Got bored the other night and was browsing through the classifieds when I saw a 1974 914 1.8 FI for sale. After talking to the owner and viewing some pictures its a very complete (interior looks immaculate!) project car. It has been off the road for 10 years, has some rust but nothing thats out of hand. Owner says this summer they brought it out of storage and replaced a ton of parts and got it to run on 2 cylinders and it just needs a control box to run on all four.

I know for sure I can get the car for $500 dollars, which seems like it could be a good deal. If I nit pick maybe even a little cheaper than that. I've never actually driven a 914, plenty of 911s, but never a 914. Anybody else driven one and like to share their experience?

Anyways...might be a fun summer project, and if the price is right I thought it could have potential. Of course, i'd only be out $500 bucks or so if anything major was wrong that I didn't feel like taking on and I surely could part it out.

Thoughts?

 

You may want to post this on the 914BBS.

I can tell you from personal experience (my dad and my best friend in High School) had a 914, and rust is the enemy here. If rust has acheived a good foothold on the car, it is dead-914-walking.

They are fun cars though. I want one!

 

I did post a message over at the 914 forum but it seems pretty dead over there. Thought maybe there were some people here who could offer some good tips.

How do I put pictures on here? I've got a few I could post.

 

This is a bit off-topic, but whose e-type is that in your avatar? My mom has a '68 2+2 that is a blast to drive.

 

For $500?

Sounds like a crapload of potential fun! I want a 914 so bad I can taste it!

 

Get it. it's worth that in parts. I loved driving my brothers 914-6. a frigging rollerskate with huge torque. The 4's are no slouch either. It cornered like it was on rails.

 

Me and my dad are restoring it, he's had it since 1971. It's a 64 3.8 OTS. We just overhauled the entire brake system, all thats left to do is bleed it (got cold before we could do that). Gets painted in the summer along with minor body work and it should be ready to go.

 

I sold this one on EBay for $260......

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMESO%3AIT

Sounds like a great deal......

 

Yes,yesyou should! then put a 2,9 in it{modified 2,7} suspention and frame,tranny and wheels and man will you have fun!!!!!!! oh and brakes if you feel the need............

 

I've been a 914 junkie for years, had a few of them including a much-modified track car and a really nice 2.0 turbo. They handle like a go cart right out of the box and are tons of fun. Not a lot of power but you will learn momentum driving better in a 914 than just about anything. Getting waved by from drivers of much more powerful cars (including 951s) is a real kick. Amazing just how much corner speed you can carry.

I'd be happy to share any specifics, but the essentials are check for rust in three main places: under the battery tray, anywhere in either longitudinal (side frame running under the doors), and in the rear trunk. If you find holes in the first two, run away I don't care how cheap it is...unless you are planning on parting it out.

A 1.8 is definitely the underachiever of the whole line, much unloved and very hard to sell. The nice thing is you can replace the engine with a 2.0 without worrying about originality and increase the value. Of course there are certain racers who love the 1.8 because you can get them essentially for free and build up crazy engines for the cost of parts. Try 160hp in a car that weighs 1900lbs and see how much fun it is.

If the car is in good shape it might be worth $500. Check it out. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions.

 

I actually have a pristine (and I mean pristine) one owner 74 1.8 and would not sell or trade it for anything. Since it is so pristine and orignial, it spends most of it's life as a garage queen, but when I crank her out for a drive it puts big smiles all over my face.

The cars are stupid cheap to repair or build up for performance if you know how to shop for parts. The sky is pretty much the limit on the motors. 125-150hp is very doable out of the 1.8. Go spend your time and $$ with this guy: http://www.aircooledtechnology.com/ Jake Raby is the undisputed king of massive type IV motors. He builds some of the worlds best.

I am running a stock motor because I am trying to keep originality. When the road gets really twisty, I start passing everyone in the local PCA chapter I run with. As stated earlier, it is amazing how much corner speed you can carry in these go carts.

$500? that is a no brainer. Enjoy it as a project and fun driver.

 

Yes

Pretty simple!

 

The best 914 site (including 914 forum) can be found at http://www.914club.com/

I strongly suggest having a look over there if your thinking about getting into one...

Karl.

 

I'd love one, but my standing policy is rust = AVOID. This is actually one of the reasons I ended up with my first 944 instead of a 914 (I looked at both). The 914 owner gave me that "yea, it's got a little rust but it's fixable" line. I know better. That's the rust you can see - God only knows how much there is that you can't. Repairing it correctly is ungodly expensive as well - I went through this on a Mustang GT I used to own. One small (maybe 2" by 3" patch on the roof) cost over $1,000 to fix - and that was easy for the repair guy to get at. Imagine what it would've cost for something down in a crevasse in the bowels of the engine bay or something - forget it. It'd cost thousands. A car with rust is a time bomb. You'll regret it, trust me. Save up and find a good one.

 

Good stuff so far, thanks guys. Mark - If anything comes up that I have questions about i'll Pm you, thanks!

After checking out some 914-6 pictures with GT flares and fuchs, it only makes me want it more. I won't be making any decisions until spring, but this has definitely given me something to think about.