It was a 4-year wild ride...

[FLUXING]

The dream has moved on for me. After 4 years of Delorean ownership, VIN 3196 is now in the hands of someone else. Too much maintenance, too many problems, not enough garage space all contributed to the decision to sell.

Many acquaintences have urged me to expound all my issues with my car, to dump on DMCH, to urge others to not buy from them. I had too many years, more than one mechanic, to many good memories to start a diatribe about my "new build" DMC.

What I will say is that I met the nicest people I could ever imagine when owning a Delorean. I went places I'd never been, appeared in parades I never would've been a part of, went cross-country with my son to the 2008 DCS. That trip is especially memorable because I never will again be able to get a week with my son alone on a father-son trip like that; for that, I am grateful.

What I will say is that I found fantastic service and support from Josh Bengston at DPI in Tallmadge, OH. If I had it to do again, I'd have purchased a good, used DMC and let him restore it. Had I done that, I'd still have my car. The new owner got a great deal on one of the most cosmetically superb Deloreans I've seen. The DPI engine rebuild was incredible - 26mpg with the A/C on all the way home from Ohio to Colorado.

I don't regret owning a Delorean, just the $70,000 spent on it for purchase, repairs, road damage and maintenance. I have a newer, modern convertible that the wife loves...and it goes very fast.

So I wish the Delorean community the best. I still meet with the local Delorean owners as they are friends for life.

[Chris Burns]

Your car was a beauty! I was watching it when it was on E-bay. I rode in a Delorean a month ago that was refurbished by DPI and I was very impressed with his work:aniclap:

Good luck to you and if the lucky buyer comes on here we will give him a nice welcome!

[Ron]

Hate to read this...you know you don't have to own a D to pop in here !!!

[FLUXING]

No worries. My new car has no real community place since only 238 were made. There is only one other owner in Colorado, and I see him but once a year. I'll still lurk around...

Hate to read this...you know you don't have to own a D to pop in here !!!

[Dangermouse]

We've enjoyed your company Wilson.

Watch out for a yearning for project cars for Josh to work on.......

[Jonathan]

I think we "bought in" to the DMC community at about the same time Wilson. I share quite a few of your thoughts myself, but I'm hanging on to my D for now.

I'm glad I got to "know" you a little bit over the last few years, even if it was all just "online."

Keep taking those great Garden of the Gods photos... and definitely keep in touch! :)

[ILM1010]

This is really discouraging to hear. So you bought a new build car and it still had a lot of issues?

[FLUXING]

Like I said, I wanted to leave on a positive note so I'm not going to go into my problems. You all are a great group of folks and I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Delorean owner.

This is really discouraging to hear. So you bought a new build car and it still had a lot of issues?

[DeLorean]

So you bought a new build car and it still had a lot of issues?

"new build" is a term that a lot of people here have criticized - me included, and rightfully so. The "new build" cars are not new, they are not built with new parts, they do not have new VIN's, and they are arguably only slightly better than a car you'd get off the showroom floor in 1981. If anything the term "new build" is simply confusing.

I would argue the term "remanufactured" is far more appropriate than "new build"

[WelmoedJ]

On the other side of the big pond we also regret an owner's decision to part with his car.
It could be possible we have either met, or passed one another while I was at DCS 2008.
Anyway you could not have missed me on Saturday's dinner while I spoke about custom wheels ;)

The comment on the "new built" cars: DMCH is a restoring company with a lot of NOS parts.
They will never make a new car, unless they deciced to go John D's way.
While I was there I have been confirmed they are not a car service company (like a regular shop).
There's nothing wrong with that but the term they use for their rebuilds.

Not all of us can or want to maintain their car themselves, however familiarizing with a car's ways is a must for oldtimer owners.
That may keep costs within affordable boundaries and prevents panic if something weird happens.
And if in need for a mechanic, use those who know your car and the peculiarities of it.

I surely hope you will enjoy your new(er) car in the way you expected to enjoy your D.
Should you - in the future - decide to own another D, I'm sure you're welcomed as the proverbial lost sheep.

[DeLorean]

Yep. At a DMA meet last year, I talked extensively with a "new build" car owner who took delivery of the car, within 2 weeks the ball-joints had failed and it was leaking gas. It was leaking gas on the run too! Come on... These are basic things!

[pezzonovante88]

No worries. My new car has no real community place since only 238 were made. There is only one other owner in Colorado, and I see him but once a year. I'll still lurk around...

Being nosey, what kind of car is it you have?

[rddmc]

Sorry to hear about the ownership problems Wilson. Stephen introduced you to me at, I think, DCS 2008. He said we had something in common- I bought the first refurbished DeLorean that DMC Texas sold and you bought the last one they sold as refurbished. As I recall the next cars were called remanufactured instead of refurbished. I bought my car in July 2001 and it had 3050 miles on it at the time. During my 11 plus years of ownership it has been pretty much trouble free. After picking it up in Houston the speedometer quit working around Knoxville, TN on the way home. I called Warren when I got back to VA and he diagnosed the problem as being the dust cover, told me how to install a new one and shipped it out the same day. Frankly I doubted a dust cover would fix my speedometer issue, I had heard bad things about DeLorean angle drives. I installed the dust cover and with almost 20,000 miles on the car now, I have had no more speedometer issues(knock on wood).

I have driven my car to DCS 2002, DCS 2004, DCS 2008 and to DMCMW in 2010 which is 1600 miles round trip from VA without incident. I had DMCMW add the Stage 1 engine upgrade to the car and do an engine tune up. My ownership experience with the first refurbished car sold has been very positive and pleasantly surprising. Like I said my, car has been trouble free. Even though the original carpet is still in pretty good shape for 30 year old carpet, I have bought a new set of light grey carpet and plan to install it soon. I am trying to decide whether to also get a set of new two tone seat covers and install them with the carpet. The original seats are still in great condition but I like the new perforated two tone ones

Again I am sorry to hear about your DeLorean ownership experience and I hope you are enjoying your new ride.

Best wishes,

Rod
10921

[FLUXING]

The one in my Avatar photo, a 2004 Panoz Esperante. Ford drivetrain, parts easy to get, doesn't pee on the garage floor, gives most 'Vettes a run for their money, convertible. 11946

Being nosey, what kind of car is it you have?

[pezzonovante88]

The one in my Avatar photo, a 2004 Panoz Esperante. Ford drivetrain, parts easy to get, doesn't pee on the garage floor, gives most 'Vettes a run for their money, convertible. 11946

Okay, that's what I figured. Very cool car and definitely rare. Have fun.

[DMC_Jorge]

Hate to read this...you know you don't have to own a D to pop in here !!!

That sounds like me.
I don't have a Delorean, but I've been wanting one for a while.
I've lurked here from time to time, and finally joined the Forums last month, after going to DCS 2012 (thanks to Matt, dmc3157).
Joining DMCTalk seems like the best way to keep in touch with the Delorean community, and know the latest news when I have the available funds to get one of my own. :)

[dvonk]

...Joining DMCTalk seems like the best way to keep in touch with the Delorean community, and know the latest news when I have the available funds to get one of my own. :)

welcome to the 'wannabe' club! i too bum around here for fun, camaraderie, and knowledge until i save enough for my own D. :smile:

[ccurzio]

welcome to the 'wannabe' club! i too bum around here for fun, camaraderie, and knowledge until i save enough for my own D. :smile:

I like that you're actively working (and tracking progress) toward your goal. Your meter has bumped a few points since I first got here. :)

Back on topic though, best of luck to you FLUXING.

[FLUXING]

Thanks on the luck. I just wish my build car had turned out to be what I had paid for. Any future toys will be modern ones with local service shops (well, at least in-state).

I like that you're actively working (and tracking progress) toward your goal. Your meter has bumped a few points since I first got here. :)

Back on topic though, best of luck to you FLUXING.

[dvonk]

I like that you're actively working (and tracking progress) toward your goal. Your meter has bumped a few points since I first got here. :)

yep, a little bit at a time! :wink:

[AugustneverEnds]

You will have one soon... No worries :)

[dmruschell]

The dream has moved on for me. After 4 years of Delorean ownership, VIN 3196 is now in the hands of someone else. Too much maintenance, too many problems, not enough garage space all contributed to the decision to sell.

Many acquaintences have urged me to expound all my issues with my car, to dump on DMCH, to urge others to not buy from them. I had too many years, more than one mechanic, to many good memories to start a diatribe about my "new build" DMC.

What I will say is that I met the nicest people I could ever imagine when owning a Delorean. I went places I'd never been, appeared in parades I never would've been a part of, went cross-country with my son to the 2008 DCS. That trip is especially memorable because I never will again be able to get a week with my son alone on a father-son trip like that; for that, I am grateful.

What I will say is that I found fantastic service and support from Josh Bengston at DPI in Tallmadge, OH. If I had it to do again, I'd have purchased a good, used DMC and let him restore it. Had I done that, I'd still have my car. The new owner got a great deal on one of the most cosmetically superb Deloreans I've seen. The DPI engine rebuild was incredible - 26mpg with the A/C on all the way home from Ohio to Colorado.

I don't regret owning a Delorean, just the $70,000 spent on it for purchase, repairs, road damage and maintenance. I have a newer, modern convertible that the wife loves...and it goes very fast.

So I wish the Delorean community the best. I still meet with the local Delorean owners as they are friends for life.


I came across this thread and figured I'd reply, since I (and my longtime girlfriend) are the new owners of 3196!

I'm a Corvette guy and old car lover in general. My dad owned at least one Corvette most of my life and my parents had old cars as their daily drivers. Since my dad's death last year, I inherited his 61 Vette and rediscovered my love of old cars. That's when I found out about my girlfriend's love of DeLoreans.

I had kept my eye out for an automatic (the girlfriend doesn't drive stick) DeLorean at a reasonable price, and found VIN 5786 on ebay in September 2012. After having an inspection done, I agreed to fly out to Indiana to purchase it, which I did. 10 miles into my journey to my mom's house in Ohio (and then home to MD), the brakes failed, pulling into a truck stop. Some nice mechanics bled the brakes and got me back on the road, but that and a few other issues prompted me to stop by DPI the next day to take care of some things. Long story short, the frame is rotted and needs replacing (which is scheduled to start beginning of January).

It was awful that my girlfriend's dream car was turning out to be a nightmare. That's when Josh told me about 3196. When I saw it, he was in the middle of going through the whole car, and it wasn't even complete. However, after seeing the quality of the work in his shop and everything he did that day to help me with my situation with 5786, I decided to purchase 3196 from him and had him add the thick side stripe. He also performed some work on 5786 to get it drivable until the frame is replaced. Both cars stayed at DPI and were delivered to us in late November.

I've been driving 5786 regularly to uncover any issues that will need to be addressed during the swap, and am amazed at (other than being horribly out of alignment.... I didn't ask Josh to fix that though since the front end is rotting away and will be replaced soon anyways) at how great the car runs. During the frame swap, it will be converted to a 5 speed because I love shifting gears. It will also get DPI cams and SPEC 1 exhaust and various other upgrades.

Both my girlfriend and I have driven 3196 a few times and it runs and drives just like a new car. Josh gave me his word that I would be happy with this car when he was done with it, and he was right. I think Josh replaced the engine (Josh can correct me if I'm wrong); but it just has the DPI cams without porting the heads.

Thanks to Wilson for keeping the car as nice as he did, and for ordering it with just about every option available! It's the most optioned out car out of any car we own (although, the DeLoreans are the 2nd and 3rd newest cars we have)! Wilson, if you ever want pictures of the car or anything, let me know.

And thanks to Josh for all the help he gave me, and for the quality of work he does on these cars. It's a bit scary to buy a car that's not finished, especially after getting burned on one that has a rotted frame, but Josh came through with both cars.

Also, FLUXING was my #1 choice for my license plate on 5786 for a while. I had no idea that it was the plate that was on 3196.

[StainlessBullet]

I've been driving 5786 regularly...

That’s the closest vin to mine I’ve seen yet. I own 5788.

[SamHill]

Has any car needed such massive investment as 3196? I almost wondered if it was a boat. Should be perfect by now! Keep us posted on how much you drive it and how it does.

[dmruschell]

That’s the closest vin to mine I’ve seen yet. I own 5788.

Wow, that's not far off at all! We need to find 5787 and all meet up in Ohio in 2014!

SamHill, 3196 is my girlfriend's car, so she'll be doing most of the driving (although I'll definitely be driving it while mine is getting a new frame!). I've heard that things just kept going wrong with that car, but I couldn't find a whole lot on the dmc talk forum about specifics. I did see that Wilson hit a rock that damaged some of the front end (which would explain why the front crumple zone is a slightly different color) and that Josh had to take the engine apart because the coolant had turned to sludge.

I have heard of horror stories about the new Houston builds, and that this car one was one of them. I'm just glad Josh at DPI got a hold of it to fix it correctly, and that he took pity on my situation and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Although, he's made me many offers I can't refuse since then as well lol, and made a loyal customer for as long as I have the cars in the process.

Dave Swingle from DMC Midwest has also been great. They did a lot of work on 5786, but the previous owner didn't want to do the most important (expensive) repair. They happened to have a galvanized frame laying around that they finished up for me and will be sitting under 5786 soon.

I'm learning that word of mouth/forums is usually true in the DeLorean world, and the two shops that consistently have good reviews are DPI and DMCMW, and I can attest to that in my short time as an owner.

[StainlessBullet]

Wow, that's not far off at all! We need to find 5787 and all meet up in Ohio in 2014!

Sounds like a plan to me.

It’s funny you mention that you are doing a frame swap on 5786, as I’m currently doing a frame swap on 5788. There must have been something in the air the day our cars were built. :biggrin:

[jackb]

Also, FLUXING was my #1 choice for my license plate on 5786 for a while. I had no idea that it was the plate that was on 3196.
FLUXING was my license plate (GA) last year (This year it's SHINEY)

[SamHill]

Wow, that's not far off at all! We need to find 5787 and all meet up in Ohio in 2014!

SamHill, 3196 is my girlfriend's car, so she'll be doing most of the driving (although I'll definitely be driving it while mine is getting a new frame!). I've heard that things just kept going wrong with that car, but I couldn't find a whole lot on the dmc talk forum about specifics. I did see that Wilson hit a rock that damaged some of the front end (which would explain why the front crumple zone is a slightly different color) and that Josh had to take the engine apart because the coolant had turned to sludge.

I have heard of horror stories about the new Houston builds, and that this car one was one of them. I'm just glad Josh at DPI got a hold of it to fix it correctly, and that he took pity on my situation and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Although, he's made me many offers I can't refuse since then as well lol, and made a loyal customer for as long as I have the cars in the process.

Dave Swingle from DMC Midwest has also been great. They did a lot of work on 5786, but the previous owner didn't want to do the most important (expensive) repair. They happened to have a galvanized frame laying around that they finished up for me and will be sitting under 5786 soon.

I'm learning that word of mouth/forums is usually true in the DeLorean world, and the two shops that consistently have good reviews are DPI and DMCMW, and I can attest to that in my short time as an owner.

Wow, matching Ds. Did you locate Wilson's blog (if it's still up?) What I most remember about him was his excitement over ordering the car. He was printing out all sorts of stuff from dmctalk.com... stuff that isn't even available anymore. So if you got that book from him, you have some good info. (If you don't know, this site used to be a .com, but it went down for a while and most of the old stuff was lost.) Wilson expected, of course, to get a perfect car for that amount of cash and expected that it at least be relatively problem free for a while... I think there was a lot of negotiating that we don't know about, and probably don't want to know. In any case, I can understand why he cut his losses: it wasn't fun for him. Getting the car first rate was just too hard and drained him more ways than one. Selling at a loss is always the hardest discipline to master.

Anyway, I am down here in DC, not too far away. I don't keep my car here, and it is down until Spring. Let me know if y'all go to any car shows when the weather turns.

[dmruschell]

Wow, matching Ds. Did you locate Wilson's blog (if it's still up?) What I most remember about him was his excitement over ordering the car. He was printing out all sorts of stuff from dmctalk.com... stuff that isn't even available anymore. So if you got that book from him, you have some good info. (If you don't know, this site used to be a .com, but it went down for a while and most of the old stuff was lost.) Wilson expected, of course, to get a perfect car for that amount of cash and expected that it at least be relatively problem free for a while... I think there was a lot of negotiating that we don't know about, and probably don't want to know. In any case, I can understand why he cut his losses: it wasn't fun for him. Getting the car first rate was just too hard and drained him more ways than one. Selling at a loss is always the hardest discipline to master.

Anyway, I am down here in DC, not too far away. I don't keep my car here, and it is down until Spring. Let me know if y'all go to any car shows when the weather turns.

Yeah, matching Ds, although I'm trying to make mine as different as possible while still being what I want (no side stripe, manual, different lowering spring set, an original vs a new build, etc). I'm bad at selling at a loss, so I opted to give 5786 a new frame rather than sell it at a loss.

I don't know what all we received with 3196, I'll have to look at it all again. I couldn't find his blog, just some posts on here. If I spent the price of a new build on a DeLorean, I'd be pissed if it was having the problems that I've heard he had. As it is, a frame swap is a pain, but the previous owner had a lot of upgrades done to it and get the car running again. I don't know if that makes up for lying to me about the condition of the frame, but not much I can do about that now.

We just bought a house around the same time as our Ds in September, and my normal car show car (my dad's 61 vette) was rear ended in October, so we haven't done any car shows at all lately. I used to go to some of the local weekly car shows. We both are members of DeLorean Mid-Atlantic (after a year of just hanging around them bringing the 61 to various car shows lol), so we'll be at club events and shows I'm sure :-)

[DMC5180]

my normal car show car (my dad's 61 vette) was rear ended in October, so we haven't done any car shows at all lately.

Hope the damage wasn't to bad. Are you having it Repaired?

[Michael]

That whole coolant to sludge story, although I don't deny it, makes me remember when Wilson broke a alternator/waterpump belt while driving. I really don't remember how far he drove or how hot he said the car got(if at all), but I wonder if that episode warped a head or blew a haed gasket causing the problem?

I doubt you will find much information as most of his posts were on the .com site.

[dmruschell]

Hope the damage wasn't to bad. Are you having it Repaired?

The biggest bummer was that the frame was bent. The other big thing to worry about was that the rear chrome bumpers aren't reproduced anymore. Fortunately, last year when I first took possession of the car, I found the best (old car/ Vette specialist) mechanic I've ever met. He straightened the frame out within a week of the accident (even before the insurance business was settled). The car that hit me ended up raising my Vette and going slightly under my car, and it just so happened my bumpers were the same height as its headlights, so one of the bumpers has one tiny dent in it. Other than that, it was fine. The biggest thing holding up progress (other than slow insurance dealings) was that the back fiberglass panel tool 4 weeks to manufacture, as they only make them as they're ordered. There were a bunch of fiberglass panels, especially on the left side and in the trunk, that were cracked. We didn't know if he would have to replace them or not, but he said he would know once he received the new back panel. Fortunately, it turned out that he could repair all of it, so we don't have to wait on more reproduction panels that don't quite fit 100% right. Here are some pictures before the accident, right after, and 2 weeks ago (last time I saw it). This was my dad's car, so it means a lot to me, and I've found someone whom I trust 100% to work on it (and my 2 other old GM cars).

Last year
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff387/dmruschell/IMG_20120104_152712.jpg

After the accident. you can see the panels don't fit together correctly because the frame is bent. The car is about an inch shorter on the left side than it should be.
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff387/dmruschell/1961%20Accident/IMG_0298_zpsbb7732c3.jpg
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff387/dmruschell/1961%20Accident/IMG_0300_zpsca7d2cc4.jpg
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff387/dmruschell/1961%20Accident/IMG_0306_zpsbed2d31c.jpg

After the new reproduction back panel is installed.
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff387/dmruschell/1961%20Accident/12-22-12_zps817b4a61.jpg

[dmruschell]

That whole coolant to sludge story, although I don't deny it, makes me remember when Wilson broke a alternator/waterpump belt while driving. I really don't remember how far he drove or how hot he said the car got(if at all), but I wonder if that episode warped a head or blew a haed gasket causing the problem?

I doubt you will find much information as most of his posts were on the .com site.

It would be nice to know more about the history of the car. I think Josh DPI has some of the records, I just haven't gotten around to asking him yet. I've been too concentrated on 5786's frame swap! I'm glad Josh went through the car and that it's been working great since we've gotten it :D

[Delorean Industries]

It would be nice to know more about the history of the car. I think Josh DPI has some of the records, I just haven't gotten around to asking him yet. I've been too concentrated on 5786's frame swap! I'm glad Josh went through the car and that it's been working great since we've gotten it :D

I an provide you with detailed notes minus previous owner info, payment amounts etc. We went through it extensively but it still isn't the equivalent of us building a car from scratch.

[dmruschell]

I an provide you with detailed notes minus previous owner info, payment amounts etc. We went through it extensively but it still isn't the equivalent of us building a car from scratch.

That would be great! I understand about not wanting to reveal other people's personal information. It's definitely still a Houston built car, but with DPI engine/exhaust upgrades and (hopefully) all of the issues worked out. I'd much rather have a car that Josh went through than one straight from Houston, that's for sure :)

[congerz83]

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/congerz83/Vehicles/60a5be62.jpg