Locating a solid Porsche 914 reasonably priced is about as easy to find as an honest politician. While the basic design of these revolutionary cars was fantastic for its time, some spots on these cars are prone to rusting out. Yet, every once in a while, a seemingly solid car comes to light. Look carefully at the pictures of this 1975 Porsche 914 both here and in the eBay ad. This car has received a bright yellow repaint, but it also may have been a solid car to start with. How much extra would you pay for a 914 without a rust problem? Does such a beast really exist?
Being a former 914 owner, I got to experience a few of the following chronic corrosion maladies firsthand. The common problem areas are the well for the spare tire in the front trunk, the floor pans, behind the rocker panels, where the suspension bolts to the body front and back, the rear trunk pan, and the battery tray. Of those, the most threatening is the rusted-out battery tray. Spurred on by the toxic battery contents, many a 914 met its fiery end when the tray failed, and the battery cascaded onto the running engine. Mine had a mildly bad battery tray, which was solved by a previous owner moving the battery to the rear trunk before structural damage resulted. It also had some rust at the very back of the floor pans that hadn’t become a pressing issue. Other than that, it was good to go. Sometimes.
The 914 you see here is being sold by a Porsche collector. We are told in the ad that they have seven Porsches, and at least three have to find new homes. While this dilemma tugs at our heartstrings, the car you see here is one of the ones that is going first. Repainted by a former owner, this 1975 914 is in seemingly great shape and has recently benefitted from a tune-up, a new battery, and detailing. What may not have been mentioned in the ad is the weatherstripping. and items such as the cloth matting seen above. Replacing these on a 914 is costly, and these may be fairly new or at least serviceable.
Looking inside, we can see that the car still has its original seats with cloth inserts possibly replacing the original material. One of the seat bolsters looks to have a slight tear where the bottom side is sewn into the top. You can also see that the driver’s side seat belt does not properly retract. The car is also not equipped with a package that includes a center console and extra gauges. Someone has also replaced the factory steering wheel and the radio is a modern one.
In the rear trunk, you can see that everything looks quite tidy. While a look underneath the matting would be nice, odds are nothing is alarming. Pictures of the car show the rear trunk fitting flush with the body. This is a sign that the hinge area has not been worn out or damaged by corrosion. You see this a lot with 914s and fixing it can be problematic. A curious item to note is a spot to put a key into next to the driver’s side taillight. I guess that this was some sort of alarm system. If any of our readers can confirm this in the comments, it would be appreciated.
The most impressive part of this car is what can be seen hiding under the very small hood. While listed in the ad as a 1.7, Porsche only offered the 1.8 and 2.0-liter flat-four engines in 1975. What is fascinating is that the original fuel injection system is still sitting atop the engine. This mechanical fuel injection apparatus was advanced for its day, but relatively simple in comparison to the systems on cars today. If a mechanic couldn’t figure out a fuel issue, the fuel injection was routinely snatched out and a Dellorto dual carburetor setup was bolted on. This was the time when VW engines had a huge following, and parts such as this were common. It still didn’t change the fact that a well-tuned 914 with factory fuel injection ran great and didn’t need any “improvement.”
In all, this is a nice 914 and may end up being quite a bargain. If your bucket list includes a loudly colored, but seemingly solid 914, then this 1975 Porsche 914 1.8 for sale on eBay in Clayton, Georgia may deserve your attention. Bidding on this bright yellow beast is sitting at $6,100 with just three days to go.
From someone on a 914 forum captured what I remembered –
Rear suspension – That’s a very common issue with these cars. Battery acid leaks through the hellhole and washes over that piece. Enters the seems between the spot welds. ** Rots from the inside out.** New ones are available from restoration design. It’s a pretty big job to weld in a new one.
Caution advised.
I can remember when the 914 was unloved and unwanted, times have changed. When I look at the 914/916, I can see where Fiat (Fix It Again Tony) got the inspiration for the X1/9.
A 916 is outside my price range, but a 914???? Mmmm.
eBay pictures show a rust clear underside which makes this car unique. On our last 914 build we moved the battery up front along with the AC condenser and spare tire. Balanced the car almost perfectly. Can’t tell from the pictures but the 1.8 spark plugs are almost vertical compared to the 2.0 plugs being about 45 degrees. We pulled 120 hp out of a 1.8 and it was very streetable. Change out the rubber bumpers and you’d have a nice car with this one.
Great stance on that car but I don’t think the salmon color is quite the right choice.
Tree shade sort of distorted the bright orange color, which is a factory color. No salmon for me except on a plate.
It was well below freezing the day l took the picture and I didn’t waste any time getting the car in a better spot to shoot it. Ground frozen solid and so were my feet by the time I got it back in the garage.
How do you know it’s cheap or reasonably priced when it’s an auction that hasn’t ended, and the reserve hasn’t even been met? Either way, looks like a nice car. I’ve always liked 914’s. Yellow is usually a deal-breaker for me on a car, but on this one, it looks ok.
Hey Bob what color did you use on this last 914?
Signal Orange with a bit more orange tint to “make it pop”. The yellow on this 914 is the same yellow of our ’76 912E. Won’t lose it in the parking lot.
So, if the engine is listed as a 1.7L motor….. then is this a VW engine? Did the owner make a mistake? It’s a good looking car, but I am thinking the engine is what’s making the price so low at this moment.
Read this before buying a 914.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/advice/a-few-things-to-know-before-you-steal-my-914/
Just think l thought this was the ugliest sports car l’d ever seen when l was a lot younger. Amazing thing maturity. It reminds you how stupid you were. I’d love to have the console with the gauges. If l knew more about these cars I might get in. Good luck to the buyer and seller. I like the yellow.
Cars are pretty basic and simple to work on. Plenty of parts and services available. Stoddard up in Ohio is one of many that can get you anything you need. A good reason to get one of these is they are fun to drive.