Check Out #4485, What do you think?

[vwdmc16]

Went to a car show toady and met a guy who had a friend that was looking to sell his Delorean, this Oct 81 # 4485 is in Lincoln, CA ( NE of Sacramento CA). The owner inherited the car from his late stepfather. They are looking to sell it really soon as they have no need for the car. So im acting as a Delorean selling consultant.

Known back story: The PO is not the original owner but he has owned it for many many years, it was never used much. It has sat for multiple years here and there, It was probably stored properly as there are no visible signs of fuel system damage that I saw. No known service history prior to the current owner who took the car to a (non-dmc) transmission shop and had the auto trans rebuilt ( no gears were selectable). Other than that, all I know is the car was always garaged


SO check out the pictures and the known issues I listed below and tell me what you think the car is worth!

Facts:

Grey interior
Auto
grooved hood
Stock engine
39,150miles
Runs
Drives
Smogged
Registered
Complete
98% stock


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_143053-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_143113-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142912.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_143207.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142615.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142621.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141658.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_143207.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142731.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142003.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141606.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141619.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141633.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141556.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141541.jpg



Good things ive noticed:

Incredible Body~ body gaps are very nice throughout
one two Pea sized super Shallow dings on the LFF (very hard to see), I found no other dents
Doors open and latch pretty good, need just a bit of adjusting with the pins and they will be perfect.
No eye brows or saggy fascias
Glass is great (tiny crack on the rear view mirror, glue:()
all gauges work
most electrics work
Runs quite well and strong
Drives decently, Shocks are still strong, No suspension noise
Freshly rebuilt 3 spd trans and shifts great
frame is a bit dirty but rust free
No oil leaks
new battery
all lights work



Flaws/ issues I noticed:

slightly faded light lenses
faded fascia paint
Needs 4 tires (dry cracks)
minor coolant seepage in hoses
still running original Coolant bottle
Needs headliners
Needs seat covers and new seat hardware ( lost a lot of bolts)
generally faded interior plastics and they are falling off
Cracked dash and binnacle
Power mirrors need work
Door lock module not responsive
A/C clutch doesnt engage ( still R12 and probably low or empty)
slow battery drain ( faulty alarm system that needs to be removed)
Was overheated recently but not enough to burst a head or cylinder gasket ( no coolant in oil or condensation in filler cap)
needs some new radiator hoses
Needs new otterstat
No electrical updates found
oil pressure gauge is very jittery but works.
fuel gauge is about a 1/4 off actual level
No muffler, just some 2.5" bend tubes out the back, having a conversation in the car at 3k rpm+ is not really possible
needs door struts
Needs lower engine lid stay and crack repaired in the cover
needs steering column bushing
needs trunk release cable repaired
Brakes felt okay but condition is unknown
Has an intermittent ignition failure during the test drive ( think it may have been a loose coil wire)


No muffler!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141754.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141726.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141810.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_144237.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_144333.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141626.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142315.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142256.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142718.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_141912.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142636.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142652.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_142703.jpg


Check out this bulging radiator hose! It expanded enough to knock the TTS wire off the sensor!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_161330.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_161345.jpg


So thats about it, ill post more that I remember and can try to answer more questions

[DMC3165]

Overall looks pretty good. The major stuff looks to be in good shape. Nice clean tranny from the tranny shop. Frame looks good, engine block shows no signs of oxidation. It looks like the water pump may have a small leak in the pics but thats common for a car that sits. Any idea of an asking price? I'd say tell him to ask 18K and don't take less then 16K for it. Looks like an easy, light cosmetic resto. If I had the extra cash I'd be all over it, then I'd be in divorce court.

[Chris Burns]

I WANT THAT DELOREAN!!

Crap, there are some good Deloreans coming up for sale :approve:

[Chris4099]

It needs a front end recall done. Also looks like the steering rack boot is torn too. Looks like a good project car for the right buyer at the right price. If I could get it cheap, I would buy it right up!

[WelmoedJ]

18K (and even 16K) is way too much for a car that sat so long!
This is a better project car, but still is a project car.
10K would be a better price considering the work needed to make it roadworthy.
Think of all rubber (hoses and tires), battery, seats, crack repairs (dash/binnacle).
You'll need to do the entire fuel system too.

[Nicholas R]

I think 16-18 is a bit high but 10 is low if it really runs and drives as well as posted. I say this is a $13k-$15k car.

[Jacko]

The front and rear fascias, the dash and binnacle tell me that this D spent a lot of time in the sun ...

The driver's seat tells me this D has a lot more miles on it than indicated ... a lot more ...

The lack of a muffler and subsequent exhaust plumbing is trying to tell me something ... I don't know what ...

The need of a steering column bushing is another sign of a lot of miles.

The stainless appears to be good ... $10K

[dmc6960]

The driver's seat tells me this D has a lot more miles on it than indicated ... a lot more ...

That seat looks almost exactly like mine did after ~120-125k miles. If this car sat in the sun a lot it would appear to wear faster though. My dash never got a crack in it and my binnacle while has lots of little cracks doesn't have any single huge ones spanning the whole part. That also hints at more sun exposure speeding up the wear.

[Chris Burns]

The front and rear fascias, the dash and binnacle tell me that this D spent a lot of time in the sun ...

The driver's seat tells me this D has a lot more miles on it than indicated ... a lot more ...

The lack of a muffler and subsequent exhaust plumbing is trying to tell me something ... I don't know what ...

The need of a steering column bushing is another sign of a lot of miles.

The stainless appears to be good ... $10K

My bud removed the muffler on his Delorean for his twin turbo conversion for a throatier sound. Even though this doesn't have a twin turbo, maybe they just wanted a loud exhaust.

[Nicholas R]

The front and rear fascias, the dash and binnacle tell me that this D spent a lot of time in the sun ...

The driver's seat tells me this D has a lot more miles on it than indicated ... a lot more ...

The lack of a muffler and subsequent exhaust plumbing is trying to tell me something ... I don't know what ...

The need of a steering column bushing is another sign of a lot of miles.

The stainless appears to be good ... $10K

Steering column bushing means nothing except that the car is 30 years old. Those things fall apart on concourse cars. I've changed them on 5,000mi cars and on 150,000mi cars.

The driver seat to me doesn't mean it was driven; usually means that it was indeed in the sun a LOT and that the driver side of the car was the most affected. That vinyl will literally tear itself apart if it dries out and sits in the sun for a long time.

Lack of muffler is indeed odd. Honestly I think someone took it to a muffler shop because they wanted it to sound better an this was their solution.

[LEVY]

I believe $13000.00 is a good starting point.

For a transmission to be so clean, I believe it was full of oil before it was power washed, otherwise it wouldn't be so clean and shiny. This engine/transmission is probably leaking oil somewhere.

This vehicle is a high mileage car, I believe.

Over all, this seems to be a good vehicle if you have $6000.00 / $8000.00 set aside for restoration.


LEVY

[Domi]

Electric compartment is a bit messy :eek5:

[Chris Burns]

Example of a Delorean that hasn't been touched for awhile, but a good starter car for someone!

[Domi]

Yes, a good winter project!

[Mark D]

12 or 13k sounds about right to me. The frame and suspension look awesome... almost completely rust free and would really clean up nice.

The mechanical and cosmetic issues list seems to be pretty long though.... Whoever buys it will have a nice project of fixing and replacing a lot of parts.

I've never seen a muffler delete like that on a DeLorean before with the cat still intact.:tongue2:

[jawn101]

I gotta say I've become very conscious of the T-panel/door alignment and you're right, those panels look amazing.

There's a lot to love about that car! It would be a great candidate for someone like Chris... :)

[vwdmc16]

The driver seat to me doesn't mean it was driven; usually means that it was indeed in the sun a LOT and that the driver side of the car was the most affected. That vinyl will literally tear itself apart if it dries out and sits in the sun for a long time.

Lack of muffler is indeed odd. Honestly I think someone took it to a muffler shop because they wanted it to sound better an this was their solution.



Exactly, The Po wanted it to sound "mean" I do wonder if the old muffler is still stilling in the garage somewhere, that would save a few hundred bucks


As for the fading, If you note the black trim on the quarter panel is not super faded. Its possible that the car sat in a garage next to a window that got alot of sun on the driver side only.

[vwdmc16]

Looking again at the custom exhaust, I see stock exhaust tips and the inlet U bend, so Im sure the factory muffler was cut up to make the straight pipes, damn.
From my other estimations of required parts, Ive complied a $6K list that would address all the issues Ive mentioned. I think with all that sorted the car would be a solid $20-23K car that will only need regular use and maintenance. However if something else major comes up, then the owner is looking at having putting in alot more money than the car is work. One could go wild with the interior repairs and spend a small fortune to make it like new, but that wont be necessary to make it a solid driver.


So are there any seriously interested parties?