I saw a Porsche 914 the other day and I can't get it out of my head. What a nice little 4 cylinder MID-ENGINE car. They seem rather cheap too. Anyone have experience with them? I know nothing about them.
I had a 914 for a very short period. I was not a big fan then and still am not now. It was the most unreliable piece of crap I had ever owned. Ok... not the MOST unreliable one... that honor would go to the 69 VW Squareback I had. Get a 911.
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12:04 AM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 25066 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
I saw a Porsche 914 the other day and I can't get it out of my head. What a nice little 4 cylinder MID-ENGINE car. They seem rather cheap too. Anyone have experience with them? I know nothing about them.
Well, the car is pretty cool. It feels a lot like a Fiero in the way you sit in the car. If I had to explain, I would probably say that the 914 feels like golf cart, a VW Bus, and a Pontiac Fiero had a child.
I mean that because the seats are more like bomber seats. They sit maybe half an inch over the floor boards with your legs straight out in front of you just like in a Fiero.
It's got a lot of gauges and they're pretty cool inside... but it really is a sparce vehicle.
The 4 cyl that's in there is actually the exact same engine (basically identical) as what was found in the VW Bus. RayB is far more the expert than I am, but I think the 4 cyls were offered with a 1700, an 1800, and a 2000cc motor. You'll want the largest you can find. The only difference (really) between the VW Bus and Porsche 914 in terms of drive-train is that the Porsche comes with a 5-Speed instead of the VW's 4-speed. The cyl heads are slightly different on the Porsche with slightly better ports. The valves are sodium filled to help dissipate heat, and the camshaft has a slightly more aggressive profile for top-end performance.
There's nothing inherently more unreliable about them than any other VW or car of the era. They're pretty simple cars to work on, and there are TONS of parts available for them if you're not concerned with originality. They came with dual carbs originally, but many people convert it to the Webber 2-bbl progressive carb. I like that carb personally, and find it easy to deal with on my 73 VW Bus. I don't know if I'd do the same on a Porsche, but if you just want to be able to get in and go... put a Webber 2-bbl in there, and a Petronix with a points-less distributor.
They handle well... but they do rust... and Porsche hasn't done a very good job of offering parts to maintain them. Like with anything Porsche... you buy the car for $1,000 bucks... and pay $10,000 fixing it up, and then it's still only worth $4,000 bucks.
Here's my entire restoration of an 84 Porsche 944 5-Speed. Same story... bought for 1,600, dumped 4,500 into it... sold it for $2,018.
I really miss that car though....
If you want some real fun... buy a cheap, simple, Porsche 924 from the early 80s with the Audi 2.0 engine on it, and slap on a Turbo. Cheap as hell... they last forever, and you can break into the high14s with a very modest turbo on it.
I agree with TA, buy something with a bit more to it. I am working on a 924, and while it is a neat car, I wish it were a 944.
My recommendation would be to find a decent 944 turbo and start customizing. 944s go for around $2-3 grand around here depending on condition, so it's not a super expensive endeavor. And even though they are a front mounted engine, the gearbox is in the back, specifically to achieve as close to a 50/50 weight dist as they could.
Plus they are just fast looking cars.
Dave
------------------ BAZOOKAFIERO's Junk “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”
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01:28 AM
Uaana Member
Posts: 6570 From: Robbinsdale MN US Registered: Dec 1999
Ray might be a crazy liberal Douche but he knows his porsches Everything he said is right on. Rust eats these cars up!! Plus they used to be so cheap and now... Not so much.
quote
Originally posted by ray b:
PRICES ARE GOING NUTS
914 RUST if you can find a unrusted one good expect to pay tooo much 4500 to 10k 914-6 real not swaps 35k up
parts carry porsche price tags $$$$$$$$$$$$$
I owned a 1970 euro VW-porsche 914 it rusted to death quickly non USA cars were sold by VW dealers
I had a 1975 914 years ago that snapped the reverse gear 2 months after I drove it off the showroom floor....and that was only the beginning of the BS I went through with that thing. After about 6-7 trips to the dealer in the first year getting it repaired, I said "To Hell with this" and traded it in for a '76 Mercedes 450 SLC.
If you can find one that isn't decomposing before your eyes, expect to pay more than it's worth for it.
Hmmm....seems like a not very reliable design that still has expensive replacement Porsche parts. I have also been looking up 944s I think once my 3800 swap is done I might have to throw down on a Porsche. What about a 928?
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09:42 AM
rogergarrison Member
Posts: 49601 From: A Western Caribbean Island/ Columbus, Ohio Registered: Apr 99
Def agree to check for rust. Ive had them in here that were for the most part, rusted in 2. They split right behind the seats. Others ive seen were like Corvairs, where the engine falls out the bottom when you hit a pothole.
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09:42 AM
Marvin McInnis Member
Posts: 11599 From: ~ Kansas City, USA Registered: Apr 2002
I had an '80 928 as my daily driver for 12 years and ~150,000 miles. My one-line description: The 928 is the Corvette design concept, executed by obsessive German engineers. The key issue with a 928 is:
Even though you can find clean and mechanically sound 928s for under $10,000, remember that (unlike a Fiero) you will still be buying parts for a $100,000+ car.
I had an '80 928 as my daily driver for 12 years and ~150,000 miles. My one-line description: The 928 is the Corvette design concept, executed by obsessive German engineers. The key issue with a 928 is:
Even though you can find clean and mechanically sound 928s for under $10,000, remember that (unlike a Fiero) you will still be buying parts for a $100,000+ car.
You can find mechanically sound 928s for even ~$5,000 now... especially the early ones like you had that have the Bosch mechanical fuel injection. They last forever because they aren't interference motors too... so when the timing belt flys off... oh well... you just put a new one on and go about your day. Unlike the 83+
I plan to buy one some day when I'm more settled and I'll probably be looking for a Euro-Spec 1981. Either that, or I may just go with an LS swap (like I had discussed in one of your threads before). I totally rebuilt a 944 and almost all the money went into engine specific parts. For what I spent to get that 944 running like a dream, I could have swapped in an LS motor and still had money for gas for the rest of the summer.
... especially the early ones like you had that have the Bosch mechanical fuel injection.
In the U.S., only the '78 and '79 928s had the Bosch K-Jetronic continuous-flow mechanical fuel injection system. Beginning with the '80 model year, they had the all-electronic Bosch L-Jetronic system. Except for the air meter (a swinging-vane MAF sensor), the L-Jetronic system was functionally very similar to the port injection system later used by GM in the V6 Fieros.
[This message has been edited by Marvin McInnis (edited 01-16-2011).]
My dad had a green 914 when i was a little kid.. It was a fun car for sure, i loved riding in it.. Mainly cause it was small, and a convertable.. But that thing was a total POS.. It ran ok (for a while) but the body was full of holes.. The thing was just infested with rust, you could see right through the floor boards. Eventually the frame just got so bad he couldent drive it anymore, so he stripped it down to the frame and stored all the body, interior, and drivetrain parts in the garage for years hoping to find a new frame to rebuild the car on. But he never did, and eventually gave the parts away to a friend who was restoring one.
I also had a friend in high school that had an orange one. It looked like it was in good shape, the body was perfect and the interior was really good too, but he was always having problems with it.. It eventually became to expensive for him (and his dad) to keep running, so they got rid of it.
My opinion, if you can find one in great shape, and in really good running condition for a good price, then snatch it up.. If not, then i wouldent bother unless you have tons of cash to burn.
[This message has been edited by Jonesy (edited 01-16-2011).]
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12:44 PM
Jan 17th, 2011
Marvin McInnis Member
Posts: 11599 From: ~ Kansas City, USA Registered: Apr 2002
One other thought. There's bound to be a PCA (Porsche Club of America) chapter near you. Go to a meeting. If you're really serious about buying a used Porsche, someone there will know where to find a clean and mechanically sound one. They will also probably be able to tell you the ones to avoid.
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11:57 AM
DeV8er Member
Posts: 747 From: Oak Ridge MO Registered: Oct 2004
I owned a 1973 in the late 70's/early 80's and I loved it. It had the 2.0 L 4 cyl (avoid the 2.0 6 cyl) and a 5 speed. It was the best handling car I have ever owned. The performance was not very impressive, but it got 35 mpg, and that was impressive. I got lucky and found a local mechanic that was very knowledgeable and reasonably priced. On one instance he needed to replace the fuel pump relay. He told me, "you can have one that says Porsche on it for $65.00 or one that says VW for $15.00", guess which I chose. I would like to think I would still have except my ex-girl friend center-punched a telephone with it.
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01:46 PM
rogergarrison Member
Posts: 49601 From: A Western Caribbean Island/ Columbus, Ohio Registered: Apr 99
Same thing happens with planes. I had a bad alternator in a Piper Arrow and no one had one in stock. Cross checking numbers I found out its the same alternator as GM or Ford (forget which). They are identical except the aircraft one has a FAA tag and stamp on it and that makes it cost 4 times as much. I bought the Napa one and flew it for next 5-10 years. In automotive Ive bought sealed beam headlites at the dealer if I needed one while i was there. Caddy was twice what Chevy was for same bulb.
I saw a Porsche 914 the other day and I can't get it out of my head. What a nice little 4 cylinder MID-ENGINE car. They seem rather cheap too. Anyone have experience with them? I know nothing about them.
upgrade the suspension, tires, and drop a 911 engine in the back. you will have a screaming track car that wiil drive circles around others.
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03:44 PM
Formula Owner Member
Posts: 1053 From: Madison, AL Registered: May 2001
Originally posted by Marvin McInnis: One other thought. There's bound to be a PCA (Porsche Club of America) chapter near you. Go to a meeting. If you're really serious about buying a used Porsche, someone there will know where to find a clean and mechanically sound one. They will also probably be able to tell you the ones to avoid.
Except that owners of "real" Porsches (911's) don't recognize 914's as "real" Porsches. It'd be like going to a Pontiac meet and asking about Fieros.
In the U.S., only the '78 and '79 928s had the Bosch K-Jetronic continuous-flow mechanical fuel injection system. Beginning with the '80 model year, they had the all-electronic Bosch L-Jetronic system. Except for the air meter (a swinging-vane MAF sensor), the L-Jetronic system was functionally very similar to the port injection system later used by GM in the V6 Fieros.
I didn't know that, I saw an 81 Euro for sale on eBay and guess I just assumed they were all like that, just a different compression for the US.
Yeah, I had that barn-door AFM on my Porsche 944... ridiculously expensive to replace. I got a used rebuilt one from Python for $100 bucks... ugh...
quote
Originally posted by Jonesy:
My dad had a green 914 when i was a little kid.. It was a fun car for sure, i loved riding in it.. Mainly cause it was small, and a convertable.. But that thing was a total POS.. It ran ok (for a while) but the body was full of holes.. The thing was just infested with rust, you could see right through the floor boards. Eventually the frame just got so bad he couldent drive it anymore, so he stripped it down to the frame and stored all the body, interior, and drivetrain parts in the garage for years hoping to find a new frame to rebuild the car on. But he never did, and eventually gave the parts away to a friend who was restoring one.
I also had a friend in high school that had an orange one. It looked like it was in good shape, the body was perfect and the interior was really good too, but he was always having problems with it.. It eventually became to expensive for him (and his dad) to keep running, so they got rid of it.
My opinion, if you can find one in great shape, and in really good running condition for a good price, then snatch it up.. If not, then i wouldent bother unless you have tons of cash to burn.
A house in my neighborhood had a rotted out 914 sitting on a wood pallet for a couple of days. Apparently, they were just waiting for the wrecker to come and haul it to the junk yard...
I had a 73 914 2.0. Had the better side-shift transmission. It was a fun car....one of the few that I wish I still had. Despite the problems that it had, it was reasonably easy to work on (what early 70's cars weren't, compared to some of the things in the 80's and 90's?), and parts were available. Of course, when I sold it, the values hadn't started creeping up.
Expect to pay a pretty decent price for a solid one. Expect to pay quite a hefty price for a solid unmolested one. Expect to pay an astronomical price for an original 914/6.
Expect to pay even more if you buy a bondo beast that needs restoration.
BUT.....If you like mid engine rollerskates that have the capability of eating just about anything on the track, get one, modify it to 914/6 specs, put some sticky tires on it, and howl with delight. They don't weigh much, so it doesn't take a monster motor to make it fast. Find a mid-80's 911 flat 6 (or early to mid-70's, but stay away from the ones that started life with the thermal reactors - 78-79 I think were not so good, but hey, you can fix anything), stick it in there, and have a blast. The V8 conversions are fast too, but IMHO, raise the CG and weight too much.
Stinkin' Porsches. Like a disease. I think I'm cured, but it took a mortgage, wife and kids to do it...
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09:12 AM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 25066 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
Personally, I really like my Fiero... I think it's awesome... so I'm not going to compare, but... there's not much out there previously, then, or since that looks this good:
Personally, I really like my Fiero... I think it's awesome... so I'm not going to compare, but... there's not much out there previously, then, or since that looks this good:
My dad had a 914-2.0 when I was a kid. When he brought it home and parked it in the garage a trail of gasoline started running out into the driveway from all the leaks in that Bosche injection system. First mod was to rip all that out and put some Mikuni Solex carbs on. He was a factory-trained Porsche mechanic and always had a love for the marque, going back to a 356 he had when he was in his 20's. With the Mikunis and some tuning that car ran like a scalded ape. It was always fun to drive and spent very little time inop for maintenance. If I were to get one now I'd want to put a 3.0 non-turbo six in it because that motor sounds oh-so-sexy.
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01:46 PM
$Rich$ Member
Posts: 14575 From: Sioux Falls SD Registered: Dec 2002
