plumbum

I was almost ready to drop the hammer on a 911sc but the bad outweighed the good...Always wanted a Porsche and although the 911 is my favorite I am also a fan of the 914 and 968.

I found a nice 914 for sale...but I have no experiance with these cars and dont know what to look for.

I have heard the battery tray area is a known fault area for rust...any other common issues I should look into? The car is for sale at a shop that specializes in air cooled porsche's so I am thinking they would know what to look for in the PPI

Sorry for the noob questions. BTW asking price is $5900cdn...a 1974 1.8

Thanks for any help!

mhr

Nice bonus for you if it is local. Don't have the hassle of import/shipping inspection etc. I would spend more on the car if its local.

May want to find another independent shop to do the PPI

DogWood

2 biggest things I ran into on my 914's was rust in the sail panels and runt on the suspension point under the battery tray, I've had it break on 2 different cars.

bxtech

Yes........look for rust at the battery tray and surrounding areas. Look underneath the battery tray especially and poke the metal underneath to see how solid it is. This area is a structural part of the car. Also, look in front of the battery area in the corner behind the firewall. A lot of times if a battery is leaking, acid will roll down into the corner and rot away metal in there. If bad enough.......the battery acid sometimes will eat through and start rusting away the mount for the rear trailing arm. This will require major surgery to repair if needed.

Also, look in the rear trunk area under the carpet. Many times water will gather/sit here and will rust through. Very common place for rust.

bxtech

Also, look on the passenger side -the side with the battery (I assume that this is a left hand drive car). Look underneath in front of the rear wheel at the structure there to see if there's any rot.

Look at the rocker panel areas (behind) too since debris commonly gathers here and holds moisture which ultimately will cause rust.

Take a look all around.........look everywhere for rust and/or accident repair evidence. Rust is the #1 issue for these 914's!

BTW, are the flares done in steel or fiberglass? These 914's never came with a hood emblem, but I think adding one is a nice touch. However, the emblem on that car is WAY to high towards the center of the hood! Check the wipers too. It looks like they are "parking" on the wrong side of the windshield.

IMHO, the price is a bit high for a 1.8 litre car that has been modified. Unless this is exactly what you have been looking for..........Original examples are generally much more desirable and will be much easier to re-sell down the road.

plumbum

Thanks for the tips! I heard about the batt tray area but have sent a message to the seller regarding all the problem areas...he specializes in 914's so I do trust his word...I know he has been in buisness for years..Will wait to see what he has to say and likely head up next week to take a look! Car is 4h away

manticore33

As a previous poster mentioned, rust is a huge problem on the 914s. Also, please be advised, stock, the 914-4 does not have the acceleration of a 911 (914-4 0-60 times are over 10 seconds). But, the 914s do handle well and are quite fun to drive.

plumbum

Spoke with the seller today.

He told me that he has repaired the rust area around the battery box and that I could lift the car up and have a look underneath. He has had a shop working on 914's for years and believe he knows where to look.

I do know they are slower cars than the 911's but I am ok with that...a fun summer car to drive is more of what I am looking for.

For speed I have a Ducati 1098 which filles my need for speed

Thanks for the tip's guys! I have been doing as much as I can to educate myself on these cars in a very short period of time...keep em comming

Olav A.

A 74 1.8 914 with GT flares is the ultimate example of show and no-go.

One another note the fuel injection system on the 1.8 is a little tricky. Watch out for unwanted air intake sources.

Jay Gratton

I think a big positive or negitive would be if those flares are steal or fiberglass. If they are steal and the body is good I would buy it and drop a 2.7 in it and have the best of both worlds. A 911 powered go-kart. Can you post more pictures of the trouble spots when you see it? All 914's have rust, it is just a matter of how much.

Edgy01

Another weak area on the 914s is in the hinge roller mounts for the rear trunk lid. They get little lubrication during their life and in time the torsion bar rods weaken the mounts. They need to be rewelded. They are fundamentally weak.

plumbum

I ended up not going for it...lots of reading and fear of rust...Taking a step back...still hunting for a porsche but want it to be a solid one not a patch job...This one looks good in pictures but the fear of buying a car of that age and it rotting from the inside out kept me away

Jay Gratton

My '73 is for sale, but it is 100% orig. and only has 25K on it. So I want a good price for it, but let me know if you are interested.

racer

A 914 is NOT a 911. If you want a 911.. or if your dream is a 911.. then save your pennies and get one.

Having owned both a 911 and a few 914s I can say both are fantastic cars.. but don't confuse one for the other or "settle" for one when you want the other.

While not the same as either two, for the price range you are looking at, it will take time to find a nice example of either car. In the US Northeast, 914s in nice condition are 1) somewhat rare and 2) command a geographic premium because of it and 3) Are starting to cost as much as midyear 911 prices. Paying $7500-10K will get you a very nice 914, imho.

Given the large build runs, relatively rustproofed bodies, and decent performance, perhaps looking and finding a 944 series car would be a nice alternative.