Porsche 914 opinions?

[andrebsd]

Well, I'm debating selling my 740iL and getting a Porsche 914, but I'm wondering what everyone thinks of them? Are they any good? I know they aren't all that fast and to many people it's a glorified VW unless I get a 914/6. But then I only drive about 10 miles a day, so a 740iL is overkill for what I do.

Edit: Guess I'll do it

[Spectre]

A friend of mine had a completely and properly restored 914 in high school.

If you want something reliable... buy something else.

[Cobol74]

914 is the worst Porsche ever. Looks OK I suppose, that is about it, it's a bit of a V.Dub really.

[thedguy]

My dad always called them "Volkswagen with a floor." I've not herd particularly good things about their chassis stiffness (or lack there of to be precise). Even porsche's prepped racers had a reputation for twisting so much the passenger door would fly open mid-corner.

[_HighVoltage_]

Just don't! It's not practical, it's not fast, it's not pretty, it's not reliable...

[andrebsd]

Originally Posted by Spectre

A friend of mine had a completely and properly restored 914 in high school.

If you want something reliable... buy something else.

Reliable wouldn't be too much of an issue, (If it were to break, I could take a bicycle), and I have the time to work on it as long as it's not too expensive every time. The blower motor on my 740iL was $200 without any labor; doing it yourself you end up taking the whole front of the car apart.

Originally Posted by Cobol74

914 is the worst Porsche ever. Looks OK I suppose, that is about it, it's a bit of a V.Dub really.

Well to be brutally honest I'd prefer a 928... but from what I hear it gets worse mileage than my bmw and I'm sure parts are going to cost more again. The 914 seems like the most pratical one I can buy.

[Spectre]

The 928 is just as bad if not worse in terms of reliability/cost as it gets older. $5000 to fix the AC system when it goes, for example.

As for parts, there is NO such thing as cheap Porsche parts. I had a 79 911 I bought to fix up and sell, one of the most common Porsches ever made, with some of the greatest parts commonality.

Mail order (i.e., cheapest price) parts for that thing made my Jaguar dealership's prices for similar parts look like a bargain. At about the same time I had a 750iL. Porsche prices made the BMW dealer's rapine look reasonable.

[Cobol74]

I think that there is a bit of a theme here. ... Remember the cheap Porsche challenge on TG - they told you so?

/EDIT If a Porsche it has to be then its 944 time - but even that is not a smart move. You have to be capable of really looking after an expensive high performance car that what this marque is all about and this is very expensive.

[andrebsd]

well it doesnt have to be a porsche, but something decently rare would be nice. I know rare and cheap dont go together, but its a lot of fun when we use my dads old fiat 500.... I guess somewhat rare and decent mpg would be nice. Cheap parts would be a bonus, I was also debating a miata but its hardly rare. Simple to work on would be nice, as the 200 for a motor isnt that bad, its just a pain to take a whole weekend to fix it.

[MattD1zzl3]

Dont take this the wrong way but, if you're wondering (and you clearly are) than you probably cant afford something "rare".

If you want a cool old euro car, it would more than likely be cheaper to get the old BMW 2002's. Always wanted one myself.

[Spectre]

If you want something rare, German, and cheap to own/operate, get one of these:

[MattD1zzl3]

The VW thing is a cooool car, and i presume its much cheaper than anything i've suggested. Do want!

[Twerp128]

With all the Porsche hatas, there is something too be said about owning a Porsche. Something you need to do if your an enthusiast. If you want it find a way to make it happen.

All this is said while my 944 sits dusty in the garage

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by Twerp128

With all the Porsche hatas, there is something too be said about owning a Porsche. Something you need to do if your an enthusiast. If you want it find a way to make it happen.

All this is said while my 944 sits dusty in the garage

I was going to say... this from the guy who had a Camry, and has since bought a Miata because his 944 is hideously expensive to repair and isn't running...

[thedguy]

You want something (very) fun, german, not horribly expensive, and gets 30mpg when you beat on it? E30 BMW 318i(s).

I bitch about BMW's like no tomorrow, but I can't argue with the fact that that car is a great car to drive, has put up with a lot of mileage (nearly 20k every year). My brother drives the piss out of his, making zero effort to get decent mileage and it returns 30mpg on premium. It's far from fast in a straight line, but I've met many a 325/m3 owner than still had a blast driving it on anything marginally twisty.

[Spectre]

He said he wanted rare, though; you know as well as I do that in SoCal, BMW 3's are as common as sand on the beach.

[thedguy]

Originally Posted by Spectre

He said he wanted rare, though; you know as well as I do that in SoCal, BMW 3's are as common as sand on the beach.

E36's and newer more so than the e30's though. Though I can't help but think that rare actually means "attention getting" at which point a 914 won't draw the kind of attention the OP likely wants. Brag about saying "I got a porsche" and have the fancy little key ring and then have the valet pull up in that and you'll be laughed at for driving a VW.

[andrebsd]

yeah I think id prefer rare over cheap though, thinking about the bmw I have, most costs were fuel and regular mantinance. If it was like my dads fiat then the reactions would be worth the cost of parts to me. The car i have is just your regular 740 though, no one ever takes a second glance. It doesnt have to be a porsche, but cheap on fuel id like and preferably rare.

[starfox07]

You want something unique, somewhat rare, but at the same time reliable. That is very difficult to accomplish. You may look at brands that may appear to be extremely common, but with models that you never see. Honda Prelude, Toyota Corolla AE86, Nissan 300zx, Lexus SC300, VW Corrado ect ect

[llpc60]

the 914 is one of the best looking cars ever made. thats all I know about it =(

oh and that it sounds like heaven