New to the Forum and Researching to Buy

[Hill Valley PD]

Test drove a July '81 build car with black interior, gas flap hood, 5 speed, lighter wheels and 25K miles at DMC MW yesterday. Engine was stock, but suspension was Eibach. I was very impressed with the way the car drove and did not feel like it was extremely underpowered like many of the naysayers claim. Granted this car was well-sorted, and I am thinking about purchasing it. Mechanically, it is quite good despite needing freon once a season. There is a minor leak someplace in the AC system. It has had about 15K in work since 2011 through DMC MW, probably even more since DMC did not perform all of the work on it but supplied the parts. Cosmetically, it has been regained, the fascias redone (color is spot on for original sheen, quality of paint job is prob an 8.5-9.0), wheels refinished, new carpets, headliner, seat upholstery, Eibach and suspension components appear to have been detailed at one point, and replacement dash (binnacle, interior panels, and center console look original) etc. Mechanically, it has the aforementioned full Eibach suspension, tune up, brakes, tires, clutch, updated radiator fans, fuse box, stainless header bottle, and a bunch of other things one would do to make it a reliable driver. Things that were incorrect, and I'm just being picky: latter style exhaust tips (improvement), sun visors were fully upholstered on both sides to match the headliner material, engine cover had slight stress crack near center at rear bumper, both the cover and rear louver were painted in semi-gloss black not the correct matte black finish, as a result missing the interior engine cover stickers (easy fix), the driver's door rubbed on the fiberglass tub where the front of the door shuts at some point and there is a gouge and some scratching there, both doors have very, very, very slight ripple in them (driver more noticeable) probably from someone pushing on the mirror to close the door at some point (not worth addressing and have to really look for it to see it), minor patina on original interior components (door panels, center stack), frame is solid with minor epoxy touchups in usual spots. Overall a really clean, probably quite reliable car that I can get in and drive and not have a heart attack that a spec of dust gets on it haha. The nice thing is that I had numerous others right next to it to compare it to. The only one that I felt I liked better cosmetically was its twin, another summer '81 car with 11K on it that looked like it never saw outside. That car would be the same price right now but does not really have the amount of mechanical work this car has. Plus, I think it is already spoken for anyway. In reality, that car would probably run quite a bit more since they just got it running again. Anyway, I am trying to be objective and not jump on the first one I've REALLY looked at. It is nice, but I am thinking about it still. BTW, Mike and Dave at Midwest are the nicest, most honest people you'd want to do business with. Anyway, here are some pictures. What you guys think?

[DMC-81]

Cool. This looks like a clean car with some good updates/work done on it. The underside looks good and solid as well.
From the pictures, the only thing I see that anyone may want to have done sooner than later is SS fuel lines.

Yeah, I've never heard anything negative about DMCMW.

Thanks for the update.

[Hill Valley PD]

The only thing I notice with this car is that gap or where the door sticks out a bit more just above rub strips by the front fender and rear fender. I noticed The Matt Farrah’s 4400 mile ‘82 had the same thing going on. I have also seen other cars where this is not present all across the Vin range. Just curious on why that is. As of now, I’m moving forward on this car though.

[Jonathan]

That's a very nice looking car. I didn't see what it is priced at though? I suspect it is in the $40's? Whatever it is, it'll likely be a "you get what you pay for" sort of thing. And that's a good thing here.

The fact that you glossed over quickly some of the important areas, like frame condition, and picked out some pretty small concerns, like the sunvisor material, sounds to me like this car needs very, very little. Add to that what you noticed about Mike and Dave and the Midwest people being good and honest, and I'd say this isn't a car you would want to pass up on too quickly. Yes, there are more out there, and without knowing what the price is, they could be less or more expensive, but they may not be as an all-around good offer as this one appears to be.

I wouldn't expect you to have a heart attack if you get a speck of dust on it either, but I also wouldn't expect a DeLorean owner to have a heart attack the first time something breaks on it. And something will break no matter how flawless the car is the day you get it. That's something to make yourself okay with before going ahead. Knowing how you might handle repairing the car, either yourself with certain jobs, or taking it to someone who can help. That's fortunate for you if Midwest is close enough to get the car serviced there. More expensive than learning to do things yourself, but that's each owners choice. Just don't let yourself get heart broken if something isn't working perfectly on the car after you get it. There's no empty DeLorean to-do list out there for any of us.

Those last two pictures I can't quite see what you mean about the door rub strips sitting higher than they should. It's common to see doors that aren't closed all the way though, either on one end or the other, and those strips won't line-up when that happens. The door latches have a second position that the striker pins don't always get into if not closed with enough force (or good alignment). It might just be something simple like that.

[Hill Valley PD]

That's a very nice looking car. I didn't see what it is priced at though? I suspect it is in the $40's? Whatever it is, it'll likely be a "you get what you pay for" sort of thing. And that's a good thing here.

The fact that you glossed over quickly some of the important areas, like frame condition, and picked out some pretty small concerns, like the sunvisor material, sounds to me like this car needs very, very little. Add to that what you noticed about Mike and Dave and the Midwest people being good and honest, and I'd say this isn't a car you would want to pass up on too quickly. Yes, there are more out there, and without knowing what the price is, they could be less or more expensive, but they may not be as an all-around good offer as this one appears to be.

I wouldn't expect you to have a heart attack if you get a speck of dust on it either, but I also wouldn't expect a DeLorean owner to have a heart attack the first time something breaks on it. And something will break no matter how flawless the car is the day you get it. That's something to make yourself okay with before going ahead. Knowing how you might handle repairing the car, either yourself with certain jobs, or taking it to someone who can help. That's fortunate for you if Midwest is close enough to get the car serviced there. More expensive than learning to do things yourself, but that's each owners choice. Just don't let yourself get heart broken if something isn't working perfectly on the car after you get it. There's no empty DeLorean to-do list out there for any of us.

Those last two pictures I can't quite see what you mean about the door rub strips sitting higher than they should. It's common to see doors that aren't closed all the way though, either on one end or the other, and those strips won't line-up when that happens. The door latches have a second position that the striker pins don't always get into if not closed with enough force (or good alignment). It might just be something simple like that.

I was talking about the door above the rub strip sticking out a bit more than the front fender and rear fenders. Mike at MW said he can adjust the doors for better fit and finish, so should be all good. Price is in the low 40s, so you were right on. Yes, I have a friend who owns a shop and charges me about 1/3 of what DMC MW charges per hour for labor. He has always done great work on all my cars, so he and I will tackle any of the more routine work with parts supplied by MW. I'd probably take it to MW about once a year though anyway and for anything more DeLorean specific that arises. And yes, overall very, very nice car with a lot of stuff already done mechanically and cosmetically. I also learned the clutch only has 500 miles on it, which is great. The car spent the first half of it's life in California, so the frame was spared as a result as you can see.

[Hill Valley PD]

I have now officially purchased VIN: 2282 from DMC MW. The folks there have been fantastic and are doing a few things to it prior to pick up. Car should be ready to go in a couple of weeks. I will update with more pictures once I pick it up. I have also decided to keep my 1970 Mustang Mach 1 as well, so it will be neighbors in the garage with the DeLorean and my wife's Jeep! I'm really excited to finally be a part of the community officially. Thank you to all for your invaluable opinions and advice throughout this process.

[DMC-81]

I have now officially purchased VIN: 2282 from DMC MW. The folks there have been fantastic and are doing a few things to it prior to pick up. Car should be ready to go in a couple of weeks. I will update with more pictures once I pick it up. I have also decided to keep my 1970 Mustang Mach 1 as well, so it will be neighbors in the garage with the DeLorean and my wife's Jeep! I'm really excited to finally be a part of the community officially. Thank you to all for your invaluable opinions and advice throughout this process.

Congratulations!!

[81dmc]

I have now officially purchased VIN: 2282 from DMC MW. The folks there have been fantastic and are doing a few things to it prior to pick up. Car should be ready to go in a couple of weeks. I will update with more pictures once I pick it up. I have also decided to keep my 1970 Mustang Mach 1 as well, so it will be neighbors in the garage with the DeLorean and my wife's Jeep! I'm really excited to finally be a part of the community officially. Thank you to all for your invaluable opinions and advice throughout this process.

Welcome to the entirely unofficial gas flap club.

Anyways, congratulations and welcome to the community! You'll definately love owning that car.

[DaraSue]

Congratulations! Mike and Dave know their stuff, you won't be disappointed with this car. Happy driving!

[Hill Valley PD]

Congratulations! Mike and Dave know their stuff, you won't be disappointed with this car. Happy driving!

Thank you. Looking into attending the DeLorean Convention and Car Show this year up in St. Charles (an hour from me) but trying to decide if I will go the whole time or just to the car show day.