Great ideas for the new forum sections guys! I'll give the "car blog" type section a go. Won't try to do it all at once or in one post, so I'll add to it as time permits.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away........

...j/k

~~~

Bought VIN 03937 in August 2007. I imported it from the US to Canada and it arrived in October of 2007.

It is a September 1981 build and has the automatic transmission and black interior options. The car has a right front fender antenna and the light grey wheels. It (had) a Craig radio and the console clock. The hood has no gas flap, but does have the grooves. Front and rear fascias came with a lighter than normal grey paint, almost a silver to match the stainless in certain light. At the time of purchase, no notable modifications done to the engine or much elsewhere.

The car took longer than expected to be delivered. Not due to customs clearance, but from the dealership. I was led to believe it was mainly waiting on a replacement headlight switch, but it also had some ignition switch work done in transit. Car advertisement described it as the "cleanest DeLorean our purchasing manager has ever seen."

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The car arrived on October 10th, 2007 and so did the beginning of the surprises...

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Of course I did my best to look over as much as I knew how to when it arrived. I rushed into purchasing the car too quickly and didn't spend enough time learning. There are endless things or ways I would do it differently if I were to take a second crack at it, but such is life. I bet at the time I was as impressed with a Save the Clock Tower flyer being included as I was frame pictures or maintenance history. In fact, I think I joined the forum here in September 2007 AFTER buying the car, instead of the other way around. I bought it from 60+ photos, phone calls and emails, and an in person check by a coworker who lived in that area. He thought the car was great, but unfortunately he didn't know what he was looking at any better than I did. Oh well, no regrets... moving on

I made some notes right away, my "day one observations" if you will. Partly to document what I knew needed fixing or attention, but possibly something that a lawyer might need to review.

Here's the highlights from the first 48 hours (and boy did the list ever grow after this!):

- Automatic transmission when in “D” will not shift automatically out of 1st gear. Dave at DMC Midwest said to check tranny fluid first otherwise it is likely a failure of the transmission governor module.
- Speedometer/odometer does not work. Dave at DMC Midwest said to check behind front left tire for angle drive and cable problems.
- Fuel gauge does not appear to be working. Needle reading vertical directly at word “FUEL”, as opposed to 4/4 mark. Contents of fuel tank unknown.
- Cooling fan failure light is on. Have not investigated whether fans actually are working or not. Dave from DMC Midwest commented that from fuse area pictures he thought the PO might have rewired the light to mean something else.
- No door lock key was shipped with car. Cannot unlock doors from outside. Locksmith may be able to produce key for the existing cylinders, or new door lock cylinders will be needed complete with keys.
- Neither power window moves up or down. Passenger window switch was found defective by dealership and they have had Warren at DMCH mail me a new switch. Drivers switch is in place, but window does not move. Switch problem? Motor? Fuse?
- Cannot seem to get air flow through cabin vents. Fans are running (0, 1, 2, 3, etc speeds) but air is not channeling into cabin. Have not tested out A/C.
- Radio is dead. No lights or sound.
- Both drivers and passengers seat does not slide forward or back. It appears as though when the seats were reupholstered, this sliding mechanism was taken out and seats are bolted in place.
- Two rogue wiring on/off toggle switches under left side of drivers footwell. Each switch has one wire coming into switch and one wire leaving. These terminate at a screw in frame (ground?). One switch has a blue wire, the other has a black wire. Are these related to cooling fans?
- Clock is blank.
- Engine louvers cover has no latch. Cable appears to be gone. Release point behind drivers seat is still in place, but does not appear to be connected to anything.
- Trunk latch does not seem to grab.
- Small amount of oil leaking from approximately oil filter area. May have gotten loose during shipping.

Two days later on October 12th, 2007, a Friday, I zipped over to my mechanic's figuring I would get the car safetied, go to the DMV and get my plate sticker and registration done, and then I would be cruising out into the sunset with the wind blowing by. Ironically, it would take 9 months less one day to get my car back on July 11th, 2008. With many of the problems gone, as well as a significant chunk of my wallet, but plenty of issues remaining.

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...To Be Continued