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View Full Version : Wanted DeLorean in the $14k price range



Roman Legion
06-10-2013, 10:15 PM
As my auction comes to the end in another day, I am certain it will sell and I should have at least $14k. Ebay isn't much help for a D in my range. I'm going to check craigslist, and attempt to recontact the same list of sellers that was previously provided to me (Hoping they will respond when they know I am offering cash instead of a trade.) I aim to spend that $14k on a D almost as soon as it comes in (Upon inspection of the D in question). Aside from the previously posted list of DeLoreans, has anyone come across any running Deloreans in my stated price range. The range *May* increase depending on whatever comes of my auction tomorrow. Lets hope I can be a fellow owner by next week or so.

Dangermouse
06-10-2013, 10:35 PM
Don't forget so set some $$ aside for immediate repairs.

lkn4ubl
06-10-2013, 11:17 PM
That was what I paid for my first one almost ten years ago, and it was a total disaster. I sent you a PM telling you about my recent experience.

If you are willing to go a little more, you can get a driver. I purchased in March for just a few thousand more than you are looking. I have a pretty accurate spreadsheet on all of my cars to include the DeLorean and I was shocked to see I am already well over $20k into my car with the repairs, improvements and upgrades. To be "there", I think it will probably be that magic $25k figure.

I have been watching the market for years. When I got serious, I looked at a few cars. It just so happened the car I purchased was under-represented by the seller on ebay (some of you may have seen it). The driver side mirror was held on with electrical tape (easy repair with a NOS replacement), the carpet wasn't factory (it's growing on me, but it is on the list of things to eventually change), a huge speaker box was installed on the parcel shelf (also growing on me, but I'll see if I can stuff those speakers somewhere), and most importantly, he listed the car as having approximately 100,000 miles. What he failed to say was the car was one of the Canadian spec cars and it's odometer is in Kilometers. 100,000km is approximately 62,000 miles. I know 100k miles is a turn-off to some. The car came with extensive service records from DMC-CA, to include a Stage II upgrade with a new motor within the last 10,000km. That, combined with Danny's endorsement of the car at DMC-CA, and I was sold. The records told the story of a well cared for car with approximately 60,000 miles.

Keep looking and don't jump on the first car that comes into your price range. Learn the art of negotiation as well. As soon as you get emotionally attached, you've lost. 10 years ago I made every mistake in the book and it cost me. My ownership experience was miserable and short. 10 years and a little more experience......and probably some Karma, and I have a car that brings a smile to my face every time I think about it.

Good luck!

OverlandMan
06-11-2013, 09:18 AM
As my auction comes to the end in another day, I am certain it will sell and I should have at least $14k. Ebay isn't much help for a D in my range. I'm going to check craigslist, and attempt to recontact the same list of sellers that was previously provided to me (Hoping they will respond when they know I am offering cash instead of a trade.) I aim to spend that $14k on a D almost as soon as it comes in (Upon inspection of the D in question). Aside from the previously posted list of DeLoreans, has anyone come across any running Deloreans in my stated price range. The range *May* increase depending on whatever comes of my auction tomorrow. Lets hope I can be a fellow owner by next week or so.

I wouldn't be so hasty. #1 your car hasn't sold with cash in hand. Until that happens, I wouldn't get too excited. #2 Even if you did have cash, why rush so fast? Take your time and be patient. If you work this hard on finding the RIGHT car your ownership experience will be much more pleasant.

Josh
06-11-2013, 11:30 AM
I wouldn't be so hasty. #1 your car hasn't sold with cash in hand. Until that happens, I wouldn't get too excited. #2 Even if you did have cash, why rush so fast? Take your time and be patient. If you work this hard on finding the RIGHT car your ownership experience will be much more pleasant.

QFT! slow down. You are also kind of doing things backwards. Do you go to a car dealership and say, "I have 20 grand, what car can I get with this money?" Look for a car, be patient, and one will come eventually. And then enjoy dropping money into the bottomless pit that is the DMC-12

NightFlyer
06-11-2013, 02:00 PM
Agreed with everyone else - you need to seriously slow down!

First off, it's highly improbable that your car will actually sell for $14k - I just don't see it happening. So unless you're willing to take less for the car and have some extra cash saved up for your D, I'm afraid that you're counting your chickens before the eggs have hatched.

NightFlyer
06-11-2013, 02:32 PM
http://cnj.en.craigslist.org/cto/3863267297.html (no asking price listed, so not sure if this one is within budget or not)
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/3760338713.html (higher asking price, but close and negotiable)
http://www.2buycars.net/Listing.asp?Listing=68735 (dead on price wise, no pics with ad though)
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=48890&endYear=2014&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1981&makeCode1=DELOREAN&sellerTypes=b&searchRadius=0&mmt=[DELOREAN[][]]&listingId=343616854&listingIndex=10&Log=0 (slightly higher, but negotiable)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1981-DMC-Delorean-5-spd-gray-leather-engine-gone-through-21k-miles-/370832384359?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item5657552167 (this seller is jdavies77 of this forum) more about the car here: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?7079-Need-help-diagnosing-overheating-issue&highlight=ebay)

louielouie2000
06-11-2013, 03:08 PM
Once Roman Legion has cash in hand, I'm guessing there will be nothing to stop him from buying a DeLorean, and then embarking down the path of learning hard lessons.

Roman Legion, if you can, at the very minimum, get a fellow owner to inspect a potential car for/with you so you know what you're getting into. Better yet, contact the DeLorean vendors and see if they have any knowledge of good customer cars possibly being for sale. Buying the right car could make or break your DeLorean experience. If you buy the wrong one, it'll defeat you more quickly than you'd guess, and you'll likely sell the car out of frustration. I've seen it happen over & over.

For reference: my second DeLorean came with $20,000 in receipts (and this was 10 years ago), was used as a daily driver by it's 3 previous owners, had extensive service records from a big DeLorean vendor, & the thing still kicked my butt. I'd be sitting in rush hour traffic, and it would just shut off & wouldn't restart until the tow truck deposited the car at my house 3+ frustrating hours later. After years of a constantly empty bank account, no social life due to all income being spent on DeLorean parts, and being kicked out of AAA for using too many tows, I finally raised the white flag on DeLorean ownership after only 5 years. And I bought a GOOD example.

I'm not really sure what $14,000 will buy you this day & age. DeLorean asking prices have greatly softened from their pre-recession bubble, but I still don't think you'd be able to buy a reliable daily driver for that sum. Once you get your Mustang sold, I'd really try to save a bit more before taking the ownership plunge. I've seen some PERFECT driver cars listed on here recently in the $19,000-$24,000 range. Odds are, cash in hand would lower those asking prices, too. Best of luck on your hunt.

thirdmanj
06-11-2013, 03:43 PM
Dude, Rome wasn't built in day.

NightFlyer
06-11-2013, 03:46 PM
Actually, I believe a quite decent car could be purchased between $14-16k. You just have to be careful and know what you're looking at before you make the decision to buy. I looked at probably a dozen good candidates myself before buying my car for $18k, although, that was 10 years ago. Since purchasing my car, I've put maybe $500 into it on parts, and a decent amount of my own labor, over the 10 year and 16,000 mile period of my ownership of 1798. My car has NEVER left me stranded, never broke down, and recently completed a 1,200 mile round-trip without issue. The biggest problem I ever had was when the driver side toll window jumped it's track and got stuck down during a weekend trip to Mount Rushmore and Custard State Park - that was 8 years ago, and since my repair, with the original regulator, it has been working great ever since. Add to this, I still have the Ducey alternator, the original fuel pump, and even the original Goodyear NCTs on my car (although I will be swapping those out with a new matching set of Giugiaro designed Vredestein Sportrac 5's in the near future in an effort to further preserve the original NCTs). The only 'updates' I have are a Fanzilla unit, a Lockzilla unit, and Grady's tail light boards which I really didn't need but purchased anyway (which given their current unavailability, I'm actually glad I purchased when I did).

Is my ownership experience a-typical? Perhaps. Have I merely been lucky - depends on if you believe in luck.

One thing is for certain though - if you're a pretty good/skilled mechanic, you'll save a bunch of money on labor costs. Of course, this is true in regards to any car.

Just my thoughts and experiences, for what they're worth.

Ron
06-11-2013, 05:53 PM
+1 Louie and Nightflyer....but I'd expect a long, long wait for the lower end prices, which would come along, and really stress the idea of having an ex/owner look at candidates for you (to avoid the $25K rule ;-).

Farrar
06-11-2013, 06:01 PM
You're going to need loads of patience when you work on the car, so you might as well acquire a large stock of it now while you wait to buy it. :)

Roman Legion
06-11-2013, 10:13 PM
+1 Louie and Nightflyer....but I'd expect a long, long wait for the lower end prices, which would come along, and really stress the idea of having an ex/owner look at candidates for you (to avoid the $25K rule ;-).

That is the plan, not just to have someone that knows exactly what to look for on a D, but for the cost effectiveness of having a local member check it out as opposed to driving (Lets say) 1k miles one way and finding out it's a money pit example of a D. Jdavies car looks nice, but I would remove that black vinyl, I don't at all care for how it looks.

This one didn't look half bad.
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=48890&endYear=2014&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1981&makeCode1=DELOREAN&sellerTypes=b&searchRadius=0&mmt=[DELOREAN[][]]&listingId=343616854&listingIndex=10&Log=0

NightFlyer
06-11-2013, 11:36 PM
This one didn't look half bad.
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=48890&endYear=2014&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1981&makeCode1=DELOREAN&sellerTypes=b&searchRadius=0&mmt=[DELOREAN[][]]&listingId=343616854&listingIndex=10&Log=0

I believe that Bill Robertson lives somewhere near Charleston, SC, however, please don't bother him to check out the car for you until you actually have the money to buy in your pocket.

Dangermouse
06-11-2013, 11:38 PM
Iirc, Bill is in Laurenburg (sp?) NC.

NightFlyer
06-12-2013, 12:38 AM
Iirc, Bill is in Laurenburg (sp?) NC.

Yeah, you're correct. He's the closest one that frequents (or frequented) this forum that I could think of off hand.

Chris Burns
06-12-2013, 10:27 AM
Just from my experience Deloreans are getting harder to find in the "midway" price range. Every now and then you will see one, but its usually a seller with "goldmine" syndrome.:sad30: They are out there though. You just have to be patient. What it comes down to is the car's service history, frame, and hopefully no "block rot".

I have been tempted by many cars that at first glance seems interestring, but then I show it to my Delorean advisers and they are like "just walk away":nono:

My DMC would not have to be perfect. I don't want a total nightmare though!

My advice is to save as much money as you can!

There are a couple of DMCs for sale on my page right now that would be good starter cars, but one is priced at 19k and the other is priced at 21k.

JohnZ
06-12-2013, 10:58 AM
For reference: my second DeLorean came with $20,000 in receipts (and this was 10 years ago), was used as a daily driver by it's 3 previous owners, had extensive service records from a big DeLorean vendor, & the thing still kicked my butt. I'd be sitting in rush hour traffic, and it would just shut off & wouldn't restart until the tow truck deposited the car at my house 3+ frustrating hours later. After years of a constantly empty bank account, no social life due to all income being spent on DeLorean parts, and being kicked out of AAA for using too many tows, I finally raised the white flag on DeLorean ownership after only 5 years. And I bought a GOOD example.

Oh man, that's a VERY discouraging story!!

:(

opethmike
06-12-2013, 11:58 AM
Oh man, that's a VERY discouraging story!!

:(

It is, but it is also a distinct possibility with a car this old that was not built well to begin with. I just don't see how it could possibly be sane to have a car of this age as one's only car. Not a good idea.

ALEXAKOS
06-12-2013, 12:36 PM
Dude, Rome wasn't built in day.
Nope but was destroyed in one...:swear1:

louielouie2000
06-12-2013, 12:57 PM
Oh man, that's a VERY discouraging story!!

:(

Thankfully there are other owners who have the exact opposite experience, such as Nightflyer & Michael. I just feel it's important to share all sides of DeLorean ownership. Some folks have remarkably reliable DeLoreans, while others struggle to keep their cars running. The fact that only 1,500 of the remaining 7,000 DeLoreans left are currently registered & roadworthy is telling of the cars reliability & sustainability, though. Not that I wouldn't own another... it's all I've thought about the past 8 years. :)


It is, but it is also a distinct possibility with a car this old that was not built well to begin with. I just don't see how it could possibly be sane to have a car of this age as one's only car. Not a good idea.

It seems I read somewhere that Roman Legion had a motorcycle as backup? I recently went a couple of years with my motorcycle as my only form of transportation. It's not always ideal- rain & cold downright suck; but certainly can be done with fewer compromises than you'd think. I had back up cars while owning my DeLoreans. You've definitely gotta have some other form of transport while owning a DeLorean; be it a car, motorcycle, or bus system.

JohnZ
06-12-2013, 01:18 PM
So is it just a matter of luck? I thought that a well maintained Delorean with proper upgrades could be fully reliable! Of course it comes with the normal car problems... take my mum's Lancia Y: it's a 2001 vehicle but every day a new issue can be found!

:)

Roman Legion
06-12-2013, 01:26 PM
So is it just a matter of luck? I thought that a well maintained Delorean with proper upgrades could be fully reliable! Of course it comes with the normal car problems... take my mum's Lancia Y: it's a 2001 vehicle but every day a new issue can be found!

:)

Seems among owners, their opinion differs. Nothing is certain and everything is a potential risk, just like everything in life. To answer the above post, yes, my primary vehicle is a motorcycle and not my car.
The only Lancia I would ever own is rare, impractical and road legally questionable.

http://www.warwheels.net/images/lanciaIZM1928Haugh1.jpg

Anyway, I digress.

Farrar
06-12-2013, 01:26 PM
A DeLorean has more "issues" than National Geographic.

NightFlyer
06-12-2013, 02:18 PM
So is it just a matter of luck? I thought that a well maintained Delorean with proper upgrades could be fully reliable! Of course it comes with the normal car problems... take my mum's Lancia Y: it's a 2001 vehicle but every day a new issue can be found!

:)

It all comes down to expectations.

In all honesty, a DeLorean is no different than any other 30+ year old used car that a person would consider buying - you have to know what it is that you're looking at when assessing condition/value and making the decision to buy. And you also have to go into the purchase fully expecting to have to put some amount of work/money into the car on a regular basis to keep it running. The only difference is that there isn't a virtually infinite plethora of salvage yard parts available to us as there is with a mass produced car. Remember, in the end, we're just talking about a car here - it follows the same basic principles as any other car.

As far as reliability is concerned, the biggest issue lies in the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel delivery system, with a close second being the Lucas electronics. Learning the intricacies of both, or fully replacing both with an alternative of your choosing, will pretty much mitigate any reliability concerns. There's also the 30+ year ownership experience, where common weaknesses have been identified, shared amongst the community, and fixes developed. As far as the power-train is concerned, the PRV has proven itself to be fairly resilient - especially for an early design all aluminum engine, which many attribute to the fact that it was originally designed to be a V-8, and thus over-engineered in many respects.

Keep in mind that owners do enjoy something kind of special in the rare/unique/obscure car world with the relatively large stock of NOS parts and the willingness of global commercial venders and enthusiasts to engineer, produce, and sell replacement and/or improved parts. I personally don't know of any other limited production car (especially within the value range of the DeLorean) that enjoys that kind of support.

So, as long as your expectations are realistic from the onset and you realize what it is that you're buying when buying, you won't be disappointed.

But if you go into the purchase expecting something akin to a brand new car that requires nothing but regular oil changes for the first 100,000 miles, then you're setting yourself up for disaster. Many owners purchased low mileage DeLoreans expecting just that, hence why many have since sold or bitch and moan about their ownership experiences to this day.

At least, that's my insight, for what it's worth.

JohnZ
06-12-2013, 03:23 PM
It is good to read this from you nightFlyer! You put it down in a very pragmatic way!

I don't expect the Delorean to be perfect, but at the same time I don't want a car that breaks up every single time I try to start it up just because it was poorly designed. And I don't wish to pray God every time I get in the car, even If I checked and replaced the stuff that is more at risk (and 30 years of ownership, as you said, in the end has pointed up each and every weak point of the car).

Nevertheless I keep my search with joy. That wouldn't be my only car of course, but that will be my first property car. I'm lucky and blessed to still be close to my parents, otherwise I would not have even considered this mad idea.

Mad... yet cool!

:D

Dangermouse
06-12-2013, 04:11 PM
There is certainly an element of luck involved, but also unequal parts of skill, time and money

The first piece of luck is finding a car that is for sale that has been well looked after. The Luck is finding the car, the Skill is determining whether it has been looked after correctly. (How the cars left the factory is largely irrelevant by now, 32 years later - what matters more is how it has been maintained)

Once you get it home, the Lucky part is that when something breaks/falls off/stops working, you are in your garage or close to home. The Skill/Money/Time part is fixing it correctly. Thirty years of engineering progress can fix most you what you might consider "poor design". Anything that is left, you call "quirky" :)


And by far the Luckiest part is that this forum exists and that you are part of it. Thank you Mr Gore for the Internet.

Starglider
06-12-2013, 05:05 PM
Oh man, that's a VERY discouraging story!!

Fortunately it's considerably easier to repair or replace (with EFI) K-Jet now.

dvonk
06-13-2013, 08:27 PM
A DeLorean has more "issues" than National Geographic.

:drummer: