opionions on these DMCs for sale

[dembkomj]

I've found a seller with two Deloreans for sale and would like to obtain some initial thoughts on them. You will see two cars side by side in a warehouse, the car on the right has 13k miles and the car on the left has only 920! All of the closeup pictures of the interior, engine, underbody are of the 920 mile car. The seller is telling me that the cars have been sitting in this warehouse since 1986, so there will be some mechanical issues to work thru.

The 920 mile car has a firm price of $25k and the 13k mile car fr $20k. While he is firm on the price, I feel it's a bit on the high side for cars that have been sitting for 30 years. However, the condition of the 920 mile car looks especially good, especially the frame. It had also been covered by a layer of dust and dirt but has been washed clean for these pictures.

Pictures are attached, I'd like to know your opinions on these. I'm trying to get more pictures from the seller on the 13k mile car.
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Thanks
Mike

[Rich_NYS]

These might be the cars I recently saw on Facebook. James Epsey commented on them; IIRC, he saw them in person and assessed their condition so he might be a good source of info. He mentioned an estimated dollar amount he felt they'd need....I don't recall that amount but it was probably at least 10K (the amount he seems to mention for most cars he comments on.)

[Chris Burns]

Count on at least 15k to 20k in repairs if done by a vendor.

Way overpriced cars in my opinion.

[dmcnc]

The key issue is maintenance....

"A good rule of thumb is that for every year the car has been sitting with no maintenance, plan on spending about $1500-2000 to bring it back to life, mechanically and cosmetically".

Ref: http://www.ebay.com/gds/Buying-a-DeLorean-car-/10000000001738963/g.html

[DMC-81]

Based on the pictures, in my opinion, $20K for the 13K car is reasonable, assuming it at least turns over. If you can do the re-commissioning work, plan to spend 5-10K, based on decisions that you make, and what the car needs.

I'd snap it up quickly if it were me.

The price of the 920 mile car is also reasonable if you value the extremely low miles. It will need the same work.

They are both low miles, complete, not baked by the sun, not rusted, and un-molested. These things are very valuable to me, and they are worth a premium.

[Domi]

Very interesting find.
Even if these car required some work to get back on the road, they might be a real bargain if the shape is good, especially on the frame.
Any idea of the VIN of each car?

[sdg3205]

Easily $15-20k in repairs and parts. 30 years of sitting. They have a ton of potential, but it will always costs more than you expect to restore a Delorean. Sometimes double.

[MTDMC]

Where are these cars located? I see one of them has a Texas plate.

[OverlandMan]

The seller is telling me that the cars have been sitting in this warehouse since 1986, so there will be some mechanical issues to work thru.


Hard to tell but I think I'm seeing a 94 registration sticker on one of the Texas plates still mounted to the rear of the car. That would potentially contradict the seller's statement.

Where are these cars? I'm in Dallas and if they're around here I'd be happy to help you look over them some more.

[Jonathan]

Based on the pictures, in my opinion, $20K for the 13K car is reasonable, assuming it at least turns over. If you can do the re-commissioning work, plan to spend 5-10K, based on decisions that you make, and what the car needs.

I'd snap it up quickly if it were me.

The price of the 920 mile car is also reasonable if you value the extremely low miles. It will need the same work.

They are both low miles, complete, not baked by the sun, not rusted, and un-molested. These things are very valuable to me, and they are worth a premium.

I was about to say pretty much everything that Dana just said here. :)

- if the cars sat for the same amount of time, mechanically, they need the same work. Not the cosmetic stuff or if some parts turn out to be missing, but includes replacing rubber hoses, tires, flushing gas tanks, brake lines, coolant, rebuilding calipers, etc.

- we hear of guys sitting on old cars as "goldmines." This might be as close to that being actually true as I've seen. That 920 mile car looks very, very nice and clean. I don't think $25k is over priced really. Think of it this way, if it does take $10k or $15k of restoration mechanical work, and you turn this car into something you've invested $35k to $40k in, visualize what you now have. Likely one of the best examples out there that could be a show piece or an extremely nice daily driver. Conversely, if you bought a car that's for sale somewhere else out there for $15k or even $20k and it is in average shape from those we've seen lately, what does your finished product look like after you've put another $20k into it? I would guess it will not look like this 920 mile car does and never will. We hear the advice of buying a car that was well stored and doesn't run over one that sort of runs but wasn't well stored (sun baked or rusty). This car looks to be in very nice condition from that perspective.

- if James or someone else known has already seen these cars and has made their whereabouts public, then so be it. But, if the location of these cars are not well known yet, I would suggest keeping it to yourself as I expect others will also see the value in this 920 mile car for $25k. Not saying that will happen for certain, but there are a lot of crap condition cars out there that the sellers want more than $25k for.

[kajcienski]

Just an observation - the dash and binnacle look pretty "yellowed" compared to the rest of the interior. I have a black interior so am not a good judge, but wouldn't that show sun damage? Or is this pretty common on grey interiors where the color tones begin to vary despite sun exposure?

[dembkomj]

I don't think this is one of the cars on the facebook page, as that one looked a bit more beat up. The seller has told me that the two cars are 1981's, 5 VIN #'s apart from each other and were purchased by a corporation from the dealer together, new. They are single owner cars. As far as the yellowing of the dash, some of those pictures shows a layer of dirt/dust on the car prior to it being hosed off. The picture also shows it with the driver's window down, so possibly that yellowing is from the dust??

I've been looking for one actively for about 5 years now, and everything I've come across is usually OK until it gets to looking at that frame, which usually turns out to be too rusty for me to justify the purchase. This 920 car, in my case, has been the best frame example that I have personally seen. The low mileage makes it even more attractive, and the chances of the speedo cable being broke look to be low due to the quality of the rest of the car.

[Dangermouse]

As noted above, without even seeing the pics of the 13k mile car, both will need the same amount of refurbishment work, assuming the frame on the second one isn't toast.

The 920 mile claim is only valuable if you plan on "collecting" the car. If you plan on driving it, I wouldn't pay the premium as it is no better or worse than the other one.

(I assume that all the interior, frame and engine pics are of the 920mile one)



Mind, you, I like the oil drip pan under the front of the car. I suppose it will be useful in catching the mice droppings

[louielouie2000]

I see frame rust... in picture 24 that appears to be rust on the crumple extension ahead of the fuel tank closing plate. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it appears that a chunk has corroded completely through. There also appears to be very minor surface rust on the bottom side of the engine cradle- probably where it scraped something at some point. Neither problem is likely to be serious, but I'd especially look at that front section closer.

Still, either car would be a very exciting project. You almost never seen mothballed cars like these for sale anymore. Count on them being bears, though. It's possible the engine has seized from 3 decades of sitting after very little original driving. You'll have to go through all major systems: cooling, fuel injection, brakes, electrical, A/C, vacuum, etc. Anything rubber is toast- hoses, belts, tires, O-rings, seals, etc. Things like cooling fans and such may have seized depending on the moisture situation in storage. Definitely clean all the grounds. The blackened oil pan is concerning... especially on such a low mileage car. Could a mechanical problem have sent this car into an early hibernation? The good news is I don't see any rodent infestation issues, which is common on these type cars, especially in the electrical compartments. The windows being open concerns me- do the vehicles stink inside?

Regarding the cosmetic stuff, I see both cars are mid/late 1981's. This is the beginning of when production really ramped up, but demand for the cars tanked. You can tell these cars sat outside unsold for some time, judging by the sun damage both exhibit. One car has front fascia eyebrows, the other has yellowing on the dash, binnacle, interior b-pillar trim, and upper corner of the seats. The leather on the seats is taught, and mostly devoid of their original pleats... more signs of being baked in the sun. I see the seat back has popped off the driver's seat- unusual for a sub 1,000 mile car. All things totaled, these are still above average condition cars cosmetically, though.

What are these cars worth? It all depends. 10-15 years ago, these would have been $10k cars, tops. I still think the asking prices on each of these cars is at least $5k too high. There is a certain pricelessness to them, though. They both appear 100% original, and completely un-tampered with. That is an enviable starting point for any restoration. These cars would be neat projects... just don't underestimate the time, money, and frustration that will go into getting them roadworthy.

[louielouie2000]

Count on at least 15k to 20k in repairs if done by a vendor.

That quote is extremely conservative, in my opinion.

[aotmfilms]

Hard to tell but I think I'm seeing a 94 registration sticker on one of the Texas plates still mounted to the rear of the car. That would potentially contradict the seller's statement.



I would have to agree. The tag looks like it says "94" on it. I would relook at that tag. Also the leak underneath the car is a concern.3599735998

Having just purchased a D this past July, my thoughts are, if the cars are not running, then the 13k mile car, I'd price it around 17K, the other car, around 22k. No WAY in H#ll..I'd pay 25k for the 920 car when I can go pay 25k for a running decent car. IMHO, the mileage difference in these cars given their pedigree are do not justify a 5k difference in price, but that is just me.

The best advice is this: Look at it from a business standpoint and not from an emotional standpoint (you want to have one of these cars so you will overlook things, I had to walk away from nice ones that I thought were too expensive 35k with 2700 miles). I had to do that many times this summer myself. It was just pure luck that 5778 fell into my lap else my hunt would have taken me to KY, FL and TX....

As an example: It all depends on if you want it as a show car or a daily driver. My requirements did not require everything original or stock. The car that I purchased had 21,200 miles on it and was WELL maintained and sold for a little north of 25k and my car could be used as a daily driver vs the one that I could have had for 39k that only had 2,400 miles on it....

If you do not have, I would purchase the illustrated buyer's guide to delorean automobiles. It helped me ALOT when looking at these vehicles. I had a saying, "If I can't drive it...I ain't buying it", so alot of cars are elimated by that statement, but you are not me. If it was me, I'd pass (get something running, too many questions in these, a running car is easier to inspect if you do not know exactly what to look for, also you cannot drive it if it is not running. No way I'd commit anything more than 17k for something not running, too many unknowns). http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Buyers-Guide-DeLorean-Automobiles/dp/0985657804

Just trying to help you out as how I have been looking since Feb and have researched since last June 2014. I'd hate for someone on here to get a bad deal. If the D's were running then MAYBE I'd jump. In my case my PO was firm as well but legit. I couldn't haggle with him because he brought the goods, had all of the paperwork from 1985, and did the work himself for a good price. If I didn't think so, I'd have walked.

Good luck!

--Doug

[dembkomj]

That inspection sticker on the license plate actually reads 1990, not really much better than what I was told.

I do have a copy of the Illustrated Guide book, purchased it last year and it's very helpful. I don't mind taking on a project, however I too have seen other drivable examples for the same prices, granted they may need some work. For something that's been neglected for 30 years, I don't think it makes sense for me to pay the full asking price as there will be money spent simply getting it running. Then additional expenses for finishing it out cosmetically.

With the cars being in Houston and I in Ohio, it's some money anyways to just go out to look at these so in my opinion if the seller can't back down on asking price then I would pass on these. There is another car in Boston I've been chasing down for close to 9 months however the seller has acquired it from the previous owner and it's held up in the court process. That car will need some work however it is drivable and that seller is just looking to dump the car off for probably < $20k. That would be more worth the wait.

It's 2015 already...need me a Delorean!!! http://dmctalk.org/images/icons/icon6.png

[Nicholas R]

We have really come a long way haven't we? It seems like only a couple years ago that a non-running barn find was $5k-$10k and we were throwing around the "$25,000 rule of thumb" (that any DeLorean is $25k whether you pay $25k for a runner, or $10k for a project and spend $15k in repairs). Sounds like the $40,000 rule of thumb now...

Now these non running barn cars are valued at $20k, "project cars" are a *good* deal at $17k... Yet somehow when people ask me what my car is worth, I usually say; "I dont know... maybe $25-$30k??" Man... maybe I need to up my estimate (as well as my insurance coverage). :wink:

[OverlandMan]

That inspection sticker on the license plate actually reads 1990, not really much better than what I was told.

Still 4 years diff from what the seller says. Nitpicking is good when you're a buyer.



With the cars being in Houston and I in Ohio, it's some money anyways to just go out to look at these so in my opinion if the seller can't back down on asking price then I would pass on these. There is another car in Boston I've been chasing down for close to 9 months however the seller has acquired it from the previous owner and it's held up in the court process. That car will need some work however it is drivable and that seller is just looking to dump the car off for probably < $20k. That would be more worth the wait.

I offered to inspect if local to me. I'm sure others would too if these were relatively close.

[88KPH]

What happened to these? Love time warp stuff.

[Parzval]

One of them turned up on Craigslist. It has a thread on here somewhere. Don't know about the other.

[Dangermouse]

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/5289271469.html

25k for the 920 mile one

[djdogbone]

Low miles in a well kept car is one thing....these cars are going to need a lot of work. If they were parked with fluids, you can bet those engine blocks are toast. Not a good price, AT ALL

[Dangermouse]

The other one is on CL too.

04615 down to $16k

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/5364107055.html

seller, you can paypal me my finders fee :biggrin:

[powerline84]

what do you guys think of this car for 16 grand? (keeping in mind i can do my own work). Has anyone seen it in person? Frame? does motor turn?

[88KPH]

I think that looks reasonable. Depending on your location and ability. There are set procedures for commissioning an engine that has sat for a long time.
A question maybe why it was parked up and forgotten all those years ago. Good luck.