I fell in love with these cars as a kid and now it's time to own my first one.

I'd like to get into a 70-73 1.8-2.0 daily driver. I'm handy around cars but rust removal is out of my league.

Is $5k a realistic budget?

Absolutely, irrefutably not......$5000. is just a good start.

IMHO, around $10,000 gets you into a solid driver. Nicely restored in the mid teens and just over $20k for a concours car in a 4 cylinder. And either be handy or keep some extra cash around for repairs and improvements. They are great cars! I have several cool cars in my garage but nothing makes me smile more than driving my 914! Good luck

from a local teener - I am in Seymour.

If you search long enough, $5k could get you a 914 in decent shape rust-wise but perhaps would need mechanical or cosmetic work. Then it is a matter of spending the $$$ as you have it to fix things up. I have under 5k invested in my car and drive it every day. Yeah, it has some issues (including rust and body work) but I am getting all the mechanicals done first.

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I wouldn't rule out the 74-76 cars because at this point backdating bumpers and smog stuff is no big deal compared to larger problems in earlier cars. What matters most is a solid tub. You can find a decent car in the range you are talking about as a starting point, but plan on continuing to invest in it over time.

I think it depends a lot on how much you know, how much work you are willing to put in, and how long you are willing to wait for the right deals to come along.

13 or so years ago I got my first 914 after reading as much as i possibly could. I bought to soon without looking around and in the long run got screwed money wise. It was not a looker by any means but had suspension upgrades and supposedly a rebuilt 2L. Motor dropped a valve seat within the first 500 miles, tranny was junk as well. Was into it close to 10k within the first year.. and that was 13 years ago. Good learning experience though.

Fast forward a bit to 2007, been working on 914s for a while, owned a couple parts cars and know these things pretty much inside and out. Guy at a PCA autocross has a grey 914 he got from his brother that he tells me he is just to tall for. 73 2L with FI, hell hole has been repaired, and documented 30k miles on a rebuild. Shifts better then any 914 I have ever driven. Picked it up for $3250. Have used it as my daily driver when the weather is good for the lat 5 years and spent nothing on it other then oil, gas, and the set of fuchs I got for it last year. Even passes emissions testing every year with no fuss. right place right time on that one.

Working on a lilac car for my wife now. When it is all back together I should still be around 5k. $1500 for a 72 1.7 car with a strong rebuilt motor/ side shift tranny, but questionable rust/rust repair. $1000 for a 72 non runner that had been garaged since 1986 with a solid chassis. Strip the good chassis to the bone, $1000 to get it painted (cheap job but looks great). Now its just time putting it all back together with the best parts from the pair of cars and another $500-$1000 in replacing all the rubber seals and it will be the most solid 914 I have.


Might be a bit tougher where you are at, but I think it can be done. Just find someone who really knows these cars to point you in the right direction. You will probably have to find something in your local classifieds or know someone though. People on the boards generally know a good deal and snatch them up quick.



Pics to drive the point home
I have under 5K in each of these
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I agree that 5K is reasonable if you know what to look for and are willing to work out kinks later. it helps to be mechanically inclined also.

I found mine for 2700 and after sourcing a good used engine, used Side Shift, I have about another 1500 invested. I've even replaced the floor pan at a decent price, upgraded the suspension some. It's now my daily driver and one of the best cars I've ever driven. People compliment its looks all the time and it still has some cosmetic flaws I'm working on. I plan on doing a number of upgrades and i also budget to spend each year about what it would cost to make payments on a new car.

Your car is only worth what you get out of it and some just want an old car that is like a new car. Everything is either already fixed or fixed to near perfection. Others like myself, enjoy being a shade tree mechanic and don't mind getting grease under the finger nails. I'll be working and upgrading my car until i find a new project to work on.

I think the majority of Teener owners are hands on owners.

I think the bottom line is what you want out of the car, its your choice.

easy question to answer.

go thru all the cars in the classifieds and you will know what you get for the money.

** note that even owners don't always know about all the rust issues that may be hidden under a decent coat of paint.

cars from non snow/SALT states tend to be in better overall condition.

You can find a very good driver for $5K. You just have to be willing to open your geographic search area and be ready to pounce when you find the right car.

As the previous poster said, look on here for examples of cars that have sold. If you take out the concours garage queens (on the upper end) and the parts cars (on the bottom end), you will see that some very decent cars have sold on here for between $3K and $6K .

You will have to learn to do some of this work yourself to save money.

Thanks for all the responses!

I'm not looking for a queen but rather something that I can drive on occasion while slowly working on mechanical and cosmetic stuff.

Man so much good advice already given!
I bought my car about a year ago for less than $5k, shipped it to NH, put maybe another $1k into it and have put over 7000 miles on it!

Am I happy?

Yes - in love actually

Could I (you) have done better knowing what I now know?

Yes, but I didn't miss by much!

Could I have done as well without advice and help from members of the 914 community?

No way!

Do I still have more to do?

Yes, but that is what I signed up for.

How I see me

How my friends/colleagues see me

Why I'm going on and on

I'll redeem my post by adding pictures ...

Sorry I don't have the center caps on in these pictures Mark - they look great!

Great advise from all of the above. I thought I could save on a stripped down chasis. I am over 5ooo so far and have only driven it down the driveway. Would do it all over again Really it was worth the learning experience.

I got lucky. Found a driver for under $2k. She's headed for the paint shop in a week, then new carpet and seats. Looking at right around $5k total when all said and done.

I like your Mahle Rims.
Their almost identical to my pedrinis in color.

5k will buy you a nice driver or a nice looker. Not a nice looker and a nice driver. 10k will buy you both. 20k will buy you perfect.

Sounds like your on track. The rubber budget if it includes a set of new tops might be a bit light, but if your tops are servicable (or you can find some good used ones) it will be on target somewhere in the middle.

The only thing that gets expensive is you can't have just one!

I'm already looking for a replacement for my 74 beetle. People think I'm crazy but They are great cars. If you find one that has little or no rust issues, then your golden as far as I'm concerned. The other site (thesamba.com) usually is a great source as well.

If you are doing most of the work yourself, it will not be too bad ....... but add whatever you think it will cost ..... then pick a multiplier between 2 thru 10 depending on what build level you decide on ......... always try to buy the best one you can afford to start with.

are those wheels 16s or 17s ....

17" x9" &17" x 7.5"

Awesome!!! That is the diameter and widths I was looking to get on my GT replica !!! I initially thought 17" dia. was gonna look too big ........ but seeing yours, I think it is 'just right'!!

If you don't mind the million questions ......... what tire sizes/profiles did you go with?

Well, I bought one of of Ebay (yah, mock me) for 3350.00 I now have about 9500 in it and by the time I have 11k in it, it will run nicely, look okay and still be slightly rough inside. BUT, it will be reliable to drive and the lipstick crap can wait. The only rust I can find is at the front of the spare tire hole where it has gotten scraped on high driveways over and over. But it is nearly 40 years old, I'm sure there is some as of yet undetected rust.

These cars can get pretty expensive. I will never say how much I have spent on mine and it's not even running.




For 10-15k you can probably find a beautiful stock 4 banger.

Fronts are 205/40zr17 with 225/45zr17 on the rears. You will need at least 2-3 inches of spacers to fill the wheel well. back to the subject of this thread, you need to get as much car as you can for what you can afford. If you can find a nearly completed project that has been done correctly you could be money ahead. Ask me how I know.