Jay Gratton

OK, I am in the process of talking with a person who is selling his '73 1.7. The car has 22K miles on it (yep, 22K miles). The car is very dirty and the paint is faded and the hood is REALLY poor. The interior is AWESOME and the body is VERY nice except for two quarter size rust spots in the rear truck that could be sanded down and touched up. The car drives....well, like a 1.7 (slow). But it has a very small hesitation from 2500-3000 RPMs. It is on of the best shifting 914s I have ever driven. The owner wants $4K and I am at $3.5K. Should I hold my ground, meet him in the middle or pay the $4K? I really only want to spend the $3.5, but I don't want something good to pass me by. What are you thoughts?

ltc

Do you plan to fix the car up and keep it or sell it?
If it's the former, I'd pay the extra $500 to get exactly what you want/expect; if it's the latter, it's all about an extra $500 at (re)sale.

Jay Gratton

I don't know what I want to do with it. I think I want to clean it up and fix the paint up and then see what the market is doing. The neat thing about this car is that tha value is only going up on this car. If I keep it I will be putting my extra 2.0 that I have sitting in my basement.

racer

I don't think the market is there for a 1.7 as "collector car" just yet. ALbeit 22K miles is low.. its still a 1.7 If you drop in your extra 2.0, you then have an unoriginal car. If you want to enjoy it, fine, but I don't think that will be a good re-sell.

skl

If it's a rust free example it's probably worth it. I tend to keep things ( had mine for 36 years...) but if it is rustfree buy it and put the 2.0 in it. Being realistic who cares if numbers don't match in a 914? Except for the engine and some sway bars, etc the 1.7 and 2.0 are the same car. Unless someone is going to concour the car at a Parade (VERY unlikely) the numbers thing is NOT that important...

Jay Gratton

skl,
I agree that numbers don't matter as much in 914s unless it is a 6. I talked to the guy yesterday and I offered to meet him in the middle. He hasn't called me back yet and I am not going any higher.

Jay Gratton

I BOUGHT IT!!!!! It feels good to be back in the 914 world after a year away. I can't wait to get it home and start cleaning it up. The final price was $3650 which I think is a good deal for me, considering it only has 22K on it with a VERY good body. Thanks for the help everyone!

ltc

Congratulations and best of luck

Jay Gratton

Thank you!!!! I am so happy to be back in a 914! I will get some pics up soon. - Jay

skl

Yep, we'll want to see pix- and I hope some day soon Lewis will join the group as well...

ltc

Still looking for the right person with the right car to take my money.....

Jay Gratton

Lewis,
What are you looking for? If you give us some details we can all help you look.

ltc

Jay,
Thanks.

I am not mechanically inclined (I don't even do oil changes....I leave things like that to professionals)....wrenching my son's kart is more than a mechanical challenge than I wish for.........so I'm looking for a 'turnkey' 914 2.0....completely restored, needs nothing, price is not a factor.....something I can just buy, drive, own, enjoy.
I prefer blue, red, perhaps white (limited edition creamsicle), silver....not really a fan of green, black, white.

It's fun to search, you never know when "that" car will pop up.

Jay Gratton

Lewis,
Well, that is good to know. I will keep my eyes open for a good car for you. Have you ever looked on 914club.com? The prices are high there, but it is a good place to look. - Jay

Al Z

Lewis , you have a pm. Thanks Al Z