Posts: 4,807
My VIN: 3937
Very nice looking car here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-DeLore...tabBM6&vxp=mtr
VIN 15918, automatic, gray interior, no fender antenna, 1,600 miles. Price is up there though at $56k. No frame pics that I could see. Would have expected to see the engine wiring harness be routed "under" the W-pipe and not over it for a car made this late. Would be interested to know if it sells for close to this amount.
Sept. 81, auto, black interior
Posts: 183
My VIN: First 700
I'm going to say it is very unlikely that this was originally purchased, or is currently in the hands, of a car collector. No collector I know would ever let a rusty relay bracket or exhaust stay like that on their car. The driver door, where the driver's arm would be, has too much filth on it to actually be a 1,600 mile car. I'm still trying to figure out how the DeLorean mileage game works. While I'm sure the angle drive died at that point, and it hasn't seen much driving in the last 30 years with them tires; I'm willing to bet that it was driven as a secondary sports car for the first 4 or so years of it's life.Originally Posted by Jonathan
Is it weird to anyone else that DeLoreans almost always try to play the low mileage game? Almost all other collectible old cars have stopped with that. With the only exception I've found is car's that aren't actually collectible but go to auction as something special. Like a 1989 LaBaron convertible with 300 miles I saw the other day.
Location: FL
Posts: 947
My VIN: Early
Advice to potential buyers of 1981's, especially the early ones: Look closely at the door gaps. If the the rear gap is raised or the roof is not straight, the doors are likely bent like a taco.
Also, all those eBay cars are way overpriced!My car was a lot cleaner than that one from gateway, and I paid around $20k for it in 2013.
Last edited by 81dmc; 02-04-2018 at 01:16 AM.
Early 81 5spd conversion- DMCH Ground Effects, Double Din, Custom Instrument Cluster, QA1 Suspension, 3.0 PRV with MS3
Location: St. Peters, Missouri
Posts: 30
Indeed. I'm a strong believer that there are good cars still for $30k out there (maybe even a few under $30k). Low mileage is nice, but not a requirement. I care more about how many miles are on the car itself rather than the odometer. I hope to find one before DCS this summer, but it depends on how much my credit union is willing to give me. If the money ain't there, it ain't there. At least I tried and I'll try again next year and the year after that if I have to.Advice to potential buyers of 1981's, especially the early ones: Look closely at the door gaps. If the the rear gap is raised or the roof is not straight, the doors are likely bent like a taco.
Also, all those eBay cars are way overpriced!
Location: Taylors SC
Posts: 5,326
My VIN: (former)05429
Club(s): (DMWC) (DCUK)
Collector car pricing, including DeLoreans, has changed (upwards) quite a bit in the last 5 years.
Dave S
DMC Midwest - retired but helping
Greenville SC
Location: St. Peters, Missouri
Posts: 30
Oh hey Dave! Just got back from watching the Super Bowl and got a reply from you on the thread I made.
I agree with you on the pricing. I doubt it could go much higher in the next few years, but I figured I best grab one now before something drives up the price. I've got money in stocks, perfect credit, and a full time job, but I'm also single, in college, and young so I've got my pros and cons. Here's to wishing on a star the bank gives $30k and says "go crazy, kid."I could get a co-signer, but I doubt my parents would like the idea of their young son buying a "sports car" while in college.
It will purely be a Spring/Summer time car and stowed away (probably at DMC MW) for the winter. Hell most of the ones I've seen in my price range so far need some work done to them to get them back to somewhat stock. The most I'd do is a stainless steel reservoir and some gas lines and small things as such. This is something I want to keep with my family and teach my child how to maintain and hope he/she has a love for the car the same way I do on those summer evenings with colors of orange and red filling the sky and the low connection to the road. I can one day pass it down and leave a copy of my will in the glove box dictating what to do and not to do to the car with a mixtape of my favorite driving songs. Maybe they'll do the same and make it a tradition haha!
In the end if I can get it, you can bet your ass I will try. But if the money ain't there, it ain't there. And I'll be trying again next year and the year after that until I can get one of these cars for myself...
Last edited by iOutatime; 02-04-2018 at 11:46 PM.
Location: Northern NJ
Posts: 8,578
My VIN: 10757 1st place Concourse 1998
As a general rule, I don't think it is a great idea for someone so young (and in collage) to get into debt for a car that is not even a daily driver. What happens if an expensive repair comes up, you don't have the money to fix it, and you still have to keep paying the bank every month for a car that doesn't work! Now you start looking to sell it to bail out of the debt but the car isn't going to sell for enough to wash out the balance of the debt. I suggest you wait til you can better afford it. Another good reason to sell is that soon you will have a family and the Delorean isn't a good family car. I know I will get "flak" about this opinion, some do have a Delorean even with these circumstances. Better to save up for a house, THAT will go up in value, not a car. Go take a look at the thread in the open forum about apartment dwellers.
David Teitelbaum
Posts: 990
Concentrate on your friendships and studies in college. Cars-- any cars -- can and should be deferred.
Posts: 4,807
My VIN: 3937
Then wait. If the oldest financial advice out there is to buy low and sell high, then buying now when the values are at their highest is a bad decision.
Agreed and agreed. These cars are about a lot more than just the money.
I think Michael said something similar recently about it taking more than just money to happily own one of these cars. Something more valuable than money that is. Time, interest, passion, perseverance, stubbornness, individuality or some combination of those.
Successfully owning a DeLorean has very little to do with simply having the money. Unless of course the money is in short supply. Then it's the only thing that matters and it'll likely sink your ship before you even get it out of port.
Sept. 81, auto, black interior
Location: St. Peters, Missouri
Posts: 30
Sorry I haven't been on the thread as of recent. School and work tend to come in waves so I have to put my focus towards them. I appreciate all the support and worry about my purchase of a DeLorean (both privately and publicly). However much I do want this car, school and work are my priorities.
Here's how I see things from a financial perspective: The current price for DeLoreans has gone up quite a bit in just the last 5 years. As much as young people such as myself would hate to be dictated to, allow me to do it to myself for just a second. 6 months out of university, I get to start paying back my student debit. My BFA degree in Graphic Arts and Commercial Film will be lucky to find me a consistent job, but that's what I get for being raised to do what you love for a living. My minor in Marketing will probably be the only thing that saves my ass. Then I get to mortgage a house or maybe I just stay single and live out my life in a studio apartment. If I go that route, then maybe I might be able to revisit this dream in my forties. If I ever am blessed enough to find me a girl, I get to raise a family. But I can kiss this dream goodbye or wait until I'm 74 with arthritis and the car is somehow $80K+.
I apologize if I come off as rude. But from the perspective of what my parents and friends from a suburban lifestyle tell me, it seems quite bleak. I have investments in stocks that I have been fortunate enough to see consistent benefits from. While this is not a form of stable income, I'm positioning myself to be a full-time student and worker this year as well. Ron (an administrator here) was kind enough to share some personal experience on how he came to acquiring one of these cars and has confidence in me as well. I honestly don't know where the price of the car will go. But if we can all agree on that current prices are inflated to some degree, then what, how, and when do prices begin to correct? Will we need to see some sort of event or will time just eventually take it's course?
Now here's things from my perspective: The heart I put forth to wanting to learn about this car I think is something I don't need to go into detail about. I don't think many kids at 17 and 19 were making road trips to DCS and again this year at 21. I'm a person who learns from experience and I've been grateful enough to have those in my DeLorean community teach me things and point me in the right direction. I hope to one day pass that information on to my children and have them enjoy the car in their own special way such as I did. No matter which way I decide to get my car, I know there's a world of work that will catch up with me sooner or later. My best approach I believed to be is to find a car within $30-40k as most completed cars are around that price and manage each problem(s) as they come.
The DeLorean is a very emotional thing to me from a personal and design perspective. We as humans do tend to act on emotion, but I do try to keep the real world in mind. That is why I am taking caution and time with this search. If the money doesn't work, I will wait. If the car doesn't work, I will wait. I have as much patience as the car will need to have the fiances and mechanics match as best they can.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote