Up for sale in Salem, Oregon on Craigslist is this very tidy five-speed 1973 Porsche 914 1.7-liter in resplendent yellow. The seller wants $12,800. Thanks to Curvette for this listing.
The 1.7 is the less-powerful version of the 914—a two-liter version supplanted it. But our Oregon car in very nice condition, from a dry western state. The 914 now wears dual Weber carburetors, but the original fuel-injection comes along in a box. The most recent work is new targa top seals, and front and rear trunk seals. The odometer shows 95,043 miles, but the total is more—the odometer doesn’t work.
We’re told the car is “in very good overall shape. Starts every time. Runs and drives great.” But that’s about all we get. Assuming photos don’t lie (not a safe assumption in the AI era), the car is indeed quite nice, and remarkably rust-free. The imagery is a little fuzzy, but both body and interior look quite nice, and there’s no chrome to speak of on 914s. The mileage is a bit high for one of these, so the prospective owner(s) should appraise the engine’s state carefully.
As you probably know, the joint venture 914 was originally supposed to be a Volkswagen (with an upscale Porsche variant) to replace the Karmann Ghia, and VW supplied the 1.7-liter boxer power plant (also used in the 411 and 412 passenger cars). This single point explains why the six-cylinder 914/6 (with an actual Porsche engine) is considerably more valuable. That, and the fact that only 3,551 914/6s were built.
The 1.7-liter unit produced only 79 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque, but it was fun to drive in a very lightweight platform (2,072 pounds), and also a snappy handler. In the two-liter, power jumped to 99 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque. Collectors prefer that version if they can’t afford a rarefied 914/6 (still no ball of fire with 109 horsepower and 118 pound-feet).
The value of these cars is still relatively modest, with Classic.com stating $22,888 as the average price in good condition. This example seems to be in very good condition, so if it checks out mechanically despite the high mileage, it is probably a good buy. Personally, I like cars that have been used, versus long-term storage victims.
Our first 914 was a 1.7 that we drove all over the country, got the groceries with, autocrossed, got me and my flight gear to work, all in the comfort of AC. It eventually wound up with a 130 hp engine. Fun to drive, easy to work on, and the dog loved the padded center console.