Hi, I have been looking at a 914 for a little while now. Not something I would be thinking of getting anytime soon. Possibly in a year or two. I currently own a 1979 924, and a 1982 928S.

The 914's seem rather cheap to find around, but how about to cost of fixing them up?

Are they anything like the 924's that need a lot of attention, or is it better? What are some of the bigger flaws, and some of the bigger prices that will be needing spent?

 

RUST! Avoid rust! People always buy 914's cheap to save a few bucks and they end up spending more then a good one is worth. The prices of 914's are getting up there, 15 years ago you could buy a nice one for $6K, now that $6K car is a $16K car. I would say you are looking at $8K-$10K for a decent one with a solid body or you can buy my '73 with 25K miles on it for $18K!

 

+1 what Jay says

In 1994 I bought my original 73 914 2.0. I overpaid for it back then. But, it was completely originally, rust free and had every bit of documentation from the original order form to when it was sold to me. Now the car is worth much more than I paid for it (not that I'd ever sell it) and the only work that I've done to it is a clutch and master cylinder. No rust, paint or restoration work needed.

 

As a general rule with cars and this is certainly true of the 914, the less you pay for it the more it will cost. A $500 914 could cost $50,000 in rust repair and such... Get the best example you can afford to paraphrase Bruce Andersen in his Excellence Valuations.

 

Which is your car in that photo Rob?

 

I have two cars in that picture. Wait! three. The white supercharged 4Runner in the background, the white 240Z and the silver 914 which now has 5 lug conversion.

 

Be willing to travel to find the "right" car. Geography plays a big role in price imho. In the northeast, finding rust free examples is hard. Meanwhile, Southern California still seems awash in them. What might be a $5-6K car in So Cal, could be an $8k car in the northeast for example.

Depending on your skills, focus on the best overall condition and less about whether a 1.7/1.8 or 2.0 motor. My 76 2.0 was not much more powerful (rated 86hp) than my '70 1.7 (rated at 80hp) but the '76 was 200lbs heavier due to larger bumpers, door beams and thicker panels.

Spend time reading up on the cars. Overall, they are very simple and everything is pretty easy to access, unlike the later cars that require removal of 3 items to fix 1 thing. on the downside, they are at least 35 years old and some things are getting harder to find/replace.

 

What are your guys thoughts on something like this here: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/2065329743.html

 

As that is in town here, I could go see it for you and render a more complete opinion... Though frankly, the 'customs' are politely frowned on unless they are really well done. My concern with a 2.3 motor that has 'only a few hours' on it is that it could be the reason for the sale. If it has stock injection it will be pretty much an unruly little b%tch to drive. Aftermarket injection depends on which system and sensors were installed. Also, in general the 4 cylinder motors don't last long when you stroke them. Done right, they are great but done wrong - forget it.

 

That combination is actually a 2270. This is a good combination that puts out great torque and HP with the right cam and heads. The fact that he reports 110 HP leads me to believe he is using stock probably 2 liter heads that will choke it down considerably and possibly stock injection. This motor with the right cam and heads will put out 175HP... Also, exhaust is critical when you get to 2270.

 

What's it got for a roof and how did they put back chassis rigidity when they made it a convertible?

 

Personally I wouldn't touch that car with a ten foot pole- the donor was probably a POS and that's why they did what they did... keep looking if you want a real 914...

 

My Dad just sold his '71 240Z that he bought brand new a year or so ago. It was a sad day!

 

I hope he got a bunch of money. Original owner cars are the best. History is pretty much known... I bought both my Z and my 914 from original owners. Well, the 914 from his estate sale...

 

I don't know what he got, I am sure it wasn't enough. It was a cool cooler too, it was BRG!