BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: New 914 owner...what have I gone and done! Options

[Darren C]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking for a 914 on and off for a couple of years now and late one evening I bid on ebay for a car in Desert Hot Springs CA. A real leap of faith for me as I live in Chichester UK!
My first car was a VW Beetle and I’ve owned quite a few air cooled VWs and always wanted a 914, so now almost 25 years later I finally took the plunge and with sweat on my brow placed a last minute bid on ebay on a car I’d only seen in 4 small photo’s on line.
To my surprise I won the 914.
Problem was it lay 8000 miles away from me here in UK. I got hold of the sellers phone number and gave them a call. The car is a 1974 2.0L one owner from new sold in Palm Springs 914. The seller was the owners daughter. The gentleman passed away several years ago and she’d had it parked up on her driveway for 5 or 6 years. From the description in the listing it had a Salvage title due to sand storm damage on the paintwork. It looked reasonably solid in the few pictures I saw, but very sorry for itself with flat tires and bad paint. It was a gamble, but sometimes these things pay off.
I got the car picked up by a shipping agent and taken to Long Beach for shipping.

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2 months later it arrived in Southampton UK

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i265.photobucket.com-18255-1419606931.2.jpg)

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Last week I went down to Southampton and collected my new project just in time for Christmas.
I was recommended this site from another 914 owner and it's a great relief to find such a large active community. 914's were never sold in the UK, so all are personal imports and a rare thing to see on our roads.
I’m pleased to now join you guy’s and post my restoration progress in getting this little car back on the road.

Regards
Darren

[Tom_T]

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Don't let the salvage title worry you, since the US insurance companies will total a car at as low as 25% of actual value & don't know how to value classic cars - or refuse to do so purposely. It just means that they felt the sandstorm damage was more than they wanted to pay full ticket for & tried to get the car from the owner on the cheap.

If it's a solid low/no rust mostly/all original 74 914-2L car, then the repaint (full or partial - depending on overall condition & whether the paint was original or a respray by the PO/OO) & addressing any issues may get it's values to the mid-to-upper levels of values shown at Hagerty (high-teens to mid-20's $'s or better & appreciating again).

http://www.hagerty.com/valuationtools/hvt/vehiclesearch

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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