Which 914 to buy?, Looking for a 914, which yr is best? Options

[Doug73/2.0]

Need advice. I learned to drive on my uncles 914...(I was 12 back then) and have wanted one ever since but the 914's i've seen here in the north east are all basket cases. I've seen so many discusions on rusted out hulks, poor shifting, underpowered, engines not running well and lousy brakes that I wounder if it is insane to buy a 30 year old 914. I remember doing a lot of repairs with my uncle when his was only a few years old. Sounds like these have been troublesome direct from the factory.

There are several on ebay each week. I hear "side shifter" worked better than the cable. What year and engine combination did that appear on? I've been told that 73 side shifter with 2.0 engine was probably the best of the 4 cycliners. The sixes are out of my price range. I'd like to spend around 3k.

Any thoughts...Thanks Doug

[Chris H.]

I personally like the '70-'76 models. They are a lot of fun. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

For 3k you will get a pretty good 1.7/1.8L. Feel free to ask someone from the board to help you with a PPI (pre-purchase inspection). Many will do it for free, but even if it costs you it's money well spent, especially if you don't quite know what to look for.

A lot of us have owned a car that was thought to be in good shape and turned out to be rusty or bondoed together.