My brother and I are thinking of putting our money together and doing some short term and long term investments in Porsches including 914's we don't have allot to begin with so we are looking at putting $1-2,000 into an early 914 and $1-2000 into restorations. We don' t have the skills or tools for doing the work our selves though my brother does paint and wire houses for a living and could probably learn how to paint cars. We are looking at have a local garage to do the work as they are familiar with restoring these types of cars. the owner is currently working on a 356 for himself.
We are looking to buy a slightly warn to well worn 914 in July or august and try to make a fast buck come the September Grand Prix festival putting the money back into buying and fixing another one.

My question is what is the best investment for fast resale value. What will make the car most appealing and make the car stand out: A new paint job (original Porsche colors or cool colors like metallic, new seat covers, carburetors instead of injectors, bigger engine, fixing one that dosen't run..........Just fixing rust spots..........

our goal is to get a chance to drive around some nice cars and at least break even but we would like to make something of the deal if possible.
I have read allot about these cars so I do have a general knowledge of problems to look for.

The only way to get $5,000.00 out of a 914 is to put $10,000.00 into it.




I am not trying to be funny here. A 914 is not an investment car.

If you want something to INVEST in, try a 356 or an early 911.

IMO, this is not a money making or even break even business plan. A $1-2K 914 is a beater and restoring it will cost far more than it will be worth in the end.

Not saying it's right.... but.....

PAINT

No one wants a car with no paint.... doesn't matter if the engine is brand new. Thats just the way it is.

Best and quickest way to increase the value of your 914 is to fill the gas tank. God I just love that one.

not to be a jerk, but this is such a radically bad idea that i don't know where to begin.... please don't do this. buy one to restore and drive if you like the cars, but you will either: 1. lose money; or 2. rip off some poor buyer.

these cars aren't investments... a 356 maybe, but not a teener... but an old vw bug will yeild more ROI, much bigger market, parts are cheaper and more available


better investment cars are probably American Iron... 'stangs, camaros, chevelles... common enough... cheaper to work on and good, new paint and tires makes for a quick profit...

QUOTE

The only way to get $5,000.00 out of a 914 is to put $10,000.00 into it.

Clay is being GENEROUS... not long ago a member here discussed selling his AMAZINGLY beautiful 914... he's poured 50k into it, and it shows, but with the market as it is, 15-20 was about all he could probably get... maybe not that sad but true... when you can get a /6 conversion for 15k, nice /4s sort of shrink in value...

sorry, real estate is an investment, cars are hobbies

QUOTE (ninefourteener @ Jun 27 2005, 08:41 AM)

Not saying it's right.... but..... PAINT No one wants a car with no paint.... doesn't matter if the engine is brand new. Thats just the way it is.

Personally, I wouldn't want a freshly painted 914. I don't know if I'm a typical buyer, but I always think God only knows how much bondo and rust are hidden under that shiny new paint.

Agreeing with all that has been posted. You will not see a huge return on your money from a worn out 914, you could part it out and make back your initial investment, but that takes alot of time and effort.
If I were to pick a car to buy low and sell high, it would be the 911SC and Carreras. But you need to know something about what you are buying and selling first. Don't think that just because you have one a 911SC or Carrera that people are going to be knocking down you doors to throw money at you to buy them. You have alot of competition, but you also have alot of venues at your disposal to sell the vehicles at. Ebay,PP,914club,craigslist etc.
I just don't think that you are going to be able to polish a turd and make it smell good. But good luck.
CCLINSALES101

QUOTE (tat2dphreak @ Jun 27 2005, 08:51 AM)

better investment cars are probably American Iron... 'stangs, camaros, chevelles... common enough... cheaper to work on and good, new paint and tires makes for a quick profit...

Yep. '69 Camaros are making all the Corvette guys green with envy, the way they have appreciated over the years. Also, the '68-'73 (chrome bumper) Shark-bodied Corvettes are still reasonably cheap to buy, but command a marketplace premium because of the chrome bumpers.

I'm trying to be as nice as I can here...

Buy a 914 if you enjoy driving and mostly enjoy working on what you drive.

Don't buy a 914 to make money. Try buying and re-selling for profit anything but a 914....Please!

An old 'rich' friend of mine collects exotic cars; Lamborghini, Jaguar, Aston Martin, '78 March Formula One, Ferrari, 3 Porsches. I asked him once if he collected them for the investment and he said, "hell no! you can't make money buying and selling cars unless you really enjoy ripping-off people, I collect them 'cause I love them and want to give them a nice home!"

QUOTE (ClayPerrine @ Jun 27 2005, 09:39 AM)

The only way to get $5,000.00 out of a 914 is to put $10,000.00 into it.

i hate to say it, but i agree with clay on this one. the 914 is not a "investement" car (yet) ...

Andy

QUOTE (zymurgist @ Jun 27 2005, 08:56 AM)

Yep. '69 Camaros are making all the Corvette guys green with envy, the way they have appreciated over the years.

That sucks, 69 camaro is one of my favorite - got to have cars one day.

Anyone with a well grounded outlook on life will tell you that the terms "investment" and "automobile" (or "car") shouldn't be used in the same sentance, or even paragraph. Cars are transportation units, stocks, bonds, and real estate are investments. An advanced degree could be considered an investment. Boats, cars, motorcycles, and airplanes are NOT investments. If you do ALL the work yourself, you MIGHT break even, but I doubt it. I know of a number of 914s with as much as $50K in them, that failed to return $20k when the owners decided to move on. The buyers got one h*ll of a bargain, and are the clear winners in the long run. You're NOT coming from a position of strength, here .......... The Cap'n.

weel, since you already have a WTB in our classifieds I guess our advice meant nothing... I hope you plan on doing things right if you are planning on reselling 914s, instead of just swindling people from their hard-earned dough...

if you want to screw people, go be a used car dealer and resale old mazdas, leave our cars alone unless you really have a love for them... improperly fixing these cars and just masking their true problems makes them unsafe, new paint doesn't fix rust, it just hides real issues from unknowing buyers who really DO love these cars.

my first teener was a bad deal... it needed MUCH more repair than I could ever do, and was probably not worth saving... but I had no idea, and the guy had had it for several years(while letting it rust into oblivion, unbeknownst to me), so I thought I could trust him... but the car wasn't even safe to drive... the brakes had mostly seized and rust had really taken it's toll on the longs... a week later I called the guy to ask some questions about the car's history, and the number was disconnected... if that guy was to read this I'd tell him the same thing as I'm telling you(if you don't truly love these cars): if you want to screw people, take it somewhere else!

now,if you want to fix them right, that's different... it will probably take more than 2k, but we'll be here to help

personally I am a big Porsche fan and that is my point of interest in such a project. I was thinking of just doing small up grades not total restores. things like up grading a faded paint job to a shining $500-$1,500 new one, replacing a worn rug or cracked dash, replacing worn seats cosmetic stuff like that.

or

Broken gas lines and brakes.

I was told that these cars are getting to be in high demand. I was originally looking at 944's and 924's but read they don't hold there value. I know they don't have the major rust issues are lower cost to up keep. would that be a better way to go I would love to do 356's or 911's but they are out of my price range for the moment.

If I could get a Porsche at a good price say on e-bay and drive it for the summer, up grade some cosmetics or getting one running that's not and make a small profit say $300-$1000 or brake even I would be happy.

sounds like you want to buy a parts car/roller and sell it as a driver...


to an unknowing buyer, paint, tires, and re-upholstery alone may yield you a profit... but that buyer will probably end up having a very sour taste in their mouth when they really start to fix things...

if you hope to sell to someone who knows anything, forget it. for starters, you have to fix problem area rust properly to even make it a decent roller... decent rollers go for 500-1500

so lets think here:
say you find a decent, normal-rust-having, complete roller for $1000
assumming you have the knowledge and equipment to fix the rust, you'll spend 100-500 to fix the rust, more if you are using the replacement parts
$500-2000 (depending on your equipment, knowledge and choice of materials) for paint
so, now, you are in for 2500-4000 for a painted roller that still doesn't run, and would probably only sell for 1500-2000, tops...

depending on what's wrong with the engine and how well you can fix it... you can bet on 1000-3000 for a safe bet...
and we haven't talked about brakes, suspension, interior, electronics, exhaust, etc, etc...

and a good "driver-class" car will bring about 3000-4000...

are you starting to see why these cars can't be flipped for a profit easily?

I can't think of a worse idea for an investment. I have a good friend that makes a pretty decent chuck of change on the side by flipping cars. However, he would never buy a car that has a potential market as small as the 914 would have. He only buys trucks, 4 door cars and SUV's. He'll buy them with some minor damage(nothing structural) or minor mechanical problems. I would say he makes $800 - $2000 on each car. Most of his cars are higher mileage but pretty clean looking. However, he has the skills to fix them right.

I say take your money and find a more marketable car with more readily available parts. You'll make more money in less time and have fewer headaches.

That's my $.02

Hey, I've thought of a way this plan can work for this guy. I'm assuming that him and his brother can weld and paint the car in the garage. So, find a good running, not so rusty car that desperately needs paint ($2000-5000). Do the body and paint work. You'll put lots of hours in but materials should cost more than $1000. At that point you should have a $4000-8000 car depending on how good the interior was and how good your workmanship is.

Keep in mind that the car people want (besides the 914-6) is the 73-74 2.0L car, after that the 70-73 1.7 is the most desireable, after that the '74 1.8L, and after that the 75-76 cars.

Deals are out there if you are hunting. I picked up a '74 2L project car for $1800 (straight body, decent paint, 5 lug, ratty interior) that needed about $500 worth of swap meet parts, some 914 knowhow, and some TLC. It's probably worth $5000 now. That said, that was the kind of find one gets maybe every few years. And you have to know what you are looking at when you find it.

I'm with Craig, use Hi-Test..


M

QUOTE (rfp @ Jun 27 2005, 10:05 AM)

personally I am a big Porsche fan and that is my point of interest in such a project. I was thinking of just doing small up grades not total restores. things like up grading a faded paint job to a shining $500-$1,500 new one, replacing a worn rug or cracked dash, replacing worn seats cosmetic stuff like that. or Broken gas lines and brakes. I was told that these cars are getting to be in high demand. I was originally looking at 944's and 924's but read they don't hold there value. I know they don't have the major rust issues are lower cost to up keep. would that be a better way to go I would love to do 356's or 911's but they are out of my price range for the moment. If I could get a Porsche at a good price say on e-bay and drive it for the summer, up grade some cosmetics or getting one running that's not and make a small profit say $300-$1000 or brake even I would be happy.

well then, i spoke to soon in my earlier post. it's pretty easy to see now that you are a big Porsche fan. afterall, most Porsche fans will agree that seat covers and dash toppers and $500 metallic paint jobs really make a car nice. i'd say that with your business plan, your knowledge about these cars, and the deep pockets you have to finance this project, you'll have yourself a nice little restoration shop! don't just 'brake' even -- aim for the top!

QUOTE (rfp @ Jun 27 2005, 10:05 AM)

personally I am a big Porsche fan and that is my point of interest in such a project. I was thinking of just doing small up grades not total restores. things like up grading a faded paint job to a shining $500-$1,500 new one, replacing a worn rug or cracked dash, replacing worn seats cosmetic stuff like that. or Broken gas lines and brakes. I was told that these cars are getting to be in high demand. I was originally looking at 944's and 924's but read they don't hold there value. I know they don't have the major rust issues are lower cost to up keep. would that be a better way to go I would love to do 356's or 911's but they are out of my price range for the moment. If I could get a Porsche at a good price say on e-bay and drive it for the summer, up grade some cosmetics or getting one running that's not and make a small profit say $300-$1000 or brake even I would be happy.

Thing is, doing even these small things will wipe out any profit, esp. if you're not doing the work yourself.

If you repaint and you farm 100% of the work out to someone else, it will cost you $3000-5000, not $500-$1500. If you do 100% of the prep work yourself (sanding, mostly), and have a shop do just the spraying, you're still looking at $1000. Taking a $2000 914 and respraying it isn't going to get you a 914 you can sell for $3000.

It's certainly possible to find cars that someone is simply looking to get rid of you can sell for more than you bought it for after doing no work at all, but this isn't going to generate much cash for you, and I expect resaleable junk class 914s are pretty thin on the ground in NY. In CA, you'd have a much better chance of success at doing this, but only just.

About the only way to make any money buying and selling 914s would be to fly to CA, rent a transporter, and buy up however many driver 914s you can fit on the transporter, for the lowest prices you can wring out of the sellers. Drive these 914s to NY, and resell them for a 20-50% premium in New England and the Atlantic coast, where 914s with little to no rust are harder to find. You might just end up covering the transport costs, and you'd get more rust-free examples of 914s into the eastern part of the country. It would be a tough way to make cash, and the amount of cash generated would be pretty small.

I think you are forgetting that this guy is in NY, anthony fairly rustfree cars demand a higher price and would eat his profit margin up... now, if he has a way to bring west coast cars that have minimul rust to the east coast cheaply... he may have something, as long as $300-1000 profit for a month of work sounds like a good deal...

so, recap... if you have a friend with a trucking company, full metal shop and mad welding skills, a good paint shop and a way to buy auto paint at wholesale prices, you can make about $1000 after a month of work... yea, sounds great

you can work part time flipping burgers and make that much in a month. and you'd only be out the cost of gas to get you there...

yes deals are out there, but thee work these cars need doesn't leave much profit room...

"weel, since you already have a WTB in our classifieds I guess our advice meant nothing... I hope you plan on doing things right if you are planning on reselling 914s, instead of just swindling people from their hard-earned dough..."

Posted the ad before getting the advice. not trying to screw anyone. I almost got a car that ran off ebay for under $900. I took some pics to my local garage an experienced Porsche restorer to get an idea on the cost of fixing it up. he asked what the price was I was getting for it. At the time it was $560 ( He said I didn't do bad and thought I could double or triple that after I was done. That's what got me going on the ordeal. originally I was just looking to get a second car to drive in the summer for business. The 914, 944 and 911 Turbo wide body are my dream cars. That car ended up going for $810. unknown to the seller until the last day was that it had a poor attempt at a structure repair and I let it go to another bidder once I found out.

I use to deliver cars for a used car whole saler so I do know a little about how the used car sales work and it isn't all ripping people of though there is plenty of that that goes on. I am not sure about up here but in the Midwest there was a consumer price and a dealer price that mechanics charged making it possible to get things fixed that need fixed and make a profit with out, out right ripping people off.

No I am not looking to put a new paint job on a structural damaged car with out fixing the structure and rust problems and again I am looking at having an experienced professional do the work.

ultimately I want a nice driver that will turn heads. One that I can put my business signs on and attract attention to my business. I am an event videographer by profession and was also thinking of making a restoration documentary.

By the way I shot some great looking footage of the Porsche Clash at Watkins Glen recently. If any one is interested in seeing some of it I will try to get some of it posted. Let me know what bandwidth and format works beast for your viewing: Quick Time / Windows Media. dial up or high speed.

So any how it sounds like your saying I would have to fi :ond an extremely good deal to make any money off restoring a 914 Kind of a pity for such a cool little car.
Thanks for the advice. oh well just have to look for a good deal on a daily driver. Sounds like that will be more in my favor.

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Jun 27 2005, 11:11 AM)

Taking a $2000 914 and respraying it isn't going to get you a 914 you can sell for $3000.

Yes it will.

It may not be right..... and most of the folks on this site know better.

But I think it's pretty easy to figure out...... E-bay is full of knowledgeable skeptics.

BUT.... drop it in the local auto trader??

"197X Porsche, Convertible, new paint, runs good, $3000"

Please.... there would be people BEATING DOWN THE DOOR here in St. Louis.

I sold my last one for $1700 profit.... and it had electrical problems out the ass. And I sold it 8 hours after it was listed.

wanting a good driver is different... your 4k budget really can do that in all likely-hood, again, if you paint it yourself...

you can probably find a good driver in the classifieds here... but you won't make a real profit if you sell it 9/10 times...

QUOTE (tat2dphreak @ Jun 27 2005, 12:15 PM)

I think you are forgetting that this guy is in NY, anthony fairly rustfree cars demand a higher price and would eat his profit margin up...

After we all smashed his dreams I just wanted to point out that it is possible if you hunt and find the right killer deal. I've done it and so have many others. Of course when you factor in your time fixing up the car you still lose, even starting with a killer deal.

Rfp, honestly do more video work and buy yourself the nice 914 of your dreams. That is the cheapest and easiest way to get one. In the meantime, keep looking for a deal, reading the forum and studying about the cars.

Dontcha' just love it when you read..."Over 50K invested will sell for $12K OBO". What is that about? Investments should give the highest return depending on the economy at the moment. I agree with everything said above, any 914 will likely not have the highest return available for investing purposes.

What I have to add, is that there are some 914s that can at least preserve your initial investment, if not increase in value. Its the 914s that are the highest in demand. Its the pure, unmolested, pristine, cars that I am referring to. Any low-mileage, original 914 or 914/6 in exceptional condition will retain its value if not abused. The 914 is a collector car even now. In todays terms I am talking about the 12K and up 914/4s and the 20K and up original 914/6.

People want these cars and the demand is increasing, but its 100% about condition. The caveat is that its very difficult to find a 914 in the condition that allows them to be appreciate like this.

I just reread this thread, and we sound like a bunch of overprotective parents!!


If it sounds like we were jumping on you, I am truly sorry. We don't want to alienate you, but everyone on this board is here because we love 914s. We are not in it to make money.

Hopefully you understand that it's nothing personal. We are just trying to protect out beloved little cars.

QUOTE (ClayPerrine @ Jun 27 2005, 11:34 AM)

I just reread this thread, and we sound like a bunch of overprotective parents!! If it sounds like we were jumping on you, I am truly sorry. We don't want to alienate you, but everyone on this board is here because we love 914s. We are not in it to make money. Hopefully you understand that it's nothing personal. We are just trying to protect out beloved little cars.

I agree. I also was just trying to point out that if you are serious about making money flipping cars, there are MUCH better candidates than a 914.

If you can pick up fairly clean cars and put a little time effort and $$ into it, then sell it and make a little money for your efforts there is nothing wrong with that.

It is pandoras box, once you get a 30 year old car you first think it needs a little this and a little that - but that can quickly snowball into a big resto.

I too think that you can get a nice car with a rotten paint job or sad interior - fix up those parts and people will be happy to pay the extra price. It's not that you are buying the car and then turning around and selling for 1K more without doing anything to it. Even if you were, more power to you for getting a good deal first.

QUOTE (boxstr @ Jun 27 2005, 08:41 AM)

Best and quickest way to increase the value of your 914 is to fill the gas tank. God I just love that one.

That's the first thing I thought when I read the title!

The only way to make a small fortune in 914s, is to start with a large one.

Or find 2 916 motors for a few hundred dollars.



M

"wanting a good driver is different... your 4k budget really can do that in all likely-hood, again, if you paint it yourself...

you can probably find a good driver in the classifieds here... but you won't make a real profit if you sell it 9/10 times..."

I guess the title was misleading. I want to take one of my dream cars and make it a little nicer. I don't want to put money into allot of things that aren't worth it. Both my brother and I have jobs so I am not looking to start a restoration shop though it would be cool to have a web sight that featured some of our own configured costume choices and a small fleet for sale to the best offer.

If I can find a descent driver be it a 914 or 944 with say a torn seat. I would replace the seat hopefully find a good price on e-bay or some where say for $50 or have it fixed say $200. Then after driving it for a summer maybe longer selling it with the hope of getting what we put into it maybe a little more back. It isn't so much about the profit though if we could make $300 in the deal that would be cool. I was also inquiring into the more practicality of fixing something with more problems such as rust. You info has been most helpful.

I do have a neighbor that does restoration work but only for himself. maybe I could get him to get in on the deal but It is more about driving cool cars for little to no money. Buy a car enjoy it, enhance it and sell it before something major goes wrong and buy another. not sure that's what we will do but I wanted to look into it.

Thanks so much for the info and for making me feel a little more welcome after the initial intruder treatment. I understand wanting to protect them. I to am a big enthusiast and just as obsessed with Porsches as the next guy.

Hi,
I've got to admit, all of these fellah's have been straight with you about a 914 as an investment - it just plain isn't, unless you consider all the outrageous fun of driving a mid-engined, road-hugging sweet ride the return on said investment (and it is a pretty big return). I own the white 2.0 that "zymusgist" is working on... "Babydoll", as I've always called her, is frequently too much for me to handle. None-the-less, I love her and forgive her all her quirks. Only nut-cases like myself or the fine fellah's on this thread invest in 914's, they are not and never will be money-makers. You are attempting to sell to either a very finite audience or an ignorant one, and that second audience, the one that will find this little sports car "cool" without knowing what they're getting into, will end up dead in a car you shouldn't have sold them. Please don't buy a 914 for resale - buy it for love, fix it properly, and enjoy the hell out of it..

Welcome Ba'doll! Heard alot about your car!


M

Hey Babydoll,

Great to see that you joined the party! Maybe now the guys here will believe me when I tell them that I didn't name my own car "Babydoll"!

Seriously, though, the 914 seems to be all about the passion and not about the finance. You want a car that will go up in value, get yourself a '53 Corvette or a Shelby Cobra, and make sure that the car you buy has perfect provenance. You want a car that yields dividends in terms of smiles, get a 914.

Pretty good, eh, coming from a guy who doesn't even have a 914 (yet).

Zymurgist, my mechanical magician friend,

You find a '53 Corvette or a Shelby Cobra for that initial 4K investment that the initiator of this thread talked about laying out, and we'd ALL like one, maybe even 5 or 6 at that price!

Thanks for the welcome, Redshift!... "Ba'doll" fits, just ask Zymurgist.

QUOTE (rfp @ Jun 27 2005, 01:56 PM)

If I can find a descent driver be it a 914 or 944 with say a torn seat. I would replace the seat hopefully find a good price on e-bay or some where say for $50 or have it fixed say $200. Then after driving it for a summer maybe longer selling it with the hope of getting what we put into it maybe a little more back. It isn't so much about the profit though if we could make $300 in the deal that would be cool.

It is certainly doable. My silver 914 has probably appreciated $2000 in the 3 years I've owned it. The market for a well maintained, desireable 73/74 2.0L 914 has been shooting through the roof (relatively speaking of course) during the last couple of years. Quality cars will continue to go up.

Still, there is substantial risk involved with buying any classic car. Sure, you can buy a car that needs a little TLC and elbow grease and thus increase its value over time by fixing this and that. The prolblem is that these cars are old. You could blow an engine or a transmission a month into ownership and then you'd be faced with a $4,000 repair bill or at minimum $1,200 for a good running 2L engine. (That is of course if you were lucky enough to find one).

In the price range you were talking about above, you would be looking at tired, neglected cars. It will be tough to find a gem in this price range.

RFP,
I've got a number for you. I'll e mail it later.

The reason 914's are hard to find around here is because the salt ate them all up. We had to go to Iowa (e bay) that "just" had hard surface rust.
we plan on doing all the work our selves (Ex. windshield) and soo far ...
$1300 car
$ 400 tow dolly and travel
$ $300 heads disassembled and cleaned
about $300 windsheild
$100 crank
$150 camshaft
$2-300 pistons and cyl.
$140 doorhandles rebuilt
plus...
rebuild kit $200
$2-300 paint
$100 (?) new con rods
$50 POR-15
$250 tires
about 150 hours @ (?) $20-25
All plain jane parts with alot of shopping around
and I haven't even gotten int the fuel inj. yet!!

About $6000. I might could get $6000-$8000?
More to someone OUTSIDE the 914 Club, But the car will never be for sale!

We own these cars for all sorts of funny reasons, the money's not one of them.
Find a car, make an adventure of fixing it with "us" and drive all those great roads you've got down there. That's how you'll "profit".
IMHO

Regarding those guys who "invest" $50,000 dollars in a 914 and sell it for $18,000--------I did the same thing in the stock market a few years ago. I bet the guy with the 914 had more fun losing $32,000 than I did!

Agreeing with all the other posts, unless your dream comes true that the car fairy comes at night and turns your 914 into a 356 Speedster, there is no investment in our cars. Just fix it up as you like and enjoy. Still cheaper than a new car payment

ok this is a good one i have over $20,000 in mine and am dumping an engine i have over $8,00 in to put a suburu wrx engine in and i won't be satisified then too and will never see a penny over 11,000 when i'm done!! even if i had over insured it they still would not pay me for a misshap!!!

Read "The Gold Plated Porsche"

I paid $3700, and now have likely spent that again

Love my car

That said, if you look long enough... I got my first 914 free, and traided the rust trap 1.7L side shifter for a set of good Fuchs. See $0 to ~ $400 I made money on a 914.

I have Over the 15 years I have had my 914 I have over 10K in reciepts and a car I couldn't sell for more than $4,000 - so, if that proves anything to you take heed: You can't make money restoring cars unless you are restoring somebody elses car and getting paid for your labor.

I once thought as you did: I bought a 74 VW Beetle for $150 once, and totally restored it. I had $2K in it when finished and I barley got that out of it.

It can't be done, it is the no-win situation.

Did you call Mr. smith?

Ok I'm getting the picture. I haven't made any calls yet as I can't spend any money until after my mid July vacation.
You guys are starting to make these cars sound like money traps. well you have definitely change the way I was thinking of doing things.

Is all this money going in because of maintenance or because of putting in the ultimate gota have it upgrade?

I am looking now at a ready to go or close to it daily driver with minor cosmetics and think I have found one for the right price. I am sure once I start driving it I will never want to give it up. I thought these cars would be such fun for advertising my business at shows parades and what not. I thought of putting an LCD screen in each of the trucks to show of my video work.

you guys are making the 914 sound like a money pit. How
reliable are they.

I have driven an 83 944 and loved it and have been tossing back and forth the idea of using a 914 or a 944 for my business car. I have sat in an early 914 that didn't run and can just imagine how much fun it must be to drive.

I would definitely love to at least drive one once in my life.

Is there any one out there who has owned or driven both cars and can give me a fair comparison?

I know both cars can be purchase fairly cheaply. I have seen early 944's that look practically new for around $3,000 and with routine maintain can be very reliable and relatively inexpensive to keep on the road.

so how does this all compare to the 914. I would hate to be on the way to shoot a wedding and get stranded. I am sure my wife would have no troubles driving it the 5 minuet drive to work and enjoy impressing her co-workers.

Either car I am only looking at keeping on the road during the warm months and away from salt and snow. I am definitely steering away from the rust buckets and start from scratch jobs. Looking for some one who has done most of the work and has run out of time and money sounds like a better way to get a good deal.

Hmmm, 914 vs. 944, eh? Well, I bought my 914 for $2500 about 5 years ago, and my brother bought a 944 for double that maybe 10 years ago. He no longer has the 944, I still have "Babydoll". Both cars were a fun ride, but Babydoll was a lot MORE fun... nothing handles the curves like a 914. Both cars had maintenance issues... I probably had more, and I had the rust issues. As to the question of whether what's required on a 914 is just maintenance, well, at least in Babydoll's case, yes it is.... mostly. I suppose it's not the car's fault that somehow I managed to drop the oil cap into the engine bay, and it ended up lodged in the impeller fan (which dislodged the impellor on one end, and the clutch on the other... while driving...sigh) (Babydoll got a nice new engine re-build outta' that one...) Most of the other stuff, like a busted clutch (current issue), bad seals, leaking calipers, cracked fuel lines, bogus throttle switch, chewed-up dog teeth, rusted-out heat exchangers, are all old-car issues. My brother got tired of the "maintenance" stuff, and sold the 944. I was told that "maintenance stuff" was part and parcel of owning a 914, part of what gives the car a personality - and the fact that it's owner-fixable (for most stuff... I usually need help, but I'm improving, right zymurgist?? at least I know HOW to do an engine drop) makes it fun! I don't ever want to sell Babydoll. Go ahead, drive a 914 - then welcome to the dark side! You'll be in good company.

a 914 CAN be a money pit, but it can also be a very rewarding owner experience... I've driven 914s, 944s, 924s... and the only one I would have is the 914...


you don't have to spend a small fortune on a 914, decent drivers can be had for 3000 and require little work... but any 30(-35) year old car can have it's issues... a lot of time a 914s biggest issue is it's previous owner who did very little right. but if you are careful and know what to look for, you won't be throwing good money after bad in a teener... it helps to learn the cars and do as much as you can yourself... spending more in the inital investment can make for a better experience and better reliablity...


there are a lot of people on this site that drive their cars daily, and there are as many or more that have their cars on jackstands, tinkering BEFORE driving...

my car could be driven this weekend, but I have stuff I want to do BEFORE I drive it... as resto projects and as hobbies are where these cars are more expensive, methinks.

I have read that a clutch job on a 944 is a lot more involved than a clutch job on a 914. If you do the work yourself and you're not depending on it for a daily driver, it shouldn't matter much, though. I couldn't afford to drive a 30 year old 911 (please don't kick me off the 914 board!) if I couldn't do most of the work myself.

I once had the pleasure of riding in the passenger seat for a few hot laps around Summit Point in a turbo 944. That ride really changed my opinion of the 944 for the better. It was fast and comfortable, but I'm about as old school as they come. When I think of Porsche, I think air-cooled. And the handling doesn't get any better than a 914, at least not under around $30K for a nice Boxster.

As for Babydoll, the more you learn, the more confidence you will build. Even ace mechanics occasionally do something stupid like over-tightening a brake bleeder screw, resulting in having to replace a fresh caliper with only 700 miles on it. Don't ask.