Full Version: 914 newby buyer
Hello I'm hoping someone can tell me if 6000.00 is a decent price for a 71 porche 914. I recently came across one for sale locally and immediately fell in love with the car. I have never owned a porche and know very little about them. This car seems to be rust free other than the hell hole and I saw three little paint bubbles on the passenger side door. The car is the original color but has obviously been repainted at some point and no be longer has original engine or transmission. It currently has a carburated 2.0 bus engine and short throw 5speed according to current owner. The interior is mostly original and in decent condition with only minor flaws and comes with new carpet kit. Rockers, floor pans appear to be rust free and it has been garage kept. It does run. Any advice would be much appreciated.
It’s not going to be rust free other than the hell hole - never. Fresh paint covers many sins. And regarding the hell hole, a hole in the engine shelf means the battery acid infused water has washed over the lower suspension points and inner long. $3k repair.
Without seeing more, sounds like a $2-3k car. At the very least, have someone who knows these cars take a look.
Without seeing more, sounds like a $2-3k car. At the very least, have someone who knows these cars take a look.
Mine had superficial Hell hole rust that didn’t get into the structural stuff. You have to look under to see if the rust is bad. 6k is probably high for what you’re describing. Get and post more pictures.
These cars can be a can of worms. Mark (meptein) is giving you sound advice. Get the car up on a lift and have someone knowledgable inspect it for hidden damage and rust. Better to pay a little more for a car that has been inspected thoroughly than but what you hope might be a great car only to be disappointed once you begin digging into it. Regardless, have fun as you learn about the 914. They are great little cars a a ton of fun to drive. 
QUOTE(mepstein @ Sep 6 2019, 06:40 AM) 
It’s not going to be rust free other than the hell hole - never. Fresh paint covers many sins. And regarding the hell hole, a hole in the engine shelf means the battery acid infused water has washed over the lower suspension points and inner long. $3k repair.
Without seeing more, sounds like a $2-3k car. At the very least, have someone who knows these cars take a look.
I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures, I'm new here and I'm not good with computers so please forgive me.
QUOTE(Cairo94507 @ Sep 6 2019, 06:53 AM)
These cars can be a can of worms. Mark (meptein) is giving you sound advice. Get the car up on a lift and have someone knowledgable inspect it for hidden damage and rust. Better to pay a little more for a car that has been inspected thoroughly than but what you hope might be a great car only to be disappointed once you begin digging into it. Regardless, have fun as you learn about the 914. They are great little cars a a ton of fun to drive. I have a car lift at home, the gentleman that currently owns the car said if I buy the car and find anything major wrong with the car other than what he told me about that he would refund the money. Ive always had hotrods and custom cars nearly my whole life but im new to porches, and I'm very mechanically inclined but nervous about spending more on the car than it's worth. I'm also not sure if parts are even available for it. Thanks for the help everyone is awesome here!!!
anytime anyone is thinking about purchasing a 914 they are welcome to send me a photo shoot for my review and comments, maybe before making a bad mistake, or coming across a real deal. Most prospective 914 buyers do not know what they are looking at and can really get burned, thinking that with the high prices 914s are commanding that they have come across a real bargain. Bottom line is that a 914 costs every bit as much as a 911 to restore
QUOTE(dr914@autoatlanta.com @ Sep 6 2019, 09:29 AM)
anytime anyone is thinking about purchasing a 914 they are welcome to send me a photo shoot for my review and comments, maybe before making a bad mistake, or coming across a real deal. Most prospective 914 buyers do not know what they are looking at and can really get burned, thinking that with the high prices 914s are commanding that they have come across a real bargain. Bottom line is that a 914 costs every bit as much as a 911 to restore
Thank you for your advice, if you don't mind I will send some pictures of the car if I can figure out how to for you to look at and get your opinion. My 9 yr old son loves the car and wants me to buy it , I also like the car but don't won't to get another money pit as that is usually what happens to me.
...
I pulled back the carpets in the trunk and inside the cockpit and didn't see any signs of rust or repair. The doors opened and closed perfectly. The head lights worked. The longs looked perfect except for directly under the battery was the only place and it didn't look to awful.
– The interior looks good, with the exception of the carpet, obv.
– The left rear wheel well arch inside the trunk looks like there's been some damage that hasn't been repaired properly.
– Impossible to tell if the longs are good without removing the rocker covers. The right side door gap looks consistent (at least in that photo), so that's a good sign...but rust in the hell hole / long area is just too costsly to guess about. Have someone who really knows these cars do a PPI. Def take George up on his offer to look at pics
– The single carb setup is far from optimal. You'd need to invest in better fuel delivery from day 1 to have a reliable, decent performing driver.
My gut is 6K is too much for this car. Even at 3K, if there's extensive rust, it may not be something you want to take on. Especially with a non-matching engine.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
– The left rear wheel well arch inside the trunk looks like there's been some damage that hasn't been repaired properly.
– Impossible to tell if the longs are good without removing the rocker covers. The right side door gap looks consistent (at least in that photo), so that's a good sign...but rust in the hell hole / long area is just too costsly to guess about. Have someone who really knows these cars do a PPI. Def take George up on his offer to look at pics
– The single carb setup is far from optimal. You'd need to invest in better fuel delivery from day 1 to have a reliable, decent performing driver.
My gut is 6K is too much for this car. Even at 3K, if there's extensive rust, it may not be something you want to take on. Especially with a non-matching engine.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
QUOTE(cuddy_k @ Sep 6 2019, 10:57 AM)
– The interior looks good, with the exception of the carpet, obv.
– The left rear wheel well arch inside the trunk looks like there's been some damage that hasn't been repaired properly.
– Impossible to tell if the longs are good without removing the rocker covers. The right side door gap looks consistent (at least in that photo), so that's a good sign...but rust in the hell hole / long area is just too costsly to guess about. Have someone who really knows these cars do a PPI. Def take George up on his offer to look at pics
– The single carb setup is far from optimal. You'd need to invest in better fuel delivery from day 1 to have a reliable, decent performing driver.
My gut is 6K is too much for this car. Even at 3K, if there's extensive rust, it may not be something you want to take on. Especially with a non-matching engine.
So if I offer the guy 3000.00 would that be insulting to him? Im not wanting to fully restore the car just thought it would be a fun car to drive around town in and get my son's involved in also a good date night car with the wifey. If I have to do a little repair I'm fine with that I just don't want to be upside down on the car with more money invested than it's worth.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
It's not insulting to do a walk around and point out the flaws and negotiate the price accordingly.
If he's insulted by that, you have the wrong car and wrong seller.
On a side note, 40 year old 914's all need something be it routine maintenance or some degree of restoration. Most hobby cars are upside down if you were to factor in labor at shop rate. Most just won't admit to that.
My billable rate is standard hobby rate of $0.01/hr and I'm underwater at that labor rate!
Whatever you do . . . . do not purchase without having the outer rocker covers pulled for an inspection.
If he's insulted by that, you have the wrong car and wrong seller.
On a side note, 40 year old 914's all need something be it routine maintenance or some degree of restoration. Most hobby cars are upside down if you were to factor in labor at shop rate. Most just won't admit to that.
My billable rate is standard hobby rate of $0.01/hr and I'm underwater at that labor rate!
Whatever you do . . . . do not purchase without having the outer rocker covers pulled for an inspection.
Have you checked out the classified section here on 914world? I'd feel much better about buying from a member who has a vested interest in not scamming you....
QUOTE(cuddy_k @ Sep 6 2019, 03:22 PM)
Have you checked out the classified section here on 914world? I'd feel much better about buying from a member who has a vested interest in not scamming you....
I have been looking at the classifieds on this site, seems like the prices are all over the place , cars that I browsed on here that seem like they are in the same price range seem to be in worse shape then the one I'm looking at of course that may not be the case. The one thing that has me nervous about the car I'm looking at is it doesn't have the original drivetrain. He fired it up and it seemed to run good other than a lifter tapping which he attributed to the car sitting for a while and having hydraulic lifters. The hell hole doesn't bother me very much because I have lots of experience dealing with repairing rust because of all the other cars I have owned and my personal shop has a car lift and would be very easy for me to remove the drive train to repair the hell hole correctly. I guess I have some thinking to do. Thanks everyone for the advice.
QUOTE(Ratrod87 @ Sep 6 2019, 05:56 PM)
He fired it up and it seemed to run good other than a lifter tapping which he attributed to the car sitting for a while and having hydraulic lifters. The hell hole doesn't bother me very much because I have lots of experience dealing with repairing rust because of all the other cars I have owned and my personal shop has a car lift and would be very easy for me to remove the drive train to repair the hell hole correctly. I guess I have some thinking to do. Thanks everyone for the advice.
Hydraulic lifters are a giant red flag. OEM is solid lifter. Hydraulic is not the way to go for 914's. Make sure this isn't a bus motor via engine serial number. Even if it is a 914 case, someone has rebuilt it with hydraulic lifters and a hydraulic lifter cam. Not a good selling point. Only way to fix is to split case and rebuild the engine. EDIT: oops -- sorry I missed that you already know it is a bus engine. Even worse!
The rust should scare the crap out of you. I have lots of experience with metal fabrication. I built this tank from scratch.
Click to view attachment
Rust in the hell hole should not be underestimated. The rust on my car scares the crap out of me and like you, I know what I'm doing and have the tools to fix it. Fixing hell hole and longitudinal rust is not easy (or cheap).
.
Deals are still out there, but it's becoming more difficult to find decent cars under 5k. It seems like the 2-5k cars of 5 years ago are now 5-10k
QUOTE(Ratrod87 @ Sep 6 2019, 08:26 AM)
... Any advice would be much appreciated.
I recommend asking someone here to do a PPI with/for you. Someone who knows where the rust and issues are will find hidden items.
Also post lots of picture here and see if you can look under the rocker panels.
Good luck with your 914 quest.
QUOTE(Superhawk996 @ Sep 6 2019, 04:19 PM)
QUOTE(Ratrod87 @ Sep 6 2019, 05:56 PM)
He fired it up and it seemed to run good other than a lifter tapping which he attributed to the car sitting for a while and having hydraulic lifters. The hell hole doesn't bother me very much because I have lots of experience dealing with repairing rust because of all the other cars I have owned and my personal shop has a car lift and would be very easy for me to remove the drive train to repair the hell hole correctly. I guess I have some thinking to do. Thanks everyone for the advice.
Hydraulic lifters are a giant red flag. OEM is solid lifter. Hydraulic is not the way to go for 914's. Make sure this isn't a bus motor via engine serial number. Even if it is a 914 case, someone has rebuilt it with hydraulic lifters and a hydraulic lifter cam. Not a good selling point. Only way to fix is to split case and rebuild the engine. EDIT: oops -- sorry I missed that you already know it is a bus engine. Even worse!
The rust should scare the crap out of you. I have lots of experience with metal fabrication. I built this tank from scratch.
Click to view attachment
Rust in the hell hole should not be underestimated. The rust on my car scares the crap out of me and like you, I know what I'm doing and have the tools to fix it. Fixing hell hole and longitudinal rust is not easy (or cheap).
.
The gentleman who is selling the car said that when he had the bus engine built he went with hydraulic lifters instead of flat tappet so the valves wouldn't need to be constantly adjusted . I don't know the first thing about a VW engine but I understand the basics. Also he said the car is stuck in first gear , he thinks something broke on the shifter linkage. I'm starting to think I might pass on this car unless I can get it cheaper but I hate low balling people. Super nice guy that owns it.
QUOTE(Superhawk996 @ Sep 6 2019, 04:19 PM)
QUOTE(Ratrod87 @ Sep 6 2019, 05:56 PM)
He fired it up and it seemed to run good other than a lifter tapping which he attributed to the car sitting for a while and having hydraulic lifters. The hell hole doesn't bother me very much because I have lots of experience dealing with repairing rust because of all the other cars I have owned and my personal shop has a car lift and would be very easy for me to remove the drive train to repair the hell hole correctly. I guess I have some thinking to do. Thanks everyone for the advice.
Hydraulic lifters are a giant red flag. OEM is solid lifter. Hydraulic is not the way to go for 914's. Make sure this isn't a bus motor via engine serial number. Even if it is a 914 case, someone has rebuilt it with hydraulic lifters and a hydraulic lifter cam. Not a good selling point. Only way to fix is to split case and rebuild the engine. EDIT: oops -- sorry I missed that you already know it is a bus engine. Even worse!
The rust should scare the crap out of you. I have lots of experience with metal fabrication. I built this tank from scratch.
Click to view attachment
Rust in the hell hole should not be underestimated. The rust on my car scares the crap out of me and like you, I know what I'm doing and have the tools to fix it. Fixing hell hole and longitudinal rust is not easy (or cheap).
.
I just saw the picture of the tank, wow that's amazing. Great work
Buy the car you like it 
everything is fixable
everything is fixable
Hydraulic are easy but they do take away a few HP.
From the pics, it looks like a decent car. These cars rust from the inside out. Rust will kill the car. Just be mindful.
Give him $5k and you got a good deal. In some places that car is worth more or less. It's worth what the buyer will pay.
From the pics, it looks like a decent car. These cars rust from the inside out. Rust will kill the car. Just be mindful.
Give him $5k and you got a good deal. In some places that car is worth more or less. It's worth what the buyer will pay.
QUOTE(Mike Bellis @ Sep 6 2019, 09:44 PM)
Hydraulic are easy but they do take away a few HP.
From the pics, it looks like a decent car. These cars rust from the inside out. Rust will kill the car. Just be mindful.
Give him $5k and you got a good deal. In some places that car is worth more or less. It's worth what the buyer will pay.
Thank you for your advice I really appreciate everyone's help and opinions
PPi is the way to go. Not a bad looking car. If the rust is minimal you should be on the right ball park.
George has helped me over the years with some purchasing decisions. Thanks George!
Paul
anytime anyone is thinking about purchasing a 914 they are welcome to send me a photo shoot for my review and comments, maybe before making a bad mistake, or coming across a real deal. Most prospective 914 buyers do not know what they are looking at and can really get burned, thinking that with the high prices 914s are commanding that they have come across a real bargain. Bottom line is that a 914 costs every bit as much as a 911 to restore
Paul
QUOTE(dr914@autoatlanta.com @ Sep 6 2019, 11:29 AM)
anytime anyone is thinking about purchasing a 914 they are welcome to send me a photo shoot for my review and comments, maybe before making a bad mistake, or coming across a real deal. Most prospective 914 buyers do not know what they are looking at and can really get burned, thinking that with the high prices 914s are commanding that they have come across a real bargain. Bottom line is that a 914 costs every bit as much as a 911 to restore
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