Location: Maine
Posts: 14
Club(s): (DMCNE)
Good day all!
My name is Eli and I am new to DMC Talk. Before I make the big purchase (hopefully buying a D early to mid next year)I wanted to talk to some of you good people here at this respected forum. Everyone really knows their stuff here and I just had a quick question.
What are some good questions to ask a person who is selling a DeLorean about the vehicle?
This is very valuable information to me and I certainly appreciate everyone's time and reply. Thank you again! E
Location: Previously Ireland, now New Jersey
Posts: 353
My VIN: 4 Seater DMC24
Club(s): (DMA)
Hi Eli,
Plenty of general questions which would relate to buying any old car - e.g. accident history, service history, how long they owned the car, why they are selling, do they have any history of the car from previous owners, etc.
More specific to DeLoreans - as what updates have been done to the car - safety recalls, upgrades to any common problem areas such as window motors, door lock system, cooling fans, etc.
At the end of the day though, I'd learn as much about the car as possible yourself so that you don't have to ask these questions. Many sellers will say anything to sell their car and I wouldn't just blindly trust them when they say how reliable the car is, or how many jobs were done to it, etc. You should be able to go over the car yourself and determine what areas need attention.
Good luck!
John
PS - don't forget to ask them where the flux capacitor is
Location: Taylors SC
Posts: 5,326
My VIN: (former)05429
Club(s): (DMWC) (DCUK)
"When can I see it in person?".Originally Posted by DeLoreanDude
Even if you need to buy an airplane ticket, if a personal view convinces you that the car is not as described, it is still the cheapest money you will spend on the car.
Dave S
DMC Midwest - retired but helping
Greenville SC
Location: Calgary
Posts: 982
My VIN: 3028
Hey I'm surprise you didn't mention the DMC book Dave ( DMC put out a book recently about the DeLorean that you might want to buy).
Anyways, it depends on the price. If the price is low enough you can gamble on it knowing that you have enough room for fixes you will need to make, I think the 25k rule is pretty accurate although some on here don't.
The best advice is really to ask someone on here to come along with you to look at a car, because there is no way you can educate yourself adequately to buy a DeLorean. Even if a car is not near you a fellow owner would be glad to check it out for you, because as I wrote somewhere else we all love looking at other DeLoreans ( it really is a sickness).
Good luck.
Location: Lexington, NC
Posts: 791
My VIN: #5000 (Grey, manual, SS chassis, intercooled twin turbo), #16128 (Grey, auto, efi twin turbo), #888
Club(s): (DCVA) (SEDOC) (DCUK)
I remember when I was shopping for my first DeLorean in the mid 1990s, it didn't really matter what I asked the owner. In every case, I had more knowledge about the car than the owner. Paperwork is the key, it must have proof that some amount of care has been given. Even then, you have to inspect that the work was done correctly. Look at as many cars as you can and find a knowledgeable person to take with you. Good luck.
Location: Maine
Posts: 14
Club(s): (DMCNE)
Thank you all very much! It seems very friendly and welcoming here. I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply.
I just really need to get as much knowledge and ask as many questions as I can. I'm trying to be smart about this
Have any of you found that to be the case? I know that there were never any "officially" painted DeLorean's, unless you count the Gold DeLoreans that were painted for the American Express Credit Card Company.
I'd like the DeLorean we purchase to be available for birthday parties, grand openings, 80's themed get togethers... you know, stuff like that.
I see several websites where you can rent a DeLorean to display. Just thinking out loud!
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 3,385
My VIN: thirty two 'o five
Club(s): (PNDC)
Yeah, seems like it should be easy and straight forward right? Not really. Like everything else, people think they have the right to "rent" your car for free.
Most of us with some type of collectors insurance are forbidden from using the car for monetary gain, which means additional insurance is needed should you rent the vehicle at all.
I'd say for every 10 rental requests I get, 7 people are morons who aren't really serious and won't get back to me after the typical 2-line "How much" email (even though the ad states "quotes require specific information" in their initial emails), 2 people will politely write back and say they can't afford it and 1 will actually rent the car.
Stoked you want a DeLorean, but worry about rentals later!
Dave
Here, somewhere.
Location: Brea, CA
Posts: 602
My VIN: 3757
First rule... Go drive it... if it can run for an hour, with no problems... the windows work, the AC works, the body looks good... you have a chance to get a good car.... Best of luck! Let us know if you have one you like...
Craig
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.
Posts: 2,083
My VIN: 0934
Club(s): (NCDMC) (DCUK)
And you may wish to acquaint yourself with a few of the finer points of the DMC-12 by getting a copy of this buyer's guide.
http://deloreanguide.com/?p=1
Unless you have a high budget you will not buy a perfect D, you will buy one with defects you can live with for as long as it takes you to deal with them. Same as with any used car.
Don't obsess over every little thing, just get one that fits your needs and your budget.
One thing to ask any local seller is which repair shops they recommend. It will be useful info for you and, more importantly, it will tell you that the car got proper attention from time to time. As noted earlier, records/paperwork help a lot in this respect. You'd like to know how old all the cooling hoses are, for instance.
Happy hunting. There are good ones out there.
Posts: 277
Get yourself a copy of James Espey's Illustrated Buyer's Guide to DeLorean Automobiles first and give it a quick read. Take it with you when you inspect a DeLorean. If possible get an experienced owner on this list to inspect the car and give you an evaluation of the car. In many instances there will be an owner close enough to the car to help you. From my experience in buying my first DeLorean, the first three things that I would look for when considering a DeLorean purchase are: Frame rust, Frame rust and Frame rust.
Good Luck!
Rod
10921
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