hey 914world.
im new to this forum and new to 914s...ive owned two ford mustangs (1991 and 1984) and am now interested in the 914s. I had a few questions and wanted to hear your input.

I only have $5 grand to spend..my plan was to find a 914 with minimal rust and mostly stock. I want to be able to drive this car in the spring/summer with no issues with reliability.
Later on i plan on doing some suspension/engine work, but lets not get ahead
Are these cars reliable? easy to work on? safe? they seem fairly simple compared to the mustangs ive owned, but i have not performed any auto work on my previous cars. What are some common problems i should look out for?
Would i be better off buying a rust free roller and dropping in drivetrain or do these motors last a long time?

They sure look like a lot of fun and i hope to have one soon!

thanks

You're in the best place to get the answers to your questions but instead of asking for the answers you might want to scroll thru the different threads in this forum and you will soon become an expert as to what the pro's and cons are with these amazing little cars. Word of warning once you have one you will become addicted to the car and it's needs and the rewards of owning and driving it.

Get ready for some re-education

These are not Mustangs. Don't expect neck snapping straight line performance. But the first time you show a Mustang your taillights in the twisties you'll get it.

Hey,

I've owned four Mustangs: 02 GT, 93 LX 5.0 convertible, 64 1/2 170 straight 6, and a pedal car when I was 4.

Although the 914 doesn't have the same acceleration curve as the V8's, it will smoke a 6 cyl and out handle any of them. Plus. . . it has . . . . POP UP HEADLIGHTS!!!!!!

Rust is your enemy with these little guys, especially the "hell hole", which is the area under the battery tray and can cause all kinds of issues. There is a recent thread about this and an old thread about a German guy that rebuilt that whole area.

Remember: There is no such thing as "no rust" and "minimal rust" is probably not the whole story.

Reliable? -- no
Easy to work on? --depends on your definition of easy, and if you didn't work on cars before I will say no.
Safe? -- Your one of the smallest and lowest cars on the road.

My recommendation is to not rush and save more $ if it means you get a well sorted driver from an enthusiast. 5k can get you most of the way there if you are not rushing.

Welcome to the club and don't rule out very not stock cars

Find a member on here in your area that will help you look at local cars.

You are in the right place. Keep looking and if you can avoid anything but surface rust in the hell hole area you have a shot at a good driver.
If your lucky you may even find someone local here that could help with a pre purchase

Welcome

I've had lots of mustangs. Fairly new here also. I bought my 914 a few months back. Only my second Porsche, the first being a Boxster ( just a newer and updated version of the 914).

Neither was quite as "fast" as I wanted. But they are quick and nimble. They handle like go-carts and are a blast to drive! Lots of attention whenever I drive them.

I'm mechanicalicly inclined but had no experience with Porsche/VW cars. I think they are very simple in design and very easy to work on. All the info you need is right here on this site. You can "almost" rebuild the entire car with nothing but a screw driver and a pair of pliers! lol

All older cars need maintenance unless you get one already rebuilt and "ready to go". But I've always heard that VW type cars were reliable as long as you kept up with maintenance.

All in all I love my 914. Fun to drive, easy to work on, lots of attention when i drive it, and I feel like I'm drive a "piece of history".

spend lots of hours reading here. The amount of expert information is never ending, and most every opinion and option as well .