more)(and if they don't they just want more money anyway). You could spend $7k and get a dog; and buy another car for $3k that runs beutifully and trouble free for 5 years.

Take your time and look at a lot of cars and get a feel for what is a good deal before you buy anything. Time invested in learning the market almost always pays off.

A nice 73 1.7 would be a great option. Nothing wrong with a 1.7. Plently of pep. The 73 year will have the nice updates too. Side shifter, etc. Best to try to find one that is sorted rather than doing the sorting. Sorting can get very pricey. Then, if at some point in the future you find one of Sadams money caches, you can have the engine done to 2.0 specs. if you like.
Cost of ownership.... my 73 2.0 which I paid $7k, I think I put about $4k into over a 2 year period. That car had a 140K on it. That was purchased in 98. My 75 was much more. Probally not a good example to cite.
Every car is different. It is sometimes hard to anticipate how much you will spend on keeping it going. Can be rather expensive. Don't want to discourage you, but 30 year old parts probally will need replacing at some point. Key is to find one that has had all that done. Hope you find a nice one!
Frigin 914's are addictive.

To all, does a parts car significantly reduce thje ownership costs? Rgds, Michael

Hi Michael,

How did you make out in FLA? Anything promising?

Tod, Im in FL right now, hope to check out the Orange tomorrow or Sat. Just sent you an email. Appropriate thread, don't you think? Rgds, Michael

One factor not yet mentioned is the sure-fire way to reduce TCO on ANY older car: learn how to fix it yourself. You mention you don't know much about this, or even have your own toolbox. Well, address that and the TCO for a 914 or any other "interesting" car will fall considerably. Labor is expensive, and is regularly 60-75% of the cost of any repair.

It can. Of course it depends on what you need and what the parts car has. I used to have a '77 320i that my uncle gave me. It needed an engine, tranny, manifold, exhaust and a few other things. Those things right there far exceeded the value of the car even if it was all fixed up. I found a crashed parts car that had a new rebuilt engine and a refreshed tranny. I put both in my car as a unit and then stole many other parts off the parts car to keep my car going over the years. I drove that 320i for 8 years and didn't put more than $2000 into it (not including tires and tune-ups which I did myself).

I'm not afraid or adverse to doing the work on my own. As a matter of fact I have liked working on my cars when I could get access to the tools. The feeling of driving my 318i back in Germany after I put new bearings and an exhaust in was great! Did the same thing a few years later to my Shadow and put on new rotors. Not hard jobs, I know. If it had been brake lines or something intricate...well, my mechanic friends would have been busy. Come to think of it, we did replace that timing belt on the Shadow in NC. Man, that was a lot of stuff to take off the front of the engine so we could get to it. Oh yeah, I also completely tore out and replaced the wiring harness (had a wire fuse a few of the others together...don't ask!). That was a B%^&H getting out!

I am willing to purchase tools and stuff (moving out of my computer geek phase). I have no quelms of using/finding used/NOS parts. I just freak out if you start talking about "engine" repair. Maybe the post started out the wrong way. Investment isn't necessarily what I was looking for; FUN is. Is all the money worth the FUN of owning one? Understand that I would be leaning HEAVILY on people like yourselves to teach me. (Hardly seems to be anyone in Kansas, though)

I guess it come down to: Get the best I can for the $5k, expect to spend around $2k the first year, get rid of the tacklebox full of screwdrivers and buy some real tools, learn from those that know, and finally have FUN?

-Dan

I am 17 and have owned my 73 2.0L for a couple months now. It cost me $2000 and ive only driven it about 5 times. Ive already spent about 25-50 hours working on it(or trying to atleast), but its all been worth it. At times they can be the most stressfull thing and can give you a headache just thinking about what it will cost, but the joy you get from driving it(and I've only driven it a total of 1-2 hours) will out weigh all the stress/time/money that you put into it.

Think of it this way: What other car could you get for $5000 that is as fun to drive, looks as good, has as great of support from fellow owners, and has inspired so many people to put countless hours into.

I say buy one and if you dont fall in love with it than you can always sell it.

Oh understand...I getting one! Just preparing myself for the love/heartache. If it sits on blocks most of the time, well at least I'm learning some mechanics.

Just trying to get a good sampling of experiences and $$ spent to determine in the long run if I get screwed or made a bad choice.

And for all you ladies out there...my wife really wouldn't say much. You'll love her when you meet her. She is very supportive of EVERY crazy thing I have done. I guess she'd have to be a good person to put up with me for 16 years!

-Dan

I'm glad you're doing research and asking questions. I wish that a group like the 914 Club was around when I got my first car.

You mentioned that a taillight costs a c-note. Sure, but have you priced a tailight for your Jeep Liberty?

The key is to find a well maintained car. It's why I recommended you not get too hung up on color. The right car will first be structurally solid, then mechanically sound. Don't even look at anything described as a "project".

You have more skills than you give yourself credit for. A great deal of working on a 914 has to do with audacity - are you willing to state that you're as smart as the guy who put it together? My bet is yes, you are. In time, I can see you starting a project car, borrowing a welding machine from Greg, etc.

You also have resources that some folks don't typically have access to: the Auto Crafts shop on base. If you need one, a lift-equipped bay will cost you 2.50 an hour. There are facilities to mount and balance your own tires, learn body work and even learn to do your own alignment.

You've got a great road ahead of you.

-Rusty

Ah forgot all about that. My roommate in the service was a bodyman. He painted my VW using the equiptment on the base. Turned out real nice. Excellent resource you have there. Seems like a nice 73 1.7 just got posted. Might want to take a gander.

i hate to seem negative. you should plan on spending $2k, at least, more than you are ready to spend now. with no tools, little mechanical skills (you will quicky learn), you will become disappointed when you start writing checks for hundreds of dollars. don't be in too big of a hurry. buy a car that's been well sorted out.

kevin

Hey Wombat,
The cost of owning a 914 isn't much different than any other vehicle.
How much it'll ultimately cost depends on which catagory you fall into with regards to cars.
You're either a do-it-yourself car guy,or a check-book mechanic.If your the later,you shouldn't be surprised at pay big money everytime something fails.
Parts fail on every car,how you respond will determine how much it costs you.
Personally for me,I won't pay no $300 bucks a year for oil changes & tuneups.I'll do it myself,and save the other $250.00 bucks for upgrades.On the fuel pump,I'll take mine apart,and see what's causing it to not work before I cough up that coin for a new one.I've found fuel pumps over the years,that were mearly stopped up w/trash.Cleaned'em out and they went right back to working.
One other note,I've noticed in peoples car habits.
I've had people come to my house to look over cars I've had for sale over the years.
Never fails,a guy drives up in a new model car or new pickup and'll after he gets the asking price I'll listen to him tell me how much he'll need to spend on this possible new project.As if I already didn't know.
In a nutshell,He doesn't mind that $400-600 dollar a month payment he drove up in,but spending money fixing up an old car is now some burden I should take pity on him for.
Bottom line is,you have to look at the overall picture of ownership,and decide how n\much ya wanna spend and how you can minimize the costs.

Ron

Ron--Very, very well put. I am a tinkerer so also would open the pump up and see what makes it tick. I mean, it's already broken right? How much worse could me messing with it make it? Kindred spirits there. And yes I too do my own oil changes, brakes and tune-ups.

Lawrence--As I said when we spoke, I am not hung up on any color. It is more important to me for the thing to have minimal rust and be mechanically sound (as well as a 30 year old car could be of course). I'll probably just repaint the damn thing 1930 Plymouth Purple with a heavy metallic flake anyway

I know that last will get some flames from all you "must keep it original" people.

-Dan

___________
2002 Jeep Liberty
2000 Ford Taurus
197? Porsche 914 (Hope to get one soon)

nah. i bet there aren't more than a few hundred ALL ORIGINAL 914's in the world - if that many. there's that 1000-mi Italian 914 that comes up on EBay every couple of years.

so at this point, it's almost always a matter of do you put it back to original, or do something else.

it's your car, do what you want.

if you expect to compete seriously in National judged Concours, you shouldn't expect to get many originality points for stuff you have changed. but the paint is either ORIGINAL, factory-applied paint, or it's not. if it's not, judges mostly don't care what color it is, and just look at condition.

(and believe me - telling the difference between a 10-year-old original-color repaint and factory paint can be quite the challenge. you need to know HOW the cars were originally painted, where the factory overspray areas typically are, what plugs, fasteners, and grommets should or shouldn't have been overpainted...)

Cool. No way am I ever trying to have a concourse car! I just love that color. If you have seen my posts, you will notice that I fell in love with the 914 in high school. A friend of mine had one and he painted it that color. It is so dark it's black except in direct sunlight, then the metal flake really brings out the purple. It would change colors at night as it cruised under the street lamps. Really cool.

-Dan

Aw sure you can... You just can't drive it!

I've spent near nothing on mine in 8 months, neither did the previous two owners. They did just like I did bought as a project, rolled it into the garage, said "Damn this is a lot of work!" and after a couple years they sold it (it's been off the road since at least '99). I'm breaking the cycle though, it rolls out of my garage as a driver or parts!

I'm thinking that a nice one in Iraq would be a little more than $5k just kidding. I got mine for $6k...but I live on the east coast and it has VERY little rust, just under the battery. Figure if you are in CA that you could drop $2k off the price of my car.

If you want to spend less in the long run, spend more when you buy the car. (But some may disagree). Get one that someone already sunk time and money into.

I agree with Anthony that Nice cars will run upward of $8000 - $9000 range for an unmolested 73' or 74' 2.0L
I just sold one of my 73' 2.0's that was the perfect, sorted out, turn key 914 with all new brakes/suspension, rebuilt 2.0 engine, rebuilt trans, perfect interior, ect.... It was very nice but no where near a concourse car and I got $8500 for it. (Worth every penny of that). These are not the norm in the world of 914's but they are out there.

Let me know if you see any of those $7000 concourse cars out there.....Cause I'd buy one if that were the case!

I haven't seen a concours level car for sale in the last few weeks for less than 10,500.00 and have seen some of the sixes up to 22,500.00! So, i'm taking that previous statement with a grain of salt.

I'll just spend what I got and hope I get to drive it in between repairs.

-Dan

Dan,
Where are you stationed at when you get back home?
I'm now stationed at Langley AFB in VA and live in Williamsburg, VA so if you need any help looking at cars in this part of the country let me know.
Thanks,
Dominic

Dominic, Deal. I'll be in Kansas.

-Dan

You got it!

The only other thing I would watch out for - is that these cars have so much potential - it makes you want to realise it. You will find yourself wanting to do all kinds of horrendously expensive upgrades. If you can curb that desire you will probably have more fun.

Me? I took the other path. My car has been on stands for probably the majority of the time I've owned it. I'm still having fun though - but looking forward to spending the ~$400/mo on track time instead of spending it on tools and parts. It's getting a LOT of upgrades :-)

When I was looking at buying my 928 (the second one I've owned) I came across this rule of thumb in regards to these cars. For the 928 I was told to budget at least 10 to 20% of the purchase price to fix all of the 'things' that needed attention. Well, I can attest to that. I've spent about 4K on repairs to my 45K miles original 928 in the first six months of owning it. That about 40% of the purchase price. Man, they're expensive cars to own, but not necessarly to buy.

Not learning from the above lesson, I picked up my 914 last month. I probably paid a bit too much for it. Agreed to price was 6K. Probably 1 to 1.5K high, but he did have receipts for engine and tranny work that totaled over 6.5K, plus other receipts so the owner lost money on the car. It's not perfect, but it looks nice. It was a handfull to drive as it has some FI issues and I knew that when I bought it. I drove it home, drove it to work twice, then pulled off the offending FI sensor and it hasn't moved under it's own power since. Hopefully, it will be driving again next week when my rebuilt MPS sensor arrives! I paid a bit more for this car because of the prior work that had been done on it so I wouldn't have to do it myself in the near future. It also had some things done it it already (916 bumpers) that I was considering doing, and had all of the options I wanted - 2.0 engine, console with gauges, Fuchs wheels, fog lights, etc...

So, rule of thumb, budget at least 20 to 25% of the purchase price on needed right now repairs after you get the car. If you can swing it, go for it.

Hell, I own an 928 - Porsche's flagship car for 18 years and I still wanted a 914. They are just too much fun to drive and I really like the unique looks of them!

P.S. Yes, I do have a very understanding wife of 22 years, but I do get this once in awhile...

The first 7 months after buying my 3000 dollar 914 I am putting another 3000 to have the motor running again. They are definentaly worth it but you never know what is going to break.

I purchased my '74 2.0 for $3300 about two years ago and have only spent minimal amounts on regular maintenance. The paint is ok from a distance but up close it shows that it was not a great repaint (done by the previous owner). I still need to do quite a bit of rust repair at some point but for now I have never enjoyed driving anything as much! I wish I could have afforded a better starting point but I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat! These little cars are an obsession!

Whatever you end up with I hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine. Good Luck!