1971 Porsche 914 4 1.7l on 2040-cars

 For Sale: silver metallic (L96D) 1971 914 1.7; 66k miles

MORE PHOTOS: http://imgur.com/a/9fm5B#20

I’ve owned this 914 since November of 2011 and I’ve owned many 914s for the past 22 years. I recently purchased an original 914-6 bringing my current 914 count to 3 and that is also why I must sell this one. This is really a great car, but 3 914s is just too much for my current garage space.

I drive this car once a week or so and it could be driven daily. I don't think it would have any trouble on a cross country adventure. It’s been very reliable and has never let me down. Having said that, there are a number of small projects that I’ve been meaning to fix on the car, but have just never got around to it. My two other 914s end up consuming my limited “tinker in the garage” time. So to get started on detailing the condition of the car, here is my project list for the car.
Project list / things to fix:

- Turn signals don’t work when the headlights are on. Strange. I spent some time looking at this and it wasn’t immediately obvious what the problem was but would make a “fun” afternoon project.

- There is a slight wobble at 65-70 mph. The tires have lots of tread left on them, but they are 7 years old and developed a flat spot (or something) when the previous owner let the car sit for a while. I had all the wheels & tires rebalanced a couple weeks trying to eliminate this, but its still there. I think the tires should just be replaced. I think they are totally safe to drive on, but just a little annoying at time (need to go a little slower or a little faster). Current tires at 195/55/15 which is ok, but a little too small of sidewall for my preference. I think a 185/60/15 or 185/65/15 tire would suit this little 1.7 a little better.

- The rear window is loose and just needs to be glued back in.

- Passenger side heater hose is missing. But there is plenty of heat for the driver!

- Ignition key does not match door/trunk keys. All should be rekeyed.

- The door handles function fine, but its clear they haven’t been cleaned/oiled in a while. This is a common 914 problem. The door panels just need to come off, remove the handle mechanism, clean everything and apply some light WD-40 and it will open much more smoothly and with less effort.

- The fuel gauge only works from empty to 3/8 full, and then gets stuck on 3/8. This is a common problem. The meter probably just needs to be removed, cleaned (gunk from the fuel builds up) and then reinstalled so the float can travel freely.

- The funky early 914 emergency brake handle works fine, and the indicator light works too (“e brake is on”) but the handle wobbles a little so it doesn’t always perfectly line up with the indicator switch. So this light can flicker on unless the brake handle is position just right. Fix it or get used to placing the brake handle “just right”.

- The driver’s side door panel is original and unmolested, but the top arm rest/padded area is starting to collapse (the staples get loose). This can be repaired.

- A CD player is installed, but no speakers or antenna.

- Front headline surrounds need to be installed (part is included).

- The fuse panel functions fine, but the proper fuse sizes are not installed.

- The horn is not hooked up, and the horns may need to be replaced.

- The spare wheel is there, but the spare tire probably needs to be replaced. See photos.

- All the rubber is in ok/fair/less than fair condition except (a) the rubber around windshield is very bad and needs to be replaced and (b) the rubber on side vent windows is also very bad and needs to be replaced.

- Driver’s side foot well carpet is missing (covers the inner fender well; see photos).

- I removed the windshield wipers and sun sun visors, but they are included with the car (see photos).


Rust:

- Overall the car is very solid and a great base for a 914. The pictures tell the story that this is a pretty nice 914. Having said that, the car is not perfect and here are the notable rust areas:

- The battery tray. I think the "hell hole" (under the battery tray) is ok and just needs to be cleaned up, but having worked on enough 914s, I wouldn't guarantee anything until this area was disassembled and thoroughly inspected. From the top it does look pretty good and there is no indication of chassis sag or any structure problems.

- The hell hole on the driver’s side also looks messy, but I think is structurally solid. Hopefully it’s just remove the engine, wire brush all these area, and apply new paint. Or just leave it as I have because I don’t think it has become any worse since I’ve owned it.

- It looks like the rear trunk floor was replaced at one point and the repair was well done, but this is showing signs of surface rust again and should be cleaned up and painted again.

- The engine sheet metal on this car looks horrible but is fully functional. I’m not sure what happened here as I haven’t seen this on a 914 before. I don’t think the engine has ever been rebuilt or even removed from the car, but somehow the factory paint didn’t stick on this sheet metal and now it’s covered in surface rust. So the engine looks pretty horrible, but could probably be cleaned up and painted to look quite nice. And like I said above, it runs really well, so this is just a cosmetic issue.


Other bad things:

- It looks like the front left fender was replaced on some point. The repair looks decent, everything looks straight, and there is no sign of any remaining damage, but you can tell this fender was replaced as the welds don’t match the factory spot welds.

- The car looks great, but there are many typical small rock chips all over.

- Dash has two large cracks in the center.


Other good things:

- The car looks great. The color, stance, and often discarded steel wheels and hub caps look great. And there is nice looking factory side mirror.

- The car handles and brakes great! This was all (rotors, pads, Bilstein shocks, Bilstein strut inserts, new springs) refreshed about 3 years ago and it drives and handles as a 914 should.

- The car runs and pulls great for a 1.7. It’s not much horsepower, but it’s still quite fun to drive and plenty of power to keep up with modern traffic.

- The car may only have 66k miles on it. I’m really not certain about this but it seems reasonable given how stock and unmolested the car is.

- The car has not been butchered or really modified at all. I’ve noted everything I can think of and as far as 914s go, this one is very close to stock and original.

- The original carpet is still in the car (fair/good condition - amazing it's even there).

- Has a small Momo Prototipo wheel installed, but the factory steering wheel is included as well.

- Has a short shift kit installed that works surprisingly well. This is the best shifting “tail shifter” I’ve ever driven.

- A couple months ago (and maybe 500 miles) I had Sean at SD Motorsports changed the oil, adjust the valves, and check the compression. All was good – it’s ready to go!

- Repainted in factory L96D metallic silver.

- Very nice chrome bumpers.

And just for more information, here is an excerpt from the previous owner’s ad when I purchased the car in November 2011:

- I am the second owner [so I’m the third, you’d be the fourth] of this very well kept unmolested California Targa Porsche 914 1.7 Litre. The original owner past away last December and his daughter sold it to me shortly their after. I liked the car a lot due to the very honest body and condition along with 62,000 original miles on the original engine. The car has been repainted by the original owner with the original silver paint which is of high quality. All of the wheels are original and are dated correctly to prove this. I just completed all new brakes which include two new front rotors, all new pads, new stainless steel brake lines. The shifter and linkage have all been recently upgraded and shifts perfectly with no grinds in any gear. The clutch is in great shape with years of life left. The seat rail lever was broke and replaced with an original Porsche replacement part.

That’s it – and I’ve included a lot of photos which should tell even more of a story for this car. It’s really a great 914 that I’d love to keep and enjoy driving, but my garage is just not big enough!

-Steve
Oceanside, CA

MORE PHOTOS: http://imgur.com/a/9fm5B#20