heinrich

Take that 914. You'll make lots of good money on it. Then buy a 928 with it.

MorganRock

you can double the hp of a lawn mower for less than $200... does that make it a better deal than a 914?

no slight meant to the 914, just to the argument that the 914 is better b/c u can double hp easily. it's hard to double the hp of an S4 b/c u'd be going from 316 to 632... 632hp is no small matter...

on the other hand, doubling (I'm guessing) ~100-150hp is as simple as doing the 350 swap on the 914, but that still does not make a car that can handle 100mph with the same grace as it handles 50, seats 4 people, or has an engine which is unparallelled in aural excitement.

the 928 runs better, looks better, sounds better, and is more versatile. barring sentimental attachments/serious issues with the 928, i would stick with the 928.

Ron_H

Another thought; check out Dave Shepard at German Parts & Restoration for conversion advice if you really want to make power. Dave has a 3.2L 993 engine in his 914, and also sells just about anything 914 you might need, including 4 and 6 cyl engines making lots of power. Prices are less, and if you can do some work yourself, (easier on a 914), you can save alot over a 928. And there are lots and lots of engine and transmission parts around for them used. Also, cutting up a four cylinder car is not a sacrilege and you can flare them and put huge brakes on them. There are even a few 928 powered 914s out there with varying degrees of refinement. The best one I've seen involved moving the rear axles about 4 inches rearward. And if that doesn't do it for you, Renegage Hybrids will sell you a conversion kit for installing a Chebbie for low bucks and lots of cheap torque. It that is TOO much power as mentioned above, consider a 3.0L 911 SC engine with CIS injection. Reliable and plenty of power. I have a 2.7L better than RS spec engine which will make 240 hp and that is enough. Remember the "balance" goal. The car is only around 2300 lbs.

I second Dave's suggestion for getting a beater or cheap transportation which is why I have a Rabbit. I have carried my entire 914/6 engine including carbs in the front seat of my Rabbit. Lots of fun that afternoon.

Heinrich's suggestion is also valid. Make a bundle and then buy a better 928.

whitefox

I don't have the funding to purchase a beater car, I also cannot drive the 914 because it is in New Mexico. It needs absolutely nothing which is a definite plus, I think in the end I will just keep the 928. Nothing puts a smile on my face like a 928.

SharkSkin

A Porsche that needs absolutely nothing? What, is it in a hermetically sealed glass case? How much fun will that be?

whitefox

It might as well be, his buddy takes very good care of it, and he wanted it to be new again, I think he got pretty close.

karl ruiter

I've had about a dozen 914s and two 928. In general the 928s have been a lot less trouble. There are certain things on a 914 that will pretty much always give you trouble no matter what shape the car is in: D jetronic wiring problems, broken clutch cables, sloppy shifting, rear calipers that start leaking when you replace the pads, push rod seals, leaking fuel lines, starters that don't kick when hot, etc, etc. With the 928 my biggest gripe would be that the clutch master cylinder can be pretty hard to bleed. You can spend a pile maintaining either or not, just depending on how handy and persistent and cheap you are. But my experience would be that the 928 will be much more reliable daily transportation.
I think someone here said the 914 is a lot more fun. I agree but would expand that to say that the 914 is a lot more fun at reasonably safe and legal speeds. It is a blast between 30 and 60mph, while the 928 really seems to shine between about 50 and 100+.
Here are a few things to mull over when making the choice:
Is there a smog check required where you live? If so you may be required to use the origonal D jetronic injection system and while it is a fine system conceptually they did not really know how to make robust enough wiring at that time and you will likely have a lot of trouble with it, until you finally pony up $500-$1000 for a new harness. And even a perfectly running 914 can be really hard to get through smog. This is what my smog check says about my 23 year old 928: "new cars are not this clean". No smog check guy ever said that about any 914. If you don't have to worry about smog, you can change over to carbs, but, it is really hard to get them really running nicely in all situations.
How do you want to deal with the heat where you live? Windows up/ AC on, or windows down/ top down. There are some 914s with aftermarket AC but it is really sucky and ineffective. But the car feels pretty good with the windows down, becaues the engine and all the heat is behind you. In a 928 the motor is in front of you and the air moves the heat out of the engine and radiator and towards the fire wall and a lot of that heat comes your way through the fire wall so you are pretty much talking AC and windows up. I have a 928 convertable and even with the top down it is a lot warmer in the passenger compartment than a 914.
How much freeway driving will you be doing? In the days of the 55 speed limit I was comfortable driving my 914 anywhere. Long road trips up the 5? No problem. Now if you are on the 5 in the central valley, traffic is mostly flowing between 80 and 90 and you can be doing 105 and still have lots of people passing you. At these kinds of speeds the 928 is really comfortable, but the 914 is pretty much out of its league. On the other hand if you are just skooting around town the 928 does feel much heavier, and the 914 is super fun.
How level headed of a driver are you likely to be? Power tends to corrupt and the 928 is pretty much absolute power, while the 914 will keep you humble. While driving a 928 there can be a certain feeling of entitlement: "there is no way that bozo should be in front of me", etc that you don't really get at all when driving a 914. I am sure your skills are good, but the real question is how good are you a resisting constant temptation. The kind of perspective needed is gained over the years by things like: learning that you can sometime make mistakes by screwing up and getting into an accident that was totally your fault, learning how much you don't want to get hurt by getting hurt or sick and getting stuck in the hospital for a week or so and wanting to not be there and be sick SO bad, and learning how much your family does not want you to get hurt by watching someone you care about die.
I mean you know you can make mistakes, and you don't want to get hurt and your family does not want you hurt, but for many people, until you have actually walked those particular steps it does not always end up in the equation when you are making spit second decisions.
Anyway, I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure that when I was 16 I was not ready for a 928, but I had a blast in my 914.

Ron_H

Yup, rear calipers are a real problem with 914s. I advise you to find as many sources of them as possible because as Karl said, they will leak eventually. Some people claim they can be rebuilt. That may well be true, but I have yet to personally witness a successful rebuild, even my own attempts. Finally, I simply found a source for original 6 calipers and installed spacers to clear my vented discs. Not a good exercise.

But remember what someone else said about repairs being easier and faster on a 914. AC can be had, but at a price. I kept the top off.

What Karl says about restraint in a 928 applies. Sometimes it is hard to restrain myself in the context of jerks. Just the other day, a Subbie was bugging the **** out of me. But I have been in that spot before, and knew the outcome. And I was surrounded by traffic. Not a good scene. The saving point is: No matter what the outcome, I would not trade places with many other rides, if any. I would keep my 928. And I knew the ourcome with a Subbie having run up the butt of one in the mountains already. No point. Hey, a 993 would beat my 928. So what? I would prefer the 928. No point, period.

However, as Karl has pointed out, there is temptation. Given a deserted road that disappears into the horizon and a pest trying to get a hard on with his fart mobile, you sometimes have only about three choices: stop your car and let his *** go by; just ignore him(he won't let that happen); or lose his *** smartly as he gets smaller and smaller in your rear view mirror. It has happened more than I care to remember. And everything on the road wants to race a 928 on some roads, though few will actually try on an open free air road. I guess you could also shoot the idiot and improve the gene pool....that's option four. I drive for me, not for them.

James-man

At your age, if you spend all of your $$$ on cars, you will have a rather 1-dimentional life.

Whatever you do, don't overdo. With the exception of drugs, you should be going out and trying, tasting, seeing and experiencing all kinds of things, old or new. IMHO, make sure that you can still get out there and get involved in many different things.

I think that the 928 is a safer car - unless you obsessively drive at triple digit speeds where you are tripling your risk. I feel safe in my 928 which is probably 1/3 of the reason why I have kept it all of these years. If you find the 914 experience unique and desireable then go for it. Top off, it looks like a fun little car to cruise around in. You can autocross it for fun. Head for the beach. Whatever. Sure you will be short on capacity by 2 passengers, but that is 2 less distractions to deal with while you are driving! There is something about the exuded attitude of the 914 that I find very appealling. To me it says: simplicity, modesty, and fun. It also says that the driver has nothing to prove. The polar opposite of a fast-and-faster tuner mobile, yet still sporty!

Good luck.

Normy

928's make more sense. Much more modern, safer, and they have a huge hatch. You'll need to move eventually...

N!

morganabowen

I will say this: The 914 2.0L FI is one of the most satisfying and entertaining cars I have ever driven. It will not pin you against the seat like a super car or turbo, but it is BALANCED, with every component working in harmony with the others. I drove one for awhile in Honolulu, which is not exactly the speed capital of the world. In fact the freeway there is about five minutes long at 2 AM in the morning. If I had a few extra bucks laying around and could find a good condition example of an original 914 2.0L, I would buy it for grins and to go to the beach.

I agree with the above statement. I've owned two 914 2.0s, and without a doubt, they were the most fun cars I've ever owned. They are quick, very nimble, and fun with the top down .

Fogey1

whitefox wrote:
"... I am not sure what a 2.0 914 with dual Webbers and Borla exhaust puts out but I know its not alot."

Maybe as much as 120 HP.

Not a lot, but it's probably only about 60% of the weight. of a 928.

Fabulous skateboard fun to drive.

Daniel Dudley

For me it would depend on the 914 and the 928 in question. You know your car. Is it really in good shape and well maintained ? Why is the 914 for sale ? Is it truly rust free and minty fresh ? A well sorted example of either is a great car. Well sorted is the key.

Also, were you going to get the 914 and a couple of bucks or give a couple of bucks ?
Personally I am not married to any of my cars right now. Feel free to date and play the field. Do avoid the dogs.

Fabio421

I think you should post an offer to trade in the 914 forum and see how fast you get flooded with inquiries. I like the looks of the 914 when they are well taken care of but I vote to keep the 928. From reading your posts over the last few months it seems to me that most of the "problems" you have had are the result of you messing around with something else. I still think of that TB tension thread and smile. Thats one for the archives. Great stuff.