To drive or not to drive

[DMC3165]

That is the question.........

Recently I was getting my car ready for winter. I have my own little ritual which basically consists of getting the gas tank setup and removing the battery. I was up at the gas station putting in my half tank of Cam 2 (no ethanol) and an older gentleman began to ask me about the car.

In our conversation we discussed how cars that sit for a long time often need extensive work to be roadable again. I then made the point how cars that are driven constantly will eventually require extensive frame and powertrain work. So either way your going to put money into it.

So it got me thinking. What's best. Drive it now and deal with whatever consequences that brings. Or make it a garage queen and restore it later on down the line. I say drive it.

Thoughts.......

[Michael]

I then made the point how cars that are driven constantly will eventually require extensive frame and powertrain work. So either way your going to put money into it.
Thoughts.......
I don't buy that. All you need is to be aware of your frame condition and/or take precautionary measures. My refurb is now 5 years old, 15,000 miles(13,000 put on in the last 3 years), driven almost year round and underneath it looks just as good now as the day it was remanufactured.

I do keep it off the roads when there is salt down over the winter months, but still get it out at least once a month.

[andy blackmon]

At one point I let my car set for about 7 years, big mistake. I ended up shipping it to DMCH and having them fix it, by fix it I mean dang near everything. I put a rather large amount into fixing the car but I did it all, stage11, new interior, in fact I think I changed everything but the sheet metal and some repairs were done to it. I now own one of the best looking and best running Delorean around. Drive the car never let them sit for long peiods.

[Ron]

IMO another means of transportation will have costs (depreciation, insurance, maintenance, etc.) -- put the money back, just in case, and enjoy your D!
And if she's a good girl over the winter, buy her a present come spring...

[jfirios]

i agree, just drive it, cars were meant to be driven, just do basic maintenance and an engine will run for a really long time. Don at DMC Cali has over 150K on his engine. Plus come on it is so much fun to drive.

[Ozzie]

My two reasons:
1. It's a car, it's meant to be driven (assuming it's safe to do so).
2. Life is too short and unpredictable, drive it now, drive it often, and enjoy it while you know you can.

[David T]

If you are going to store it long term, meaning years, there are things you can do to it to minimize the costs to take it out of storage:

Fix all problems (any you don't fix will be there when you take the car out of storage!)
Remove the battery and fuel
Insure it
Cover it with a blanket and a good car cover
Store it in a garage that is dry with a solid floor and no mice
Flush the brake and clutch systems every 2 years
Flush the cooling system every 5 years.
Clean the inside well and use a leather preservative.
Make sure there is nothing which can fall or otherwise damage the car in the garage.
Put mothballs under the car
Store the Title in a safe place with the keys and other documents where someone else also knows.

To take the car out of long-term storage:

Buy new tires, struts, and a battery
Flush and bleed the brakes, cooling system, and clutch
Fill with fresh fuel
Drive the car a little and then change the motor oil, filter, and transmission fluid.
Plate the car and you should be OK. (or at least as OK as possible)
David Teitelbaum

[louielouie2000]

It probably costs around $1,500 a year to keep an average condition DeLorean maintained in top shape (in stock form, using stock parts). It also probably will cost you about the same amount, perhaps more, to bring a DeLorean back up to speed for every year it's been sitting. So it's all a personal decision... it comes down to how you want to enjoy your DeLorean. When you drive a DeLorean daily, you tend to flush problems out of them pretty constantly. When you don't drive them, you're just leaving those problems to fester & compound. Either way, you pour a good amount of time any money into the car. So why not drive it some & get some enjoyment out of your investment?

[DMCMW Dave]

The folks saying to drive it year around have probably not seen what ONE winter of road salt exposure can do to this car. If the roads are salted, keep it parked.

[Delorean Industries]

Do not drive in the winter. Bad things happen when salt touches a Delorean.

[Ozzie]

The folks saying to drive it year around have probably not seen what ONE winter of road salt exposure can do to this car. If the roads are salted, keep it parked.



Do not drive in the winter. Bad things happen when salt touches a Delorean.

That's so true, and I should clarify that in my response. In my response I was thinking like a Floridian, rather than a 30 year veteran of the salted Winter roads of Chicago.

[DMC3165]

From personal experience, The first DeLorean I owned was a daily driver its whole life. I purchased it in 1998 and it was a 300,000+ mile car (unknown to me at the time). It was a local NY/NJ car driven every winter for 17 years and it was F***ed! Once I saw the frame it looked like a piece of swiss cheese. After suffering a front end hit and a backyard welding repair to fix it. The entire driver's side had rotted out from leaky clutch and brake fluid. The Rear crossmember had also deteriorated to nothing It was cleverly painted and plated to hide the damage but it was not properly repaired. At the time I had no idea where to look or what to look for. Also the motor was constantly losing oil pressure and overheating. Long and short of it was it would have cost more to repair then what it was worth. Grady told me recently he found out this car had been disassembled over 10 years back and was too far gone (money wise) to restore.

I had driven 3165 in the snow the first winter I owned it in 99. To this day thankfully the frame has held up well. Any problem areas that did show up on the frame (maybe 1 or2 spots) were immediately fixed.

Louie brought out a good point. James from DMCH said in an interview it costs $1000 per year to bring a DeLorean back to life for every year it sits. After having 3165 sit for 7 years and re-aquiring it I put approx. $7000 into it. So I'd say that is a dead on accurate number. I wonder if average maintenance costs would run $1000. a year with general wear and tear.

[stevedmc]

From personal experience, The first DeLorean I owned was a daily driver its whole life. I purchased it in 1998 and it was a 300,000+ mile car (unknown to me at the time). It was a local NY/NJ car driven every winter for 17 years and it was F***ed! Once I saw the frame it looked like a piece of swiss cheese. After suffering a front end hit and a backyard welding repair to fix it. The entire driver's side had rotted out from leaky clutch and brake fluid. The Rear crossmember had also deteriorated to nothing It was cleverly painted and plated to hide the damage but it was not properly repaired. At the time I had no idea where to look or what to look for. Also the motor was constantly losing oil pressure and overheating. Long and short of it was it would have cost more to repair then what it was worth. Grady told me recently he found out this car had been disassembled over 10 years back and was too far gone (money wise) to restore.

I had driven 3165 in the snow the first winter I owned it in 99. To this day thankfully the frame has held up well. Any problem areas that did show up on the frame (maybe 1 or2 spots) were immediately fixed.

Louie brought out a good point. James from DMCH said in an interview it costs $1000 per year to bring a DeLorean back to life for every year it sits. After having 3165 sit for 7 years and re-aquiring it I put approx. $7000 into it. So I'd say that is a dead on accurate number. I wonder if average maintenance costs would run $1000. a year with general wear and tear.

So if I buy a 30 year old junker for $1,000 does this mean it can be restored for just $30k ?

[Mike Z]

It probably costs around $1,500 a year to keep an average condition DeLorean maintained in top shape (in stock form, using stock parts).


I want one of these cars so bad and I'm saving for it but statements like these scare me. What exactly are you spending $1,500 a year on to keep the car in good shape??

[stevedmc]

I want one of these cars so bad and I'm saving for it but statements like these scare me. What exactly are you spending $1,500 a year on to keep the car in good shape??

That rule doesn't always apply. My first two years cost me about $4k per year but some of those purchases weren't 100% necessary.

I've got some more unnecessary purchases planned for the future but I'm trying to take a break for spending any money on the Delorean right now. Not including some of the unnecessary upgrades I want to perform, I would say I could easily survive for less than $500 a year in maintenance (including oil changes).