914

[George Omura <gomura@sirius.com>]

>I've just stumbled across a '74 Porsche 914 for sale, not running, flat
>tires from sitting in a garage for 10 years.  Asking price is $2200, but
>the sign is *very* sun faded, so I could probably talk the owner down quite
>a bit......

I've just gotten through the process of looking for and purchasing a 914. I
would stay away from the 914 you saw. It will probably cost you dearly to
get it into good shape. You can expect to pay from $3500 to $5000 for one
in good shape. For $1500 to @2000, you should be able to get one that is
basically in good shape but in need of some restorative work such as fixing
dents, paint and some interior work. If you have a local Porsche Parts
place, see if they don't have a bulletin board. In one salvage yard, I saw
several 914s posted for sale that looked pretty good.

The biggest problem with 914s is rust. It's a matter of how much you can
tolerate. Surface rust will be obvious... It's the hidden stuff you will
want to be careful to catch. You'll want to check the battery holder area
for rust and body rot. Acid tends to drip down the interior of the body and
rest in the lower part of the frame below the battery. This in turn weakens
major structural portions of the frame. The battery is located on the
passenger side of the engine compartment. 

Also check the rocker panels, especially where the door and jack points
are. Check the back and middle panel of the rear trunk. Water tends to
collect in these places. Finally, check the floor under the seats, and the
interior floor in general. Often water accumulates in the interior (the
tops and rear window tend to leak). Check the inside front trunk to see if
you detect any bent body panels. This can indicate an accident.

If you can, check out the drive train. I had to replace the CV joints in
the car I bought, though the transmission had just been rebuilt. Also, you
may want to consider a '73 or newer. These models have a "side shifter"
shift linkage which is better than the earlier models (shifting is pretty
awful in general on these cars).

There are many other things to look for when scoping out 914s. Here are a
couple of helpful web sites you'll want check out.

http://www.dgi.net/914/
http://www.914fan.net/
http://autoatlanta.com/index.html

Also, check out Pelican Parts (they have links from the pages listed here).
They offer more info on what to look for in a 914.

The 914 has a large following and you can get nearly any part you need for
this car. Keep in mind that it is a Porsche (though some purist may argue
the contrary) and parts tend to be expensive. All the more reason to get
one in top shape.

Good Luck!

George Omura
http://www.omura.com