Moffman

Looking at possibly picking up a 914 as a DD and Autox car. Obviously rust could pose a problem but other then that what else is their to know about these cars? I'd like to pick one up for around 5-8k. So I don't know if thats in the 2.0 range. How are these cars to work on, the engine looks like it'd be a pain to tinker on. What about parts are they decent? Also handling, I read in an article that put the Opel GT vs 914 vs MGB vs 240z that the 914 was quite a tailwagger which is better than an understeerer. Thanks

Jay Gratton

The 914 is a great car! Rust is really the big thing and finding a good 2.0 will put you in the $8K range quickly. I don't know about them being a good DD, but they are awesome weekend cars and great AX cars. They are easy to work on and they are easy to get to from the top and the bottom in my opinion. A 240Z is another nice option too. Good luck and keep us posted!

Moffman

Will do, never was really into Z cars myself. They truly are awesome though. Well a good DD to me is something that won't leave me stranded on the road (too much). I almost bought a mostly solid bug eyed sprite a few weeks ago.

Peter Zimmermann

I think that the most important consideration is that the 914 is now 35+ years old. In car life, that's old! I bought a non-runner, almost a year ago, on blind faith. It turned into quite the little project (see my "backpad" and "searching" threads on page one of this forum), but is now a driver. The large number of rebuilt/new parts + a re-conditioned ECU guarantee that the car will be reliable for many years, but that won't be the case with most 914s that might be on the market. Long term ownership and proof of use (including invoices for service/repairs) is probably the best place to start. My car remains fuel injected, but many will have carb conversions, so that should be considered by you as OK or not acceptable.

You should also give thought to how low the 914 is, your butt will be only a few inches from the ground when seated inside. If you live in an area dominated by pick-up trucks and SUVs it might not be comfortable for you.

If you want to do your own work you will have to teach your body to bend in unusual ways, not everything in the engine compartment is easy to get to. Lastly, I probably would not have bought my project; (1) had I known how crappy parts support from Porsche truly is, and (2) if I didn't have a great supply of 914 parts in my inventory left over from when I had my shop (little did I know that I would use virtually everything!). That inventory (Momo steering wheel & leather shift ****, brake m/cylinder, various ignition components, fuel hose + clamps of assorted sizes, w/wiper blades, many feet of wire and many wire ends, relays, spare seats in good condition, shift tower + linkage parts, etc., etc...) saved me at least $1200, and I still spent three times that on new/used items from many different sources. We won't bother discussing my professional-level labor, but at $100/hr labor for my project the true cost would have been many thousands more.

35 year old cars are a crap-shoot.

Moffman

Well thanks for the info, I do understand the age and usually for the most part what that entails. The engine location worries me a bit for working on but I'll still keep it as an option.

Jay Gratton

In my opinion I think you are better off spending more a car up front and buy a better car then a project as these projects always are never cheap. You are better off buying the well sorted $10K car then the $5K or less project car.

racer

There isn't much to break on a 914, so engine location is mute.

In '87-89 I daily drove my '70. Had 4 winter tires from Nov-March. Not so good in the snow. with 50-50 weight distro, neither end has good traction

No ac.. so if you need to be somewhere in the summer, in a suit, you will arrive "wet".

Heat - quite effective actually and never an issue.. however, all old cars have a certain "smell" to them. in my experience, aircooled cars and their heaters suffer this more than most.

You have NO crash protection.. No ABS, No crumple zones. You sit VERY low to EVERYTHING out there. Park next to a suburban/epxedition and you'd be lucky to be above the running board IE NO ONE will SEE YOU!

Seems in NJ and most of the NE, these cars are no longer 4 season DD. Maybe summer DD. AGE and overall performance (they are loud and slow compared to just about everything) prevents their overuse.

Finding a low/no rust car, locally to you, will be a $10K find.. West coast, yes, $6-8K, but then you gots to ship it east.

Having had 2 914s and 1 944 (similar price points) the 944 is a handsdown winner as a DD car, assuming you find a sorted one. Modern heat, AC, comforts, better safety all make a huge difference.

Jay Gratton

racer are you pushing a 944 on the 914 board?!!!!!

Richgreenster

Jay,
You will have to go over to the 944 Turbo board and read my post under 951 rebuild or 914 V8. I got a good laugh after reading this post.
I guess I did the same to them. All in all both are great cars. Different but great.

Jay Gratton

I like 944/951 as I have had a few. I enjoy all Porsches, I only kid.

Turb-OH Brad

I would not want a "teener" as a daily driver. There are not many things to go wrong, especially if you know what you are doing. Personally, though, I am too tall for the car, and the shifter is too vague even after you change the bushings.

If you fit well, buy a nice one, and are relatively competent mechanically, GO for it!