Hi,
I came across this add today.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camions/ville...gationFlag=true

car looks alright I think. has a brief description.
can anyone see any issues or think of anything questionable?
My sleuthing into 914's is very limited.
if its a long distance car you're interested in, how do you proceed?
is it a leap of faith and blind trust? or are there ways to ensure you're not getting a lemon. I figure most people out there are honest and want to sell a car to another enthusiast who will give it a nice new home.

The price is right.
(If)it is as claimed.
I have seen the 914 Targa up before.
It may be the finest in Quebec.
It is,however a substantial sum.
No appreciation,only maintenance costs.
A PPI is mandatory.Unseen purchase is out of the question
This is Canada after all and the saltworm has an appetite.
Ask the mechanic who maintained/repaired it.
A testpilot with the current owner as co is neccessary.
That's aboot it.

For a $16,000 car, you get on a plane and go look at it yourself. Drive it yourself.

EVERYTHING looks good on the internet.

100%

if your not going to inspect in person, then only pay what you can afford to loose.

Don't assume other 914 owners will have your best interests in mind. More especially if they discovered they have issues i.e. rust, bent body or other financial drains. One of our members (shame, shame but no names) sold a beautiful flaired rust bucket to another unsuspecting newbie. It happens very often on CL and EBay sales but seldom here.

thanks for the tips guys.
I'm not really in a position to purchase now but hope to do so in the future.
Just educating myself now.

the owner already wrote back to me...

Thanks for your interest and the kind words. Engine is stock 2.0 liter (Type 4 engine; same as used in the Volks Vanagon of the same era), although the D-Jetronic injection system was swapped out for dual Weber carbs (I gave up trying to get the injection system to work; problem was with the computer brain and after having purchased 2 duds on eBay, and after having received a quote of over $2k to rebuild the computer, I had my fill of it). 5-spd transmission is also stock. I wanted to keep the car original, and the only concessions were (1) carbs, (2) radio and (3) electric motor for windshield washer fluid rather than using air from front spare tire.

Maybe HE should have done some research. I have heard many times that the "brain" on the FI system is very reliable. For him to have one then find 2 more bad ones...... seems like a big red flag that something else was the matter.

Keep looking, also make sure to ask sellers with CARBS if they changed the cam shaft when they installed carbs. The cam for FI is not the best cam for carbs and visa versa.

thanks malcolm2,
this forum is super helpful to say the least.
all this is new to me.
I'm the car guy with a lot to learn.
i took auto shop in high school.
thats about it.
i'll email the seller with your questions and repost.

In the future, there is another alternative.

If you find a car and have no way of doing a PPI yourself and no members live nearby, you can hire a company called Jewel or Jalopy. They may be able to help.

http://www.jewelorjalopy.com/

Just looking at the pics and hearing why he ripped out the Djet makes me wonder. I see the PVC Tee for a aux fan splitter and cringe for a $18,000 car. It makes me think "what else" is restored sloppy....

Is it my imagination, or does it look like the right-front inner fender is banged up?

--DD

Dang it................. I'm starting to like the 914...... seeing this is so tempting. focus focus focus.....

Orest at that price point you are going to get a real nice 914 if you are smart about it.
It's totally worth a couple hundred bucks to get Mike914 or me to do a PPI for you. Hard to catch it all, but at least we can put it on a lift and we know what to look for.
A 914 is a beautiful car, but if has improper repairs it can be a total nightmare.
Often just saying you are going to have a PPI done by a pro will weed out the scammers.

with the others that say it should have the factory injection sorted at that price, so that does ring some alarm bells. Also some the work done makes me suspect the low mileage claimed.


I'd say yes, I also see seam sealer and the yellow paint writing on the headlight motor is something scrapyards often do. The seal looks a bit funky as well.
Engine sound pad is falling off. Tach looks foggy, bezel almost looks rusty.

Jeez! I don't know if I stumbled upon a 914 enthusiast site or a group of car detectives! haha, you guys and gals are super nice and very helpful.
I'm happy to be a new member and hope to have a car like you've got some day.
that day ain't coming soon though.

That whole Aux fan thing seems like a waste to me. Maybe mine has some problems, but I can barely feel the heat blowing when idling and the fan is on. It was so bad, I went with a late fan and blocked the passenger side, but still find it worthless. Bugs and Ghias did not have them.

Next winter, I'll either take it all out and get more room in the engine bay, or maybe troubleshoot alittle.

But I agree, it is worse than "shade tree" to set it up that way. Should have at least found a black PVC "Y".

Clark

If you are serious, hire Mark Henry to do a PPI. And go visit him sometime in the outskirts of Elizabethville and check out his shop. As they say in Canadian, he knows his sh--.

yup. one day when I'm ready to purchase I'll call on Mark Henry for a PPI.
until then I'm just happy to post new 914 finds and learn from all you guys.
I'm impressed with how knowledgeable and helpful everyone is here.
Thanks