Thoughts on car to buy?

[alvinarchiealf11]

Been looking for a delorean to drive thats in close to perfect condition that has all the updates needed to enjoy as every day transport.
Please tell me what you think, good bad, pretty/ugly, the truth. Thanks so much

Jason

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1981-DeLorean-DMC-12-Stainless-Steel-Wonder-/300711451471?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4603cc9b4f#v4-41

[82DMC12]

That car looks so nice it shouldn't be used for a daily driver! Call tony at dmcfl, I'm sure he has been working on it considering it has the new all in one fuel pump.

Andy

[stevedmc]

I disagree. Buy that sucker and drive the snot out of it.

[alvinarchiealf11]

Thank you...any idea of other things that loom to be done or things that need to be looking at car and description. The communities help is so very appreciated!! I have wanted a dmc for years but want one thats ready and won't cost a dime to retrofit or update to reliability and I also wanted one that was as close to perfect cos tic condition as possible.

Any and all advise is appreciated

Thanks

[stevedmc]

You won't get that no matter how much you spend.

[Jonathan]

Been looking for a delorean to drive thats in close to perfect condition that has all the updates needed to enjoy as every day transport.
Please tell me what you think, good bad, pretty/ugly, the truth. Thanks so much

Jason


Hey Jason,

Good luck on your search. Just one bit of advice to offer: I know you are looking at finding a DeLorean in "perfect" condition with all the updates done and ready to drive everyday, but just realize that even if you do find that great car, it will not stay that way. Make sure you are prepared to deal with a car that is 31 years old and will break down from time to time. That happens to even the best DeLoreans occassionally.

I'm not trying to sway you from becoming a DeLorean owner, but you're better off knowing the truth now, rather than hoping you find the perfect one and that it stays that way forever. If you find one without any frame rust, has all the updated recalls or improvements, then sure, you won't have to go back and do those things again very often, but you will discover that every so often something new comes up. This could be a few days after you get it home, or 6 months to a year down the road.

The cars are definitely ones that can be enjoyed, but it becomes very difficult to enjoy them if you don't understand that they won't stay perfect for ever, and you will have to do some work on them yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. Factor in the potential (not always) of going out somewhere and getting stranded with a car that won't start, and that's more than some people/girlfriends/wives are willing to put up with. You'd only have to look at a few of our friends on this forum here, that don't own their cars anymore. One comes to mind in Colorado Springs... :)

[Dangermouse]

As always, get some frame pics on this car. Looks great on top, but you never know.

As stated above, the only guarantees with a 30+ year old car is that it will break down, and will need repairs, it's just a matter of when. Maybe not to the parts that have been addressed, but grounds, shocks, bearings, grounds, brakes, grounds etc can all raise their heads. So keep a few $ in reserve.

Having said all that, this looks to be about a good a car as I've seen on the private market, based on the info provided.

[alvinarchiealf11]

Thank you all so much for your very helpful responses. Can you give me a list of all thenpivitol recalls or improvements that NEED to be done to any dmc. I want to make sure ALL have been done. I do understand it is a 30 year old vehicle, had a 1964 230sl Mercedes that I adored but could never be 100 percent reliable, but loved it!

I am only honking of putting a couple thousand miles on the vehicle, but expect it to function almost as well as a daily driver, and DO understand, little quirks and mechanical issues will and do come up, I just want to buy the RIGHT car!!!

tHaNKS

QUOTE=Jonathan;56572]Hey Jason,

Good luck on your search. Just one bit of advice to offer: I know you are looking at finding a DeLorean in "perfect" condition with all the updates done and ready to drive everyday, but just realize that even if you do find that great car, it will not stay that way. Make sure you are prepared to deal with a car that is 31 years old and will break down from time to time. That happens to even the best DeLoreans occassionally.

I'm not trying to sway you from becoming a DeLorean owner, but you're better off knowing the truth now, rather than hoping you find the perfect one and that it stays that way forever. If you find one without any frame rust, has all the updated recalls or improvements, then sure, you won't have to go back and do those things again very often, but you will discover that every so often something new comes up. This could be a few days after you get it home, or 6 months to a year down the road.

The cars are definitely ones that can be enjoyed, but it becomes very difficult to enjoy them if you don't understand that they won't stay perfect for ever, and you will have to do some work on them yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. Factor in the potential (not always) of going out somewhere and getting stranded with a car that won't start, and that's more than some people/girlfriends/wives are willing to put up with. You'd only have to look at a few of our friends on this forum here, that don't own their cars anymore. One comes to mind in Colorado Springs... :)[/QUOTE]

[thirdmanj]

Not to scare you dude, but from what I've come to understand this: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1683-Scott-K-Orlando-VIN-4117/page2 was one of those "perfect" cars of which you speak. I guess what I'm REALLY saying is that there's no such thing. But I'd recommend buying from an enthusiast.

[Iznodmad]

Jason,
Look at the vehicle history. In 2002 it had about 9200 miles and now 10 years later it has 13,xxx miles. This car has hardly been used in a decade. Cars like this, if you buy them and actually start to use them for daily transport, that is when stuff breaks. You need to find a car that has been gone through and actually used more like a real car to get all the bugs worked out. Spending $4,000 on a few repairs is nothing but a drop in the bucket on a DeLorean. The rule of thumb is $1,000 for every year it sits, you do the math. My advice is to keep looking. Cars such as you describe change hands very little and are much more rare than one like this. I could be wrong, as I don't know this car personally. I would still do more homework though. Good luck.

[pezzonovante88]

Just needs pics of the frame. But if the frame looks as good as the rest of the car, I think $25K is a great buy. There are way worse cars for well over $25k for sale out there. I say buy it!

[denis45700]

The car looks great for the price. As most people have said the frame is a huge deal. Check also to see if the brake and clutch cylinder has leaked on the frame and as for the thousand a year rule, that seems pretty ridiculous.

[DMCMW Dave]

as for the thousand a year rule, that seems pretty ridiculous.

In my experience with lots of cars of varied history, it's seems pretty darn accurate on average (albeit including labor costs). If you happen to get one with an (unknown) rotten engine block or frame, it's low.

[Martyn]

As Dave swingle know's,I purchased my car from him in November 2010.
I spent six months getting it on the road.
after sitting still since 1997 all it needed was a new fuel pump,clean tank,unseize the plunger in metering head,new battery and fresh fuel and bang it turned on the key.(also clutch slave and master).
I put it though an M.O.T which is our name for testing the car.
All It failed on was sticking front calipers(not seized)and the brake light switch wasen't working.
Although the inside is rough the rest is fine and I paid about £5,000 for it.
I have replaced the angle drive,an injector and the accumulator and thats it.
The car will have been on the road for a year on the 10th June and covered more than 6 1/2 thousand miles in the year.
In that time the only problem I've had is 2 snapped water pump belts(wrong size,my fault)and 3 electric fan switchs.
So thats my 2 cents worth.

[funkstuf]

Jason,
Look at the vehicle history. In 2002 it had about 9200 miles and now 10 years later it has 13,xxx miles. This car has hardly been used in a decade. Cars like this, if you buy them and actually start to use them for daily transport, that is when stuff breaks. You need to find a car that has been gone through and actually used more like a real car to get all the bugs worked out. Spending $4,000 on a few repairs is nothing but a drop in the bucket on a DeLorean. The rule of thumb is $1,000 for every year it sits, you do the math. My advice is to keep looking. Cars such as you describe change hands very little and are much more rare than one like this. I could be wrong, as I don't know this car personally. I would still do more homework though. Good luck.

Predicting how much work a running delorean will need is impossible. I've had three of them and purchased them from non-running to supposedly running perfectly. Very hard to predict which ones will have something go wrong. Fact is, it's 31 years old. I think if you purchase a Delorean that appears to be in perfect running shape you should be prepared to spend some money on it in the first year. Certain updates should be done. For example, even with 13K miles (which probably isn't the true mileage since the angle drives are always broken) The car should probably have a valve adjustment and new fuel lines. Often when you start driving a car that has been sitting the exhaust gaskets start leaking because they've oxidized. This can be expensive because the nuts are usually rusted on and the studs can easily break. Things that haven't moved much go bad after a few cycles of use. Many of the connectors have oxidized and have poor connections. Unless a car was sitting in a climate controlled room with proper humidity, 31 years causes a lot of expansion and contraction and things change. Bottom line, I would have the delorean inspected by someone who knows deloreans unless you're simply a car buff who likes working on them and understands what you're getting into. There's really no predicting, and how much you pay for it doesn't define it either. It's possible you could buy it and everything will be just fine for a few years. Sometimes it doesn't go that way though. The Delorean I paid the least for ran the best with the fewest problems for the longest.

[DMCMW Dave]

As Dave swingle know's,I purchased my car from him in November 2010.
I spent six months getting it on the road.
after sitting still since 1997 all it needed was a new fuel pump,clean tank,unseize the plunger in metering head,new battery and fresh fuel and bang it turned on the key.(also clutch slave and master).
I put it though an M.O.T which is our name for testing the car.
All It failed on was sticking front calipers(not seized)and the brake light switch wasen't working.
Although the inside is rough the rest is fine and I paid about £5,000 for it.
I have replaced the angle drive,an injector and the accumulator and thats it.
The car will have been on the road for a year on the 10th June and covered more than 6 1/2 thousand miles in the year.
In that time the only problem I've had is 2 snapped water pump belts(wrong size,my fault)and 3 electric fan switchs.
So thats my 2 cents worth.

That's pretty good. I had to chase a live squirrel out of the intake manifold. The entire trunk was was a nest as they had left the gas tank plate off. You're probably understating how "rough" rough is, but 6000 miles is a pretty good test!

[Martyn]

Can't complain Dave.It went for it's second M.O.T on Tuesday and passed with 3 advisorys.


1.Slight oil leak from rear crank seal.

2.Slight Play in steering rack(about 1mm).

3.Slightly worn trailing arm bush(which both will be replaced when I go too Martins next week) with poly bushes and Martins trailing arm bolts.

Although the M.O.T tester said it looks like a bomb's gone off inside the underneath is solid and in good nick for a 30 year old car that's sat doing nothing for most of it's life.
Thanks again Dave (and Martin) :thumbup2: