Should I buy this 914?, 914 novice seeking advice Options

[pcarfan944]

Hello everybody..

This is my first post over here at 914club. I normally post over at Rennlist, but i've been directed this way because i'm considering buying a 914. Here's the story:

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. 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. Owner also states that just before the car was stored away 10 years ago, it was getting a little harder to shift like the clutch needs adjusting.

As far as the rust situation, here is what i've got out of it so far. There is rust around the edges - door sills, floor corners, near latches, exterior. " In the foot wells, there are holes rusted through where water can accumulate - like where it makes the bend up from the floor to meet the sill. " "Under the carpet looks pretty good" This is what I got from the seller. From what i've seen in the pictures, the car looks good. I know pictures don't do anything justice, but the car isn't trashed.

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.

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?

[balthazar]

Ask the owner if it is ok to take off the targa top, then do so. Open both doors and sit in the drivers side. Close the door. Do the same on the passenger side. If either of the doors does not smoothly close, you have trouble. You can look down the sides of the car to see if the seams all line up. Look at the right rear wheel. It should be vertical. If it has an angle to it, you have got problems.

My advice would be to buy the car for the smallest amount you can. Once you get it in your garage, tear EVERYTHING out. The engine/transaxle is surprisingly easy to remove. Tear out the entire interior, including the carpet. Take off the outer rockers, the carpet in the rear trunk, the spare tire in the front trunk etc...

Once you have all of this done, you can get a good look at what you have. Salt does terrible things to these cars, and I'm sure it is no different where you live. At the very least, a good motor/tranny and interior is worth your investment. You can always buy a good or "fixed" roller for a reasonable price (not for much longer as these cars are getting rare). You can swap parts to the new roller and have a good driver.

BTW, the first two 914's I purchased were hopelessly rusted and could not be saved.

Corby (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)