1983 Model Year

[Buckshot]

Hey guys, looking for some timeline clarification.

If DMC was essentially bankrupt around Dec of 1982 and all but shut down, how many of the '83 model year vehicles were manufactured in the Dunmurry factory? Did Consolidated International have any of these vehicles assembled after DMC shut down? If so, can this have an effect the valuation of a vehicle with an '83 model year?

Hypothetical: a '81, '82, and a '83 model DMC-12 are all for sale. All are stock, 5 speeds, with 20k miles and in great shape. Each vehicle is listed at $21,000. However, if the '83 was manufactured after the demise of DMC by a liquidating company trying to salvage any kind of momentum, that would mean the '81 & '82 would be worth more. Correct?

[Dangermouse]

Personally I would say that if they were all in identical condition, then they would all be worth the same.

After 30 years, the condition of the car is all important. One could argue that:

there are less '83s therefore it is worth more,
grey wheeled early cars are worth more
gas-flap cars are worth more
Oct 81 cars are worth more

but condition trumps all, imho

Edit: (not really the intent of this Historical SubForum. Good to ask the question, but this subforum is intended for official factory/dealer documents etc - Mods, can you move, please)

[pezzonovante88]

Personally I would say that if they were all in identical condition, then they would all be worth the same.

After 30 years, the condition of the car is all important. One could argue that:

there are less '83s therefore it is worth more,
grey wheeled early cars are worth more
gas-flap cars are worth more
Oct 81 cars are worth more

but condition trumps all, imho

Edit: (not really the intent of this Historical SubForum. Good to ask the question, but this subforum is intended for official factory/dealer documents etc - Mods, can you move, please)

Why are Oct '81 special? Mine is an Oct production so I'm curious....

[mluder]

Oct 81 cars are worth more



Curious as to why this is? Mostly because my car was made in October of '81.

Alos, important to note that the model years didn't follow the traditional method with new "models" produced in the mid year cycle.

Cheers.
Steven

[stevedmc]

Hypothetical: a '81, '82, and a '83 model DMC-12 are all for sale. All are stock, 5 speeds, with 20k miles and in great shape. Each vehicle is listed at $21,000. However, if the '83 was manufactured after the demise of DMC by a liquidating company trying to salvage any kind of momentum, that would mean the '81 & '82 would be worth more. Correct?

The car with the most miles on it will usually be the better car. In my humble opinion, better cars are worth more. Build date means very little to me, although it would be nice to have an early 81 with a gas flap.

[Jimmyvonviggle]

Personally it would be nice to have a D with your birth month, regardless of year.

[Dracula]

Why are Oct '81 special? Mine is an Oct production so I'm curious....


Curious as to why this is? Mostly because my car was made in October of '81.

Alos, important to note that the model years didn't follow the traditional method with new "models" produced in the mid year cycle.

Cheers.
Steven

It's just another arbitrary point. The same could be said of any build month for the sake of argument.

[pezzonovante88]

It's just another arbitrary point. The same could be said of any build month for the sake of argument.

Oh I see. I thought maybe I had something extra-special lol oh well.

[Dangermouse]

There is a theory, admittedly perpetuated by Oct 81 owners, that this was the top month for quality at the factory. The workers had been trained, they had several thousand cars under their belt and the whole thing hadn't started its slide into the proverbial hand basket :). Panels fitted better, graining was perfect, almost all the electrical
parts worked - a stainless nirvana if you will.

Of course as mentioned above, 30 years of maintenance or neglect (delete as appropriate) will probably negate that whole theory.

[Dracula]

There is a theory, admittedly perpetuated by Oct 81 owners, that this was the top month for quality at the factory. The workers had been trained, they had several thousand cars under their belt and the whole thing hadn't started its slide into the proverbial hand basket :). Panels fitted better, graining was perfect, almost all the electrical
parts worked - a stainless nirvana if you will.

Of course as mentioned above, 30 years of maintenance or neglect (delete as appropriate) will probably negate that whole theory.

It's also said that the earlier cars are better because the QACs often rebuilt the entire car by hand to ensure that EVERYTHING was right, so, no matter when or what year your car was built, as long as it wasn't a Nov. 81 through '82 model year, there's a myth about it being one of the best.

Also, by sheer production numbers, '82s are the rarest.

[mluder]

[QUOTE=Dangermouse;53890]There is a theory, admittedly perpetuated by Oct 81 owners, that this was the top month for quality at the factory. The workers had been trained, they had several thousand cars under their belt and the whole thing hadn't started its slide into the proverbial hand basket :). Panels fitted better, graining was perfect, almost all the electrical
parts worked - a stainless nirvana if you will.

QUOTE]

I had heard this before as well which is why I asked. Wanted to see if this was something that others felt.

I have had some comment that my gaps were the best they'd seen, etc. That being said, my doors both seem to "overclose" at the lower 3rd from just under the rubstrip down and I'm pretty sure my driver's door has been tweaked by backing into a garage door frame.

Cheers.
Steve

[sean]

James Espey (http://dmctalk.org/member.php?43-DMCH-James) blogged the below about the topic a while back



Though I have covered this subject before in a few postings, I thought it might be a good place to start my blog postings. The 1983 model DeLoreans (per the Vehicle Identification Number or VIN) all end in this format:

DD015XXX
DD016XXX
DD017XXX
DD020XXX

1981 models end in BD00XXXX, and 1982 models end in CD010XXX and CD011XXX.

First, a bit of back story...back in January 1982, when the factory (DMCL) was placed in receivership by the British Government, DMC (in the US) was no longer able to import any completed cars from the Northern Ireland factory without paying for them in advance. However, the factory continued to produce cars at a reduced pace up until May 1982, and by some accounts at an even further reduced pace up until the factory was closed in October 1982, shortly before John's arrest.

All of these cars were parked either at the docks in Belfast or on the grounds of the factory.

After DMC (the US company) filed for bankruptcy in late October 1982, Consolidated International (which had loaned DMC money against already completed cars in the states) moved to take possession of those cars. Consolidated then contacted the British Government about taking over the factory. In the end, Consolidated decided not to do that, but did buy all the remaining parts as well as the completed cars in Belfast, along with the partially completed cars still on the assembly line and the remaining stocks of parts in the factory.

Consolidated soon discovered that all of the already assembled cars in Belfast were 1982 models, with CD10XXX and CD11XXX VIN's. By now it is late 1982, and by the time these cars are shipped from Northern Ireland to the states, cleaned up and sent to dealers, it would be spring or summer of 1983, and these cars, though new, would appear to already be one year old.

Consolidated then took the unusual step of having new VIN plates made for these cars, changing the VIN by adding 5000 to the existing VIN on the car, and changing the CD to a DD - effectively turning them into 1983 models.

Therefore, any 1983 model which has a VIN ending in DD015XXX, DD016XXX or DD017XXX was actually a 1982 model with an original VIN ending in CD10XXX, CD11XXX or CD12XXX. This cars are usually identifiable by having a dash VIN plate that is glued on, rather than pop-riveted in place - apparently the riveted dash VIN plates were easy to remove with the windshield in place, but impossible to put back into place with rivets. Removing the VIN plate from an original dash will show the original rivet holes, covered by the glued-on VIN plate.

This can also be verified by removing the door headliners, which will usually reveal the original VIN written as V10XXX in black magic marker, which will invariably be 5000 LESS than the number stamped into the VIN plates on the dash and door jamb.

The build dates on these re-VIN'd cars appear to be assigned more or less at random, typically August 1982 for 15XXX and 16XXX cars and September 1982 for 17XXX cars. However, all these cars were assembled and completed much earlier, from January to March of 1982, judging by the dates under the headliners and also the build dates of the other cars that still carry their original VIN's.

Perhaps the only "true" 1983 models are the DD020XXX cars, which were the last 105 cars that were partially assembled when DMCL ceased production and completed in December 1982 when Consolidated International acquired these cars.

[Dangermouse]

I think personally that the most valuable deLorean is the one that you have personally upgraded and rebuilt to your satisfaction.

[Cory W]

I think personally that the most valuable deLorean is the one that you have personally upgraded and rebuilt to your satisfaction.

+1! :cheers1:

Congrats on the success! There's more than one way to do the work, and YMMV, but getting it done is all that matters.

[lazabby]

Here's alink to another writeup on the VINs. Click on the "Registry" tab:

http://www.txdmc.org/

[Buckshot]

Thanks for the info! Sorry for originating this thread in the wrong place but I'm very appreciative for the informative responses. I can just imagine one of those pompous treasure hunter/pawn shop show hosts devaluing an '83 model because they may be under a similar illusion: "Since DMC closed in '82, this must not be a REAL Delorean...." which is clearly not the case at all.

Thanks!

[David T]

I don't think it is the case that anyone thinks the '83's are not "real" Deloreans. My take on it is that they were rebranded 82's and they were "thrown" together with no regard for running vin changes or colors. Most of the '83's have different color carpet, some were undercoated, etc. When they were built they used whatever parts were available to get them assembled. By now the quality with which any particular car was assembled is pretty irrelevant. Of MUCH greater importance is how the car has been taken care of over all of these years and it's PRESENT condition. For anyone who questions a Delorean's pedigree all you need do is see the Title.
David Teitelbaum




Thanks for the info! Sorry for originating this thread in the wrong place but I'm very appreciative for the informative responses. I can just imagine one of those pompous treasure hunter/pawn shop show hosts devaluing an '83 model because they may be under a similar illusion: "Since DMC closed in '82, this must not be a REAL Delorean...." which is clearly not the case at all.

Thanks!

[stevedmc]

I don't think it is the case that anyone thinks the '83's are not "real" Deloreans. My take on it is that they were rebranded 82's and they were "thrown" together with no regard for running vin changes or colors. Most of the '83's have different color carpet, some were undercoated, etc. When they were built they used whatever parts were available to get them assembled. By now the quality with which any particular car was assembled is pretty irrelevant. Of MUCH greater importance is how the car has been taken care of over all of these years and it's PRESENT condition. For anyone who questions a Delorean's pedigree all you need do is see the Title.
David Teitelbaum

With that sort of argument one could state my 83' Delorean is more of a Delorean than one of the "new" cars being put together in Houston.

[tjd]

With that sort of argument one could state my 83' Delorean is more of a Delorean than one of the "new" cars being put together in Houston.

:histerical1: