How to determine a price of a auction delorean?

[ncp546]

Hi everyone, I may be going to an auction this up coming Saturday and one of the items up for auction is a 1983 Dmc-12 manual with 2,769 miles on it. Now since this is an auction im not sure if it is running or not (the RPM gauge is frozen at 25 is this normal?), however they do say it was in a heated garage. This delorean is beautiful, all original no rips in seats from the pictures there looks to be no dings in the body. It has been sitting, there is dust in the interior it looks like. The old owner past away and they are basically auctioning off everything. Now a few questions come across my mind, what do i look for? Dry rot in tires? Rips, cracks, dents..? They may or may not start it up usually they do not, but if they do, what should i listen for in the engine? And now the very oviouse, how much would you spend? Again these questions come into play, does it run, why was it parked for so long? I just need a general idea what to look for and what a good price is. I will attach a picture of the exact delorean. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day dmc1.jpgdmc2.jpgdmc3.jpg

[Silverbullet]

Well, the RPM stuck is normal, they all do that... The sitting and not started, costs a lot to fix....So you need to know if it has been kept up and running, or just parked...
Price could be $25,000 ish..

Craig

[David T]

Well, the RPM stuck is normal, they all do that... The sitting and not started, costs a lot to fix....So you need to know if it has been kept up and running, or just parked...
Price could be $25,000 ish..

Craig

It looks to be in nice condition and complete. If it is a non-runner it can be worth as much as $15,000. Figure it can take as much as $10,000 to get it running. For $25,000 you can buy a very nice runner. If it is not a runner you will have to rebuild the fuel, brake, and cooling systems, battery, tires, weatherstripping, headliners. Probably include updates, hoses, belts and A/C. The main thing to look for is a rusted out frame and a clean Title. If the motor doesn't run try to see if you can rotate the crankshaft. If you can't get it to run you can't tell the condition of the brakes, transmission, motor, A/C steering and most of the electrical system.

[vps3922]

dmc1.jpgdmc2.jpgdmc3.jpg

Did you take those pictures? I guess that they were taking this picture when the car was running because the temperature is showing approximately where it should be when the engine is warm. The alternator or battery is dead if the engine was running when they took this. I usually see the RPM stuck at 1500 when switched off and not 2500, but there could be others out there. There might be issues with the temp gauge or sensor ond or RPM gauge if the car was off when they took this picture.

Looking like a nice car though!

Listen for a clicking when the car is running. The exhaust manifold gasket is done on one side if it is. Mine did this and the gaskets were shot on the driver's side.

[Jonathan]

Advice?

Learn about the cars a lot in general and then use that when you see one like in an auction. Read James Espey's book if you can.

It doesn't sound like time is on your side if this auction is soon and you don't know the basics. You could be treading dangerously if you are buying something that you don't know much about. It could work out fine or it might not.

I've never gone to a car auction so can't say for certain how much you get to learn about the item before bidding on it. If this was like a typical antiques (or crap) auction, you'd want to not have to buy anything there for an amount over a certain maximum. This could help you account for the surprise aspect.

Think of it as the $5 surprise bag. You could get something useful or you could get a bag full of bent nails for your money.

Personally I would go into this very cautiously if you're not well educated on the cars. With so little specific information on this car, it will be up to the bidder at the auction to know what they are looking at to then create a good price in their mind.

David's numbers make sense so take those and don't go over 2/3rds of them to play it safe. The car does look nice from the couple of photos. Yet anything can look nice with just a couple photos if taken at the right angle. The gauge positions are not an issue from what I saw.

If it worked out ideally, you could be the winning bid with some sort of caveat that protects you from a bad car until after you get it inspected. Maybe a minimum $500 downpayment or something and if it is a crap car, then walk away for that price.

This doesn't seem like an ideal way to buy a DeLorean in my opinion. Just way too many things to go wrong even for someone that has an eye for the car's features or failures.

[ncp546]

Wow thank you all for the positive replies, i did not even notice the temp gauge nice catch! I think i may be going, although it is very risky i would still like to check it out. Keep the replies coming i would still like to read them

[ncp546]

Did you take those pictures? I guess that they were taking this picture when the car was running because the temperature is showing approximately where it should be when the engine is warm. The alternator or battery is dead if the engine was running when they took this. I usually see the RPM stuck at 1500 when switched off and not 2500, but there could be others out there. There might be issues with the temp gauge or sensor ond or RPM gauge if the car was off when they took this picture.

Looking like a nice car though!

Listen for a clicking when the car is running. The exhaust manifold gasket is done on one side if it is. Mine did this and the gaskets were shot on the driver's side.

Hi there, i did not take the pictures, these are on the auction page. I am assuming the battery is dead, but it could be both. Thanks for the tip on the gasket's!

[Denverdelorean]

Hi there, i did not take the pictures, these are on the auction page. I am assuming the battery is dead, but it could be both. Thanks for the tip on the gasket's!

Assume it has not been started in years unless you have proof otherwise. Budget for a new fuel pump and sending unit ($400+) and and new filter and accumulator (another $200). You'll need to siphon out/clean the fuel tank. Install a new battery, check the fuses and check for fuel flow at the fuel distributor. If all that checks out, you can try and start it.

The gauges can be all wacky when you shut the car off, so don't try to glean any info from that picture alone.

I was very well educated on deloreans when i bought 3519 and i have hit a lot more surprises that i was expecting. it's always the case. The fun part is. I went from a car that had been sitting for 18+ years and painted a hideous, oxidized purple. to a running and driving delorean that is back to stainless steel. I have invested about 17k total and a LOT of time.

This car looks to be well further along than mine was. I paid 10k for mine in it's non-running, painted state.

I would bid up to 17 for this car if it doesn't run.

[ncp546]

Assume it has not been started in years unless you have proof otherwise. Budget for a new fuel pump and sending unit ($400+) and and new filter and accumulator (another $200). You'll need to siphon out/clean the fuel tank. Install a new battery, check the fuses and check for fuel flow at the fuel distributor. If all that checks out, you can try and start it.

The gauges can be all wacky when you shut the car off, so don't try to glean any info from that picture alone.

I was very well educated on deloreans when i bought 3519 and i have hit a lot more surprises that i was expecting. it's always the case. The fun part is. I went from a car that had been sitting for 18+ years and painted a hideous, oxidized purple. to a running and driving delorean that is back to stainless steel. I have invested about 17k total and a LOT of time.

This car looks to be well further along than mine was. I paid 10k for mine in it's non-running, painted state.

I would bid up to 17 for this car if it doesn't run.

Wow thank you for the descriptive input!!

[Bitsyncmaster]

If this is an estate auction, you may just get a great deal since most people don't know the value of the DeLorean.