914 question..... - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

thstone · 08-20-2011, 10:25 PM

Doing a project like this can be great fun and a wonderful experience but any 35+ yr old Porsche that sells for $750 is, by definition, going to be a money pit. If you have several thousand $$$ to get the car into decent running shape, then go for it; otherwise take a pass.

Dave S. · 08-21-2011, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thstone

Doing a project like this can be great fun and a wonderful experience but any 35+ yr old Porsche that sells for $750 is, by definition, going to be a money pit. If you have several thousand $$$ to get the car into decent running shape, then go for it; otherwise take a pass.

I have been down this path with non-Porsche cars before and I think there is a universal truth that a free car, or essentially free, is never a good deal. When you start restoring it, you will find that the acquisition cost of the vehicle itself is the lowest cost of the project. You'd be better off to wait and find one that is in great shape - maybe for only a few thousand $$. It will ultimately cost less money and will probably be a much better car when finished.

kotsul · 08-29-2011, 02:06 PM

I have a friend here in grece owner of a 914/4 and i can tell you, in europe its very easy to find a 1,7 motor rebuild, but remember you have many similar vw parts like the old vw passat & transporter. they have the same mechanical injection systems...

landrovered · 08-29-2011, 02:58 PM

I have a family friend with a 914 and was thinking it might be fun for my son to drive since it is a 4 cylinder and a 1.7L it might be better than him driving a boxster but now I am beginning to wonder if it might be more trouble than it is worth.

He is a great kid and gets straight A's and he will be attending Skip Barber before he turns 16. If he wants to go fast he can do it on the track not on the street. I also intend to put a GPS recorder in whatever car he gets. He is a lot more sensible than I was at that age. My first car was a spitfire, all looks no go, it was perfect.

I have told him 50 times...You want to be an idiot, put on a helmet and a fire suit, we'll go to the track, you do it on the road and you walk to town.

Thoughts?

tonycarreon · 08-29-2011, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by landrovered

I have a family friend with a 914 and was thinking it might be fun for my son to drive since it is a 4 cylinder and a 1.7L it might be better than him driving a boxster but now I am beginning to wonder if it might be more trouble than it is worth.

He is a great kid and gets straight A's and he will be attending Skip Barber before he turns 16. If he wants to go fast he can do it on the track not on the street. I also intend to put a GPS recorder in whatever car he gets. He is a lot more sensible than I was at that age. My first car was a spitfire, all looks no go, it was perfect.

I have told him 50 times...You want to be an idiot, put on a helmet and a fire suit, we'll go to the track, you do it on the road and you walk to town.

Thoughts?

get him a 944. lots of fun, parts are reasonably priced, fairly easy to find a decent car at very reasonable prices. he'll still be in a porsche but it's also a 4-cyl. go for an 85 1/2 or newer though. lots of good changes were made in that revision. the 87 introduced some safety features you may want (airbags, abs).

landrovered · 08-29-2011, 03:44 PM

Thanks for the advice, yes ABS and airbags would be great and I like the way the 944 looks.

JTP · 08-29-2011, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by landrovered

Thanks for the advice, yes ABS and airbags would be great and I like the way the 944 looks.

After my Boxster S got totaled I got an '87 944S. Not as fun nor has the power of the 3.2 flat six but I really like it. I like the build quality and old school feel with more comforts than my 914. I love the 914 but the 944 is better to live with day to day.