PORSCHE 914. Can anyone who knows about these cars answer a couple of questions?

Question

What are their pros and cons, if any?

Are they easy and affordable to work on as far as Porches are concerned?

Was there ever a Turbo or Supercharged version of these made from the factory?

Can you still get all the parts for these cars without too much hassle?

Are there some years that are better than others?

Is there a good website devoted to this specific Porsche?

Thank you.

Answer 1

The car was built as a joint venture between VW and Porsche. In Europe, the base 914 was sold with a VW-Porsche emblemn on the back. In the US, they were all sold as Porsches. The 914-6 was sold as the premium version in both locales and was tagged only as Porsche.

The 914 is very well balanced and light weight, though with out much power. Over the time it was produced, minor changes were made and displacement increased. This makes the later examples the most desirable, though any year 914-6 is desirable (though also, factory examples of these cars are somewhat uncommon and very pricey when compared to the standard 914).

The 914 is a fun car to drive, and a good driver can make good use of it's strength to get good performance (they are excellent cars for autocross and track use). On the down side, many unknowledgable people tend to look down at these cars and they have even less usable inside space than a 911.

They are fairly easy cars to work on, though any mid-engine car introduces some complexities that don't exist with other cars in terms of getting at the engine.

There was never a factory version with forced induction. The factory produced the 914-6, which featured the 6 cylinder 911S engine of the time to make quite a potent performer. The 914-6GT option added some additional performance goodies with flared bodywork to accomodate wider tires (same engine as the 914-6 though). The factory also produced a couple 914-8 models which used the 8 cylinder engine from the 908 race car - though there was never an actual production run of this version.

Parts are available from Porsche as well as third part sources. There are also a number of dismantlers that specialize in Porsches that can provide needed parts. Generally, availability is good, though parts can wind up being pricey in some case; these cars can be inexpensive to buy now, but part costs tend to be reflective of their original price, which was as a premium vehicle.

There are many good websites, but Pelican Parts has a BBS and many tech articles on file, and makes an excellent starting point (also a good source for parts): www.pelicanparts.com

Most PCA regions also have websites that can offer good information and useful links to other sites.

Answer 2

What are their pros and cons, if any?

PROS: Great handling car, fun to drive, clever design with targa top and two trunks, very good on gas, cheap to buy used.

CONS: Not very fast, prone to rust, difficult to work on, rather cheaply built, anemic VW engine, world's worst gearshift.

Are they easy and affordable to work on as far as Porches are concerned?

Some things are easy, but anything related to the driveline (engine, trans, clutch, axles, etc.) are difficult and expensive.
The joke is "VW performance at Porsche prices". Being mid-engine, accessibility isn't easy. The engine is just a VW from a 411 sedan ("pancake engine") so nothing too hard there if you can reach it...the transmission is a Porsche unit however, and would be very expensive to fix. Getting the engine out isn't easy either. Fuel injection is electronic. Some people put carburators on them but they never seem to run right.


Was there ever a Turbo or Supercharged version of these made from the factory?

NO, but there was a 914/6 with a genuine Porsche engine in it, from a 911. Fast fun and expensive.

Can you still get all the parts for these cars without too much hassle?

YES

Are there some years that are better than others?

YES -- the 2.0 liter engine is the best

Is there a good website devoted to this specific Porsche?

Just Google it.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

Forget the 1.7 and the 1.8 litre cars. The best is the 914-6 (if you can afford one) these used the engine from the 911T NOT the 911S. The best of the 4 cylinder cars is the 2 litre, the most desirable year is 1973 (the power dropped in later years to meet emmisions regs)

Rust is the BIG problem with all 914's that have not been cared for.

Virtually all parts are available at not too high a cost, Automobile Atlanta being a good souce, there are other firms too. Although not the most poewerfil of cars, they are great fun to drive. In 1971 on (by todays standards) skinny street tires, would pull 1g in a turn. Few cars today can match this.

Answer 5

Pros: Cheap to buy, cheap to insure, parts are cheaper to buy, handle VERY well. Very light too.

Cons: Very hard to find a good car, unreliable as hell, tend to rust, low on power, parts still arent THAT cheap (and youll need to buy lots of them), small, not very safe, tend to burn oil.

Theyre not HORRIBLY expensive to run, if you do your own work and hunt for good deals and such. Not cheap though.

No turbo/supercharged version ever came. There was a 914/6 which had a 6 cylinder motor. very hard to find these though (and theyre expensive). Some 914s have had 911 motor swaps into them too.

Parts arent that easy to come by, simply because theyre old, but theyre easier than many cars. Parts are available for cheaper if you go out and look for them at swap meets and such.

None of the years were that reliable.

Best source for info will be your local Porsche club of america. There are always a couple die-hard 914 fans (which usually do their own work too). Check out www.pca.org

Answer 6

That is the only Porsche that uses a VW engine. The engine is from the VW bus, which is their minivan engine. It is a very reliable engine. One of the most reliable in the world, but its slow.
The 914 is the slowest Porsche.
No turbocharged or supercharged version available.
The later years are better because they fix any problems found in the older model.
You could still get the parts, but they will be expensive. You can get parts from a Porsche or VW dealer.

Answer 7

and also, there are V8 conversion kits for 914's which allows you to out a small block chevrolet motor in the car with out having to cut anything. it turns a 130 mph car into a 190 mph car. i have a 914, which i would like to do this with, but i am currently adding larger flares to the front and rear, there great little sports cars and i would recommend one. there reletively easy to work on, no harder then any other cars, and there one of the few mid engine sports cars you can find reletively cheap. good luck with your 914. i am sure you will enjoy driving it and working on it!

John

Answer 8

1.?

2.It is really high dollar not cheap and not easy.

3.Yes there is it looks kind of like a 350Z but a lot faster.

4.You can but it would be a hassle though.

5.No but only the newer one though.

6.If go to google then images then type any kind of Porsche you want then it will show.

Answer 9

I'd be there, Yep I can afford it, not sure who'd be most likely. Yeah, he just swoops in and gives comprehensive answers like a hockey info superhero lol. USA NHL is likely most legit, just based on the fact that more than 75% of the NHL teams are located in the states. I'd think the Canadian players would like playing in Canada better and the Europeans and Americans would go with the USA. Hmmm... Not sure lol. Some of the fans of similar teams would get along alright i'm sure.

Answer 10

the is a turbo version called porsch 911 turbo