Don't you love it when you go to look at a car that's for sale and you have all of these wonderful images of how great it might be. So here's the deal. The car is a 73 1.7L, original owner 60k mile car. Unfortunately it's rusted to the hilt. It's from Missouri, and the spare actually has a studded tire for snow, that's a first for me. Anyway, the good news is that the interior and many of the seals and such are in great condition. The car has sat for the last 10 to 15 years, it just "stopped running" one day. Out here in vegas most original seats and rubber are turned into dust, so I still have some interest in the car. All lenses are in very good used shape, the interior is virtually perfect, deck lids are great, engine unknow, but has stock fuel injection, tranny is a side shifter, wheels are crappy stock steel w/ rust, and the car has A/C. It's the longer under dash unit setup for use without the center console, was said to all be working when the car was parked. Most rubber is in excellent shape, and the windows operate very well, both mirrors are good, as are door handles. All glass is also good.

So here's the $64k question, the body is junk, of course we'd all love to find great parts cars for a few hundrad bucks, but this guy won't come off of $1250. It's pretty easy to get to that value by adding up parts values, but is it really worth it on a parts car? I have a habit of stock piling parts, so I can't really trust my judgement sometimes. I get too excited about having transmission number six, another set of door handles, and so on. So what's the max value? I do have projects lined up to use the parts, but it could be quite a while before I actually need them.


Thanks for the help ,
Steve

You have my sympathy. I am trying to buy a one owner '71 with under 100K miles that was hit in the front (hood, bumper, front of trunk). Interior, including dash pad and original perlon carpet, is perfect. All kinds of good parts, including windshield (which I need). Engine was professionally overhauled 10K miles back (owner can't forget that, has receipts!). Only problem, car has been sitting since 1983 and it won't turn over. Asking $1700, I offerred $1000. He says he wants at least $1400 since he spent $1300 on the engine (20+ years ago!). After a couple of months I said "split the difference, $1150". He said "no". Go figure.
I really want the early interior for a 6 I am going to restore. I sure hate to go $1400 for a "fresh" engine that hasn't turned over in 20 years.

If you can use Marvel Mystery oil on it to free it up so you can take it apart and hone the rust out of the cylinders its worth it Jim. Otherwise, the a 1.7 isn't worth too much what maybe $500. The like new interior is worth a few bucks though but don't know if its worth $1k, maybe to fit in a six. The tranny is worth a couple of hundred if the gears are in good shape.(Price out the parts for a rebuild lately??)

Geoff

Jim it sounds like we may be dealing with the same guy he's not gonna budge, and thinks someone can restore the car and make money. I have never seen a rocker panel actually rot in half, to the extent that you can reach through into the drivers side longitudnal. Somehow the rest of the car is pretty nice though. When I think of how many parts I need for this car or that car, getting one complete seems like a good way to go, I just hate paying top dollar, as parts cars go. Although it is rare to find a totally clean original parts car. What's the value of the A/C setup, I've been thinking about going that way more and more, as living here in Vegas makes driving a 914 in the summer very uncomfortable. I have a decent 914-6, and hate the idea of cutting it up to add a/c, what would that do to the value, it's a straight car with glass gt flares. One last note, which interior parts of a 73 are correct to put in the six? Thanks

Steve

I don't think you could use 4 cyl. AC on a six without some serious work. All the plumbing to the front would probably work but you would need a 911 compressor I think. Not sure what would be involved in mounting it since it would be on the firewall end of the engine. Cutting the trunk floor of a six would give me pause too.
My guy thinks his car is restorable too (never mind that he hasn't bothered since he got a $2300 body shop estimate in 1984! I don't think that included a complete repaint which the car needs. Had a poor quality repaint years ago (willow green). At least it wasn't a color change. Figure $5k to fix it and paint it. Don't see too many '71's which don't run worth $6400!
About the only "correct" six interior pieces from a '73 are dash pad and driver's seat. Later back pad has shoulder belt cut outs. Door panels would be fine but not "correct" since all original sixes I have seen had plain vinyl rather than basket weave panels. The '71 four I am looking at has basket weave seats which is unusual for '71 as most had plain vinyl. After 30+ years I guess mix and match factory is OK unless concours is the goal.

Having the fiberglass GT flares means I don't have to be 100% correct, but I'd still like to do as much as possible. I have an early back pad and door panels. I was thinking of putting the a/c in a 73 2.0L, that's not as bad as cutting up an original six. The only six I've seen with a/c had a section of firewall cut out behind the driver to clear the compressor, not an option for me. Unfortunately the bumpers on the parts car are only so so, a few bumps here and there. For $800, I'd already have it, for $1000, I'd probably step up, but the $1250 is tough digest. That's why I want someone else to tell me it's ok, so I can blame them

Steve

Remember that AC components that have been dry for a long time can be expensive to get going. With that in mind, if I wanted and needed air for a 914, the components would be worth $3-500. Especially if they were on a car so I could get every little piece, as well as know how to put it all together. I see components in a box go for $200+ on ebay and who knows if it is all there or how to put it together.

I know what you are going through. An extra $250 (as we are both dealing with) is not all that much. It must be that paying more than we think the cars are worth is the problem. I am almost ready to bite the bullet. The fact is, in my case at least, how many one owner, low mile, 914's with near perfect original interiors are out there? I would pay $1000 for what I want from the car. Ebay should get me the other $400 back!

You have to ask yourselfs:

1) What would it cost me to buy the parts I need from somewhere else?

2) What parts can I sell to recoupe what you spend on the car?

3) How much is my time worth to strip and sell said parts?

Add #1 and #2, deduct #3 and the cost of the car. If you are left with a + at the end.....go for it.

P.S. add in the cost of getting the car home.

Jim, you read my mind, we should have a contest to see which one is the better car. I'm thinking that at 60k miles, the gear box should be quite decent, and the heads and case of the engine should be worth holding on to as well. I've heard that clean type 4 cases are becoming more difficult to find, and due to the high mileage, more and more of them are needing machine work and oversized bearings. Tell you what, I'll bite the bullet if you will.

Thanks for the input,
Steve

We may be bad for each other (my wife would certainly think so). I may just call the guy tomorrow.

well I parted out a real nice '73 2.0 that had a rear end collision. just from selling the parts off the 914 boards I made about $2500. if I would have done it all via ebay make that $4k.

this parting out only included the 2.0 longblock, no FI parts, etc. isn't brad the one who says any complete 2.0 motor is worth $1000?


EDIT: whoops, you've got a 1.7...

Ok I did it, nice folks, they didn't even want me to bring over a deposit. I'm going to have to seriously trim down my parts inventory after this though. Who really needs three extra hoods anyway? It was really odd to sit in a car with original seats that were still soft and pliable. Between this car and another one I've got, I should have some good chassis parts available that I can cut out if anyone is in need. Thanks for all the help.

Steve

i'm looking for a R rear fender and door pillar when you get the saw cranked up

Sounds good, I need make sure there isn't any rust in the other areas of the car. Thanks

Steve

Theres really not too much to it. Condenser, dryer/accumulator
lines, compressor and console. If your lucky or interested theres also an specific center console. I pulled a couple of these out of cars (no need up here in the PNW) so if some one is interested I can relay needed info. BTW have one FS on the Classifieds.

Rich is right, there isn't much to them. The key is not to use the original piston type compressor. Someone said that if you use a Sanden rotary you don't even have to cut the engine shelf.

I have the installation manual for both types in .pdf format if anyone needs them.

Well, it’s home. Yup, it’s a true 60k miles, they even have the original window sticker. If it was a California car, it would probably be worth somewhere around $6000, but, thanks to rust, $1250. It will probably be a little while before I tear into it. I would like to pay really close attention to where all the screws go and such. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one completely intact and unmolested. The chassis is just horrible though. I appreciate everyone’s input and advice. I’ve got a 73 2.0 that will get most of the soft parts, but I’m just not sure I want to cut it up for the A/C install. At least it isn’t as bad as doing it to an original six.

Steve

you should post some pics of it, even rusted ones are fun to look at.

Here Goes, hope I don't screw this up:

Who'd a thunk it, it actually worked, here's the interior, smell is a little musky after sitting in a garage for 15 years, but very clean otherwise.

WoW, you guys out west pay a lot of money for parts cars. I think I'll drive my $150.00 parts car to Hot Springs this year, maybe someone from the west coast could drive it home.

Well, the perfect mirrors and door handles would bring $200 pretty quick, complete mint interior, at least $400, front and rear lids original paint and no dings $200 easy, nice lenses all the way around $100, 60k mile transmission and side shift linkage $300, 60k mile 1.7L engine with injection in any condition $200, A/C system $200.

So that's $1600 in parts that could be sold at "Buy it Now" prices on Ebay. That's $1250 for the car and $200 for my day of labor to take parts off, and I still have $150 left and a ton of great parts. If the parts cars elsewhere in the US are all that great then the owners must not have internet access, because at $200 for a car like this, you could make a very nice living buying them on a regular basis and parting them out. In truth it was a few hundred more than I'd like to pay, but considering I bought it from the original owner, with the original title, owners manual, window sticker, original maintenance records in neat maroon vinyl case from porsche, I'm now very happy to have paid the few bucks extra. It was always garaged, unfortunately they did drive it in the winter, which has killed the longitudinals on both sides. Everything else is actually ok. I'd never consider restoring it, but plenty of east coast folks would dive right in welder in hand.

It still sucks that it takes far more money to even think of restoring a 914 than it could possibly be worth in the foreseeable future. A friend of mine makes a good living restoring 356's part time, and makes around $30,000 profit per car, does two a year for a total of $60,000 after all expenses. If you restored 914's and paid yourself $1 per hour, you still couldn't regularly turn a car at a true profit. Maybe that's what makes the 914's great, because we certainly aren't in them for the money.



Steve

Most parts cars I've bought were between $300-400.

I'm working on the proverbial $100 parts car now. (It's really junk, but there are a few body parts that I can scavange for #269...)

I'd walk away, leave the guy your number and check with him in a couple of months.