Location: Stayton, Oregon 97383
Posts: 224
My VIN: 10309
It's hard to believe that $50K Deloreans are now considered a good buy. It seems we skipped over the $30K and $40K range and jumped right
into the $50K standard. But some national websites now have no Deloreans at all being for sale. Bring A Trailer compiles cars from other
websites and has nothing right now but you can search for previous sales over several years and the price increases were dramatic and ended in
sales above the reserve. But if you're going to pay $50K you should get a #2 with minor defects but excellent in all areas. This could be part of
the national trend, even work cars have seen huge price increases. Of course the Delorean is in a category all by itself.
Location: DMV
Posts: 79
My VIN: Coming, hopefully!
Location: DMV
Posts: 79
My VIN: Coming, hopefully!
Location: DMV
Posts: 79
My VIN: Coming, hopefully!
Location: DMV
Posts: 79
My VIN: Coming, hopefully!
Yes, never thought I'd pay over 40k for a Delorean, but the ones listed under this amount had too many undesirable quality/cosmetic issues. I dont need a mint Delorean, but it should be in the immediate sub-mint realm. I remember when they sold all day in the low 20's, even supreme specimens!!
And yes, it certainly is in its own VS category!! thanks for your comments!
According to Hagerty's valuation tool prices are up, especially for #2 cars (around 10k vs a year ago) and #1 cars (up around 8k). Not as much change for the #3 and #4 range.
Here's a thread from about a year ago where there is more historical data
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?18...914#post265914
Location: Orlando, Florida
Posts: 2,734
My VIN: 01643
Club(s): (DCF) (DCO) (DCUK)
This depends on the car itself. If you're buying a driver, go see it. There is no question. Especially if they're saying there's nothing wrong with it. Because if you're paying for a car with no problems, the last thing you want is to find a bunch of problems that you're going to have to pay for.
However, if you're buying a project, sometimes you have to act. If you know there will be problems, and you're buying the car because you expect to fix them, you need to assess how much you're willing to take on, and the amount of risk you're willing to handle.
Personally, I've been in the market for a project gen I mustang for a while. I was okay with dealing with rust problems, and drivetrain issues, so when the right car came up on ebay I had to jump. In this case, the amount of money I saved by acting quickly and seeking a barging offset the amount of work I'm putting in. When I went to pick it up with my truck and trailer, I barely looked it over. I knew what I was getting: a project.
Location: Parker, TX
Posts: 731
My VIN: #1283
Club(s): (SCDC) (DCUK)
Maybe it's been stated a bunch of time already but to me it's all about your expectations and abilities:
If you're like me (and most people here I believe) and you are fully prepared to restore/fix/improve it over time then sight unseen might be an option. If you, on the other hand, are the type that just want to put gas in the tank and go out and drive and have it serviced by someone then a) you should go there and check it out and b) maybe consider a different type of car as a D requires a lot of attention
For reference: When I bought my D in 2005 I sent a signed letter of intent to the seller basically committing to buying the car if the ad was "real" pending my inspection when I arrived there. I guess the Ds were in lower demand back then so he had no problem holding the car for me. I would agree that the ad was a lot rosier than what I found when I got there but the price was right and all of the issues I saw were things I could fix easily myself so we made the deal and I drove it home (about 3 hour drive).
VR6 engine (367 rwhp/377 ftlb); Type T4 turbo; A/R=0.70/0.68; Air-to-air intercooler, Megasquirt MS3 Pro, Manual tranny w/ HD output shaft; Remote mounted oil filter.
Adjustable dampers and ride height springs from QA1/DriveStainless; SS triangulated LCA brackets, boxed in LCAs, PU bushings, ventilated front brake rotors - all from DMCEU; UCAs with -3 deg camber from Reid Performance; 15" rear rims x 4
http://deloreanvr6conversion.blogspot.com
Location: DMV
Posts: 79
My VIN: Coming, hopefully!