I'm almost 16 and I have always had an obsession for Porsche's. It first started when I got this game in 6th grade callled "Need For Speed Porsche Unleashed" (Good Game) I was astounded to find out that my nextdoor neighbor had a Porsche 914. (That's why I'm here!) I finally got to sit in it in 8th grade and I have loved it ever since. I washed it for her and one of her friends came over and chenaged the fuel filter to get it to start so she could sell it (bad thing for me !) But soon after she forgot about it and no one would buy a Porsche that has been sitting for 10 years for 5 grand anyway. Anyway she said that she would sell it to me for !2500 So I have taken and interest in these cars. What i want to know is why the car only revvs to 5 grand and if it is worth it to get something that I heard droppes valves seats and all this other crap? I really want a Porsche and I want one that is fun to drive but cheap. (cheap fun, unlike Kart racing !) Any advice or suggestion, well for that matter anything at all wil be helpful!
Thanks,

Zeek

Hi zeek and welcome. At 16 it sounds like you already know what you want. I will never talk against any future porsche ownership but when I was your age My thing was a 944 or a 924 . The only advice I can give is to know what you are getting in to. Read as much as you can, Know your budget, and your mecanical ability.This may not be the best first car unless you enjoy looking at it, these cars enjoy jackstands an waiting on parts that will need to be shiped from somewere else( waiting for days for UPS or DSL). When it rains you will have to get a ride with a budy and the noise inside the car with the top one is LOUD!!!! (engine noise, squeaks and rattles) but when it is up and running it is the most fun you will have in a 2000 pound car with under 100hp

Welcome to the club Zeek.

Maybe there is a club member near by that can come over and have a look at it for you.
Can you post some pics of it?

Paul

Do a search on the furums for "Rust" and poke around a little. Being a CA car, it may not have much. But that is usually your bigest concern. What year? Any pics you can post for us? I hope you get it and it winds up being a good car for you. They tend to keep the mechanic busy because they are so old now, but pay off when you drive them.

Good luck, post your questions here, and pics! We love pics of 914's!

I am assuming that this will be your first car. Watch out they are very addictive and time consuming. My wife got one when she was 16 and as a result of that I bought one the summer to fix up for her. Now I have another engine in the garage all torn apart, am about to take out the seats and see what the rust stituation is, need to work on the brakes... the list goes on. Oh yeah and I spend way too much time here.

But dam it's fun to drive, will bring a smile to your face every time.

I say go for it and welcome to the club.

Sean

He's in Arcata....that's Humboldt County on the northern border if I read it right. IT'S WET up there....

If it has really sat for 10 years then be prepared to spend some time and $$ on it. It will most likely need new fuel lines, tires, etc. As long as your go in with your eyes open and know what's ahead...dive in. They are worth it.

hello dude, im 16 and i own a porsche 914, you should get it, its the best car in the world. i have to drive 30 miles to get to school everyday in a very twisty road, its so much fun, plus it gets good gas mileage. and it has the porsche logo on the hood, is there a better car? no

thanks guys and yes i live in Northern California and from what i saw it doesn't have rust cuz its been in the garage for the 10 years and i know that I will have to replace the fuel lines but I want to now why it only revvs to 5 grnad any help would help!

And thanks i am really glad i bought that Exelleance magazine to join this club sounds like a very knoledgeable group! (and yes I know i spelled that wrong!) And i never can get inside the garage to get pictures of it but I could do it throught the grage window if you guys want. its a 1976 Hell Blue Porsche 914 2.0. it has some dark spots were a cat walked up it and there is a 6" gouge in the hood but it hasn't ruted yet! (weird huh!)

Post some pics of the car....bet it has a rusty piece of shit Monza muffler like my first one had....it had so much crap in the pipe that it restricted the engine's ability to go past 4500 rpms.....

Zeek, I work in Arcata and would be glad to come by and take a look at it. I do not consider myself an expert but I have a 73 and I do know what to look for as far as the trouble spots go. Let me know.

Why not? You really need to get pics of the battery tray area and under the rocker panels (passenger side at least). I bought mine without knowing and now I have the floor cut out of it along with the battery tray.

Yeah....the club helps again....for 2500 that tub better be squeaky clean.

Don't understand the whole 5 grand thing.
Have you driven it? or is this hear say from the owner.
is it fuel injected? is there fresh gas or 10 year varnish in the tank and lines.
Probably nothing that a tune up won't fix. Oh have you priced a tune up? This includes adjusting valves, plugs wires cap rotor points condesor. Air filter, some vaccum lines. fuel filter oil change. Somebody want to add this up?

Thats on the bright side. FI cars can flat run you to the poor house if there are components to fix or replace. Carbs are no better and will certainly drive you crazy tuning them. Rebuilding carbs isn't hard or expensive unless you do it wrong and wreck your motor.

If it is a 76 you may be better passing on it. It will have to be smogged, unless I am mistaken. This means that it will need to be in good running shape always or you can't drive it.

goddamn you guys are helpful all though you can really overwhelm me! UHHHHHHHH............ well she is a college student with a job and I really don't want to get her thinking about it cuz she might sell it to someone else. Thats what my dad said. it has had the same gas in it for 10 years I think i have only lived here fro six. and the 5 grand thing was her boyfriend who was ruthless exept to me who he seemed happy to cut me a "deal". I will do whatever it takes to get it smogged I WANT A GODDAMN PORSCHE!!!! not some freaking mazda or a rust bucket el camino or something! anyway thanks you guys are like a couple of super heros! yeah I think its fuel injected it has this huge black air box on it so i don't know and like I said i don't want to get her thinking about it well on the other hand she might be so busy as to forget about it anyway. I can't read minds!

What are you talking about. The 914 isnt a porsche?

just kidding. Im 19 and have 2 porsches. Good luck buddy!

Calm down.

There are actually a lot of $2500 914's around. Don't feel like you need to buy this one. $2500 is not a good deal if the car has rust and/or needs a bunch of new parts because it's been sitting too long.

Many (most?) 914's have MAJOR rust issues. A lot of the serious rust tends to hide, too. Find someone up there who can look at the car with you to see if it is worth what they are asking. I am talking gaping holes in the frame rails, not wussy surface rust in the trunk. You won't notice until the car folds in half unless you know what to look for.

Smog is a serious issue if it's a 76. I think you are underestimating how hard it can be to get an old worn out air cooled engine to pass smog. Get a 75 or older, preferably a 73 or 74, but even the 70-72 are ok.

Isn't the seller responsible for that anyway and yeah my dad can look at it with me and I won't have my licence for another 6 or so months and it only needs to pass smog up here if it changes regestration. I want to rip the muffler and stuff out but i don't know if it will sound like a beetle or not?

California smog laws are such that 76 and newer cars need to be smoged every 2 years in addition to the smog that is needed during a transfer. I doubt that that car will pass smog. I know you are excited but you will find that you need a second car (like a honda) that is going to be reliable enough. I'm 21 and have 2 914's and an integra. Do you know what i'm driving now? the integra. I know that a 914 can be made reliable but that involves having lots of money and an income. get a hold of 5dogs and get a outside opinion, it's well worth it. And keep in mind. Once you go 914 there is no going away.

As much as i hate saying it get a honda first then get the 914 as a project car. You will appreciate it more as a project car. I would be really screwed if i didn't have my reliable car. I hope that you make the right decision.

Even if you don't get a 914, you can stick around here, look at the classifides for the right car, and chat and learn more then you will want to know. I hope this helps and doesn't deter you from 914s

I disagree. An old VW can be made just as reliable as anything for a lot less then a Honda if done right. It doesnt require an open check book, or anything like that. I bought my 914 for 1300 and could have had it running and looking okay for another 3 grand (engine rebuild). I decided to make it a project car by repainting it and giving it a new suspension, but you can get a 914 that is inexpensive, reliable, and fun to drive. Just make sure to get one without rust!

Zeek, If you're looking for one to play around with, I agree with the others, you want 75 or earlier. California smog laws are tough and really limit you on what you can do with the car. You want a car that's exempt from the smog laws.

I would have to agree with the 75 or older thing!!

Your gonna be really pissed when you go to register it and it wont smog and you can't find the parts to get it running and you have to spend for a car that doesn't run and.....

If the gas is 10yrs old or even close DON'T RUN IT! Varnish will potentially cause you serious head problems as your valves stck before breaking. Do a search here on old/bad gas. For $2500 you could likely do a lot better. Buying in a rush can be dangerous. My first 914 was like that.

i think a honda starts out more reliable then an old vw. You have engineering and materials that are at leat 20 years newer (i got my integra recently for 3k). The ide is to start off with the right car, whether it's a 914 or not. By what zeek said about it i think he can find something better for him. 3K is a lot of money for a 16 yo. Maybe not for him, I don't know.

The worst is when you have a car that you can't drive. I think everyone here would agree.

wish i knew about this place before i got my teener. it's got a square donut as a battery tray, but the rocker panels are fine. And the fresh yellow paint it came with makes it fast look out world it's a 1.8 F.I. TERROR!!!

i rushed into my first(current) 914 also. needed a car bad, dad was selling the 914, test drove, then bought. car was 2,500, and i think it was worth it. even after spending $500-$1000 on miscellaneous fi parts and other things that rot away after 30 years. but, i wasnt even driving it for the past year or so cause i couldn't get the damn thing to smog. it runs great, but the smog machine doesnt give a crap. and now that the car is finally smog exempt, it starts making a noise like it's ready to drop a seat. if i didn't have my 1989 toyota corolla with 70K, on it, i would be screwed and taking the buss to work.

dont get me wrong, the reason i still have the car is because it's a blast to drive and not too many people know what the hell it is and why i put gas in the front trunk and after i replaced the parts that the PO neglected, the car is actually very reliable. never left me stranded once when i was driving it every day to work. i'm just now finding a few rust demons, but i'll worry about that after the valve seat.

my suggestion:
buy a beater honda/toyota and spend your pizza delivery money fixing up the 914. whether or not it's the 914 next door is another story.

if it wasnt for my beater 88 toyota camry with 170k miles i'd be riding my bike to school instead of taking the bus

I ride a motorcycle. Cheap and easy. My car hasn't run in a while <_<

before i got the corolla, i was actually riding my GO-ped to
work. actually pretty fun and you get 100+ miles to the gallon. well, it was fun until i got a damn ticket for no damn helmet. cop happened to just be finishing writing a speeding ticket when i cruised by. minus $200 from my bank account. :finger2: the goped might actually be faster than my 914 with tuned pipe and big carburetor and timing key.

Just have to give this fine young man my two-senses.
When I got one of my teeners--it had been sittin in a garage for over 6 years with not even being rolled around. When I took one look at it and bought it for 1200.00 cash, it took five guys pushing it cause the tires were square, still full of air tho. Got it home, flushed the brake lines, flushed the fuel tank and used sealer in it, replaced the lines (fuel), rebuilt the already converted dual webers, stuck an 009 with crane optical in it, msd coil, changed the plugs to bosche two-prong platinums ( awesome plugs!!) and put some real tires back on it. It was and still is a blessing in DISGUISE!!! Total $$ in the car at that point was 1750 (incl purchase) Fired up immediately!!! within one hour of carb tuning, timing, etc, well, been driving it ever since. Do not get me wrong, it has issues, but has never left me stranded, and while I drive it and save $$$on insurance, gas, etc. That money goes to the parts I WANT-not need--to make my very own. These cars can be more reliable than any other out there, ( save another older vw) All you need as a tool kit is a screwdriver, 10&13mm sockets, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, mm wrenches, and some needle nose pliers--If you ever break down, those are most of what you would ever need to fix it there on the road ( save, something major!!) Point is, just because it has been sitting, (covered at that) you are taking a risk--but what if it pans out???

I would offer you a red stripe, but since you are only 16 I would not want to corrupt your mind with alcohol---so instead,,have a '76er on me!!

if this car lived in arcata for a long time i would suspect it might have SERIOUS rust issues. close to the ocean, rain, rain like fog,...be careful.

kevin

i guess ill chime in...first off welcome, and secondly, i was in a similar position to you, got my first 914 right after i turned 17, and i ended up having to buy another one...why? because i rushed into buying it...the cars chassis was as stiff as a wet noodle..and the "rust repair" that was done on it was absolutely disgusting....but of course i just wanted a 914, so i bought it for 500. eventually i had to get a good roller, and i did, for 600, as rust free as i could get it on the east coast, so ive owned my 914s for over a year, and still havent driven em....it may have been easier for me to just wait and buy a better one...but stuff happens, so now i have a garage full of tools too

yeah so definetly make sure that this one is good, 2500 is a good amount for these cars...you dont want to buy a 2500 dollar parts car

thnaks i'm trying not to rush since it wil probably be there for a while longer and I just can't stand the fact that there is one right there ready to go (sort of) Her buddy put some new fuel in when i washed it so it has some fuel in it, it ran fine and drove like a beast ( it only revvs to 5 grand) and the tires arn't square yet. I'm just worried abou all the stuff I hear about online about how the valve seats drop and the valves explode, and that the valve guides leak. i looked it over pretty good a while back and the garage is always sealed shut cuz she doesn't have anything in there she needs but I will try to get pictures of it to you guys and thry to curb my enthusiasm from my dad cuz he said that i shouldn't get other people into this because they might go any rip it from under my nose and then i will be all depressed and bitch that its gone and blame it on him cuz he didn't get it. Oh and my dad was throwing around the idea about putting a rotary in it any input?

everything isn't doom and gloom with these cars. Just heed the warnings of looking at the critical rust locations (longitudinals, hell hole..etc). These engines are more robust then what you'd think..we tend to focus on our horror stories. Now my car sat for 6 years in the desert..you'd think oh-no major engine problems. All I really did to the engine was replace all the rubber fuel lines (in the front around the fuel tank and in the engine compartment..old ones will crack and leak!), replaced all the vacuum lines, put in new plugs, oil, pulled and cleaned the gas tank and fired it up. I've got 1500 miles on it so far and it runs great. Only snafu I found was on a road trip it started hesitating and I found I had a loose fuel injector connector.

Have a 914 person close look at it with you along with your dad...and if it checks out go for it!

Jim

p.s. always keep in mind that this is now a vintage sports car..and thus you'll do more maintenance to it then you will a 5 year old honda civic...but that is part of the charm!

Heya and welcome!
I'm in Upsate NY, the rust center of the universe. I bought my '73 with a 1.7 for 3 grand - it ran really rough, carbs leaked, brakes were shot, needed lots of little adjusting here and there. There was a little rust, but nothing structural, and as a matter of fact quite solid overall. I spent 350 bucks on new NGK plugs, carb rebuild kits, wires, cap and rotor, distributor and CDI/pointless ignition, new brakes (bled them as well), some shifter bushings, and an oil change. After tuning the carbs and getting the timing straight, it ran like a champ. No problems whatsoever, not even oil leaks. Super reliable too, I drove it everywhere. Total investment was around 3500 when all was done, and I got a sweet, strange little car out of it.
Definitely have a 914 guy look at it with you, and dont' worry about anyone here snatching it up from under your beak, these folks are so helpful and honest (painfully honest ) that if this car is a heap, they'll help you find a worthwhile one for you anyway. I wouldn't doubt that someone on this site knows of or has one for sale already that you could get into for cheap, and save yourself a ton of possible headache.
Don't get anxious, and definitely take your time, you're at the right place.
Good luck dood, and keep us up to date!
Cheerio
Jeff

Im with Evil Get a MC anyway...

Thanks and thanks again I will keep an eye out and try to get pictures. Does having low miles do a lot for a car like this?

Low miles is difficult to tell because the odometer rolls over a 99,999 miles. Just look at overall condition.

Jake Raby or someone else could probably clear this up---if it is a '76er , didn't vw go to a different material or procedure for the valve seats??? I do not hear much, if at all, talk about the late models having valve issues----and you said it has been sitting in a garage right??? Put gas in it and fired it up??? Buddy, that could just be your blessing in disguise----even 16 yr olds get a good deal before their eyes every now and then...

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWwEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, that 5 grand thingy, it is very, very possible that the tach is not reading correct, and you are actually making power---When my engine is idling, the tach reads 50 rpm--but it is convincingly much faster than that by sound>

I had to use a timing light w/ a tach built into it to set my timing, the tach was no-where near correct...

Or it could be correct and it is just because of not being run for very long and the injectors are gummed up, or some other simple sensor.

Do not be dismayed by that injection setup---it is not that hard to work and diagnose.

right got it I will find out some time soon. Maybe today i'll collect up the balls to go ask her if I can see it and tyake some pictures for some help on whear I should I should by it

shit I was damn lucky that I mencined that to her, she said that her dad was just about to take it away but if i still want it she will hold on to it for a little longer but I think that she is getting really tired of it so my dad is porbably coming up with a plan this very minute! but he doesn't want to mencin it in fromnty of my mom cuz she doesn't want tme to have that car!

But you should be able to get it cheap if they are just gonna get rid of it. Did she mentiona price? You could go to collectorcartrader.com and look up comparable prices and print them out to help in the negotiation. Also, look in our classifieds and those of Pelican parts. Get them for your area, your year, milage (if possible), condition, etc. Keep the cheapest ones and good luck with the bartering. If she or her dad are thinking of selling it again, I wouldn't worry. They will likely have a hard time getting what they want for that year and that will buy you time and whittle down the price. Above all, don't be sad if you have to pass. An older one would do you better in the long run potentially (no smog). If you know your budget, I would be happy to help you find one. It will have to wait a week though, finals . You can PM me or state you budget here. You may be suprised at what is around you.
HTH

well she'll probably keep it a littile while just becauce I do a lot for her around her house. Any way she still wants $2500 for it and I went onto colectercartrader.com and the only 2 were for $9500 and $10500. that isn't the kind of money I haveso my dad will porbably ethier bragain her l;ower to 2000 because of the current condition

the best thing you could do for yourself is take some pictures of this car and post them for everyone here to see. we'll let you know what it's worth.

but 2500 -- or even 2000 -- sounds a little high for a non-running car in CA. if everything else is immaculate, it might be a really good deal, though.

also, keep in mind that you're going to need a fair sized budget to get the thing running and keep it running. these cars eat bank accounts. you WILL spend more than you think on it. $1k a year is about right for maintainance. figure another $1.5-2k upfront to get it running and driving well.

meanwhile, welcome to the board! (and get a spell-checker or something -- your posts are hard to read! )

I'd walk. You couldn't find more thatn two? Try a nation wide search, or just CA. I know of several locally that are in better shape for less. I would so not be interested in a '76. You are looking for a smog headach for too much. In my opinion, $2500 is a bit rediculous. I have a '73 in my yard that will likely go for $3000 and it has a bigger 2.0+ engine, carbs, swaybars, no rust, and in great condition. I spent $2000 for mine and it was in perfect physical shape.

For 2k-2.5k you should be able to get a decent car that is in running condition. It may not be next door or even in Arcata but the bay area is not that far away and there seems to be plenty of 914s there.

The car next door may have got you psyched for a 914 but that doesn't mean you have to get that one. Keep looking and keep your wits and you will have a nice car in no time.

Sean