924Board.org

[timstar92404]

anyone know much about these cars? there are a whole bunch of them for sale in the papers some for 5000 cdn and it says runs well and driving condition. one says new paint and can be used as a daily driver and its only 5000 don't know what year. i'm just curious. if in the future i buy another porsche i'm thinking 944 931 or 914. i know the914 4 cyl is the lowest in performance but it looks like a real cool even though i have never driven one but i have seen two parked in my city before and it looks like such a cool little car in person i actually think it looks really i've seen a yellow one and a green one both looked really good. How does this car compare to a 944? i think the 914 looks more interesting than the 924 and 914 cus there is no other car that looks like it. the 944 kinof looks likea 240sx and the 924 can probably be mistaken for a rx7 by people who don't know what it is.

the main think is how expensive is it to maintain a 914 4cycl , and how hard is it to find a mechanic? can a vw mechanic work on it? I like the 914 cus it looks like a really fun driving car , like a street legal go cart.
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78 924 sold.
85.5 944

[Lizard]

The 914 that is listed in the buysell for $5000 is a blue/silverish car, the owner of it is not shall we say the best, he claims to have restored it and that it is a great car, well if you thought your 924 has some rust issues, dont get a 914, unless you have years to tear it down to bare metal and replace every piece that has rust. that car ESP, instead of cutting out the battery box area and welding in a new one he simply sprayed a primer on it and fiberglassed it up, it isnt a pro fiberglass job either, it is HORRID. I would say that even if that 914 is garage kept within 5 year the frame rails will have rotted out to the point where you get into the car and you cannot close the doors. which the doors dont line up very nicely (nor do the rest of the panels) with the body of the car, but that is slightly enharent of the 914.

so if you want a 914, be prepared to either spend ALOT of time tearing it down and doing alot of welding sanding and painting, or you will be looking at spending $14k on a decent one that has had it done and the owner is in a hardship that has to sell it, which there are only 3 of them in the lower mainland I am aware of that are dont properly at this time, 1 is owned by Loren Frose, the other is a Orange fully race prepped one (very quick) and the other is owned by a PCA member it is Blue and wins concours events all the time. and i can tell you right now the only 1 that MIGHT sell would be Loren, and you would have to offer him ALOT of money for that car.
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3 928s,

[timstar92404]

well i'm not going to buy one soon or anything just wondering. yeah i defiately wouoldn't pay 5 grand for a car that needs full restoration. i dont' have the skills to or the space (no indoor garage) to take it apart and redo the whole thing.

i had an idea it wasnt' a good car cus it says new paint, most likely a cheap paitn job to cover rust to and rotting body to sell the car.

i guess one with min surface rust would be ok. but if the frame is rotting and you can rip the floor board off with your hands ( my old honda had holes in the floor, and i coudl rip chunks of the body off...) that is basicly a parts car.

how would you know if if the car has rust under the paint or ont he frame when you go to see it? when i got my 924 the owner told me it has no rust at all, i guess he believed that cus he said all porsches don't rust and he thoght the car had a hydraulic clutch, he told me to check the fluid.).

How hard is it to work on the 914 4cyl engine. i heard its very hard to get to the engine and even maintenace is very hard. Would a vw mechanic be able to fix it?

Also which will be more epensive to fix and maintain a 914 or a 944? if both don't have rust problems.
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78 924 sold.
85.5 944

[mikecoupegt]

Timstar,

As a previous owner of a 914 (and sad that I had to seel) I can say that they are as much fun as the 924. They tend to be looked at in the same way as the 924, and ugly child sold because the other part of the equation backed out at the last minute! The 914 body is a love it or hate it. I love it.

With the 914 there are alot of possibilities. The 1.7 litre( what I had) is lacking in power, but the transmission is the same as a 911. I could pull a couple of 944's coming out of corners in my car. I changed the gear ratios to that of a 911s! Engines are the key to this car. the 4 cylinder is robust and can be opened up to 2.7 litres, or you can swap in a 911 6 of your choice, or a V8,. V-6. When upping the power the rear trailing arms should be boxed in or they will flex under power.

The 914 is really light and nimble. If your choose to buy one in the future, you wont be dissapointed.

Just my two cents!

Mike Kirby

[Pat]

I used to have a 76 914 back in the mid 80`s when i was stationed in Mcguirre AFB, NJ. What made it so memorable was that it was my 1st car, and to think that i was already bout 23 yrs old then(coz back in the Phil. i wasnt really interested in cars and just took the bus, but that was then). Funny thing was that at the time i found 914`s absolutely ugly. Anyway in my 2nd yr in the air force a buddy of mine on base was selling his 1980 Toyota Celica that i always liked, so i gave him a downpayment but he changed his mind the next day and returned my money, and man was i upset. So i decided to get what i thought would be a better and more interesting car. And so i hit the car bks and ended up wanting to get a 914 which i did. I didnt even know how to drive a stick then,so the owner had to deliver it to me and i spent countless hrs practicing with it. And what did i think of the 924? After about a yr with it(when i was really confident with it), i just REALLY LOVED the 914! Like Mike Kirby says, you wont regret driving it . Its probably not as comfortable as my 924, low on power, mine was only rated at 88hp(flywheel hp i think), but if i remember right had skinny 165/70 series 15" tires. But i had a blast. I recall taking 35mph curves at 70(only when it was safe to do so, but then it was SAFE to do so!). My only real problems was the bosch d-jetronic f.i. Doing basic things like a tune up is a little bit hard what with the small little engine compartment with the small little lid on it. I think any decent volkswagen mechanic with basic tools and equipment(fuel pressure gauge,etc.) should be able to work on it. Testing the computer box would be a problem i suppose unless you had another one for testing, or you could always do the less than ideal thing which is to convert to carburators. Granted you would always find problems with the 914 or any other old car for that matter. I guess its a question of how much you like or love the particular car in question(of course i`d never talk to my wife about loving anyone or any car but her, ha ha). I very sadly and hesitantly had to sell my 914 when i returned to the Phil a no. of yrs later. I said in a previous post how rare 924`s were in the Phil, but the 914 is doubly rare here and someday i hope i`ll be able to get one again. Yes, that was the girl that got away. Is this a love story, maybe? But then, i have my new love now and it has been going strong for the past 9 yrs--my924! PAT

[emoore924]

I've had two 914's a 72 2.0 and a 74 (? been a while) 1.7. The 2.0 I restored, the 1.7 was driven.

Other than the 914-6 (and the various 2.4, 2.7, 3.0, 3.2 etc. 6-cyl transplant variations), the 72-73 914 2.0 is BY FAR the best car of the bunch with the bigger motor unstrangled by emissions. 74-76 had the rubber bumperettes so that's one way that might tell them apart. The 1.8 is vaguely interesting but get the 2.0, the 1.7 is a complete slug, don't bother.

They are old cars now and before the 924 came along, the VW-Porsche 914 was the redheaded p-car stepchild, so they weren't always taken care of. So along with all the problems that come with just plain old wearing out there are also chronic problems with:

Battery box corrosion
Fuel pump under the battery box leaking from battery acid and burning up the car.
Rockers rusting away
Swing arms rusting away, especially under the battery box
Circuit board corrosion for fuel injection system (k-jetronic I think)
Parts are getting tough to find
HP kits are not as available as they once were, but the 2.0l is a VW bus, type IV (I think, mebbe type III, it has been a while) motor. So JC Whitney might still have some perf stuff, or you can go to a Calif Bug guy or something.
Stay away from the 1.7 unless the body is a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y perfect and you are buying it to put in a 2.0 or something.
Get the sideshifter tranny, not the tailshifter.
Rust, Rust, Rust, Rust, Rust, Rust, Rust, Rust, Rust

Oh, and they're a bit or a pain to work on because you gotta reach into that little slot between the rear trunk or work on things from underneath. NEVER remove the engine cover unless you know what you're doing. There is a torsion bar spring that can take your fingers off (ask me how I know this, I'm typing with three fingers...)

All that being said, the 2.0l 4cyl when set up and running right is a MAJOR pain in my butt on the racetrack. They run up with the 924n/a and a well driven 914 2.0l can give me fits. So, they're not slow. I don't have to pay much attention to the 1.8's though, and the 1.7's are, well, chicanes to go around.

If you do decide to buy one, set aside plenty of time and money for resto. They can be a real challenge. Otherwise, I'd pick something that's done or pick something newer (with a galvanized body like the 924)