Number of DeLoreans Left: Time for Some "Expert" Opinions

[Dracula]

The article in this thread got me thinking and I'd like to hear what a few others think of this matter.

It's often stated that people expect there to be around 6,000 to 6,500 DeLoreans left. I disagree. I think the number is closer to 8,000 and here's why: there are many DeLoreans that are unknown and, with some minor repairs, could easily be made road-worthy again and aren't counted. I'd also say that of the 9,000 or so that were made, that it seems to be a realistic and slightly high estimate that there were 1,000 or so destroyed in 30 years.

Now, for the debate. What constitutes destroyed? I see it as a car where the VIN has been reported to belong to a car that was totaled and scrapped. A car with repairable damage or a good, titleable VIN is still around.

There's also the aspect of "on the road" vs "remaining" to consider. Very few are used as regular transportation, yet that doesn't meant that those that aren't shouldn't be considered. I'd estimate that there are about 500 DeLoreans that are driven daily year-round, and that number may be too high, seeing as many are out away for winter use.

[dmc6960]

I agree with your premise that the 6500 number is irreverent. However I wont go as far to speculate ANY number though, as that is all you can do with this, speculate.

My logic...
The "6500 left" number has been around since I got involved with DeLorean's in the late 90's. So in the first 18 years, ~2500 cars were lost, then in next 12 years none were lost? This just proves that 87% of all staticstics are made up.

[DeLorean]

Well, my DeLorean might have been considered "gone" because it had not been on the road or registered since 1991. I got it, and it's back on the road, registered, running driving. are there 6501 now? However I kind of doubt my case is typical...

Honestly, with the initial "quality" of the car, I find it hard to believe that only 1000-1500 of them were scrapped in the 30 years since these cars were made! If I had to guess, I would think the number left in existence might be closer to 5000 or possibly less.

[SamHill]

Right now it is speculation, but it doesn't have to be! It can be roughly quantifiable with a few years of steady work. As good as owners are at ferreting out hidden cars, an amazingly list could be compiled.

The DMC wiki would have been perfect for this purpose had it not been maliciously spammed to death. A future version would ideally have all submissions approved by an admin.

Instead of continued speculation, this thread could be a call to renew the effort to settle the question over the long term once and for all.

[Dracula]

Well, my DeLorean might have been considered "gone" because it had not been on the road or registered since 1991. I got it, and it's back on the road, registered, running driving. are there 6501 now? However I kind of doubt my case is typical...

Honestly, with the initial "quality" of the car, I find it hard to believe that only 1000-1500 of them were scrapped in the 30 years since these cars were made! If I had to guess, I would think the number left in existence might be closer to 5000 or possibly less.

You'd be amazed how many cars there are where that IS the typical story. I looked at one last week that hadn't been registered since '96, and a few months back, one that expired in 2001. The earliest I've personally seen was a car with a plate that expired in '83.

This is why I think we need a definition of how the cars are to be determined and to see if we can put together an actual more informed number that's less of an estimate.

[Spittybug]

Isn't this exactly what Lazabby (Shannon Birdswell) does? He keeps a huge file of cars/owners. http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1594-VIN-Chronology

[DMC3165]

Isn't this exactly what Lazabby (Shannon Birdswell) does? He keeps a huge file of cars/owners.

That was my thought. I would think he would have a realistic number (give or take a little) of how many are destroyed beyond repair. I can tell you my old D #774 after I sold it was in such bad condition it was dissambled and left to rot. The victim of an unsucsessful restoration attempt.

[SamHill]

Isn't this exactly what Lazabby (Shannon Birdswell) does? He keeps a huge file of cars/owners. http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1594-VIN-Chronology

No. He does not indicate past locations and in some cases current locations of cars (or if it does which is which), condition of cars, keep photographs, history, past work done, whether modified, when bought and sold, etc. In my opinion, that is worthwhile information to gather. It also would go to answering the question of remaining cars within a certain range, which the linked list above does not.

I don't know if he keeps huge files of cars/owners, all I know that it is not available to the community to read or amend as needed.

[Evildeli]

What about salvage titles? The car could be rebuilt, but with a salvage it can't be re-registered, so would it be counted? Other than that I would think that with the internet building up the community, more cars are being saved and less are being destroyed. I tell people that the number used to be around 6k, but should be around 7k now.

[stevedmc]

About 9,000 Deloreans were built.

About 6,000 Deloreans still exist.

About 3,000 Deloreans are drivable.

About 1,500 Deloreans get regular use.

End of story. Sean, can you please close this thread?