New to the Forum and Researching to Buy

[Hill Valley PD]

Here's a few crappy photos of what I'd be giving up, which may be easier said than done.

[Hill Valley PD]

How much does a Stage II engine upgrade add to the value of a DMC-12? I usually like to keep my cars original as you can see with the the Mustang but am curious because it seems like it would be a nice upgrade to have, since solves the main criticism of the car.

[Hill Valley PD]

I went up and visited DMC Midwest yesterday. Mike, the owner, spent about 90 min with us. He answered all of our questions and gave us the full tour. I really appreciated the personal interest they have in their customers and got the sense right away this is a great community to be a part of. I looked at a few cars for sale there and have further decided a latter production car is right for me. Has anyone reading this bought from a DMC affiliate? It seems like I'd pay a bit of a premium to get a car there, but it would definitely be a good one. Based on what I saw, I'd prob likely spend in the 45k range going through them.

[rickjames8]

I agree with others that the asking prices to seem a bit high lately, but I try to track eBay sales to see what past examples *sell* for. If you're a year out for your purchase, start making it a habit to check and write down these numbers now, maybe with copying the ad text. That way, in a year, you'll have a good list of what has sold and you'll know what is a good deal when it comes along.

Love the Mustang!! I had a 1969 Convertible that I used as a 4-season daily driver in the NorthEast US on-and-off for 11 years. I say on-and-off because it was only running 7 of those 11 years, the rest of the time it was sidelined with some large repair waiting. It was a ton of fun though! Yours looks really nice. If I were in a different position financially, I'd suggest a swap+cash as what I'll be looking for in a few years is a fun 4-seater, preferably a classic.

[DaraSue]

I didn't buy from DMC but Midwest did a lot of work on my car when I first bought it and I highly recommend them. They caught a rusted-through TAB before it could end my trip and provided a lot of technical and moral support on the drive back. They really know their stuff and go the extra mile (literally and/or figuratively) for their customers.

[Hill Valley PD]

I would 100 percent service my car with them when I get one. They are about an hour from me. I just have to be patient, do a few things to my Mustang to get it ready to sell and the hunt begins, which is half the fun. No sense in trying to sell my car since winter is coming up here. I am realistically 8-12 months out from purchase.

[Jonathan]

I got my car ten years ago from a "classic car dealership" in St. Louis. It looked really nice and clean from the ads, but in actuality had a ton of problems with it. Most were "small" problems. No total engine or trans rebuilds needed and no Swiss Cheese frame thankfully. Lots and lots of things though that took 3-5 hours to sort out and boxes and boxes of parts that were typically $10-$100 per item/issue (and occasionally a fair bit more).

That's all behind me now, and I know a lot more about cars then I could have dreamed of ever knowing when I first got (naively) into the hobby. The selling prices were different back then compared to now, but similarly I was looking at DMC franchise car listings as well as others found online.

If I knew then what I know now about the car I got, the cars overall in general, and the good people at Midwest (Dave and Julee prior to Mike and Suzy), I would never have bought the one I did and instead would have bought a DMC franchise car. Yes, they were priced higher, just like you see they are today, but that difference would have paid for itself a few times over in both parts and labour costs and the frustration and mental health costs of getting a car that was far from being as advertised.

I would go as far as to say that if this forum and Dave and Julee at Midwest weren't in the picture and willing to help, I'd have gotten rid of my car a long, long time ago. If you're only an hour from their shop and plan to get the car serviced there anyway, I wouldn't even consider getting a car from anywhere other than through Mike at Midwest. Like you said, have the patience to get your Mustang ready to be sold, work with Mike to keep an eye out and find the DeLorean that's going to meet your needs and budget, and then pull the trigger when that all lines up.

That's the advice I would give you from my ten years of being here.

[Hill Valley PD]

Still haven't done anything yet other than trolling classifieds and completed eBay/auction listings to get an idea of what I'll be spending. My biggest hurdle will be selling the Mustang, which admittedly will be hard, since I still like the car. My wife also looks at some of the current asking prices and thinks the DeLorean is not worth it. Certainly, once you get into the 50K range, there are many other classic car options out there. My Mustang is realistically worth low 30s, not 40K like most classic car dealers ask for equivalent ones. I figure I'd have to spend around 10K on top of that to get a DeLorean I'd want. I can definitely do that, but I question what the cost of ownership will be over time vs. the Mustang, which is super cheap to keep on the road since it's already restored. No doubt the DeLorean value is climbing at a higher rate than my Mustang, but I'd think maintenance costs would cancel that out over time anyway. I'm not buying as an investment but also don't want to lose money if I ever sell it. I'll probably break even on the Mustang. What do you all budget per year for your D for routine maintenance, provided it's already had refurbishment?

[dodint]

Another vote for DMCMW here. I dropped in on Mike in 2016 and he did the same for me, gave me a tour of the facility and talked a lot about the cars and the market. I ultimately bought a car private party earlier this year, but it had the Stage II performed by DMCMW on it a few years ago and the car runs and drives very well. One of the few downsides of relocating from WI to PA is that I no longer have DMCMW in my back pocket.

To answer your question more specifically, I bought a very nicely cared for car that needs very little. I was looking to spend about $32-34k for a car in that condition. I ultimately paid about $39k because it already had the Stage II done. If you find a car you like that has the S2 done already I would scoop it up even if it's going at small premium. Visually it's not much different than the stock motor, it has the Stage II plaque and the exhaust tips. Audibly it's a bit louder than stock. I've gotten used to it and hardly notice but I'm aware when driving through a residential area that it's significantly louder than a modern car. It's still quieter than the Mustang SVT Cobra I sold to make room for the DMC so I'm sure the neighbors are okay with it.

[Hill Valley PD]

Another vote for DMCMW here. I dropped in on Mike in 2016 and he did the same for me, gave me a tour of the facility and talked a lot about the cars and the market. I ultimately bought a car private party earlier this year, but it had the Stage II performed by DMCMW on it a few years ago and the car runs and drives very well. One of the few downsides of relocating from WI to PA is that I no longer have DMCMW in my back pocket.

To answer your question more specifically, I bought a very nicely cared for car that needs very little. I was looking to spend about $32-34k for a car in that condition. I ultimately paid about $39k because it already had the Stage II done. If you find a car you like that has the S2 done already I would scoop it up even if it's going at small premium. Visually it's not much different than the stock motor, it has the Stage II plaque and the exhaust tips. Audibly it's a bit louder than stock. I've gotten used to it and hardly notice but I'm aware when driving through a residential area that it's significantly louder than a modern car. It's still quieter than the Mustang SVT Cobra I sold to make room for the DMC so I'm sure the neighbors are okay with it.

The biggest criticism I get from naysayers when I tell them I'm thinking about selling my Mach 1 and replacing it with a DeLorean is how underpowered and slow it is. Guess what? My Mustang is also pretty slow. My 2011 Hemi Grand Cherokee would dust it. I did not buy a classic car for performance because they are just not good by modern standards, unless heavily modified. And yes, DMCMW has a nice Stage II for 44.9K right now. I'd love to get it, but I still have the Mustang.