Regular Car Reviews Delorean

[Farrar]

I like the little Galaxy Class Starship hanging from the rearview.

Don't forget the TOS communicator on the keyring.

Am I the only one who caught the 4 speed automatic error?

No, I always wish mine had a fourth gear, especially on the highway when the engine is turning at 3,500 RPM.

Actually the 83's were reported to be the best original DeLoreans built.

Reported by whom? Not questioning your experience, just curious where this comes from.

[Josh]

Reported by whom? Not questioning your experience, just curious where this comes from.

Im sure Micheal can elaborate but it was all a learning curve with a highly inexperienced workforce. many of the triple digit vins (very first cars) had to be re-assembled when they got to the US as they were improperly assembled in Ireland. As time went on the quality went up. The last cars are considered to be the best as the plant had laid off most workers and operated under a skeleton staff consisting om managers. This essentially meant the most knowledgeable employees in each area were physically assembling the cars.

[cyberflexx]

Good review although the guy was kinda strange..

That's a good looking car. I hate to hear what the guy from smoking tire said about it. What a jerk. I stopped watching his videos because of that comment.

[louielouie2000]

Actually the 83's were reported to be the best original DeLoreans built.

Where did Farah make the comment? Also as a guy who doesn't even own a D (yet!), I know the difference between an 81 and a last build throw it together we need to sell what's left that we can 83...
And your D is very nice Tyler. That seemed like a very fun shoot.

Reported by whom? Not questioning your experience, just curious where this comes from.

It's interesting, when I first started hanging out in the community about 15 years ago, it was common accepted knowledge that the '83s were the best build quality of the lot. Sometime in the past few years, this seems to have flip flopped in the online world. I'm not sure what brought on the sudden change, or if there's any truth behind it at all. I have to wonder if this is just some sort of viral "knowledge"- the DeLorean community is great at regurgitating unfounded dogma, even once it's been empirically disproven. I think suggesting the workers no longer cared about their jobs at the end or the product they were making is an insult to anyone who was a part of the DeLorean project. Nick Sutton & others will tell you otherwise. To those who worked at the factory, this job was the opportunity of a lifetime.

I can say from my first hand experience that the later builds do seem to be more solid than the early cars. My '82 was vastly tighter & quieter than my '81, despite my '81 being in a state of better preservation. The doors on the '83s seem to operate vastly better than earlier cars, and the panels gaps seem better for the most part. Obviously the '83s benefit from the various production upgrades: front end strengthening recall, door guides, repositioned door straps (helped ensure both striker pins latched), improved antenna location, higher output alternator, 1-piece armrest extension/b-pillar interior trim panel, and dozens of other little fixes I'm forgetting. Plus by the 1983 model year the factory workers had over a year and several thousand cars build experience, thus build quality should be greatly improved.

[Farrar]

Maybe it's just the ads on eBay and Craig's List saying that the best time for DeLorean build quality was August-October 1981, and the car for sale just happens to be a September '81 build...

[Michael]

Actually if you want black and white records...it was in the Car Crash documentary and it was a high ranking employee at the time...don't remember his name. Start at 51:40 to about 53:00

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMUXZaROJKM

[Farrar]

Actually if you want black and white records...

I'm just glad to know it's more than just DeLorean lore. Thanks!

[Michael]

I'm just glad to know it's more than just DeLorean lore. Thanks!

I have actually read this about the last cars too but I I can't remember where...probably here somewhere. One thing I have surmised is that the employees of DMC were not the stereotypical employee of today. They didn't have a "F#&$ it" attitude. They genuinely wanted their company to succeed. I use the word "their" intentionally as I believe they really felt like they were part of something special and they belonged to it. If they fail here who knows when another job lime this will come along? Maybe they were not the best plant workers but what they lacked in skill and experience they made up for in drive and passion. The last cars were not a "let's just get this done and go home" type of thing. It was a "Let's show them what we are made of. If we can just do that then maybe we will still have a job". I personally think it was a desperate (and valiant) attempt to keep the company alive.

[Farrar]

Michael, that certainly seems to have been the overall attitude of the workers - that's the feeling I got from reading Nick Sutton's book, anyway.

[Starglider]

The condition of the car is fine; the show is about 'regular cars' not tuned or concours vehicles. Many of the other cars he's done were in much worse shape, heavily rusted etc. Was expecting a positive outlook following the MR-2 episode but hadn't guessed he was such a big fan of the DMC-12.