Does a Delorean really cost more?

[Kenny_Z]

I took Red to the her real first car show. Delorean03 and I were at one before but it was just to meet. Anyway, one of the questions I got more than anything else was "how expensive are parts?" I started questioning it vs other projects. I have two other project cars and I wanted to see how Red would compare against them. I have spreadsheets I've made for all my projects so I dug them out and filled in some blanks.

Since I am upgrading all three cars I am going to include those totals. This is for a restomod, not a stock or concurs rebuild. (If I went concurs the Nova and Mustang would blow the gullwing doors off the D in cost.) I am not including tools or labor on anything I did myself. I am including future planned upgrade costs. There are most likely things missing.

I have to include purchase prices to make it fair.
D = 13500 (driver)
Mustang 2500 (driver w/ accident damage)
Nova = 800 (rolling chassis w/ engine)

Starting with body, not including painting or stripping paint costs.
D = ~300
Mustang = ~1380
Nova = ~1670 (+scrap metal from an old washer. Seriously, same gauge)

Electrical
D = ~200
Mustang = ~660
Nova = ~500

Suspension and brakes (not including tires and rims)
D = ~300
Mustang = ~1100
Nova = ~1300

Interior
D = ~1000
Mustang = ~75 (new visors...maybe?)
Nova = ~1650

Engine (not including plugs, oil changes, filters)
D = ~250
Mustang = ~480
Nova = ~1500 (probably conservative, completed so much I forgot most)

Transmission
D = ~300
Mustang = ~0 (stay auto, or 2000+ if I decide to go manual)
Nova = ~500

Audio (basically same set up in all cars)
D = ~350
Mustang = ~300 (cheaper deck)
Nova = ~350

I want to include AC on this since the D has it and I want it for both the Nova and the Mustang. Add 1400 to the older cars and 100 to the Delorean.

Delorean totals: 16300
Mustang totals: 7895 (w/ac still auto) 9895 w/manual and ac)
Nova totals: 9320 w/ac

Without purchase prices:
Delorean: 2700
Mustang: 5195
Nova: 8320

This'll bring all the cars up to a reliable driver with AC. A nice interior, good motor, good suspension, and comfortable environment. I started with a much better car in the D but she also cost the most.

Some notes. I took the cheaper panels whenever possible on the Nova and the Mustang because I'm not building a show stopper. I'll put up with the poor fitment of a knock off panel to not have to spend twice as much or more on a ford or chevy tooling. I didn't include painting costs. I can't estimate anything for the cars at this point. All of them need paint though. I imagine if the grain is intact on Red then the Nova and Mustang will far surpass the Delorean in costs. I didn't include tires or rims. I haven't chosen a set for the Nova and I haven't decided if I'm going to replace the ones on the Mustang so I can't estimate.

These numbers are just for my projects. Much can be said for a rusted out frame in a D but I can show you a rusted out Mustang that'll need the same amount of work. The only thing I've noticed with owning my Delorean compared to the others, it takes longer to get parts for the D.

Here are all the projects, the very day that each came home.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/delorean.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/temp/mustang/PA270004.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/nova/rnova01.jpg

[Mike C.]

I'll be perfectly honest.

As someone who lives with his nose in Jegs, Classic Industries, Summit Racing, OER catalogs, I did a bit of research using a 69 mustang fastback as a template versus my D. I used a 69 fastback because that is what I wanted as a next muscle car. Taking a car in the same condition of my D when I purchased it, here's what I see:

As far as resto parts go to get the car (stang) where I wanted it for what purpose (resto-modded, modern suspension, AC, EFI), the restoration on the D is hands down cheaper. Allow me to explain.

My D, mechanically, is stock, lowered, with a few goodies here and there, like upgraded stereo. If the platform would handle it, I would be up near 500hp. This is, by far, the slowest car I have ever driven. Even my 4cyl daily driver can pull on the D. Does that take away from the FUN of the car? In my situation, it does, because I like to drive fast and have always had a standard on the minimum of what my project car would do.

While our vendors offer some great parts, I am limited to upgrading the D only so far. Beyond setting up the car the way I like, I also have to look at cost vs. benefit when actually selecting those aftermarket parts.

I tend to not buy performance upgrades because for the $$ offered, realistically for what I want the power is severely lacking. In the world of D, what people tell me is considered 'fast', I have always scoffed at... not trying to be a jerk or a big shot, but when your old daily driver was nitrous fed and could set off car alarms just by driving by, the D community's concept of "powerful sound" or "sounds like a v8", or "it put me back into the seat!" really makes me laugh to myself.

The lowering kits we have for our D's are great, and so is the front brace, however, I have never installed the brace because honestly I thought it was too intrusive in the limited trunk space.
With the mustang project, you have the ability to have subframe connectors, a plethora of aftermarket suspension setups for EXACTLY the purpose i'm looking for versus trying to get one to work...

The same thing goes for engine upgrades. I can mod the living hell out of a ford V8. For fun, the new coyote 5.0 motor is a SICK platform to build off of, especially when mated to a 6 speed. Already with those two items, the cost of my project would exceed what I have into the D.

Brake packages... with the D, you have stock, or some home-made, cross-drilled setup or cross over, with equal sized rotors and such. But lets face it, with 130hp, you are limited. Depending on how much baseball bat I want to roll that rear fender with, the idea of sticking a 295 with a deep offset onto the project stang is extremely tempting. With the D, as we have seen... sticking larger size rims on the car becomes 'tricky'...

With the small size of the D cockpit, the cost of restoration, as long as nothing is TORN, is pretty cheap, for what it's worth.


By FAR, the cost of what it would take to do a retro-mod to the level my D is at now would KILL the cost of restoring a D.

[Chris Burns]

One thing I learned about the Delorean is that they are kind of like a Ferrari 308 (in terms of maintence). They can look great cosmetically, but be a nightmare mechanically. Kenny sounds like he got a great car for the price!

Both cars aren't cheap to own by any means, but the fun factor is very high (in my opinion). Just depends on who you are.

[Kenny_Z]

I know where you're coming from Mike but I to me the slow D doesn't take away from her fun. All my cars have been straight line cars. Turning a corner in my Mustang is not fun. It is slow and unstable. Punching it on the straights after the turn is a lot of fun though. It is a trade off. If I wanted to make the D perform like the Stang it would cost tons of money but on the other hand if I wanted the Mustang to handle like the D it would cost tons of money.

I believe cars are built toward a purpose. For me, the D fits the cruiser I want her to be. My Mustang is the ground pounder and my Nova is going to be another cruiser but with 4 doors.

[Chris Burns]

I know where you're coming from Mike but I to me the slow D doesn't take away from her fun. All my cars have been straight line cars. Turning a corner in my Mustang is not fun. It is slow and unstable. Punching it on the straights after the turn is a lot of fun though. It is a trade off. If I wanted to make the D perform like the Stang it would cost tons of money but on the other hand if I wanted the Mustang to handle like the D it would cost tons of money.

I believe cars are built toward a purpose. For me, the D fits the cruiser I want her to be. My Mustang is the ground pounder and my Nova is going to be another cruiser but with 4 doors.

Well put Kenny!

[pezzonovante88]

That's a pretty interesting perspective on costs for the D, Kenny. Thanks for posting. As for the fun factor and power of the D, as Mike brought up, sure it isn't 'fast', but for me, its fast enough and most of the performance upgrades available don't provide enough value for me to justify them. To make the D truly 'fast' A LOT of money would need to be spent on MAJOR modifications and the original feel of the car would be lost. A few little upgrades here and there may be worth the cost, but major stuff, meh. The car has adequate power and since its now a classic, who really cares. If I wanted a car that's really fast I'd get a fox box Mustang or a Subaru STI, or something.

[Mike C.]

That's a pretty interesting perspective on costs for the D, Kenny. Thanks for posting. As for the fun factor and power of the D, as Mike brought up, sure it isn't 'fast', but for me, its fast enough and most of the performance upgrades available don't provide enough value for me to justify them. To make the D truly 'fast' A LOT of money would need to be spent on MAJOR modifications and the original feel of the car would be lost. A few little upgrades here and there may be worth the cost, but major stuff, meh. The car has adequate power and since its now a classic, who really cares. If I wanted a car that's really fast I'd get a fox box Mustang or a Subaru STI, or something.

Exactly. That's kinda my point. You don't buy a D if you want a fast car. Trying to make unfast objects 'fast' is like putting a jet engine on a watermelon. Sure, it sounds like fun, but sooner or later it's gonna go BOOM, and you're left with watermelon soup that tastes like jet fuel.

But on the topic of the thread, COST... I do believe that building other cars is WAY more expensive than restoring a D.

[outatym2001]

I’m glad to see people explaining the cost of ownership of a DeLorean but maybe you should be comparing cars of the same decade. While reading your post I wondered, “Yeah... but what model year of Mustang and Nova?” Then when I scrolled down and saw your pictures and being that I was born in 1967 I had a pretty good assumption of the model years.
Did the Mustang and Nova come with any electronic aids like a Lambda ECU, Idle ECU, Idle/Low Speed Motor, Ignition Module, RPM Relay, Electronic Clock, Electric Windows, and Electric Door Locks? All of these are due to fail eventually and are not super cheap replace.
Another thing I wondered is what was the original purchase price of the Mustang and Nova?
It’s better to compare cars of like original value. Although, it’s hard to find some thing exactly like the DeLorean to compare with for example the Ferrari 308 and the Lotus Esprit Turbo were considerably more expensive than the DeLorean and still to this day they cost more for upkeep.
In my daily driver DeLorean I get the question so many times, “What does it cost?” Well, I just generically say, “They cost more than your average car when brand new (about $24,000) and they have held their value better than most average cars. Parts are plentiful due to so many people using their DeLoreans often and there is a market for like new parts keeping costs down.” Then I might go onto to say, “If the price of parts were outrageously expensive then no one including me would be buying them and the DeLoreans would deteriorate away into non-existence.”
I’m thankful the last part is not true.

Thanks Kenny_Z for posting above.

[Kenny_Z]

I should have included the years, both the Mustang and Nova are 1966 models. The Stang has the original 289 with upgrades and the Nova has an I6 with upgrades.

I think I could easily out run the D's project costs with any 80s car worth restoring, to me anyway). I've actually got a project sheet (no pricing) for an 80s Monte Carlo because it is something I want one day. Step one is to dump that boat anchor 305 and dump in a 350 with a 5 speed. Those alone are almost the purchase price of the D. Move to suspension, rust damage, electronics, power adders, and paint. My Monte project would sink the D's budget. I could keep the 305 and automatic but then it wouldn't be my project.

But really I wanted to view this as a project, not an upkeep standpoint. Obviously a 66 Mustang is cheaper to upkeep than a Delorean due to the limited technology. However, as a project a Mustang can jump leaps and bounds beyond the D in terms of restoration. I could also dump a bunch of tech into that Mustang and make its upkeep just as costly.

Another thing that doesn't fit into cost but really fits into a project is the quality of parts. Delorean owners should be thankful that their parts are quality from companies that do love these cars. As a Mustang owner I have to be careful what I buy. A lot of my parts are foreign made and are just garbage. The manufacturers aren't even telling us this most of the time. My favorite was the brand new side mirror that fell apart the first time I hit a bump.