Looking to buy my first DeLorean, have ZERO experience with these cars. Advice?

[AgentDL]

I've always wanted a DeLorean (huge BTTF fan) and in a few months will be in a position to buy one. Thing is, I've never driven one, ridden in one, or even really sat in one. I'm also not really a "car guy" so I'd be looking for a clean, functional, user-friendly car that works the way it's supposed to (please don't laugh!) and can be repaired by someone else when necessary.

Next weekend I'll be meeting Ken at Pedigree Motors here in South Florida for my first hands-on/educational session on these cars... but in the mean time, any advice from you folks?

Am I crazy and/or unprepared for owning a DeLorean based on my lack of knowledge and relative unwillingness to deal with breakdowns/problems?

Thanks in advance!

[krs09]

I also bought my D without driving/riding in or really sitting in one also learned to drive stick in my D (everyone thought I was crazy for that one). But unless you have a substantial income or very little to no bills it would be a good idea to get willing to do some or most of your own work. The car may be in good shape to start but on a 30yr old car things WILL break down. Just sayin

[Nicholas R]

You have to be a little crazy to get involved with DeLoreans no matter what.

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully you can learn a lot from Ken. Best of luck with whatever you do!

Just remember, it's going to be 30 years old no matter what. There will be things that need repaired from time to time. It's cheaper to learn to fix them yourself, but going in, if your prepare yourself to pay to repair it, you may be ok,

[AgentDL]

I also bought my D without driving/riding in or really sitting in one also learned to drive stick in my D (everyone thought I was crazy for that one). But unless you have a substantial income or very little to no bills it would be a good idea to get willing to do some or most of your own work. The car may be in good shape to start but on a 30yr old car things WILL break down. Just sayin

Thanks for the input! I'll have enough disposable income that paying for repairs won't be an issue. I'm just not in a position to really do any of it myself. Are they ridiculously expensive to repair? Do they require specialized mechanics?

[krs09]

Thanks for the input! I'll have enough disposable income that paying for repairs won't be an issue. I'm just not in a position to really do any of it myself. Are they ridiculously expensive to repair? Do they require specialized mechanics?

Well I never changed my own oil on my 99 monte but did all of my own work on my delo (rebuilt engine,suspension,wiring ect) It amazing what you can learn from this site and the help from Dave @ DMCMW and all vendors, SpecialT's web site is very usefull aswell. EVERYTHING is scary when you don't know what your doing but with some knowledge and confidence its crazy how much you can do! Not to mention doing your own work will be crazy satisfying and who knows you just might have fun doing it. I do, I think a lot of us do... + 1 on being crazy getting involved in D's at all.

[Jeff K]

Don't do it, unless you have a ton of cash or mechanical experience.

These are old finicky cars developed with some real slipshot engineering.

I've owned two. (still one one)

Jeff

[ccurzio]

I knew NOTHING about auto repair when I bought my DeLorean. Now I know NEXT to nothing, but I've accomplished some repairs and learned a whole hell of a lot.

Changing out the clutch slave cylinder was probably the most involved repair project I've done on it.

[opethmike]

Run away.jpg

[AugustneverEnds]

I've always wanted a DeLorean (huge BTTF fan) and in a few months will be in a position to buy one. Thing is, I've never driven one, ridden in one, or even really sat in one. I'm also not really a "car guy" so I'd be looking for a clean, functional, user-friendly car that works the way it's supposed to (please don't laugh!) and can be repaired by someone else when necessary.

Next weekend I'll be meeting Ken at Pedigree Motors here in South Florida for my first hands-on/educational session on these cars... but in the mean time, any advice from you folks?

Am I crazy and/or unprepared for owning a DeLorean based on my lack of knowledge and relative unwillingness to deal with breakdowns/problems?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the world of DeLorean!!!

I'm sure most people will agree your best course of action is to buy a car that is in very good condition. As in, has been restored and all maintenance is up to date and documented. Take your time in trying several different Ds before you make your selection. You are located in South Florida; there are plenty of qualified shops that you should investigate and contact and get to know. It is essential that you invest in a set of shop manuals. And as you can see the forum has plenty of support. And don't forget to have a blast getting hopelessly obsessed with all things DeLorean!

Happy Hunting!!!

[vwdmc16]

+1 on above. The biggest tips i can think of: Be open minded and whatever your expectations are as far as performance/quality/etc --lower them. It seems that anyone that knows of these cars "know" are junk/slow/bad, yet in my experience nearly none of them have any first hand experience with them either, the cars get a bad rap from these people. If you come from a car history background of only owning nice new or expensive cars your whole life you may be disappointed with your first encounter with a D, On the other hand if all you have owned is a Yugo or a junk Malaise-era american car then a decent D will be the nicest thing in the world.

My point is to be realistic about expectations: its a 32+ year old low production hand built car that was rushed into production. Lotus did great with the engineering in the time space they had but Im pretty sure Toyota invested more R&D and testing into the armrests on the new Siennas than DMCL did as a whole. Unless you buy a perfect example and just squirrel it away these car's usually require some decent looking after but for many that is half the fun! So as people will say buy the nicest one you can afford, I bought a real junker and the only reason I can afford it is because im a professional mechanic.

However most owners didnt buy a D to drive all the time and do everything, To them and maybe to you it's a weekend toy that is just for show. That brings up another point these cars also come with a fame/popularity generator, trying to go to the store and mind your own business with it becomes difficult as Delorean's can gather alot of attention. If you dont like talking with random people every time you go out(usually answering the same questions over and over and correcting alot of misinformation too), its not the car for you. I got my car because of my love for BTTF too but I think I have heard more Flux capacitor joke than anyone should every be subjected too.

That said im not saying dont go for it, Please try it out and its pretty likely you will love it.