Private Sale Car vs. DMC Dealer Car Sale.

[pete]

As it happens, that's exactly the car I'm restoring now. But realistically, it's going to be months yet until it's ready and likely you'll find a car well before then, but you never know.

Keep me in mind too. After vacillating for years I've finally decided to begin the journey to ownership. I just joined this group a few days ago and have been reading posts furiously to gain knowledge.

I'd love a private sale from someone in the forum that's looking to sell (because it seems that the group knows everything about every car mentioned here and the guys selling them), but those don't seem to come along often. I can work on a car, I've owned a 72 RHD Mini and a 69 Austin-Healey Sprite so I'm no stranger to fixing things myself. I absolutely do NOT expect to have a car that I never have to tinker with, and I'm fine doing general recommended maintenance, but at this point in my life I'm really looking to drive and enjoy the car without having to tear it apart and restore it out of a barn.

I live in Western NY so I probably wouldn't even want a car to show up until the spring when I can actually drive it. I'd hate to have a car delivered and then stare at it for 6 months, while I drool, waiting for snow to melt.

So if going with DMC I guess I have to see what they have in the works and all that.

[MrChocky]

Keep me in mind too. After vacillating for years I've finally decided to begin the journey to ownership. I just joined this group a few days ago and have been reading posts furiously to gain knowledge.

I'd love a private sale from someone in the forum that's looking to sell (because it seems that the group knows everything about every car mentioned here and the guys selling them), but those don't seem to come along often. I can work on a car, I've owned a 72 RHD Mini and a 69 Austin-Healey Sprite so I'm no stranger to fixing things myself. I absolutely do NOT expect to have a car that I never have to tinker with, and I'm fine doing general recommended maintenance, but at this point in my life I'm really looking to drive and enjoy the car without having to tear it apart and restore it out of a barn.

I live in Western NY so I probably wouldn't even want a car to show up until the spring when I can actually drive it. I'd hate to have a car delivered and then stare at it for 6 months, while I drool, waiting for snow to melt.

So if going with DMC I guess I have to see what they have in the works and all that.

I will keep you in mind, but chances are our stars aren't going to align (which is fine). I suspect you already have an excellent idea of the car you want, and will be looking at ads all winter.

My suggestion is that when you are good and ready, post a wanted ad with exactly what you're after here (although your audience on Facebook will be much larger). And in the meantime, try and go
see some cars, even if (and perhaps, especially if), they aren't what you're after.

[WNY1983]

Hey Pete,
There are about 8 DMC owners in WNY. We have a WNY owners group that meet regularly.
Feel free to contact myself if you have a question or concern. [email protected]



#15297

[Toph]

I’m in the exact same boat. I’m in Arizona and have been researching DeLoreans for 10+ years. Just now in a position to buy one. I’d love to buy a solid private sale, save the sales tax, and have a clean driving car to do moderate work on. But it seems the more I research, the more likely it is I’ll end up at a DMC dealer and pay a premium for my car.

[MrChocky]

I’m in the exact same boat. I’m in Arizona and have been researching DeLoreans for 10+ years. Just now in a position to buy one. I’d love to buy a solid private sale, save the sales tax, and have a clean driving car to do moderate work on. But it seems the more I research, the more likely it is I’ll end up at a DMC dealer and pay a premium for my car.

I don't understand the tax statement. Does AZ have different sales tax rules to most other states? You're gonna be paying the tax one way or another.

As for private sales, there's simply not many at this moment - there were a couple of weeks ago, and then they mostly got sold (again). There's one ending today on BaT though:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...ean-dmc-12-61/

In any case, trying to save money on a DeLorean purchase is often a trap.

[David T]

I can't say how AZ handles sales tax but in most States you pay the sales tax on the amount that is on the Bill of Sale or the Title when you register for plates. The only way out is to understate the amount you paid for it but you WILL pay sales tax. One way to understate the amount is if you got a bunch of other stuff along with the car. You could make the claim that the car was part of the total sale and the amount you paid for it also included a lot of other stuff like floor mats, spare parts, a cover, etc. Expect to do at least "some" work even on an immaculate, clean car. Include that in your budget not only the cost of the car but what it will take to transport it, insure it, Title & register it. It also needs a place to stay and you may have to buy some tools to take care of it depending on your skill level and how much you are willing to do on it.

[outatym2001]

How have you acquired your car?

Jim to answer your question I bought my 1981 DeLorean from a local member of the Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club (PNDC) who was moving to Hawaii with his wife and didn’t want to take the DeLorean with them. This purchase happened way back in February 2001.
Back then I would have never bought an already 20-year-old DeLorean unless I knew there was a great community of members locally to help source parts and get service done locally.
Mind you I paid $12,000 that is including Washington State sales tax for the D but it needed a lot of help. This was the wintertime and any moisture inside the D was frozen because the D was stored outside under fabric car cover.
The odometer read 48,000 miles but I wasn’t quite sure that was correct.
I was buying the D from the second owner who bought it from a guy in California.
I got no maintenance records for the life of the D.
The powder coating on the aluminum alloy wheels was peeling off. The front and rear fascia paint was peeling off in certain areas exposing paint under that paint. The air-conditioning didn’t work. The engine had a bad ticking noise from one of the cam lobes not getting proper oil lubrication. Most of the rubber hoses appeared original. Nothing on the D had been updated or upgraded. And there was a vertical crack in the windshield because someone had glued the rear view mirror directly onto the glass.
I paid to have a Pre Purchase Inspection PPI done and was advised against buying it but the owner was a local club member and in a hurry to sell and $12,000 didn’t seem like a lot of money to finally own a DeLorean.
Now it’s 21 years later and I still own the D. And I can’t see myself ever getting rid of it.
When using an online inflation calculator that $12,000 back then is now considered to be $18,843.93.
My suggestion if you buy a DeLorean from a DMC parts vendor then you can’t go wrong. But, if you buy from a used car dealer I would pay someone somewhere to do a PPI.

[TheStoot]

In Massachusetts, the sales tax is determined by book value of the car, whether its NADA guide for older vehicles or KBB for newer. Bill of sale is not used for sales tax unless it is at a higher amount than the book value. The higher value of the 2 is always used, not the lower. The only way around that here is to have an LLC in montana, register the car there and u then have no sales tax OR inspection. That's why you will see a lot of expensive foreign cars with montana plates, the owner was cheap (or smart) and bypassed the system this way. I refuse to do that because I like to be honest and whenevr I see a car with those plates, I immediately know why and they lose all respect I got for em'

[artisticent]

I have been lucky enough in the past month or so to meet and engage with a few local Delorean owners that have been a huge help in getting me started in this process. It's nice to have a community that is so helpful, especially to "outsiders" who don't hae a car yet. I'm mainly interested in a black interior automatic with a grooved (no gas flap) hood. All of the other little differences I can work around. But per my original post, i was just trying to see if its something I should sit on and wait until a dealer gets that car, or grab it while I can no matter where its from, and just have them get it safe and drivable.

I may be letting my go to make way for other builds I have. Im 50/50 at the moment but ill keep in touch..

Delorean02.jpgDelorean01.jpgDelorean03.jpgDeloreanDone01.jpgDeloreanDone02.jpgDeloreanDone03.jpgDeloreanDone04.jpg

[Timeless]

With all of the recent storms you must be cautious buying a car, it could have been flooded.