Merry Christmas everyone. I'm new to 914World - and am glad I found you. I have been looking for a 914 and thought I knew a little bit, enough to buy one ..until I started reading here. I am focusing on 73-74s and looking at three right now, two listed on 914World classifieds and one on eBay. I'm not wedded to originality, particularly if typical upgrades make the car better, in term of rust prevention, brakes, transmission, etc. and changing colors is fine, as long s it 'looks right'. One focus has been the hell hole. Were the original batteries the biggest issue or poor steel in that area? I ask because an original car with no rust there would still be susceptible to rust versus a car that's been stripped and repainted, assuming that area was given extra attention? As I look through the ads I also see the usual mention of the pedal box, brake and transmission upgrades and the ongoing debate of FI versus carbs. Armed with some advice I will ask questions before making what may be a cross country journey. Thanks very much for helping a novice.

IMO opinio the battery was probably the largest issue with the hell hole, but the outer rockers never being cleaned out was a close second. If you look carefully at a lot of the build threads with rust in that area you will notice there are actually 4 layers of metal in one spot right behind the jack post. Those 4 layers turns to 3 then to two, This layering of untreated metal, combined with battery corrosion, is a horribe combination. Once the hell hole is penetrated, everything from above runs down into the long, and begins rusting inbetween these layers, thus rusting from the inside out. If you look at BillH's thread I just finished, there is a good example of how these cars rot from the insdie out, so the paint will actually hide the nastiness.

My advice is to have someone close by, look at any car you are considering, and have them pay extra attention to the outside of the hell hole, jack post, and suspension console areas, prefferably by poking at it with a screwdriver to verify it's solidity. There is one car locally the owner is trying to get 5700.00 for and while being a good runner and driven regularly, it is a ball of rust, so don't be too enamored by a running, driving car

I think it was poor engineering on Porsche's part to put the Battery in that location. It was fine for weight distribution, but rain (or car washs) put water on top of a Lead Acid Battery which leads to rust below

Agree on crap in the rockers

I agree on having someone close check the car for you. 914World members are everywhere and will be glad to help for a Pint!

Thanks very much ..the more I learn the more I realise how little I know. I'm getting a little skittish, I have to admit. The cars I'm looking at are in the $12-16,000 range. Two of them seem to have had a significant amount of work, the other one has low mileage and apparently impeccable care with some work, an engine upgrade and a few other things. In some ways I worry about the latter more: are all the problems about to start if I drive it ..and it happens to rain. The present owner said the key is to keep the car absolutley dry all the time. I want to drive it, not park it! Not in really bad weather but never in the rain ..Franky, I hadn't even focused on the rockers and that's a obvious place for rust. Yikes .. Again, thanks for the very good advice.

1. Have someone who knows these cars help you check for rust
2. Buy the best example you can afford
3. Interior bits and mechanical issues are cheap compared to rust issues
4. ALL of them have rust to some extent. Determining the extent of that rust is the tricky part
5. There are nice solid cars out there. The issue is that 914's were so cheap (and unloved) for so long that the vast majority were not maintained
6. Once again, have someone who knows these cars check out the car for you

This looks quite nice. http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry1790970

Not original, but very nice non the less. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972-PORSCH...=item27ce220a0d

Condition is more important than year or engine size. If your not in a rush, the right one will eventually surface.

If you have the budget, get the green barn find listed in the classifieds. A car like that doesn't show up very often. Good cars do pop up every now and then. You need to be both patient, and ready to pull the trigger if the right car becomes available.

Thanks. I did take a look at this one when it was listed.

What do you think of this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972-PORSCH...d#ht_600wt_1064

Thanks.

There are some decent cars on SF Bay Are Craigs list right now. Range $7k-$16k

Where exactly are you located? We have members everywhere...

Contact Brad Mayeur of 914 LIMITED, INC. in East Peoria, Illinois regarding the silver car, as per the adv.. Brad is a stand up guy and can give you an honest professional assesment of the car if your interested in it. Here's a recent thread on it. http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=200324&hl=

I have a strong running, solid 914 for sale, E mail me for more pics.

I agree that you should get someone close to check if possible. I went out on a limb and bought mine sight unseen from ebay. It wasnt too bad but I think I would do it different if I could start over again. The hell-hole on mine is an absolute mess although the rest of the car is almost completely rust free. The interior is nice but needs a lot of TLC. I am finding that there are about 3 price points for these things:

under $5k-will get you something that needs a lot of TLC and may or may not run

$5k-$10k- a daily driver that still may have rust issues but looks good on the surface and runs well enough to be called a daily driver

$10k and up- a completely restored 914 that you can hop in and drive. Although that doesnt mean you wont still have to do some work now and then

What do u think of mine? Bob

Looks good! Is that a 356 and a TR6 hiding in there?

Both are very nice but I'll just comment on the car. For the time being I plan to stick to the chrome bumper cars and certain colors. Originally, I planned on one of the late models as they were the ones I wanted years ago but now prefer chrome bumpers and less smog restrictions. My thoughts have evolved a lot in the last few days as I've received advice here. Scary to think how little I knew .. Thanks for your advice, it's much appreciated.

What do you think of this one: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=197630

and this one: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=200149

The latter one seems expensive? They both look great to me but ..that means nothing just looking at photos. They seem to represent the kind of car that I want to buy. I'd rather buy something that's had work done. I may want to do more but it's not a project (money pit). I've already done that before .. Thanks.

I sent an email to the shop on Christmas Eve and may give him a call today. Thanks for the thread. Very helpful. Shockingly, I did notice what I thought were the rusty bolts and even what looked like a little rust along the bottom of the door edges. I had to laugh about the 'paragraph' comments too. That drove me nuts trying to read it!

I didn't make the connection with concours and all the non-original parts, which like so many other things after reading here has been a part of a rapid learning process.

I'm fine, even preferring some non-standard upgrades for better reliability, drivability, etc. I do want to drive the car too, not just letting it sit. I'd rather pay a bit more to get someone else's work - usually at a discount - as long as the work has been done properly. What I'm now realising is I really don't know ..I'm the guy who knows just enough to be dangerous ..to my own back account. I've let my heart lead before both in buying and restoring and should know better.

All of you have been very helpful. I need to take my time and get it right. I'm not looking for some 'perfect car'. I've see several that struck my fancy so far. All were chrome bumpers and 2 litre cars with some reasonable upgrades. I even considered 914-6s but they've escalated to a point that's more than I want to spend, too precious perhaps.

Thanks, again.