Tips On Buying A DeLorean

[cbateman]

Phew! You had me worried there for a second! And thanks for the advice, I'll remember for next time.

[Riley88]

Phew! You had me worried there for a second! And thanks for the advice, I'll remember for next time.

Michael isnt kidding. Do yourself a favor if you want a car youc an drive worry free, and make that budget a little higher. Yes you MAY find a decent car for 25k, but hey i did the same. I spent 23k, and damn im finally happy with my car, almost another 20-25k later lol. It took a long time and alot of work but you get what you pay for remember that.

[cbateman]

Thanks for the advice. I don’t mind a car that needs work, I’d actually prefer that over a decent well maintained Delorean. I’d like to find a car I can make my own, with a healthy refurb budget.

[SBL]

I would echo the comments about being "proactive". To my mind, you must a) set your priorities as to what you want and B) be ready to travel immediately. I recently saw an 82 auto for sale in Miami. I just made the drive, saw and tested the car, paid, and was gone.

I knew that for me body and frame were the most important. I do not want to deal with dents in a SS body, or a rusty frame. And it needs to start and drive (although not necessarily very well). So knowing that, I could make an assessment and then a decision without a lot of hesitation or needing time to mull it over.

I have spent about $300 on the car. Not much for parts, but, a lot of my time on the mechanics including preventative things like changing all the fluids. But to me that is the fun of the hobby - starting with something that is aesthetically pleasing and putting time into it to take it to the next level cosmetically and mechanically. Each person has to decide where their skill sets reside, the time they can devote, whether they can get help when needed, etc. Then, be willing to travel and strike.

[Michael]

Thanks for the advice. I don’t mind a car that needs work, I’d actually prefer that over a decent well maintained Delorean. I’d like to find a car I can make my own, with a healthy refurb budget.

To paraphrase an old quote. The difference between a 25k DeLorean and a 30k DeLorean is about 10,000 dollars.

[Mark D]

Rules are rules

Without rules, we have chaos

waiting for the impending thread cleanup / for sale section reminder from the mods.

EDIT: OK, I kept reading and there was actually a lot of good advice that followed.

[cbateman]

I recently saw an 82 auto for sale in Miami. I just made the drive, saw and tested the car, paid, and was gone. I knew that for me body and frame were the most important. I do not want to deal with dents in a SS body, or a rusty frame. And it needs to start and drive (although not necessarily very well).

Sounds like we’re on the same page for what our priorities are: Good frame, good body, starts under its own power. Regarding that 82 auto you found, how exactly did you come across it? This forum? I’ve got automated searches on eBay, Autotrader, and Hemmings motors. Craigslist is a little harder since you can’t search nationwide. There’s a third party site “AutoTempest” that seems to search every state but I can’t set up an automated search. What’s your advice on using Craigslist for Delorean hunting?

[dodint]

I planned to spend $32k and ended up spending $40k, but I do not regret it at all. Not saying you have to over spend your budget to get what you want, but I hit the easy button and have had a positive ownership experience so far.

[dodint]

Sounds like we’re on the same page for what our priorities are: Good frame, good body, starts under its own power. Regarding that 82 auto you found, how exactly did you come across it? This forum? I’ve got automated searches on eBay, Autotrader, and Hemmings motors. Craigslist is a little harder since you can’t search nationwide. There’s a third party site “AutoTempest” that seems to search every state but I can’t set up an automated search. What’s your advice on using Craigslist for Delorean hunting?

Might want to have a look at CarGurus as well. Right now there are only a handful on there and they're higher priced, but it fluctuates.

I found my car on eBay of all places, but the car had been previously owned by someone here on the forum so I could read pretty well into its history which was a nice luxury.

[Timeless]

"Michael isnt kidding."

It took a long time and alot of work but you get what you pay for remember that.

Words to live by.