It’s sometimes shockingly easy to acquire projects. While we can occasionally feel somewhat down in the mouth that there are no good deals to be had in today’s collector car market, there are still plenty of reasonable buys hiding in plain sight if you’re open to a project. This 1973 Porsche 914 is listed for just $5,250 and has been in storage since 2014. The seller purchased the car with all the intent in the world to bring it back to life, but he has other 914s vying for his attention. The 914 has been previously resprayed and comes with the optional gauge package in the center stack. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace in Dexter, Michigan.
This 914 is equipped with the more powerful 2.0L engine, which is generally the mill most 914 shoppers want to find mounted behind their heads. The interior of this car is likely original, as the seller notes this car was black on black before the repaint to white. I don’t think it’s a particularly high-quality job, as it appears the chrome bumper was coated in matching paint at the same time, which suggests the body man wasn’t interested in masking off key areas before going nuts in the spray booth. Still, this was just a cheap, used car at one time, so I wouldn’t hold it against it.
The interior features one of the few factory “upgrades” available, that being the stack of auxiliary gauges in the center pod. While not a huge value-add, it’s nice to have as an added bit of “sports car cache” in a model like the 914. The seller reports that while the engine will turn over and fire off, it will not stay running. He suspects it has to do with faulty vacuum lines but who really knows in a car that’s been sitting as long as this one has. The tires do hold air and it rolls / steers, so it should be pretty straightforward to load it onto a trailer.
The rust issues aren’t bad, but there are some areas of repair needed. Now, the seller first discloses there is bondo in the right fender which is why he believes it was repainted in the first place. And while it is largely solid underneath, the seller does disclose that the driver’s side rear suspension mount does have rust in it, and is also bent which has caused that wheel to “toe in,” which certainly affects alignment and tire wear. Overall, this seems like a straightforward restoration and it doesn’t have the sort of rust that requires an expensive professional shop to repair; if you’re a hands-on enthusiast, this 914 2.0 should come back to life without too much of a struggle. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Jim A. for the find.
So it was driven for over 40 years but somehow leaving it sit eight years is important? Oh ya now I get it, barn find!
Not quite sure where you’re going here, Jack. Like you say, driven 40 years then parked. Awaiting a restoration that isn’t going to happen, so, being sold on. We see that a lot here on BF. What am I missing?
We had a 1975 914 2.0. My dad bought it new. Never driven in the winter, always garage stored. Only had 40,000 miles on it.
It still developed a hell hole that I discovered about 7-8 years ago.
We didn’t know how bad it was until I removed the engine to do some repairs. The entire floor board on the passenger side, where it meets the firewall, had rusted, and the hell hole was like a laser that cut right through the structural components at the rear. And I never would have seen most of it until I removed the engine. I swear, it was the rust proofing that was holding the car together, and not the steel!
But a wonderful, fun car that was like it was on rails. When it worked (a whole other story…)
The tar based rust proofing of the 70’s was just as adept at sealing moisture and corrosion in as it was preventing it. I had bought a 7 year old MG that had been Ziebarted new and the tar and carpet were the only things holding the seats off the ground.
I drove a corolla that was Zbarted, it had rust primarily where they had drilled and plugged the holes for the Zbart sprayer, that’s where it started and spead from there.
Not too shabby a deal. The bent rear suspension probably could be a very reasonable repair and then you’d have a Porsche for a reasonable cost.
I’ll take “Things I regret saying” for$6,000, Alex.
You have no idea. The story my dad tells is that the day he bought the car, it proved he was as good as any of the other kids who had Speedsters when he was in College in the 1950’s. The next day, he looks at the car in the garage, and says to himself, “I’m a fat, middle aged, married guy with two kids. What the f— did I just do?” And then, of course, the car doesn’t start, a habit that it kept for over 40 years.
Encountered a 914-6 whizzing around a corner in Thousand Oaks, CA a whiles back. No muffler! Those things Go!
Michigan gives us pause, but the rust doesn’t look bad, and plenty of shops can fix it easily. I think all 2-liter 914s had the gauge package. Since it is black with contrasting upholstery, this may have been one of the “bumblebee” special editions, which were all black with yellow trim. Worth saving.
dont confuse the type4 w/the F6 both “2 ohs” but the 6 w/a OHC’n 2 more cylinders.
I have always like the 914. I know not everyone is a fan. This is not a bad deal, but IMHO, not a great one. Lots of potential rusty areas. May need new floors. If I were closer…..