I'm sure many of you saw the '73 2.0 car that sold on BaT yesterday for a whopping $54,750 (+5% buyer premium). Indeed a beautiful, rust-free California car and great color...but quite less than "original" based on comments, seller feedback, etc. As well, true mileage was unknown and thought to potentially be over 100,000. Finally, there was also no historical documentation.

I have a '75 1.8 in Nepal Orange. It's a documented 51,000 mile car - same owner from '77-'21. It came with purchase records from the 70's and service records from the last 20 years when the PO "resurrected" the car years after his spouse's early passing (it was her car). One might argue that the gap in records might call the miles into question, but I seriously doubt it. This looks & drives like it was strictly a sub-1,000 mile/year summer car.

As far as I can tell, it's original in almost every way and absolutely rust-free except for some VERY minor surface bits in the usual places. Longs, HH totally clean & solid. Unfortunately, the dealer who the PO consigned it to had the hood & headlights repainted due to road rash. He thought it would show better (which it does), but didn't consider that this might ding the originality of the car. He just wanted to sell it for the PO.

My question is, how much "less", if anything, is my car worth compared to the one that sold because it's a '75 1.8? Everybody seems to get all hot & sticky over chrome bumpers & 2.0 motors (and 6's, for obvious reasons), but would my car sell for less...when it seems to have so much more true originality (all things being equal in terms of buyer emotion, color preference, etc.). The fun factor is identical and from what I've heard, the 1.8 L-jets are more reliable. I can certainly attest to that with over 1,000 miles I put on the car in 6 weeks!

I'm not planning to sell anytime soon...and there may be quite a bit of subjectivity here, but just curious what you guys have to say. Any & all feedback/constructive criticism, etc. welcomed. Thanks in advance.

Well the 75 vs 73 bumpers would be a value issue to me. Miles don't bother me because any car 40 plus years old has been restored/updated with new bushings and suspension. For that kind of money you can do a lot of engine work to make 2056. I would pay a lot more to have as rust free, than anything else. Body work is most expensive in time and $$$.
Very good question what is value of a 914 in the future??

Rick, post a bunch of photo's and you will get some great feedback. Best, Mark

Forget about it. Go

On any given day on BAT you might find the right guy with lots of $$, recently divorced, 5 drinks into the evening, and thinks to himself "I gotsta get me one" and you car could come in $5k higher. Who knows.

IMHO, if you want to say your car is equivalent and worth $54k who am I to argue. Any object in the world is only "worth" what a willing buyer and willing seller agree upon. Some days that's crazy high, other days, it's low.

Bottom line: FedGov has printed trillions upon trillions of dollars since 1913. Inflation is real and not going away. What used cost $1.00 in 1913 now would cost you $28.22 according to BLS CPI Inflation calculator.

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When I was a kid, a candy bar was $0.25. Today, more like $1.00 - $1.25 for the same candybar. A candy bar is never going back to $0.25! When I graduated high school, gas was $1.12 to $1.20 per gallon. $3.25 today and never going back to $1.12.

Prime 914's are not going back to $10K cars like they used to be in 1990s . The inflation ship has sailed. The thing that drives 914's up in value in addition to inflation is the fact that the supply of 914's is diminishing in numbers due to rust, crashes, etc. So at the same time inflation is pushing up commodities like a candybar or gasoline, really nice 914's like yours or this one on BAT are actually getting scarcer.

What is $54K today will soon be $65K.

Just enjoy what you have, and go drive the heck out of it.

Not trying to troll, but I do so hate these kinds of conversations.
If your selling, it’s worth whatever you can sell it for. If you’re buying, it’s worth whatever you’re willing to buy it for.

Each car is a unique example and each buyer has specific requirements.
For me, I only wanted a 1.8L because that was the car I learned to drive in.

A '75 1.8 is the least desirable model and a '73 2.0 is the most desirable model among four cylinder cars. No judgement here, just a fact of the model run and marketplace.

They are both fun cars with all the features that make a 914 unique. You say you're not looking to sell so just go enjoy it. You can't change market preferences so ignore what you see as a bias and have fun.

Most buyers have common purchase criteria including: Exclusivity (# of units built in MY) Least weight, Most pwr/tqr, Fewest emission gee-gaws, addition of Appearance & Sport group features .. oh & color
Because of those criteria the pecking order is pretty straight line.
/6, 74 LE's, 73 2.0L, 74 2.0L, 76 (supposedly all 2.0L), 74 1.8L, 73 1.7L, 75 1.8L, & early cars ...
IMO

You left out ‘75 2.0

You are correct Sir! But you left out the LE's !

You’re correct, I wasn’t including the paint scheme models.

hater

Although I love the LE cars, a 73 2.0 in the right color is hard to beat.

there are exceptions to every rule
Talk about "hater"

I prefer troublemaker.

Back to the question of originality. It used to be that it’s meaning was clear: equipped with factory parts and finishes except for regular maintenance items (plugs, points , filters, tires, belts, fluids, etc.) Now the bar has been lowered to the point that some claim survivor status even with a full repaint. The upshot is that valuing originality is a function of presentation by seller and acceptance by the buyer.

My standard of originality may be different than yours but it only matters if I’m a potential buyer, or judging your car in an originality event. All that said, documentation is important and may be a tipping point in getting top value when selling. It’s also important to realize that the market inherently recognizes desirability. You may not agree but the market values chrome over big rubber or painted bumpers and 2.0 over 1.8 or 1.7L

Can someone explain to me why '73 2.0 > '74 2.0?

73 2.0 came standard equipped with all appearance group in the base price. In 74 they were all options so not all 74 2.0 were equally equipped. A 73 2.0 and a 74 2.0 with all the appearance group options and Fuchs are the same.

Doesn't the 1.8, with all the smog crap, deliver less HP than the 1.7?

73 was the introduction MY of the 2.0L & all were supposedly fully featured (ala the S model).
In 74 the $ was falling against the Deutschmark so the factory made most all the features "options".
From a technical standpoint not much was different although the FI system could arguably have been said to be more sorted in 74.
Other quirky things like slightly lighter due to 1 yr doors w/o impact beams ect.

+ add one pound for rear bumpets

Clever distinction.

Not all 73 2.0L came with appearance group. Sometime mid MY appearance group was dropped from standard equipment and became an option. My car had the Sport or Performance group package which included Fuchs wheels, sway bars, and center console but no fogs, chrome bumpers, or targa vinyl. It also had black trim on the targa rather than bright anodized trim.

I agree with the pecking order others have said, but I think once you get below sixes and LEs, prices are being driven more by condition and originality than MY and engine. But I also agree the originality part is getting less and less predictable.

All 1973 2.0 cars, for the most part, were fully optioned and had limited production numbers with 4,817 cars built versus 16,639 '74 2.0 cars!

Not sure the numbers are right…

take it easy.

less smog crap on a 74 1.8 than a 75. same horsepower but. go figure?
main reason for pissweak = run on unleaded.
not as pissweak as unleaded cali 73 1.7.

but lets face it - all 914s are good. including my 1.8

no one really thinks of euro spec cars in the USA pecking order.
there is nothing sweeter than a 73.74 euro spec 2.0.
its lighter than US cars and a bit brighter in the engine department.
but i bet there is bugger all left of them in the world.
go find one.

I don't think those numbers refer to model year production but instead to calendar year production. Note that production numbers are shown for 1969 but there are no '69 MY cars.

You are correct. Those numbers are calendar year numbers in which the cars were made and not the model year. 73 2.0s mostly included more features which became options and cost more on 74s. About $2,000 more for a similarly optioned car. I ordered and bought my new 73 just before the price increase, fresh out of high school and working 3 jobs to pay for it (and beer) while taking a summer school class. Good thing they got such great gas mileage with premium costing around $0.32/gal. Gas went to over $0.50/gal a year or so later and I started riding my bike more to save money.