DMC Northwest?

[Lwanmtr]

The restrictions on what vehicles they can work on wouldnt be so bad if the Delorean had more vehicles on the road...but with such a limited number it would be nigh impossible for a shop to stay open working just on them. The other cars they work on bring in much needed income...No idea why DMCH would want to tie the hands of the shops that help keep our cars alive.

[Shep]

Toby is no longer affiliated with DMCH. I sent him an email to let him know this discussion was happening.

The point of that specific bit was that I was wrong and had said as much, and this schmuck comes along and uses my redacted words as a basis to go off on a rampage about lawsuits and shit. Sorry, but that's just not cool no matter how you look at it. I do not support his words or viewpoint at all and I was making that abundantly clear before it got even more perverted.

DMCNW moved because of rent, that much we do know. If I'm now hearing that he's no longer with DMCH, then okay fine, but jesus christ talking about waging an all out war on the parties involved is just madness that I do not support one bit and was at no point stating nor implying was going to nor should occur.

(Nothing against you Dave, just clarifying for anyone else -- I have a feeling my words are going to be twisted some more if I don't)

- - -

Come to think of it, PJ Grady and DPI are probably laughing to themselves at all of this. Somehow they've made businesses out of working solely on DeLoreans while multiple DMC franchises simply can't.

[David T]

A big reason PJ Grady can live "only" working on Deloreans is that he has a low operating cost. He has been in it since the beginning and most of his original costs (tools, shop equipment, lifts, etc) have been paid off long ago. Any new shop has to bear all of those costs at today's prices, a BIG hurdle to overcome. PJ Grady also has built up a large, loyal following and has a good reputation. Another big thing working against any new shop and it takes years to develop that. He also doesn't have a fancy, expensive shop so his overhead is low. Rob also bought up all of the dealer inventories he could so he has a large inventory. On top of all of that he has developed many new and improved parts for the Delorean which he sells to other Delorean shops and owners. By not being part of the DMC family he can buy the best parts at the best prices and pass that savings on to the owners. This is the best part for all Delorean owners. By having other sources of parts it provides competition which keeps everyone competitive with pricing. Without competition DMC could charge almost whatever they wanted. The downside is while parts prices may stay low that causes the value of the Delorean to also remain low. If parts prices got high and it would cost a LOT to fix up a Delorean, any good, running Delorean would be worth more because it doesn't require a lot of expensive parts to fix it up. Can't have it both ways, cheap parts and high values. Look at a brand like Porsche. Parts prices are ridiculous making those cars expensive even though they made tons of them.

[Lwanmtr]

Speaking for myself, I'd much prefer reasonable parts costs to my car being worth more, just cause the parts cost more. I didnt really buy the car for it's resale value...hehe.

[Alex Brooks]

Speaking for myself, I'd much prefer reasonable parts costs to my car being worth more, just cause the parts cost more. I didnt really buy the car for it's resale value...hehe.

Same here and I know of a lot of Land Rover AN Mercedes Models that are not worth anything but the parts are not cheap, so the expensive parts = car's value is not always true. Another example is Porsche 928 cars are Cheap But parts are un believably expensive. (I know some 928s and GT trade in high 20's and mid 30's but most are less than 8K around here.)

[SamHill]

Was recently thinking that one of the biggest factors in value is not parts, relatively small production numbers or even pop culture visibility. The key is that when an overwhelming number of owners love the car so much that they won't sell, that scarcity of available cars necessarily forces appreciation. Love for the marque itself drives value.

[DSNW Toby]

Hi Gang - I thought that I should take a moment and chime in here just to keep things on track.

The move - Yes, I moved the shop location from Bellevue to Redmond because of a rent hike that was going to take effect immediately if I signed a lease extension with the old landlord. The landlord approached me in mid-November and said that I needed to either commit to a lease or move out. The new lease featured a 60% rate hike. The new figure would be north of $10,000 a month. I told him that I couldn't do that. He said that I would need to vacate by the end of the year in that case. So, I had about 5 weeks to find a new spot, and move everything.

The new space is well suited for the task of restoring cars after completing some minor remodeling. However, it doesn't meet any of the standards that DMC-Texas would have for a franchise facility, because it doesn't really have a formal showroom with a proper retail area and all of that. It is a very practical place, but not necessarily fashionable.

The franchise - Without getting into a bunch of mundane details ... I am no longer a franchised affiliate of DMC-Texas. There will be some activities over the next few weeks to establish myself in the "new world order". My intention is to continue to provide excellent services and products to customers, and make every attempt to extend the range of upgraded parts and accessories. I will also be actively working on other marques - primarily classic exotics such as Lotus, Ferrari, and Porsche. That was definitely discouraged by Houston.

My technician decided to move on to work at a different shop that specializes in Land Rovers, so I am operating solo for a while until I get myself reestablished. That naturally has pro's and con's. It has admittedly been a bit of a challenge to balance working on cars, working on the building, taking care of the business side, having a life, etc. I hope that people continue to have patience with me until I can catch my stride. There are many people who I need to thank for their support and encouragement through all of these changes ... you know who you are!

Toby Peterson
DeLorean Service Northwest, LLC
13652 Redmond Woodinville RD NE
Redmond, WA 98052

425-451-7000

If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached through my email address toby(at)DeLorean-parts.com. I will eventually have an email address specific to the shop operation, but the parts address works for now. I will also be changing my user name for this forum ... for obvious reasons. I apologize for not getting that done before making this post.

[Lwanmtr]

Thanks for clearing it all up, Toby.

Hadnt realized you were left all alone up there...would offer my services to help, if I were more competent at mechanic stuffs..but I can clean things like nothin else...hehe.

[Michael]

I will also be actively working on other marques - primarily classic exotics such as Lotus, Ferrari, and Porsche. That was definitely discouraged by Houston.

Yeah that wouldn't set well with me either. Maybe in the thick soup of owners in Texas and tons of publicity, making a nice living off of servicing only DeLoreans is as easy as snapping your fingers, but try doing it in a mostly cold and rainy climate in a small corner of the country and see how long that "DeLoreans Only" conviction stands when you have the bank chomping at the bit to take your entire life from you.

[Shep]

The temptation in California must be like a married man in the exotic parts of Vegas too, they could easily rake in way more than they're making now by working on any number of other high-end cars where the local market is booming. (At least, if Vehicle Virgins is any indication.)

make every attempt to extend the range of upgraded parts and accessories

Oooooo, I hear more swanky things in the works methinks? Smart key system would be right up your alley with the door poppers if you need an idea.

Take your time and adjust man, stress is your body's way of telling you to slow down a bit. Sucks to have lost your main mechanic, but I think it's fair to say your customers are as loyal as they've ever been. Hope the adjustment goes well.