I bought the best/worst Porsche. 

Every time I drive mine I get questions and smiles. Don't care who doesn't like them, only those who do!

100% with you I lovve my 914 @@adamchaifetz5876

Thanks for the comment! I'm not actually "Car Wizard", he has his own RU-vid channel as well as a good TV series on Amazon Prime with Tyler Hoovie. He's got an amazing wealth of knowledge of anything automotive. While his comments about the 914 seem a little short-sighted, the whole video I took these comments from is worth a look for the full context. He is mainly comparing the 914 to other Porsches of the same decade. I doubt he knows much of the history of the 914, and he actually says he's never worked on one himself, and probably never driven one. His opinion is purely from an auto technicians point of view. I found some of what he says to be true to some regard, albeit a bit over the top. And that's why I included it! I laughed out loud the first time I watched it. I'd encourage checking the full video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-W_CmDK5m8yc.html

Thanks! I seem to be getting a few reactions from that car wizard clip. I had already bought mine and was in the midst of uncovering all of it's hidden issues when i stumbled across that video. I really just thought it was funny! Watching his whole video in context, you can get what he's trying to say from a modern repair shop owner perspective. I'm finding the 914 fan community is so vibrant and, like you, the people who have owned them, LOVED them! That's one reason I was drawn to them in the first place. I've never driven myself one and I can't wait.

Indeed, the 914 community has grown to become akin to a cult culture. It is not just the cars, but the people that own them which makes for the enthusiasm for this "hobby". The 914 was way beyond its time when the concept design was initially introduced in year 1969 - Dr Ing. Porsche and his designers had it right from the "get go". Porsche should have retained this mid-engined concept throughout its variations of cars manufactured. Why? Because the mid-engine variation lends itself to a near perfect balance/displacement/weight distribution from front to back, it eliminates the rear "fish-tail" experience as is with 911 series with the added weight of two extra cylinders out back, while making hard cornering............ The 914 is like a "top" and does its job well. Even if One owns a 1.8L, you still get the real feel of what the car was intended for,.................."FUN"!!! Glad you joined us longstanding 914 owners!!!

The comments from the guy in the intro (@carwizard) were made in earnest! I included that clip because I thought it was funny, the reinforcement of the old trope about 914s not being a real Porsche. Later in that video the clip is from he actually says he's never worked on a 914 let alone driven one.

That's what I like about it too. I like that it never really fit in to the Porsche world but is relatively embraced by the VW world. 914s can be really, really terrible projects to take on if certain areas of the body are rotted out and if the interior is missing or trashed.

I've always loved the 914 specifically because it was so weird! Growing up I would rarely ever see one, so they felt kind of exotic to me. The Car Wizard's whole video is worth a watch, I linked to it in the upper right corner of that segment. The content on his channel as well as his TV series with Tyler Hoovie is very much from an auto mechanics perspective. As an aircooled VW person, I thought it was amusing. There is definitely some truth to what he is saying about the performance and reliability (I mean, it's hard to argue its not mostly an aircooled VW). I think the main reason behind his observation that they're all "parked in a barn somewhere" is that people just didn't take care of them over the years the way they would a 911. He says in his full video that he's never even had the chance to work on one in part because of that reason. This was marketed and sold as a entry-level Porsche, and a "VW-Porsche" in Europe. They were not bought as a high-performance status symbol, they were bought by the person who would have otherwise maybe considered a Fiat Spider or Triumph Spitfire, maybe an MGB. So it's a reasonable thought that many are, in fact, not running because they weren't cared for over the years like a higher-value car. Also, his whole video is really about comparing Porsche models of the same era, so keep that in mind. And I'm sure he doesn't have any background knowledge behind the Le Mans chapter of the 914, but the 914/6 for all intents was a completely different car.

@@AutoDIYdactic Owning a "VW-Porsche" wasn't all bad though... it had the benefit of having it serviced at any Volkswagen dealer. 😀 Sure, one wouldn't set any speed records but that doesn't take away any of the fun driving a 914. Some VERY mean people referred to the 914 as "VoPo", which also happened to be the official abbreviation of the East-German police force (Volkspolizei or "People's Police")

He is @CarWizard on youtube. He's actually an excellent mechanic and has a shop where they work on exotics constantly. The video this clip is from is about which Porsche to buy from each decade. The segment with the 914 was funny because he more or less reiterates the same general take people tend to have about 914s not being a real Porsche. I included it because I thought it was funny! He goes on to say he's never worked on one let alone driven one. His channel is really good, I'm not knocking the guy in the slightest. His complaints are not completely unfounded but the same can be said about any 45+ year old car.

You could with about 10k in parts.

Thanks. From the research I've done, you're correct, they wouldn't match. Aside from a certificate, you can only get a "close enough" confirmation by the size and year in the engine code. It's highly unlikely this engine has ever been removed from all the evidence I've seen so far.

Thanks for the comment! I'm not actually "Car Wizard", he has his own RU-vid channel as well as a good TV series on Amazon Prime with Tyler Hoovie. He's got an amazing wealth of knowledge of anything automotive. While his comments about the 914 seem a little short-sighted, the whole video I took his comments from is worth a look for the full context. He is mainly comparing the 914 to other Porsches of the same decade. I doubt he knows much of the history of the 914, and he actually says he's never worked on one himself, and probably never driven one. His opinion is purely from an auto technicians point of view. I found some of what he says to be true to some regard, albeit a bit over the top. And that's why I included it! I laughed out loud the first time I watched it. I'd encourage checking the full video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-W_CmDK5m8yc.html

@@AutoDIYdactic Thanks for posting, but I have met my share of haters over the years having had several. Bottom line, those that were cared for are nice cars. Volkswagen is Porsche if you look at the early years many parts were interchangeable and the bodies made by Karman. You would be lucky to find a nice one under 20K today. If you do, it will need work.

Lol what?! Yeah it’s clear you only watched the intro. That’s the Car Wizard. Not me. I even linked to his original video in the upper corner of the screen in the intro AND explain in the description. I agree and disagree with parts of his sentiment, but I included it because it was funny to me. In fact, I would bet a lot of 914 owners actually agree with most of what he said.

@@AutoDIYdactic I watched that episode of the car wizard. I don't agree at all. I've driven cars with more horsepower, but they aren't nearly as fun as the 914. The way this car is engineered make you feel like you're going really fast at speed limit. I've seen 911s, 912, 928, 924, 356s in person. The 914 looks the best in person - but they are tricky to photograph well.

@@Jack-si2pg And even if you don't like the looks... all this goes away when you drive one. Oh the fun. ;)

Thanks for the comment! Although, Car Wizard is unlikely to see this since he is not me. His channel is www.youtube.com/@CarWizard

I feel your sentiment! But, it's all relative to the amount of work you feel you can put in to it. You should take a look around youtube and 914world forums and see the condition of other 914s people are restoring. Mine in many ways is in MUCH better condition comparatively. I feel I paid a fair price considering the many things I don't need to replace or address that other people do.

I really don't understand why you'd think that being this is literally a video of me buying and starting to restore one. His views are objective to his experience, so I don't take offense to them at all. He's probably got some good points, but more than anything, I thought it was funny.

Thanks for the comment! Although he may have a better chance of seeing it if you posted on his channel www.youtube.com/@CarWizard