A cosmetically and mechanically flawless 1981 Delorean. Serious USA buyer with cash.

[Col Bennett]

When the day arrives that your ideal car is comfortably in your garage, what are your expectations regarding ownership from that point forward?

I can relate to the perfectionism and pursuit of a flawless car. No one would dispute how impressive it is seeing one of that condition.

The part I wanted to ask of you though is how you might consider keeping it flawless after you get it? Cosmetic perfection can be kept so long as you don't get unlucky with someone else's carelessness, or you repair your own mistakes, whether it's a tear in a seat or spilled drink somewhere. The mechanical stuff can stay flawless in terms of parts no longer missing from your car, but even the best condition cars need regular maintenance to keep them the best. You need look no further than Darren's car(s). Driven daily, show winning condition, but only with considerable effort put in to get them that way and keep them that way.

Have you thought of where you would take your car for service, either the regular oil change type stuff or fixing things that will break over time? Would you do this work yourself? Could you do this work yourself, either currently or sometime in the future with some learning along the way?

I don't ask to judge. Certainly not in terms of he who does his own work versus he who gets someone else to do it. I bring it up only because it is work that your car will certainly need, regardless of who the who is.

If there has been one dream ending theme most prevalent among guys who got their car and then got rid of their car, it would be not understanding this part of ownership. If you expect it, no problem. If you aren't expecting it, it can be the beginning of the end for enthusiasm. Give it some thought if you haven't already. It's important you know what lies ahead.

Lots of good questions and comments Jonathan. The car will be housed in a custom-built environmentally controlled secure garage. Of course, anyone could damage the car at anytime through no fault of my own. This is the risk every driver takes when they're not with their car, or it's in the hands of a restoration center. I'm obviously hoping that my borderline obsessive care and attention when out and about should hopefully minimize the risk.

For large service jobs, I'm happy to transport the car through a premium service to an official DMC service center in California or further afield if it needs it. Locally, I'm hoping to connect with fellow bay area enthusiasts who can hopefully point me in the right direction of trusted local mechanics that can take care of minor issues.

My goal is to find the perfect car and keep it as perfect as possible. I'm aware of the dedication this needs. Hopefully my mission to find a near-perfect car should help minimize these issues in the shorter term.

Thanks!

[Jonathan]

Good stuff. Sounds like you've got a good plan of attack in mind.

Might be a good idea to reach out to the local owners sooner than later too. Perhaps hang out with a few of the guys or meet up with them when they do a tech day or on one of their drives. If I'm not mistaken, DavidProehl moved elsewhere, but used to organize some really fun looking days when he was in that area. Drives through Northern California and cool time lapsed vids of tech days at an owners house. Chumming around would most likely be welcomed by owners, especially someone looking to get their own car, and what you would learn from seeing and talking to current owners about what a typical day is like could really help you. Just a thought anyway. Have fun!

[Michael]

Can't believe nobody has mentioned Tony at DMCFL. He usually has no fewer than 5 prisitine, low mileage D's in stock at any given time.

[mluder]

Good luck on your search... However in my opinion you're looking for a unicorn. There is no such car as you describe. Keep in mind these are 30+ year old cars and even a complete frame off restored car is going to use some NOS parts that may fail within a year or two. Also, no panel's are perfect, no fitment is perfect, doors get bows in them (I've never seen one that didn't have some exaggerated curving along the top window valance). This is not a knock against the shops - just a fact of life on restoring any old car. I'm not trying to be a pessimist just a realist. Ask some one like Nick Roedl - his car is probably one of the nicest frame off's out there. Or Patrick Conlon who has a beautiful car. I bet each can point out 5 or 6 flaws immediately that they hate on their car.

My advice (which you didn't ask for)... buy a mid-range car that needs some work. Then, if you have the time and patience, learn to fix it yourself. If not, hire someone who knows DeLoreans to do it for you. Either way you can make sure that the work being done is to your liking all through the process rather than relying on some one else's "good enough". As a bonus, if you do it yourself you'll learn how to maintain the car yourself and learn a lot about the car.

If you simply go out an buy one already done I think you'll end up disappointed. Finally, remember, as with most things, the flaws you see will most likely be invisible to everyone else. My car is far from perfect but I get compliments all the time about how flawless it is.

Cheers
Steven

[Col Bennett]

Good luck on your search... However in my opinion you're looking for a unicorn. There is no such car as you describe. Keep in mind these are 30+ year old cars and even a complete frame off restored car is going to use some NOS parts that may fail within a year or two. Also, no panel's are perfect, no fitment is perfect, doors get bows in them (I've never seen one that didn't have some exaggerated curving along the top window valance). This is not a knock against the shops - just a fact of life on restoring any old car. I'm not trying to be a pessimist just a realist. Ask some one like Nick Roedl - his car is probably one of the nicest frame off's out there. Or Patrick Conlon who has a beautiful car. I bet each can point out 5 or 6 flaws immediately that they hate on their car.

My advice (which you didn't ask for)... buy a mid-range car that needs some work. Then, if you have the time and patience, learn to fix it yourself. If not, hire someone who knows DeLoreans to do it for you. Either way you can make sure that the work being done is to your liking all through the process rather than relying on some one else's "good enough". As a bonus, if you do it yourself you'll learn how to maintain the car yourself and learn a lot about the car.

If you simply go out an buy one already done I think you'll end up disappointed. Finally, remember, as with most things, the flaws you see will most likely be invisible to everyone else. My car is far from perfect but I get compliments all the time about how flawless it is.

Cheers
Steven

Thanks Steven. Lots of great comments. I'm probably indexing too high on my use of the word flawless. I'm aware that flaws are essentially built-in to all Deloreans and after a call with James at Delorean Texas this morning I really need to temper my expectations. I suppose I'm just looking to find the best condition car possible and accept that the flaws are part of the character of the car.

[louielouie2000]

Condition 1 cars do still trade hands, you just have to be patient. I'd say maybe 1 out of every 200 cars that come up for sale meet your requirements. Soundkillr's car is a good example, as was Matt Farah's former car. You just have to be super patient and obsessive about checking all corners of the market. Check Auto Trader & Auto Trader Classic daily, and Hemmings and Bring a Trailer once a week or so. Let each vendor know exactly what you are looking for & your budget. These quality of cars are out there, but they only pop on the open market once or twice a year. Like Michael suggested, Gulf Coast Motorworks (aka DMC Florida) usually has the market cornered on cosmetically clean cars (though most appear to be long term stored & likely in need of extensive mechanical restoration). Plus, for the price they advertise their cars, you can just have DPI build your dream car for you like Darren suggested. Also, keep in mind you can always swap out cosmetic parts like hoods after the fact. While only flat hoods are still available NOS, everything can be bought for a price.

[mluder]

Thanks Steven. Lots of great comments. I'm probably indexing too high on my use of the word flawless. I'm aware that flaws are essentially built-in to all Deloreans and after a call with James at Delorean Texas this morning I really need to temper my expectations. I suppose I'm just looking to find the best condition car possible and accept that the flaws are part of the character of the car.

Now you're on track... James is a good guy and a personal friend.
Well... Welcome to the hunt and good luck. No matter what you end up with you will enjoy every minute of it... Even the when you hate it because it's broken again. HA!.

Cheers
Steven

[Col Bennett]

I'm delighted to report that I found my near-perfect Delorean. Thanks so much to everyone for their advice and support. It'll be with me in San Francisco after a detour via DMC California for some minor tweaks. I'll post some pics and officially introduce myself to the Northern California Owners Club once it's here.

[BladeBronson]

Good deal. Congratulations. I can't wait to see it.

[DMC-81]

Excellent news! Congratulations and welcome to ownership!

I remember the feeling of finally getting one. After 3 years and hundreds of hours of (mostly) relaxing restoration work on my example, that feeling hasn't subsided.

The constant smiles, thumbs up, picture taking, and occasional fist pumping & cheering that I get every time I take it for a spin only reinforces it.

It's like I have a celebrity in my garage.

Enjoy the journey!