What is your opinion of the Porsche 914?

914 is a very good car, however you need to be careful as a 30-year + car with no rust protection from new can be a disaster. as almost all cars breath with carbs it is essential to get them tuned regularly because not use or impoper maintenance can translate into a huge fuel consumption. otherwise all engine units are strong. rust is a friend so check every part of the bodywork and especially the firewall and the section under the battery tray, below the seats also. in general, all electrics are strong. non-operation of the pop-up mechanism does not necessarily mean serious problem. the targa roof is another situation alltogether, great chances for the sills and rubbers at the fitting points on both roof and the car to be worn, not cheap to be replaced. what i also personally consider is the exhaust system which is expensive to be replaced. lastly, both the odometer and speedometer were fragile from new but in case of fault you get plenty of used parts.

I've spent many fun hours behind the wheel of a 914 back in the early 90's. It's a fun car to drive. I'm over six feet tall and found plenty of leg room a good solid car.
The fuel injection is an expensive pain in the rear end to deal with but overall a simple reliable car.
IF you find one well cared for in good condition it would be a cool car and fairly good investment.
Have the car checked by an expert look for rust!

Really a great car to drive, but I doubt that you're going to find a decent example @ $5k, unless you have a relative who owns one and considers you their favorite relation. At your budget you'll likely be buying a project car, one that runs but could use plenty of work. And because they're getting on in years that's not exactly going to be cheap to do down the road.

914's in decent condition have become somewhat of a "cult" classic and it's doubtful $5K will be sufficient. Of course you know the issue to be wary of is rust. Mechanical issues can be fixed, but rust can cause you heartache and many thousands of dollars to remediate.

Well it's a nice little car in many ways----not fast at all, good handling car, very versatile, roomy for its size, a b***ch to work on. It uses a regular VW "pancake" engine but a Porsche transmission and front end parts. Many of the trim, gauges and handles, etc. are off the shelf VW.

I think your budget is too low for a decent one however. Parts are pretty easy, there is lots of after market support. Be careful how much you sink into one of these---you can buy really REALLY nice ones for $12K.

Don't.

A 914 is nearly impossible to find for $5000.

Even a rusted one in bad condition costs around $10,000.

They are amazingly fun cars that handle very well. They are track monsters. But again, most of them are rusted out. You might find one that looks good, but I bet you that there is lots of rust hiding around the car. That hurts the handling, the strength of the body, and is dangerous.

To get a 914 that runs well with minimal rust would mean you need to spend $15,000 on one. A 914 with No Rust and restored would cost $20,000+.

For $5000, you get get a Porsche 924 or 944. Also handle great. Less rust because they are newer. They are more powerful and faster and easier to work on since they have engines in the front.

Good Luck. Feel free to email me if you have more questions about Porsche's.

better then mazda mitata, its still a little fruity, and it will never be a 911, but there fun to drive and damn quick for 75 HP. engine swap can make this much more fun. but then you need brakes and saftey ****.. blah blah blah. 5 grand will get you a good start, try

thesamba.com

its a vw site, but they have a good porsche section. also try craigslist.