Do you really want to Live the Dream?

[Michael]

In the spring of 2009, a few months after I had purchased my DeLorean, the weekly cruise in started up in a nearby town. The DeLorean was all cleaned up and ready to strut her stuff. My wife and I loaded up and off we went into the beautiful 74 degree sunlit evening. The weather was perfect and just as we entered the downtown area the sun was setting on the horizon casting a perfect lavendar/pink hue in the sky. I have never been one to crave attention, in fact I avoid it when I can, but there is something the draws me to unique and flashy things. I love oddities and outside the box thinking. The thing is that everything I love be it unique guns, flashy clothes, eye catching watches, also are the same things that attract attention...and I was about to find out that goes ten fold for Deloreans.

We rolled into the crowded downtown area which is closed off for the car show. You have to remember this is a pretty small town, and although a 1967 Camaro or 1958 Impala may garner a few looks, a mint condition DeLorean made this place look like a rave. As we rolled down the main street, people were stopping, pointing, yelling (Flux Capacitor was the first thing that was yelled to me). Since the speed limit was like 5mph, some of the crowd followed me which made things even more congested. I finally found a parking spot and once the picture takers cleared out I pulled in. As soon as I opened the door some weird guy greets me with "MARTY!" I had never in my life been subjected to this kind of attention. It was almost like I was some celebrity and then the questions from 4 or 5 people at once made me feel like a politician at a press conference. After a few minutes I had to get away and just started walking. At around the 15' distance marker, I remembered "Didn't I have a wife?" I looked back and I couldn't even see my car...only the 2 doors above people's heads. I thought to myself, sorry Debbi, you are on your own! Later, I reconnected with Debbi and we looked at cars for awhile, revisited the Delorean during slower periods and socialized a bit (which was hard for me but I came around). As it got late and the show drew to a close, the crowd died down and I thought it was time to call it a night. Even when packing up and there were but a few dozen people left at the entire meet I still had people taking pictures and wanting to see the car. We headed out to a nice place for dinner and back home...exhausted.

Now that may not seem like a good night to any of you, and to be honest it wasn't for me either. Not that it was a bad night, it was just a bit hectic for my tastes. It would not be until later on that I would realize what a special night that was. I was in my freaking dream car!!!! I rolled into a car show in the car I have wanted to own since I was a kid! The fact is that I have dreamed of that night for decades; Me, a beautiful woman(and my wife to boot), a picture perfect Saturday night in my dream car on a date. It actually was a dream come true, but was it just like the dream?

No,

People crowded me and made me a little uncomfortable. I didn't fight off 5 ninjas and impress my date and not once did I flex my bicep and split the stitching on my custom fitted sport coat (which was missing too in real life...I think I was wearing a T Shirt?). I guess what I'm saying is this night was full of real life. So everything not being like the dream made it more real and down to Earth. The fact is that so many complete strangers engaged me in conversation started a process that would eventually bring me out of my shell that I had lived in for so many years. I was finally somewhat social. For years...decades, it was so hard for me to express myself, let alone start up a conversation with a complete stranger. Now look at me, have any of you ever known me to keep my opinions to myself?

I can honestly say that this car has changed my life. ...and you just can't say that with a Toyota Camry.

The commercial had it wrong. A DeLorean doesn't allow you to "Live the Dream"....

It awakens you

[opethmike]

I like my car, but it smells like farts. So I'm going to put an LS4 into it.

[Josh]

Ownership very well summed up. I can also relate to becoming a bit more extroverted due to owning the car.

[opethmike]

Jokes aside, I have definitely become faaaarrrr more introverted with my car. I love it more than my Corvette or my Lotus, but I only once a week, and I bring gas home.

I know that it sounds weird, but I actually enjoy the car a lot more now that I enjoy it as privately as possible. I'm sure my LS swap will get me some attention, but I can deal with it in exchange for how powerful the car will be, and how accomplished I'll feel after that project.

[opethmike]

And maybe I'll be able to use that HEY HE LS SWAPPED A DELOREAN attention as a way of breaking out of my inversion. Could actually be good therapy for my social anxiety disorder.

And along those lines, the biggest thing my DeLorean has done for me has been to bring out my passion for mechanical work. Before I purchased the car, I didn't know how change oil.

Now, ten years later, I've done a top end rebuild with more power on my DMC, converted it to a VERY well smooth running EFI, adjusted torsion bars confidently. I've redone the body work on a Lotus Elise. I've fixed up a C5 Corvette project car. I've done numerous repairs to various Lotus Esprit cars. I've done a 460 BHP naturally aspirated build of my present Corvette. I've done all sorts of things on other cars like head gaskets, clutches, suspension overhauls, getting running after sitting for years, etc.

And now I am putting an LS4 V8 that is going to be built to 380-400 BHP into my DMC.

If I had never decided to buy a DeLorean, I would never even known I had this passion, much less put the work into it to develop my skill so highly.

That, in turn, has given me an insane drive and confidence that I used in my professional drive to reach the top spot on my team, and to be able prove a very nice living for my family and animals.

[SamHill]

A Delorean did not change my life. Charles Atlas changed my life!


53470

[bfloyd]

I read that last night on Facebook... didn't know that was you. That sums up very well how pulling in to a car show feels sometimes. People see the Fords, Chevy's, Mopar's, the 60's and 70's muscle car era stuff at every single car show, but when you pull in with a Delorean - everything changes.

[DaraSue]

I'm totally not a people person, but I love it when people come up to me and talk to me about the car (as long as they're not douchebags who wanna try and mansplain JZD's coke bust to me, lol). It always makes me smile when I'm just driving around and people pass me and wave or give me the thumbs-up or yell "right on!" I just have to make sure I only stop for gas when I'm on my way home from work b/c every stop is a one-person car show. :rock_on:

This car really has changed my life. For about 2 years before I bought it I was literally angry every waking moment, and just the decision to start looking for one gave me something to be happy and excited about again. My mental state hadn't been helped by the fact that for 3 years I'd been suffering from chronic early-wake insomnia. But ever since the last night of my first trip back from Chicago, I've been sleeping well enough to make it through the day without a nap most nights (as opposed to once or twice a month, if that). I'd been overheard saying I'd happily pay $100,000 to cure my insomnia, so it's kind of like I got an insomnia cure at half price and it came with a free DeLorean. :biggrin::sleeping:

I've met so many good, positive people through owning it, too, and I've learned so much about this car and cars in general. It genuinely has been a priceless experience.

[Jonathan]

I read that last night on Facebook... didn't know that was you. That sums up very well how pulling in to a car show feels sometimes. People see the Fords, Chevy's, Mopar's, the 60's and 70's muscle car era stuff at every single car show, but when you pull in with a Delorean - everything changes.

This was one of the reasons I got a dashcam late last season. I wanted to try and capture this kind of reaction by people in order to try and show others what DeLorean ownership is really like. I should really get my dashcam out of the box it went into after I put the car away last winter, lol. I still haven't captured anything like this yet.

Another way of thinking about the "live the dream" DMC slogan from back in the day came to mind not long ago. And it was sort of The Matrix related more than anything. Like how can you be living a dream? If you're living it, it isn't a dream anymore, it's reality. Although I guess that's what it meant... have a dream and then earn it, achieve it, live it. Like Michael said, we get to drive our dream cars.

Yet Mike brings up a good point about the cars not helping to turn an introvert into an extrovert, but actually quite the opposite. If that wave of attention gets you overwhelmed, it can be a nightmare more than a dream. Unwanted to say the least. For some, I think the cars can turn you into an introvert just as much as they can do the opposite. If the unending and relentless attention gets to be too much, it can be a pretty big turn off for people and shows and gas stations and, in some ways, getting to enjoy your car.

Now, a friend of mine has said this to me on more than one occasion and it need not only be applied to DeLoreans, or cars for that matter, but just about anything in life and that is that "when you change the way you see things, the things you see will change." It's the age old advice about perception. And very good advice, but like much good advice is, it's far easier to hear and understand than to actually put into practice and benefit from it.

My take on our cars is that it matters not how your fellow owners specifically enjoy their cars, but only how you choose to enjoy yours. Again, the cliché advice of doing what makes you happy. I can understand the need to enjoy your car quietly and privately as much as the way you can enjoy it by going to all the shows and being the centre of attention. I've been and done both in the ten years I've had my car. And I think to some degree that this is expected. To change how you enjoy it from time to time, often depending on how other things in your life are going.

That willingness to change how you enjoy your car as it makes sense to you is the most valuable interpretation of the "do what makes you happy" mantra with regard to DeLoreans. That and not feeling the need to defend your choice or explain it. These cars may all be mostly the same, if not identical, but their owners and how they are enjoyed is anything but identical.

[Michael]

Dash cam you say?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48aVpBOPO1Y

[FABombjoy]

And maybe I'll be able to use that HEY HE LS SWAPPED A DELOREAN attention as a way of breaking out of my inversion.
I guarantee that it will at least change the pH level of your encounters.

My experience around here is that DeLoreans are very polarizing. Mostly positive but I've had some real negative reactions at car shows or even randomly around town. I assume its because internet said it's a slow, 4-ton aluminum drugmobile that falls apart with regularity. Or JZD's perceived reputation here in Michigan.

When I started showing up to shows & car meets after turbo conversion it seems like I get a lot less of that. An LS swap is bound to win over even more of the "embroidered white polo tucked in to my really-blue-blue-jeans/shorts" crowd, aka the Corvette season is upon us (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C-VF1R2XsAENFxb.jpg) meme.

[DMC-81]

That is a nice accurate summary of ownership, and elegantly told. Nice work Michael! I enjoyed the subsequent stories shared as well.

As for me, I came into ownership by looking for a sports car to restore and then to show/ enjoy. I started my journey by taking a mental short list of my favorite cars from decades past, and then doing a logical assessment of parts availability and cost, the relative difficulty of restoration, and the target car's desirability.

Only after going through this investigative process did I realize that owning a DeLorean is a realistic possibility. I already knew that they were a rare exotic, and an orphan. But I thought those factors would also make it either impossible or very difficult to actually own and restore. I didn't realize that you can still get parts, and from more than one vendor!

So, I selected the DeLorean, and became excited to acquire one. I read about some of the flaws and made addressing them part of my restoration goal of "Mostly correct, but with flaws addressed".

Flashback to 1985: I went to and loved the BTTF movies and, in fact, the first one is what introduced me to the car. When it rolled out of the back of that truck, I thought "Wow, what kind of car is THAT!!" It actually gave me goosebumps. Of course I had my question answered a few seconds later. I didn't eventually lust after a Time Machine conversion, but the real car entered my universe as a rare exotic.

Almost 30 years later, when got mine, I started to understand the effect this car has on people from all ages and backgrounds. It started when my car rolled out of the back of the delivery transport truck in my neighborhood, when the first car passing by stopped in the middle of the intersection and 4 people got out, very excited/shocked to see the car. One of them reverently exclaimed "Oh my God, it's actually a DELOREAN!!" It continued as I worked on the car in my garage. I met some of my neighbors for the first time because they were walking by and were jolted out of their routine, drawn towards the car and to stop and ask questions and converse.

It continues EVERY time I open the garage or drive the car. As much as we think it forces us to be more social, (and it definitely does), it also draws the admirers to strike up a conversation with a total stranger (us) to ask their questions and offer their comments. Sure, it is easy for some, but my 30 years of people leadership tell me that for some, it isn't easy. I think perhaps thats where some of the awkward comments come from. I'm not an extrovert, but I take ample time to talk with these awestruck admirers.

When I was a kid, the C4 Corvette and the Porsche dominated my bedroom walls. With hard work and good decisions, I was eventually able to buy the C4, a Porsche, and then the C5. But I also eventually sold them. As exciting as they were to dream about and own, the passion diminished and it just became an old car, especially in the case of the Corvette, when the C6 and then C7 came out. For me, the passion didn't transfer to the next generation.

The DeLorean is different. It is a classic, it is rare, it is an exotic, it is a celebrity, and it IS a time machine in that it takes me back to my favorite decade... cassettes and all. I didn't count on all this when I went through my logical checklist of cars to restore. But it guided me to my dream car.

So, in that sense, yes, I'm happily living the dream.:partyhat:

[Rich_NYS]

:rock_on:

[Lwanmtr]

So far the only part of the dream I've lived is owning one..well ok 90% or so...I dont have to worry about people making weird comments, cause it's been hidden away...

The few times on the trip up here that folks wandered up and started conersations i kinda enjoyed, even though I'm not a big people person..lol.

[DMC VIN 6639]

That is a nice accurate summary of ownership, and elegantly told. Nice work Michael! I enjoyed the subsequent stories shared as well.

As for me, I came into ownership by looking for a sports car to restore and then to show/ enjoy. I started my journey by taking a mental short list of my favorite cars from decades past, and then doing a logical assessment of parts availability and cost, the relative difficulty of restoration, and the target car's desirability.

Only after going through this investigative process did I realize that owning a DeLorean is a realistic possibility. I already knew that they were a rare exotic, and an orphan. But I thought those factors would also make it either impossible or very difficult to actually own and restore. I didn't realize that you can still get parts, and from more than one vendor!

So, I selected the DeLorean, and became excited to acquire one. I read about some of the flaws and made addressing them part of my restoration goal of "Mostly correct, but with flaws addressed".

Flashback to 1985: I went to and loved the BTTF movies and, in fact, the first one is what introduced me to the car. When it rolled out of the back of that truck, I thought "Wow, what kind of car is THAT!!" It actually gave me goosebumps. Of course I had my question answered a few seconds later. I didn't eventually lust after a Time Machine conversion, but the real car entered my universe as a rare exotic.

Almost 30 years later, when got mine, I started to understand the effect this car has on people from all ages and backgrounds. It started when my car rolled out of the back of the delivery transport truck in my neighborhood, when the first car passing by stopped in the middle of the intersection and 4 people got out, very excited/shocked to see the car. One of them reverently exclaimed "Oh my God, it's actually a DELOREAN!!" It continued as I worked on the car in my garage. I met some of my neighbors for the first time because they were walking by and were jolted out of their routine, drawn towards the car and to stop and ask questions and converse.

It continues EVERY time I open the garage or drive the car. As much as we think it forces us to be more social, (and it definitely does), it also draws the admirers to strike up a conversation with a total stranger (us) to ask their questions and offer their comments. Sure, it is easy for some, but my 30 years of people leadership tell me that for some, it isn't easy. I think perhaps thats where some of the awkward comments come from. I'm not an extrovert, but I take ample time to talk with these awestruck admirers.

When I was a kid, the C4 Corvette and the Porsche dominated my bedroom walls. With hard work and good decisions, I was eventually able to buy the C4, a Porsche, and then the C5. But I also eventually sold them. As exciting as they were to dream about and own, the passion diminished and it just became an old car, especially in the case of the Corvette, when the C6 and then C7 came out. For me, the passion didn't transfer to the next generation.

The DeLorean is different. It is a classic, it is rare, it is an exotic, it is a celebrity, and it IS a time machine in that it takes me back to my favorite decade... cassettes and all. I didn't count on all this when I went through my logical checklist of cars to restore. But it guided me to my dream car.

So, in that sense, yes, I'm happily living the dream.:partyhat:


I can relate to this story. While rebuilding mine I had a lot of interesting drive by salutes. I had people do full on brake checks in front of the house for pictures. Cars would stop and reverse back to see the car. I have met most of my neighbors because of the car. I've only been driving it for 100 miles. I've learned to be ready for anything. A 10 year came up to me at lowes and asked what year I was from. Everyone has something whitty to say.

[blueshark66]

I'm no attention-seeker, but I have to admit, I love the way the car draws it. It's not about me - people (most of them - there's always a few haters out there) just love the car. A couple of examples (and after only a year, I could give you dozens, as you all well know)...
I was at a Wendy's for lunch shortly after I bought my D, and a kid about 8 years old asked his dad in all seriousness, "Is that a spy car?" The dad laughed and told me it was time to show his son a few movies.
A month or so ago I was being interviewed by the local newspaper about the car; the reporter and I were sitting at a sidewalk cafe in our little town's downtown area, talking about the car which was parked right in front of us; a box truck rolls by and a woman about 30 almost jumps out the passenger window waving and yelling, "DeLorean!!!" I just smiled at the reporter and said, "That's what happens all the time."

I'm going to be sad when winter rolls around and I have to pack my D away for 6 months because owning a DeLorean is a dream come true!

[Lwanmtr]

Why pack it away...when mine is finally road ready, I plan to drive it all year...and yeah even in snow :)

[opethmike]

Why pack it away...when mine is finally road ready, I plan to drive it all year...and yeah even in snow :)

I hope you have a stainless steel frame then.

[Lwanmtr]

They dont salt the roads here

[opethmike]

They dont salt the roads here

Ah, so they use pepper then?

[sdg3205]

Ah, so they use pepper then?

Proprietary garnish blend.