so, i think i need to vent about this to people who might understand..

lately, i just cannot get excited about cars, or my 914 anymore. I dont know....over the past couple months, ive picked up cycling in a big way, i love it, its most of what i think about now..its just alot of fun...and my car..has just sort of taken a permanent seat on the back burner.

heres a little background..

I got my 914 senior year of Highschool. I had intended to restore it myself (i tend to jump into the deep end head first without testing the water alot) so no big suprise...i find that you cant do a full restoration on $6 and hour. so i do some work, and she sits...in a horrible state...i get so pissed about it that i buy a 924S as a daily driver. LOVED that car, autocrossed it, drove it at pocono...awesome awesome car. so i had the 924S through college, and the 914 prettymuch sat while i accumulated some parts and drew up big plans in my head.

so i graduate college, the 924S Waterpump dies on me, and my bank account is empty..great..no money to fix it...maybe its time for a new daily driver. so i get my first loan and get a ford ranger (had one previously, loved it) this is a great truck and i really enjoy it. the 924 is taking up room, and my dad says i cannot keep both the 924 and 914..one has to go. well ive had the 914 for so long, and have been dreaming about it forever..ive become so attached to that little rust bucket. so i end up selling the 924...and take a bath on it obviously..but she goes to a good home.

i start working, and get some money together..time to finally start on the 914! she gets sandblasted and primed, so i can finish the welding that needs to be done on it. comes back from the media blasters and has never looked better..it hasnt been one color for 6 years!

in a conversation with the body guy, i get a realistic quote on what it will take to get the 914 looking good and painted...8k..wow..thats alot...

now i had originally planned to stay at home for a bit, and put most of my money into the 914 to get it done...but the wave of realization hits me for a second time...thats going to be ALOT of money...and i want to do things with my life when i am young...travel (never been out of the country...sorry canada doesnt count) start mountaineering, you know, do stuff and experience things while im still a charming young man...

anyways...i decide to put the 914 back on the back burner...at least shes primed so she wont rust, now i can save some money for other things.

everytime i open the garage to get the bike out, and look at the 914...i just feel disheartened or something..i feel like i went into battle unprepared and lost. maybe i should have kept the 924..i do miss it already, and would have been able to drive it....hindsight is always 20/20

im just so attached to this 914..and it bothers me. I dont think i would be able to let it go, but it haunts me..

I dont know even what im trying to say..im just rambling

if you made it through this, what do you think? am i crazy...should i have kept the 924 and sold the 914...

my head hurts

-Aaron

...then I guess my phone call the other was timely...hold on thru the Winter, MovieTime is buying a Maaco franchise. All the spray booth time you'll need...maybe Anthony will even throw in the materials.

I still have a couple 2.0L power plants laying around too....

You are fine. Even if it was DONE, you would still be looking for time to accomplish the next fix-up (or just fix).

I LOVE to ride my road bike too. In fact, it takes priority over car work, because it keeps me healthy- I hope. It makes me feel better anyway.

My next paint job will happen at home. Yours should too. It may cost $1500 and take weeks, but so what. It will be BETTER than an $8K paint job, even if it doesn't quite look like an $8K paint job.

You are right, don't be a slave to a damn piece of metal, but don't give up either.

Can totally see where you are coming from. I wanted a 914 since before I could drive. When I turned 16, I looked for one, but anything that I could afford still needed a ton of work and being on the east coast were really just parts cars.

Fast forward from that 15 years and I had the wife, 2 kids and a dog. Good job, good money coming in... decided that hell or high water I was going to get my 914. Looked for a while and just decided to take the plunge one day on ebay. Car ended up in pretty crappy shape... wasn't too much money into it and I knew it was a gamble to begin with.

Figured I would do all the work myself because to contract it out would probably be way more than the 8k you are looking at. Well.... with a wife, 2 kids and a job that keeps me busy 60+ hours a week, reality is that there isn't a lot of time to do a full blown resto yourself (in short of 10 years). So then I decided to get a 2nd tub that was in much better shape.... that would save me countless hours of time and I'd be on the road faster...... yeah.... well..... Repeat this paragraph.

Luckily, about 6 months ago, the stars aligned and I found a driver for sale that was local to me. Jumped on it and picked it up for a fair deal. Does it need some things done to it? sure..... but it sure is a blast to get out and drive on a nice Saturday morning while the wife and kids are in bed. This winter I'll focus on the "small" projects that I have carefully prioritized for it.

So at the end of all this rambling... I feel your pain. Lots of guys have been there on the same road you are on.

My advice. Sounds like you're young enough, you're exploring your interests and those take cash and time. Best thing might just be to let the 914 go now... for a time when you can get a driver that you can spend more time enjoying... rather than staring at or working on.

Either way, I agree... it's a painful decision.



-Mike

ray, youre right, after that phone call i did feel a little better...some light at the end of the tunnel perhaps.

I really am looking foward to the new movietime place, its going to be a big help.

and i want one of those engines, i just dont have a place to put it, ill get you some money for one soon, just let me know when you need it


having the 914 is like being in a relationship....it has its ups and downs, but im so attached, i couldnt imagine divorcing it, just have to push through

You think the 924S was a fun car to drive? Have you ever driven a 914? Find someone in your area with a nice one and drive it on a nice mountain road. There isn't anything like it.
That should plant the seed. If it does, devote a few hours a week to your project. Even if you just sit in the garage and putz. You won't be disappointed.
Bruce
PS I've had 4 914s since 1975 and been driving the heck out of my 914 V8 since 1985! There is nothing like it.(a poor man's Lambo)

aaron what happened here is you grew up, when that happens priotities change the 914 is a hobby, treat it as such. i have been trying to finish mine for 3 years now. don,t get obsessed with it. it,s supposed to be fun. you don't need an $8000.00 paint job to drive the car. get it running and drive it with the primer.
but don't equate a 914 with a relationship and a divorce, while the 914 is a major money pit it is nothing compared to a couple of those. you can always sell a 914, i never got a single decent offer for any of my wives.

haha yeah..that brings up another point...6 years of ownership...NEVER driven a 914

Take heart, young'un. I've owned my 914 since 1984. Parked it in 1986, and it still sits in my garage awaiting time/money/space. So you've got a long way to go before you've wasted that kind of time.

Just store your car til you are ready to come back to it. Definetly don't put your life on hold for a car. There is so much to do in the world. I got a few years on ya, I ain't saying how many, but I still haven't done everything I want to.

Honestly cycling is so much more rewarding then sports cars. I learned more about myself and the world around me on a bicycle.

Ride thru the Alps, get stoned in Amsterdam, have a 3 way in budapest, climb the dolomites, drop acid in tibet, fly a Cessna across the US. When all is said and done the 914 will be there when you are ready to tackle it.



Ray if we are really gonna have acces to a kick ass facility I wouldn't mind doing a 550 spyder kit car build. Fun for the whole family and who knows I could actualy learn a thing or 2.



Aaron I gave up climbing(it just never agreed with my stomach) but if you ever get the urge to hike Denali it's something I have wanted to do for 10 years but couldn't find a partner to do it with.

You'll make it through. Most of us have been there before. 914's done right require money and time. Two elements most folks never seem to have enough of. I recently had to let my 914 go and after weeks passed by, it still hurts the heart daily. Dam I miss my car.

Sell it and take a bath.
Go out and spend 3-5k on a running 914.
Enjoy it and restore it in ten years when you can find the time and money. Meanwhile, you get to drive a 914.

Rich

yep, denali is on my list of things to do in the next 5 years hopefully..have to work my way up to it, but when im going, ill let you know

Sounds like the car is causing you more grief than pleasure. Dump it. They'll be others around to buy when you have the time and the $ and desire. Travel while you're young and don't have the responsibilities that might keep you from traveling later. IMHO, the experiences you'll have exploring the world will far outweigh what you would gain by just getting a car up and running.

Additionally, if I had to chose between my bikes and a car, the 914 would have been sold a long time ago.


You didn't lose, you just lost interest. Nothing wrong with that. Why be burdened by it?

Find someone nearby that has a 914 and get a ride. Or better yet, ask them if you can drive it.

That'll motivate you ...
Andy

...and $8k is a great price for body and final paint. Good paint jobs don't come for less.

I'm so glad we got to have this girl-to-girl talk... Keep the car or live with the regrets. That is how it is.

do some of the body work yourself, and save some money.

But yea, take a ride in a running 914. If not, a 914 will always be around later. Your youth won't.

Don't suffer from DWD.
Don't build a show winning car.
Build a driver.
Get it done.
Bolt on crap that's good-enough.
Build it in primer even.

I've been stalling on my car for too long waiting for time and money to 'do it once, do it right'. Guess what? It just sits. I'm over that now. Now I'm going to take my car and do what it takes to get it running well enough that I can actually enjoy it.

Besides, often times the dream in your head isn't what you want after you're done with it. Build the car over time. Get the various installations and upgrades done a little at a time while still driving it. At some point you'll say, "Okay, I like my car. Time to make it pretty." SirAndy's car is a great example. He and I have a ton of work into it getting it where he wants. And in the very near future it will be time to disassemble it completely and concentrate on the looks and fit & finish. 'Designing' a car and building it at the same time is much harder.

Forget "Do it one, do it right." It's BS to me.

aaron i have a deal for you. come out to movietime and help me put in the 2.0 maybe do a little welding. when we get it running you can drive it the first couple of days to make sure it works. bring it back when your tired of it
rich

Dude,
Where is "movie time"

And what exactly do you need to do?
I could go for an overnight near the city weld one day, put the motor in the next...

Rich

richie...i like that deal, again, just let me know when you need help and im there

...Lyndhurst NJ....a stone's throw from Giant Stadium

Stop by Allentown and you can drive my 74 2L. Lots of fun roads out here. Only problem is not pissing off the neighbors by driving real fast and damn 35MPH speed limits.

Probably good advice.

More good advice....

If you could have everything you wanted right away without any anticipation there would be no fun in it. That's why people like Paris Hilton have to be stupid. When you can have everything you want in an instant what is left in life? You have to be kind of dumb to enjoy going out every night. Night after night the same thing keeps them entertained. I get board with it. I need more than that. You do have to decide sometime if it's goint to be a priority with. I know what you mean about travel. That's a huge priority with me and my family but we have a travel bank account and a car bank account to finance both passions. And neither builds up that quickly. I have a 22 month old son now with a girl on the way. I still think passion is the most important thing I can teach them. Without desire you can't have passion and you can't enjoy life. So allow your passion to keep building and when the time comes you will fix the 914.