engine life, are rebuilds inevitable? Options

[MiddleMan]

I'm in the market for a 914 and have a few under consideration. Something I'm wondering is, is there a rough estimate as to how many miles (or years) the engine will go before it's likely to need a major overhaul? I realize there will be lots of different experiences out there, but on average does it seem more reasonable to buy a car with a rebuilt engine (possibly w/ increased displacement) vs something that is relatively low miles but untouched?

I suppose the same question could be asked about the transmission...

So many things to consider in addition to rust! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[VaccaRabite]

What they all said.

When it comes down to it, its a 35 year old sports car. Unless you are paying over $10K for it, chances are it does not have all the records kept since new. Chances are very good that its been driven hard. Any 30+ year old sports car will have questionable mechanical bit until they are proven sound.

The good news is that simple tests (compression and leak down) done correctly are going to give you a pretty good look at the baseline health of the engine.

The other good news is that if the engine needs a rebuild, they are easy to build, with lots of documentation readily available and lots of folks that have done it keystrokes away.

If you get one of these cars and have to choose between a good sound body and a seized engine, or a swiss cheese body and a strong engine, buy the one with the good body. You will spend years more time fixing rust then you will rebuilding a motor (especially if you just buy a running motor from someone here and drop it in.)

Zach