rickjames8
11-13-2016, 11:48 PM
So after saying for the past 20 years "I'm going to get a DeLorean one day", today was the day. I've actually wanted one since I was 8 or 9 - this would have been the late 70's or so, I remember hearing/seeing the stories about this stainless steel car coming out soon. I was living in Hawaii at the time, and I remember actually seeing my first one about 1982 or so - cars like that were rare on the islands. It wasn't until about 20 years ago when I could afford one did I start saying I was going to get one someday.
Then other cars came and went and later I went off and lived in strange non-DeLorean-friendly places for a decade, then came back and got the itch once again. I sold some assets recently and got the now-or-never vibe. I started seriously looking around for DeLoreans, then took stock of other hectic things going on in my life at the moment and resigned myself to waiting juuuuust a little while longer, and only casually checking ads. Well, when an ebay auction came up just 40 miles from me, I had to go see it, but more to have a reference for comparison for the one I'd eventually buy when I was ready.
Here's the listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-DeLorean-DMC-12-/272437247918?orig_cvip=true
When I went to see it, the auction was live and at $14k with several days to go. I was sure it would get in to the 20s. The guy asked me if I'd like to make an offer to stop the auction, and I said no. He then offered that he'd take $18k to do that, and I was tempted. It ran well, the interior was mostly in good shape, frame looked great, everything worked(ish), it only had 2 minor dents, and I was running out of excuses not to do it. But I told him I needed to wait.
So I jumped on here and asked a few people and got some good advice about what the value would be, and at the same time, found that the mileage was not the 4772 displayed on the clock (and listed in the ad). Probably somewhere near 104,000, but it's so inconsistent, even that's a guess. I informed the seller about the mileage and in light of that, the seller said he'd take $16k. Wow - I wanted a car that had been driven rather than one that had sat, so it was a win-win. But still, the timing just wasn't perfect, so I reluctantly said no.
The auction closed at $20k, but the bidder couldn't get the money together. The seller reached out to me and said, 'make an offer'. I said at $14,500, I just would not be able to say no. He said yes, and I now own the car I've always dreamt about owning.
The seller was an interesting guy. He won the lottery twice, to the tune of about $70M. He's not so much a car guy as he's just a toy guy. He's got houses all over the place. If anyone is looking for a 17,000 sqFT house with a 15-car heated garage, his is up for sale in WV for a cool $1.3m. He said he owned the D for 4 years and used to drive it twice a year. So when he asked if I wanted to drive it home, or have him transport it for free, I figured it'd be best for me to get it trailered down so I can check it out before taking it on the highway. It arrives tomorrow.
I already have a list of things I want to check, and after that, a list of things I want to fix, and after that, a list of things I want to upgrade. Once I get it all down on paper, I'll post it here and see if people think it sounds like a good game plan.
I'm excited to be a member of this community. I've lurked on here for a very long time and it seems like a great bunch of friendly and knowledgeable people. Looking forward to meeting some of you in person someday.
Also, a big thanks to the people I've been PM'ing with who've helped me with seeing if this car was worth the asking price, especially dangermouse.
Rick
5470
Then other cars came and went and later I went off and lived in strange non-DeLorean-friendly places for a decade, then came back and got the itch once again. I sold some assets recently and got the now-or-never vibe. I started seriously looking around for DeLoreans, then took stock of other hectic things going on in my life at the moment and resigned myself to waiting juuuuust a little while longer, and only casually checking ads. Well, when an ebay auction came up just 40 miles from me, I had to go see it, but more to have a reference for comparison for the one I'd eventually buy when I was ready.
Here's the listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-DeLorean-DMC-12-/272437247918?orig_cvip=true
When I went to see it, the auction was live and at $14k with several days to go. I was sure it would get in to the 20s. The guy asked me if I'd like to make an offer to stop the auction, and I said no. He then offered that he'd take $18k to do that, and I was tempted. It ran well, the interior was mostly in good shape, frame looked great, everything worked(ish), it only had 2 minor dents, and I was running out of excuses not to do it. But I told him I needed to wait.
So I jumped on here and asked a few people and got some good advice about what the value would be, and at the same time, found that the mileage was not the 4772 displayed on the clock (and listed in the ad). Probably somewhere near 104,000, but it's so inconsistent, even that's a guess. I informed the seller about the mileage and in light of that, the seller said he'd take $16k. Wow - I wanted a car that had been driven rather than one that had sat, so it was a win-win. But still, the timing just wasn't perfect, so I reluctantly said no.
The auction closed at $20k, but the bidder couldn't get the money together. The seller reached out to me and said, 'make an offer'. I said at $14,500, I just would not be able to say no. He said yes, and I now own the car I've always dreamt about owning.
The seller was an interesting guy. He won the lottery twice, to the tune of about $70M. He's not so much a car guy as he's just a toy guy. He's got houses all over the place. If anyone is looking for a 17,000 sqFT house with a 15-car heated garage, his is up for sale in WV for a cool $1.3m. He said he owned the D for 4 years and used to drive it twice a year. So when he asked if I wanted to drive it home, or have him transport it for free, I figured it'd be best for me to get it trailered down so I can check it out before taking it on the highway. It arrives tomorrow.
I already have a list of things I want to check, and after that, a list of things I want to fix, and after that, a list of things I want to upgrade. Once I get it all down on paper, I'll post it here and see if people think it sounds like a good game plan.
I'm excited to be a member of this community. I've lurked on here for a very long time and it seems like a great bunch of friendly and knowledgeable people. Looking forward to meeting some of you in person someday.
Also, a big thanks to the people I've been PM'ing with who've helped me with seeing if this car was worth the asking price, especially dangermouse.
Rick
5470