Looks like it may have good rubber also
Mark

Passenger side floor.

Passenger side door

you local boys are foolish for letting this get stolen out from under you.

The dash looked perfect ...

... so did the seats.

No cracks on the dash!

Dinner's ready ...

I've got some more shots of the exterior, and some closeups of some of the blemishes that I'll post in a little bit.

Craig scores another, and it was from a tipby a club member.

I especially like that he kept silent until he talked to the guy and made a deposit, guess we know who the pro is.

Is that an 8 track? No speaker holes. Perfect dash. That ain't no 27K engine but I suspect it is a well cared for, unmolested 127K original survivor. Detail, steam clean the bottom and put it on the front line, right under the pennants! The race goes to the swift.

I dont know, that looked like cosmoline on the spare tire, and if it sat a lot in storage, I can see the seals drying out and then the owner taking it for a drive not knowing it was leaking. It could very well be a 27k mile car. You guys are only dissin it cause it aint yours. I hope Craig brings it down with him so I can inspect it myself. I will be able to tell if it is 27k or 127k. I still think it is a great score. It is all original, and yes, that was an underdash 8 track player and I would almost bet it still works.

Craig will make a killing on this car and the new owner should be very pleased. We can not find quality original cars like this anymore, much less at this price level. Who cares if its 1.8...it wont make too much doifference, they are still fun to drive. Probably owned by someone who took care of and didn't abuse it...It just needs some cleaning up.

Notice the FACTORY rear trunk inspection labels?
Notice the two rubber draintubes in the front trunk floor?
This is a great original car...definitely worth way more than 4-Large.

This car has a 1/74 door jamb label too...notice the light grey headlight covers like the LE cars made from 2/74 through 4/74?

Is this a Marathon Blue car? Rare color...

Looks like nice car however, check out the picture of the right side opened door- by the sail panel it looks like peeling paint with a darker color underneath. So, was this car a repaint? DH

Ok Jeff, help me out here. I noticed the drain tubes, but not the inspection stickers (went back and found them). Point me to the grey headlight covers.

QUOTE (skline @ Feb 3 2005, 07:35 PM)

It is all original, and yes, that was an underdash 8 track player and I would almost bet it still works.

Wow! But where do you get any 8 track tapes anymore?
Talk about memories!

Lisa

Wow, nice car, great find.

I hate to be the voice of reason, but I'd say it's a nice 127k mile car. I have a true 58k mile parts car that is absolutely brand new inside, too bad it was driven in the snow and died a slow but tragic death in the longs.

That being said, if it is a 100% chassis, it's a great deal.

This car looks pretty nice from what I've seen. I wish I could of found a car when I bought mine that looked as good. But then, I was just as ignorant then as I am now.

Sorry Jim..I typed too fast and didnt proofread carefully enough...

Grey headlight RELAY covers...normally they are black of course. All the LE cars I have seen have the grey relay covers in the front trunk, but a survey of this forums car owners I did a couple years ago indicated that the grey covers appear to have been installed not only on LE cars, but on other standard cars built in the same time window as the LE cars. This car was built just a month before the LE cars, in Jan 74.

Say I wonder what this cars VIN is and how it falls in relation to the production of the LE cars...?

Jim I sincerely hope you will be bringing your Phoenix Red car to the WCC again this year...I was so busy being CEO last year, I didnt get enough opportunity to carefully look at your superb car and I have been thinking about it ever since...

Thanks Jeff. I will be there. There are some changes in the wind so I may not be in the Phoenix red car.

QUOTE (Kargeek @ Feb 3 2005, 08:43 PM)

Looks like nice car however, check out the picture of the right side opened door- by the sail panel it looks like peeling paint with a darker color underneath. So, was this car a repaint? DH

Ok, I'm back ... yes, the paint was peeling, but I think the paint underneath looked slightly *lighter*, not darker. My untrained eye couldn't tell if it was a repaint or not, though. I don't know what it's supposed to look like under the original coat of paint.

For what the seller is asking, I think it's still a great find.

Front bumper

These last couple of shots are just nitpicky shots of the blemishes.

Driver's side taillight

Couldn't really see it in the previous shot, but the corner of the lens had some small cracks in it.

Here's the passenger side lens ... same cracks.

Looks like that door and at least part of the rear quarter have been repainted. May have been some body damage at some point, not necessarily a total repaint.
As I speculated earlier, and as Steve also said, likely 127K, not 27K miles. I have had modern cars with near 100,000 miles and the spare was never on the ground. Still a very nice car and worth more than $4200.

Edit: and the window frame. Maybe a repaint. However, Porsche silver metallics did not last and this color is very close to silver. Could that be primer rather than old color underneath?

All 4 front lenses were perfect.

The tires were all showing signs of age. Here's the worst of them ... front passenger side.

Missing an 'h'.

Hiding under the rear bumper

I'd say it could be a very rough 27K or the cars odometer stopped working and then was fixed. My 74 1.8 had 38K original miles when I picked it up almost 4 years ago and the engine and other mechanicals almost looked new no oil, no rust, heat exchanges had minor suface rust. The car now with 55K still looks mechanically cleaner than the pictures of this car and its been outside for 3 years. So that makes me suspect. Its still a great looking car!

But original radio, perfect dash say to me it may the real thing.

Here's my original interior at 55K miles for comparison:

127,000 is very low miles for one of our 30+ year-old cars. That is about 4000 per year for its entire life.

Ok, that's about all the shots I got. A couple others, but nothing that hasn't been shown.

I went back and looked at all of those shots again ... I still think it is 27k, not 127k. The sheet metal was near perfect. At most, there were 1 or 2 dings on the passenger side door, and I think one on the front decklid. Everywhere else was smooth as glass. I just can't imagine this car having 127k miles on it. It looks pristine, yet it doesn't look like it was 'pampered,' you know what I mean?

I too doubt the milage is original. Start driving the car and see if the odometer works. Who cares though! Finding a great chassis is almost worth what was paid for the car. I don't see that car getting a 5 figure bid on the bay though. Maybe $6500 ish at best, but you never know. That's what's so great about selling there. Some whacko from a far away country may throw in a ridiculous bid and get it. As for the paint issue, that may just be the original clear coat peeling, but it's hard to tell. The flash of a camera can make things look different than they do in person. Good job Craig!

I would like to thank Ed for taking the time to go over to Tarzana and take pictures and call me with details on the car. Ed I know you are moving, please send me your new address I would like to send you something to show my appreciation. Thanks again Ed.
CCLINTHANKYOU

Definitely a repaint…. It’s hard to be objective when you are looking at a car to purchase and not your let your emotions overlook details. I have done it once- found what I thought was an exceptional find, bought it and once home found that it had been hit and had a new front clip.

I’m not saying that this car wasn’t a good find but always bring a buddy who can bring you down to reality or take the time to check out the car.

I agree, it is a full repaint, the windshield bar across the top tells the story, they always peel there first for some reason. Still, it is a very nice car. I am still trying to figure out what wheels those are. I have seen them before but just cant put my finger on it. I still want to see this car in person. I hope Craig is bringing it down with him.

Look what just showed up on Ebay! Sorry, I don't know how to do the pretty links.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...4525636228&rd=1

Item number: 4525636228

So I wonder what happened, did the guy back out of his deal with Craig?

There's a story to be told here. Craig is on the road from his base in Palm Desert for the LA lit show and swap meet. Not sure when he will get back to a computer. Looks like we may find out the Ebay value sooner than we thought. I still do not believe 27K and the peeling paint is not mentioned in the ad. Could be a disappointed buyer if they pay big money for a "mint" car.

I called the number in the Ebay ad, guy said his wife and kids put it in craiglist without him knowing about it and listed it "too cheap". He's looking for offers on it.

It needs paint and alot of attention, so I don't think $4200 was a steal, but it was a good buy. He didn't mention anything about the peeling paint or other issues that can be seen on the car. The car would have to pass a structural PPI with flying colors to be worth much more than that I would think. I still can't see it going past $6000 unless someone wanted it very very badly.

The saga continues.

QUOTE (Mrs. K @ Feb 3 2005, 07:55 PM)

QUOTE (skline @ Feb 3 2005, 07:35 PM) It is all original, and yes, that was an underdash 8 track player and I would almost bet it still works.  :wub: Wow! But where do you get any 8 track tapes anymore? Talk about memories! Lisa

Check out any hotrod or restorod site and there are plenty of 8 track tapes being made for the market, its a big deal for the older cars to still have ...

I was able to order 8-tracks from Columbia House when I was still a member in the 90's. Not sure if they still offer them.

I actually spoke to the 'father' of the house ... he seemed to know that the seller was selling the car, but not how much he was asking for it.

Those pictures look like a professional took 'em. When I spoke to the seller's mom (I think that's who it was) she asked if I was taking the pictures from the newspaper. Sounds like someone convinced them that they could sell it for more money. I told the seller's mom that I thought $4200 was a fair price for it.

scott, those are a.m. vw wheels. they were around a lot in the early-mid 70's iirc. note the "dish" to them and the 165 tires. like most vw wheels, wrong backspacing/offset for anything much wider. i had a k.g that came to me with them on it.

on the 914, look at the nuts on the outboard engine mounts. they look like they have never been off. bet craig is bummed and the dinner that night was unpleasant when the wife told the guy "I SOLD THE 914 TODAY!!" and gave him the details.

k

What a snake. I can't believe that they are backing out of the deal with Craig. Nobody from here should bid on it.

Anybody talk to Craig yet? I wonder what the seller told him.

I called Craig with the news while he was looking at the car. Real flakey folks. I'll let him tell the story, but it ends with, he passed.

That car isn't even a fair deal at $4200. It's a 1.8L car that hasn't been well cared for, has fugly door ding guards, the wrong wheels, and needs about $10K worth of work to restore it.

QUOTE (anthony @ Feb 5 2005, 06:40 PM)

That car isn't even a fair deal at $4200. It's a 1.8L car that hasn't been well cared for, has fugly door ding guards, the wrong wheels, and needs about $10K worth of work to restore it.

I agree, this not that of uncommon a 914 here in California. Might be a good deal for someone where rust free cars do not exsist. Good base for a clean driver. Agree as well that this NOT a 127,000 mile example.

Thanks everyone for one of the most interesting strings I have seen on this board. Craig, sorry it didn't work out but you seem to come out smelling like a rose with these things so, when you get the chance, give us your play by play. I'm sure we'd all be interested. Again, great mail string.