> Those that are new to 914's generally tend to overspend.
I've had a 914 for more than 15 years, so I do know how much this stuff costs. What most 914s owners don't understand is how nice the cars can be. There is a world of difference between the fit and finish of my very expensive to restore 914 and this basically like-new 914. How the doors open,
Also remember, we are still talking about a ~$20k "car". I think if you look at it like that and compare nice 914s to other "$20k cars", it's no contest
> What do you really do with a car like this? To keep the value up you don't drive it.
I put about 4,000 miles on the car in the last year. It's really great to drive - I drove it to work today (secure covered parking). I drove it more in the first week (about 800 miles visiting friends) than the previous owner did the entire time he owned it - 6 years!
4,000 miles per year might be a little excessive for a car like this, but I do think it should still be driven and appreciated. If this car is driven 2,500 miles average for the next 20 years (another 50k miles), then, in 2026 it will be 53 years old and have 80k miles on it. I think the car could still be in very good condition and still a very unique 914.
If I was doing this all over again, I'd rather buy a car than had been driven a decent amount rather than one that sat for so long. The old tires literrally almost fell about after my first 30 miles. More importantly - how could you own a car like this and not keep it in drivable condition - the tires were no good!
> stone chips
Yes, that's going to happen, did to me (I put a couple on), and you've just got to live with it.
> fender bender
Yes, that would be very annoying.
> re: ebaying a car just for info
I understand people do do that, but this 914 really is for sale, and given the interested parties, I do believe it will sell in the next couple of weeks. If not, no problem, and we can revisit this thread in a couple years when it's for sale for $80k.
-Steve