A 914 is a fun car when it's working.  I've still got a one-owner I
bought back in 1974.  I took it off the road for restoration with about
190,000 on it.  It was still drivable, but I figured I'd want to fix it
up.  

A 914 is a specialty car these days, I would think.  There aren't many
of them around, and mechanics who have ever seen one are few and far
between.  Also some of the parts are getting hard to find, too.  

Check *very* carefully for rust in the engine compartment, under the
battery area.  If there is any, try to find someone who knows about the
914 to evaluate that for you.  

If the doors sag, and are hard to close, the chassis is probably rusted
behind the rocker panels, which is big $$.

Brakes can be a problem.  The rear calipers have problems with the
parking brake mechanism sticking.   There are no new ones available, but
there are some rebuilds.  Not sure about the quality of those.

Pay some attention to, better yet, replace *all* the fuel hoses all the
way back to the tank.  With the age on the car, leaks are likely, and
with 35psi on the lines a minor leak can become a big deal in a hurry.

If the transmission doesn't shift well, or grinds going into gear, get
the synchros replaced before you do damage to the gears themselves.  It
isn't cheap, but pales in comparison to replacing gears in the trans.

The engines are divided into 3 classes:  6-cylinders, identifiable by
the 15-20K price tag on the car, 2.0 liter 4-cyl, and 1.7/1.8 4-cyl.

The 2.0 is regarded as most desirable, it having stronger Porsche-
engineered components (rods, crank, etc) in it.  It's more expensive
because of that.

The 1.7/1.8 are almost VW engines, there are perhaps some differences in
the minutiae.  The 1.8 started in 1974, and the fuel injection system on
that car is unique to that year, shared only with the 1974 912E.  Since
there aren't many of them, some parts are harder to get.  The wiring
harness, for example, has been produced aftermarket for the 1.7 & 2.0,
but not for the 1.8.  How do I know this?  Note the year of my car,
above... :(

If you Google around a bit, you'll find some of these people, who can
supply parts & such:

Automobile Atlanta
German Parts and Restoration
Pelican Parts
Stoddard (a official Porsche dealer)

Good luck if you go for it - they can be fun cars.

Henry Bibb

If you are looking for a fun inexpensive car, I would also suggest looking
at a 924, years 1979-1982, with the 2.0L engine. They are fun cars and
relatively easy to work on. They were originally designed for VW to build
although they didn't, so parts are easy to come by. At 110HP for the US
version and 125HP for the Euro version, it puts out slightly more than most
914s and handles really well. For more horsepower, look for 924 Turbo,
170HP, same years. Its got the looks without the price tag. A decent 924 can
be had for $1,300 like the one I purchased and a good one can definitely be
had for under $5k.

I am used to working on old VWs, bugs and ghias, so this was a natural
choice when looking at something reliable & inexpensive from Porsche. Some
might argue that the 924 is not a Porsche. I don't care what they think
because I don't have to pay a mechanic to fix mine. Also, my parts are not
prohibitively expensive and readily available. Some might say they are not
reliable because of fuel system issues, but  this not true. Any 25+ year old
car can have these issues. These cars utilize a high pressure fuel injection
system subject to blockage from a corroded or slug clogged fuel tank. I am
rebuilding the fuel tank in mine utilizing a rust reactor and then a sealer
from POR. I have ordered new fuel pumps and at $200 for both it was a deal
compared to the $400 retail price for both typically advertised.

Like some of the others have mentioned, 914s are becoming rare and in my
opinion overpriced for what they have to offer. The 1.7 & 2.0L engines are a
"type 4" VW engine. The 2.0L T4 engine basically puts 90-100HP into a much
lighter car so the handling is more like a go-cart.

Hope this helps. Good luck in your hunt.

DANIEL MEDINA