By Steve Martin. Republished with permission from the Summer 2016 issue of Fourteener Motoring Magazine.

When purchasing a 914 it is important to identify the car by VIN number. These serial numbers can be found on a Porsche 914 in four locations. Before buying the car, make sure they match. The locations of the serial numbers are inside the front trunk, passenger side, inside front fender (stamped into the sheet metal of the inner fender well); On a metal plate attached to the passenger side headlight bucket inside the front trunk; On a metal plate riveted inside the lower windshield trim on driver’s side; In the driver’s side door jam (sticker). Note that the factory paint code is located on a metal plate in the driver’s side front door jam. The plate indicates the factory color of the car when it was built.