Desired outcome: My son and I would like to buy or buy & rebuild a 914 together that can be a daily driver for him over the next 8 years. We can then think about restoration/customization if the 914 Bug hit us. So, we do not want the rust bug to progress to much. Less than 100HP is OK, less than stock is OK. Looking for no more than $10,000 for the first investment.

About US
I am a Mechanical Engineer. I am pretty handy. He is a 16 year old eagle scout. We do no know how to body weld, bondo so it looks good, rebuild an engine.

Questions
Can anyone validate these estimates for costs:
Rust repair (external shop)
6,000 Extreme - Multiple structural issues
5,000 Bad - One structural issue
2,000 Mild - Hell Hole
1,000 Standard - Cosmetic
Painting
10000 Body off painting
2000 Tape and paint
1000 Minimal effort
Misc
500 Getting a lost title back?
4000 High performance engine
2000 engine rebuild
2000 transmission rebuild
Questions Con't
What methods do you use to find a reasonable Body-shop? Or Engine re builder?
What skill do you suggest we get first so improve price/quality? Welding (Rust repair), Painting, Engine rebuild?
Some cool cars on "Hot Musclecars.com" they seem to be old post that is hidden. Any way to break through?
We live in Central PA. Any clubs around here or shops that we should check out?

Process we are going to use
Learn as much as possible.
Try to estimate total cost of rebuild of a few cars
Do a hard search for a car that meets the objective.

I can provide my current links on car info, search sites used so far.
*Edited with comments below /6/13/2020

Welcome to 914world!

with your $10k budget, you will able to find a descent running 914 while fixing it or meaning running project 914.

Your paint estimate is likely way off.. The welding maybe closer..

Yes definitely. A local shop here in Canada estimated roughly $10'000-14'000 for a full bare metal paint job. I'm sure you can find somewhat cheaper but you pay for what you get and this shop does excellent work.

I bought a boxster for my son that he is learning to repair as needed. Old cars are just not dependable, so to think of a 914 as a daily driver is out.

A boxster can be purchased very cheaply,(much much less that even a 914 restoration project) the parts are relatively inexpensive and one can learn to fix it themselves while enjoying great working heating and air conditioning, great power and handling good gas mileage and a great sound system. Also they are good for daily transportation .

My paint was $10,000 and it was all stripped on a dolly.

A body off paint job will be very expensive and unnecessary. Recommend leaving the body on.

WOW. Did not know paint was so expensive. I will correct it above.

So 914 as a daily driver is out. Have others seen the same thing. I mean they used to be daily drivers? Like in the 70's?

With the right 914 in good condition, I have no problem with it as a dependable daily driver. That’s exactly what I used it for for about 10 years of my life, about 10 years ago.

The search sites I am using
Classic Autotrader
Hemmings
Carsforsale
Classic Driver
All Collector Cars
Cars Guru
Cult of Cars - Facebook
Auto Tempest - Craigslist
The Samba
Porsche Club of America
Ebay
Bring A Trailer
Trovit

If possible expand your budget. Find some that is in a desired color that is structurally sound. That needs some tlc. Break it up into small projects over time, that's what I did. Drove and enjoyed it for a few years. Learn and read about the trouble spots of the 914. I knew nothing about a 914 when I bought mine. Research, research and research. I did all of the work at my house a small 2 car garage an air compressor and basic tools over a 2 year period.
Project 1 1 month Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Project 2 1 week pedal cluster rebuild.
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Project 3 3 months replace battery tray, support and engine reseal, clean and cosmetic restore.Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Save another $10,000 and buy a near perfect 914 then enjoy your time driving the back roads of Pennsylvania with your son. Your time togather will be happier and less frustrating.

75 2.0 in 914 world classifieds. No affiliation. Will need some work.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=341162

I am going to cooperatively disagree a bit with the good doctor about vintage cars as daily drivers. Now keep in mind that I live in Southern California, which is a pretty friendly climate for both cars, but I daily drove a TR6 for a couple years and my Alfa Spider is a daily driver. And to be fair, and as accurate as possible, I take a modern mini Cooper or the Volvo if I’m running to LA and there’s going to be lots of traffic or I need air-conditioning, but I don’t buy into the lack of reliability as an issue. Once you get the car sorted out there’s no reason not to use it.

PM sent, Mark

Do you think this car is still for sale? The post if 9 months old. We have not looked that far back. Maybe we should open our horizons.

I'm going to disagree with him as well....but it's about the Boxster. Unless you are buying a 2009 or newer you will be facing IMS issues. And, let's don't forget That bore scoring has now become problematic.

Boxsters cost the same to repair as 911s. Might as well buy a 911 and be done with it.

Paint is one of those things that can done cheap, but you get what you pay for. I recently painted one of my cars, the shop estimated $5000-6000. $15,000 later and I did much of the re-assembly myself. 40+ year old cars hold lots of secrets.

But you can get a decent paint job for about $5000 if there are no surprises.
My brother had his 87 Carrera painted for that, 6 years later it still looks great.

My car looks good too, but it was an experience.

You're in for a great adventure and you're asking the right questions. I have no doubt this will be an amazing experience for your and your son.

My two favorite pieces of advice when it comes to old cars:

– Buy the best one you can afford.

– The most expensive classic car is a cheap one.

I'd look for a solid driver that needs a little TLC (no major metal work). That way you can drive and enjoy it and take projects on one at a time.

As you've seen, this is an amazing community filled with people who have been there, done that and are eager to help. Check the classifieds here. I think you're usually better off buying from a member. Definitely have a pre-purchase inspection done by someone who knows these cars. Just post where the car you're considering is, and I'm sure one of us will be happy to take a look at it for you.

As for daily driving, I'm not a huge fan of putting lots of daily miles on a nearly 50 year old car. Many of the parts are...yep, 50 years old and you just don't know when they may decide to give way. Aside from that, there's no substitute for safety. Airbags, ABS and collision avoidance systems are welcome when I'm out and about in traffic. Right side mirrors, too

i made a video series for new 914 owners which you may find helpful...

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmCY...PWMX9ecEK-qsKZs

Enjoy and welcome to the addiction!

Buy the best car you can afford, and then put in the time and effort with your son to make it your own. The most important thing in my opinion is to find a dry car with very little rust. Think Nevada or Arizona.
If you buy a car that is not running or complete, as I did, make sure you ask for a list of what is included. I did not, and found out the hard way how expensive parts can be. Luckily, I bought mine from a great guy in California who took care of me on some missing parts.

Cheers,
John

If you're near E. Stroudsburg July 18th, swing by the super 8 by Wyndham Hotel that Saturday afternoon. Our Northeast Anniversary Gathering is taking place there that weekend. We should be returning to the hotel from our drive after 3. You'll be able to see the car's and talk to the onwers. One of the afternoon tech sessions is a talk by longtime tech Rory G. talking about buying a 914. Your timing is perfect.

If you're not already a member of the PCA, you can sign up for a temporary membership and get access to the on line classifies, both locally and nationally. I think they call it their "test drive" program.

I agree, buy the best car you can afford.

Lots of good advice here. I already subscribed to your videos. I really like the rust one. My son and I have watched it and had some good discussions.

I am glad people would be willing to look at the car we are thinking about. That will be helpful.
On another video of your I ran accross Jeff Bowlsby's site which is also very good.
Jeff Bowlsby The 914 assessment is very good. It will help compare cars.

Again thank you for your detailed and thoughtful post!!

July 18th 3 PM 340 Greentree Dr, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301. Got it. I think the website for your club is here? NE Porsche Club

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=343706



I can see classifieds already. Can you see more with the "Test Drive" program? I know I need an account to message though.



*Edit added the post that details the 914 weekend in PA

Scroll through these pages and you'll see the thread marked in red. I think it moved to page 2.

Here are the top 5 cars that are for sale in our range with your advice considered. None of them are in driving distance for me. Concerned about wasting a bunch of time/money trying to find out details of these cars... Youngstown car is a 6 hour drive but it says the motor has bad compression. Is that a big deal? I think that compression must be fixed with a rebuild normally. Piston rings I believe.

https://youngstown.craigslist.org/cto/d/war...7136596173.html
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/det....php?id=2319400
https://reno.craigslist.org/cto/d/reno-1975...7140183243.html
https://mart.pca.org/ads/41028
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=341162

This car would be awesome and I sent a message but, I think it is clickbait.
https://www.hotmusclecars.com/details.php?id=11149

A lot of good advice here, and

This is one of the best networks of enthusiasts for a given model I have seen, and maybe the best. You might be surprised by folks who are willing to help you vet a 914 that's a long ways from you but close or relatively close to them. Some might ask a small fee, but that small fee would be WELL worth it. Some...sometimes do it just to pay it forward.

Of all the advice given, I really like the thought of trying to find a car from the American southwest. I'd much rather replace a dash top that's been cooked under the sun for decades than deal with rust or things hiding under the paint, and the 914's biggest enemy is rust—which is also the most expensive thing to fix on the cars. Yes, rust and paint can be done for some of the numbers people are mentioning, but it can cost far, far more too. If you're paying someone else, I can easily see a 914 body restoration costing what a 356 or 911 does...it's largely the same work. And we don't want to talk about what those cars can cost—even as a range from "DIY-ish" to Automobile Associates or Wilhoit. Much better to spend a little more up front and get a 914 that doesn't need metal work. Better still to find one with a nice paint job...one you'll be able to live with for a long time. I think those cars are still out there in the $9000-18,000 range.

That blue car in Nevada bears further inspection, imo. If the body and paint are good, and it's been an NV car, I'd be sorely tempted. 1975 gives you all of the little upgrades, and you can always backdate the bumpers later if you wish. Though, lately, I am even starting to like the BUBs.

Engines, likewise, are cheap if you're willing to buy an existing one, tidy it up, and install it. I think I sold my running Type IV for $300, complete with the brain ready to go in, when there was no interest. It was tired, but you can find used engines very inexpensively. You can also build up a nice Type IV over time without breaking the bank. Might be a fun side project while driving a solid 914 instead of repairing a rusty one.

Finally, enjoy the hunt—I think a 914 can be daily driven. They are fundamentally sound and reliable cars; but for the EFI system, they are really no more complex mechanically than an old VW Beetle. Which is to say, about as simple as it gets. Yet, design-wise, they were extremely advanced and are in many ways up to date even now. I drove mine as a daily back in the early 1990s and again for a year or so in the early 2000s. Still have it, and still love it, all these years later. Guessing there's 250,000+ miles on the chassis, and it's still a blast.

I think it depends where you live as to whether its a 4-season car. Southern cali? Dry states? absolutely, once the reliability is sorted out.

Northern states that love salt/sand/brine for clearing snow? well, that's why all the ones up north are rusted out. Either that, or they quickly become 2-3 season cars.

I was 16 when I got my first 914 in 1987. It was my daily. Lived in MD. Cold inside till the engine warmed up.. hot without ac.. do-able? sure. Comfy? no. And now, with some parts hard to find or 40+ years old, it is a lifestyle choice to make one your "daily". Drove it year round (4 snows in winter.. from about T-giving till spring break in march) The car was quite good in foul weather (it is a Porsche afterall) for a couple years then it became my 3-season/track car.

imho, and surprisingly, I could see dr914's advise of a Boxster for various reasons, not the least of which is modern safety (crumple zones, air bags, ABS) to help a younger driver. Moderately underpowed (200hp). Yet still a fun car with a large supportive network for the DIYer

You might consider a 944 as well. Great balance. Not too many drivers aids; lots built and rust mostly avoidable.

All that said, buy the nicest one you can afford that plays to your strengths.. mechanically able and willing? then maybe the one with a nice body but bad engine is your thing. Metalworking savy? consider a more rusty start.

I used to have sayings about Porsches (depends on the model of course for the $ amount but in the end)..

"They are all $xx,xxxx" cars.. do you want to pay up front with a nice one or pay in installments constantly fixing/upgrading/improving/making it your own".

I usually spend around $1500 just on the materials for painting. Primers, sealers, base coat, clear coat, chip guard, catalysts, reducers, sandpaper, and of course many rolls of masking tape.

As I tell my kids in the 70's you spent at least one weekend a month tuning and maintaining the car. Skip that too long and you end up being towed.

I would add brakes to the top of your budget. Unless the last owner has exact records at the very least the brake hoses need replaced. If there is not any records I would replace and rebuild everything.

LED lights would be a good idea, modern brake, turn signals, and running lights are far brighter today.

Lots of good advice here. Thank you so much. I think my son and I have most likely decided that this is not the right car for him. Lots of reasons for this. Mostly i am concerned that he will loose interest because the amount of work that will be required.

He already said research and looking for a car was boring. I knew we were in trouble because that is the funnest part!!

You should all be proud of such a helpful community that you have created.