I have a situation... there is a 1974 2.0 a few miles from where I live. The owner has had it for a long time and for the past month or so it has been sitting on jackstands. The car is almost PERFECT. 4 lug Fuchs, auxiliary lights, center console, D-Jet, etc, etc. How do I convince him to let it go?? Any help would be appreciated!

About the only thing I can thing of is cash. Just keep counting out piles till he says yes.

Have a conversation with him. It’s sometimes like dating. Some sales happen right away, some take time. You have to feel him out but it all starts by walking up to the door and saying hi.

short answer. you can't.

instead you simply go face to face or leave a note in his letter box which says -
if you ever wish to sell this car ring me first - leave name and number.

it worked for me about 40 years ago when i was buying my VW squareback.
it took a while. i think about 9 months between the note and the phone call.
i "overpaid". but it was worth it. the car was in outstanding condition at the time.

Why is it on jackstands? You could engage him in conversation about the car, not necessarily about purchasing, but about your interest in 914s. If you can make friends with him it might put you in a good light if (when) he decides to sell. Good luck.

I don't want to disclose too much information, just in case he's on 914 World.

He was bleeding the brakes a few weeks ago. That's why it's on jackstands. I've talked to him twice.

Realistically, are you prepared to pay for the car? If it’s in as great of shape as you say, he does the maintenance, he might be on here, he’ll be savvy enough to know the market. Are you prepared to pay top dollar? You’ll most likely only get one shot to purchase.

+1

Pull a Tanya Harding on him

Sometimes as simple as offering Cubic Dollars

Other times it takes the long road and waiting to buy it from the Estate.. ??

Everyone could use a hand bleeding brakes. Might be a good conversation starter.

This reminds me of dating as mentioned above.. Garth Brooks sang, "thank God for unanswered prayers." You don't have to have THIS car. You only THINK you have to have this car. There are so many around the country that are in good shape, for sale. Some needing work, some not. Find one you like, at the price you are comfortable paying and grab one up to join the drive.

No point trying to cajole a guy whose dream it is to drive his 914. Pull up in one and have a friend in the neighborhood you can tandem drive to coffee in while driving your cool pair of 914's!!!

That being said, maybe it is "the one..."

914 "friends" are one of the most valuable things we have.

It's the reason for this forum.

Might not be "that" car but the owner might know of others...

Lots of folks on here have posted nice projects they knew about and decided to pass on.

I'd make friends FIRST!

Be complementary and helpful if possible.

Advise him of the forum if he's un-aware.

I'd make sure he knew that I would cherish his car should he decide to sell it.

So many long-term owners want the car to go to someone who will love it as they have.

If you can drive up in another 914 you have an automatic "in".

That^

One of my 914s was the first car I ever bought, its been with 25+ years now and I have always said I will never sell it.

Now I am sure if for some reason someone offered me an absurd amount of money for it there is a price I would let it go for but it would in no way be in the buyers best interest so I don't see that happening. Anyone that wants my car will most likely be negating with my wife and/or daughter when im dead.

It took 12 years of persistent but polite interest before I could finalize the purchase of my 1967 Karmann Ghia convertible. Be prepared for the long haul if you truly want THIS car. Keep your eye out for other cars. In my experience something always comes up if you are patient.

I think it might be mepstein’s quote or paraphrasing.

A deal of a lifetime comes around once a month



As stated above, some cars just aren’t for sale. I once tried to buy a Renault Dauphine that was rotting in a field. The owner was clearly in no position to do anything with it. Polite inquiry yielded the “I’m going to restore it” answer even though that wasn’t even a physical possibility for the owner. It was just his dream . . .

BTW - I plead temporary insanity as to why I was even interested in a Dauphine.

Tell him it's a NARP and that you'll be doing him a favor by taking it off his hands

Osnabruck914
'74 914 2.0

I heard the quote somewhere and it stuck with me. My business partner proves it true all the time. The other quote I think of all the time goes something like - If you don’t ask, the answer is no.
I prefer to buy things that aren’t listed for sale. Much less competition.

Patience and let the 914 gods do their work.
My first car was an Olympic 73 1.7.
Drove it for 11 years and then it was totaled (not my fault!) in Atlanta in 96.
Started looking a few years ago and I know where it is and made contact. Didn't work out. I was ready to spend a silly amount of money to get it and get it restored.
When I finally gave up, it was only a few weeks later that I sort of stumbled on my current 74 - which is pretty much exactly like what I would have done with "my" 73 had I been able to get it.
I love this 74 and I've got years of ownership and fun - I'd only just be getting my 73 back from restoration had I secured it back then.

If there is a doubt, then there is no doubt....

What I really hate is you spend top dollar for a nice car and the week after you pull the trigger something even nicer shows up for chump change!

Patience is a virtue!

I wanted a 2.0 core bad last year.

Bought a really nice one from 914sixer. $500 and a 200 miles drive, whole day lost...

I'm completely happy with my purchase!

A month ago, someone knew I was into 914s and came by with a pull out locked up 2.0 complete core. Has pretty much everything including a trashed set of 44IDFs.

$200 and delivered to the shop...

No 400 miles round trip, no lost day!

I'm still perfectly happy with my purchase from 914sixer but had I just waited...

I've had completely rebuilt 240Z engines dropped off!

Make it known that you are into this stuff and your parts stash will BREED!

@Ace Le Count

What a great thread and I hope to offer you some encouragement with my story.

In the early '90's I was in the hunt for a 356 to restore. A friend and I had looked for months on end at a lot of rasty ones that were pretty far gone. Then one Saturday I was riding my bicycle through the neighborhood and a white 356 drives by showing some rust in the passenger door bottom and it just looked tired, but it was running! Hadn't seen it before and I soon discovered he lived only a short a block away, so I followed him home. Introduced myself as a Porsche fan, met Phil and told him I was happy to see a 356 in the neighborhood and soon learned all about it. It was a 1962 356B Super he'd only acquired it about a month earlier, and told me he was going to completely restore it himself. I looked around the garage and there was not a tool one. No tool box, no nothing. Then he proceeded to tell me all about having the gas tank replaced and a bunch of other things at a shop I knew of, to get it running. As I parted, I offered that if he ever considered selling it to keep me in mind. He reiterated he was going to be restoring it with his son. I wished him well.

Months later I'd still not found my 356 and saw Phil returning home in his, and again I was on my bike so I followed him home again. Similar story, but he hadn't started on
the restoration yet. Again as I parted I offered that if he ever considered selling to keep me in mind, only a block away.

Well about 2 years passed, I'd ratcheted back my hunt significantly, (gave up) and I heard through a neighbor that Phil was going to sell his 356 and wasn't I once interested? Well yeah!

I put some cash in my pocket and walked over to his house and knocked on the door.
I told him what I heard, he'd forgotten where I lived and he said he hadn't done a thing to it, it had just been sitting not running for two years! We took a look at the sad little 356 with 4 flat tires sitting in his garage. We agreed on a price, pumped up the tires, and my wife towed me with a rope around the block and home with our '76 Celica.

Others have offered some good advice, get to know him and who knows. You too might have a good story some day.

I restored my 356 over a 10 year period in my garage, as I was still working at the time, doing all the work myself, including engine and paint, all but the interior. I still have it!
Best of luck!