QUOTE(RangerRhett @ Dec 17 2004, 05:01 PM)
I don't mind working on a car....I have no experience doinf body work and I wouldn't trust myself to do it in the first place...
I am saying 5000 or below...
hopefully a 2.0 L ...
Generally speaking, the less you spend on a 914 on the front end, the more you'll spend on it in the long run. Get the best 914 you can afford, and DO NOT BUY A RUSTY CAR THAT NEEDS "A LITTLE WORK"!!!!
I'd increase my budget to $7500 at least. If you are worried about getting stranded, consider a car with a midly warmed over engine with dual Webers. Don't get in a hurry to get a car, but have cash in hand and be ready to jump, if the perfect one should fall your way. Look at as many cars as you can, and don't be afraid to walk away from one that doesn't make the cut, but seems like a good deal.
The 914 injection system is a very good set up, and all the guys with these old cars and all the miles is a true testament to how good it really is, but the odds of getting stranded are less with carbs than injection.
These are after all, old cars, and old cars in general have the potential to break down at the worst possible moment. I've only had a carb'd 914 leave me stranded once, and that was one of those Ignitors went bad. Really and truly, I wasn't stranded because I pulled the Ignitor, put the points and condensor back on, and drove it home. The fact that it was 1:30am in the parking lot of a nightclub after a four hour gig wasn't a big plus, but I did fix it myself and drive home that night.
If you are commited to getting a 914, then as Dave Hunt says, you need to have enough simple tools and knowledge to be able to make simple repairs, which for a bunch of wackos like us, is considered fun
The other thing you'll be gaining is a awesome support group in the form of this website and the "brotherhood" of 914 owners all over. You'll find (if you haven't already) that 914 owners are the best people and willing to help in ways too numerous to mention. There are tons of stories how these great little cars have brought people together in so many ways
PK