What's your D worth to you?

[sdg3205]

Forget eBay, Craigslist, Barrett Jackson etc.

What (if any) is the price point you have at which your hand over the keys and sell the car?

There's a real difference between what my car would sell for vs the value I place on it.

The magic number for me for the past few years is $75k. I estimate I have well over 2500 hours of work into the car over the last 6 years. I'm afraid to add up the total amount invested, but I'm sure it's north of $35k.

At $50k, I'd think long and hard about it. At $75k, it's gone.

You?

[Delorean02378]

I'm in the same price range. At $50k, I'd think long and hard about it but at $75k, it's gone. With under 7,500 original miles and all the hand written receipts/work orders from PJ Grady related to 15500, I know it would be close to impossible to find a similar Delorean again. Hopefully, when my son gets it after I'm dead, he won't cash out.

[5875]

Yep ^ this above. My car will be willed to my son too. It's priceless to me after a lifetime of trying to obtain it. I'd have to say that no reasonable number would make me sell it.

[DrJeff]

Just this weekend my wife said...

"You better stay healthy, because the first thing that's going if you die is that DeLorean, and I'm going to sell it for well below value to someone who'll probably treat it like dirt."

So she either hates the car or loves me, can't tell which.

[Jonathan]

Mine would be gone for $50k CAD. I'd probably seriously consider down to about $40k CAD. If life gets in the way, maybe less than that.

That's partly based on what I see them being sold for, what I'm in for (irrelevant for the most part) and what I might consider fair. Mine is in nice shape, not perfect, but better than some of the others I've seen.

My number might end up being lower than what others have said if for no other reason than I think I'd like to move on to another hobby pretty soon. That, or just to have the freedom again of going some places and not needing to house so much stuff (and extra cars). It's amazing how many living arrangements you automatically rule out when you have to have a big, separate garage attached to the house for putting something like a DeLorean in it.

[Col Bennett]

Just this weekend my wife said...

"You better stay healthy, because the first thing that's going if you die is that DeLorean, and I'm going to sell it for well below value to someone who'll probably treat it like dirt."

So she either hates the car or loves me, can't tell which.

Haha!

[Iznodmad]

I've often thought about this one. I'm still not sure what the number would be for each car, but here it goes for fun....

888 ( low miles original example, very nice for such an early car, about $60,000).

16128. This car has done it all, an extremely nice well sorted example built for daily driving, now sporting efi and turbos. Nearly every major system updated to the best available. $120K.

5000. One of the best examples on the planet before the tear down, this is still a project underway. Stainless everything including the chassis, top of the line efi, turbos (liquid intercoled with meth injection). Signed by JZD. They just don't get any better than this one. $175K.

[sdg3205]

My number might end up being lower than what others have said if for no other reason than I think I'd like to move on to another hobby pretty soon. That, or just to have the freedom again of going some places and not needing to house so much stuff (and extra cars). It's amazing how many living arrangements you automatically rule out when you have to have a big, separate garage attached to the house for putting something like a DeLorean in it.

Interesting you say that, Jonathan. Parking out here in Clayton (a new part of Surrey, BC) is so minimal. We have a 2 car garage, but three cars. For the last year, I was actually able to get three cars in to the garage by turning my wifes MX5 (small car!) sideways! At any rate, now that my wife is back to work we have all three cars insured again and we're back to finding space on the street which is often unavailable. This can be stressful and often makes me want to get rid of a car, and it would HAVE to be the DMC since its superfluous.

On top of that, there's a beauty to being invisible that I often miss. I had some burn out in the last year which is also one of the reasons I'm selling off and throwing out all my parts. My fellow DMC friends have sold or moved so it has gotten a little quiet, too. Despite all this, I still love driving it when i get the chance. Well have to see what the future brings.

[mr_maxime]

Mine isnt anywhere near as nice as some of the others described in this thread, but it'd take at least $50k. It's still a dream car and I dont know what I'd do without it. Plus the only reason I'd want that kind of money is to put it into the Delorean or delorean related expenses.

[Farrar]

I'd sell mine for $50k, then buy another one for $25k and spend the other $25k on repairs and upgrades. :D

[DaraSue]

Priceless. :biggrin:

Seriously though, maybe I'd consider it for enough to buy one of the remanufactured ones that's perfect in every way, but the one I've got took me 1400 miles without the assistance of a tow truck the first time I ever drove it, so I kind of figure, why roll the dice with a different one? ;)

[Michael]

The value of the car and the value to me are the same number but I'm not saying.

[Cory W]

Mine's spent most of this year in its garage or driveway for various reasons (2015 BTTF burnout, taking the reins of the family business after the death of my father in January, the admitted novelty of my new car) but I still don't tire of it. It's run well enough these last eight years that I'd hop in it now and drive any distance without worry. If I sold it, I'd only turn around and buy another one, and what's the point of that? I'll stick with the car I know.

With the aforementioned second car, each of my kids have one willed to them when I die. They love my cars, and have no desire to see them go. They're really family heirlooms. What value can you really put on that?

[sdg3205]

They love my cars, and have no desire to see them go. They're really family heirlooms. What value can you really put on that?

I hear you. I would love to see my daughter turn wrenches some day and pass on my car to her.

In a similar vein, my dad has a 1987 300zx. Bought it brand new. The 87 and 88's are often considered the black sheep of the Z cars, but i loved the car growing up and my dad never sold it for that reason. It's hardly worth $3k, but the sentimental value is priceless.

[Michael]

I hear you. I would love to see my daughter turn wrenches some day and pass on my car to her.

In a similar vein, my dad has a 1987 300zx. Bought it brand new. The 87 and 88's are often considered the black sheep of the Z cars, but i loved the car growing up and my dad never sold it for that reason. It's hardly worth $3k, but the sentimental value is priceless.

I love Z 31's especially the end models because of the single long tail light lens and redefined bodywork. If you ask me, those are everything a 280Z should be. The Z32 however is an entirely different beast. IMO the Z32's are the best Z car built to date.

[Riley88]

All of the money I have put into mine, but I would probably sell for 40k just because...you know id like to start a retirement fund and not have to worry about money. But I love my car so Much =/

[Ryan King]

I would take $50,000 for mine if someone had cash in hand.

[Jonathan]

Interesting you say that, Jonathan. Parking out here in Clayton (a new part of Surrey, BC) is so minimal. We have a 2 car garage, but three cars. For the last year, I was actually able to get three cars in to the garage by turning my wifes MX5 (small car!) sideways! At any rate, now that my wife is back to work we have all three cars insured again and we're back to finding space on the street which is often unavailable. This can be stressful and often makes me want to get rid of a car, and it would HAVE to be the DMC since its superfluous.

On top of that, there's a beauty to being invisible that I often miss. I had some burn out in the last year which is also one of the reasons I'm selling off and throwing out all my parts. My fellow DMC friends have sold or moved so it has gotten a little quiet, too. Despite all this, I still love driving it when i get the chance. Well have to see what the future brings.

If there is one thing you only seem to learn from experience, but that I wish I somehow knew in advance, this is it. And if I knew the extent of it 10 years ago, and had a crystal ball to see what lay ahead, I don't imagine I'd have bought the car at all.

I've found the attention quite overwhelming at times. Knowing people are stopping to stare at you, out on the road, or even walking past your garage. I think it's also started to make me feel a little too "watched" even when the DeLorean isn't in the picture. Like some sort of Matrix/Truman Show effect.

We mention sometimes needing thick skin to own one of these cars, and while I won't say you must have thick skin versus thin, I will say it can be a real impact on whether you enjoy owning the car. I think most everyone can understand that when everything is going great for you, none of the other stuff bothers you and it's all "water off a duck's back." Conversely, when life is more of a struggle, almost any or all of the DeLorean owning stuff can bother you. And bother you intensely and incessantly. Call it "life's variable effect on skin thickness" or something like that.

Think of it this way: Some buddies are playing poker and you have one guy at the table that can do no wrong and he has a mountain of chips in front of him. A different guy has almost no chips in front of him as it just isn't his night. The guy with all the chips is laughing and having fun and really enjoying the game. The guy at the other end of the spectrum isn't having fun or laughing or being his usual jovial self. No calls for him to "relax, have fun" are going to help. He might have better luck tomorrow, but for the time being, it's tough to enjoy the moment for him. And the chip leader is enjoying all of it regardless of the jokes or odd hand he loses. The way things have gone for those guys at the table dictates who's enjoying themselves and who isn't.

Probably more than any other single factor, how everything else is going in life for an owner is going to dictate how well they enjoy owning their car. Not current condition, initial condition, purchase price, ongoing costs, neighbours, fellow owners, car show people. None of that matters as much as all the things outside of DeLorean ownership do.

...you didn't really ask that in this thread, but you did ask what the car is worth to the person owning it. This helps explain why the number might be lower compared to some. It's definitely part of why my perceived worth might be a little on the low side.

[Rich_NYS]

35k

[DMCMW Dave]

I've found the attention quite overwhelming at times. .

Heh - - engineers.

[Lou and "Boo"]

One word answer-

MILLIONS !!

:)

[mr_maxime]

I'm quite the opposite with the attention now. All of my friends live in metro atlanta and I moved to birmingham for work and Im not the most social person so my car does a lot of the work lol. I get to geek out about my car to people to want to hear about it.

[Josh]

I was at the bank today and I had to list the value of my assets... I valued my car at 40,000. I thought that was high but apparently not based on this thread!

Doesnt really matter, not planning on selling it in this lifetime.

[Soundkillr]

I was at the bank today and I had to list the value of my assets... I valued my car at 40,000. I thought that was high but apparently not based on this thread!

Doesnt really matter, not planning on selling it in this lifetime.
Keep in mind, this is based on a dream thread. This isn't what you will get if you sell. If you were to sell it based on this thread, half the people here wouldn't get the first phone call.....
edit: that said, I think your assessment is fair, perhaps maybe even a little low if you have a clean ls swap

[Michael]

Keep in mind, this is based on a dream thread. This isn't what you will get if you sell. If you were to sell it based on this thread, half the people here wouldn't get the first phone call.....
edit: that said, I think your assessment is fair, perhaps maybe even a little low if you have a clean ls swap

Well in that case I will sell for 125 million dollars.

Maybe a even swap for a lightbsaber or I will ad boot if someone shows up in an x wing fighter.

[16949]

100k cash would be an easy decision. It would take me forever to find another original '83 that has been driven just enough etc so i'd just buy another that someone else has already upgraded for 30 or 40k.. maybe..