Autoweek Article involving DMCMW

[virtualchuck]

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131128/CARNEWS01/131129836?utm_source=DailyDrive20131128&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=article4&utm_content=20131128-Ditching-a-Delorean-DMC-12&utm_campaign=awdailydrive

I hope you don't mind me sharing this article Dave?

The author has a very interesting perspective on the DeLorean. On one hand, he understands that it isn't right to let the car it sit and languish in his garage. On the other, he speaks about what sounds like relative minor issues (jumpy idle, fouled up fuel system) as a death sentence for this low mileage car. I'm sure he could have dealt with those issues and had it back running in short order if he so desired?

Ultimately I applaud him for selling his father's car to Dave to see that it got a proper restoration, and got back on the road where it belongs...

Chuck

[OverlandMan]

I thought it was a little strange too that he mentioned he wants to own a DeLorean again someday but only in a manual shift and that he didn't want to spend restoration/parts money on an automatic car.

The problems he described had no impact on the type of transmission.

[DMCMW Dave]

It was a car that was in decent "physical" condition (other than being missing the louver completely), but had been in his garage mechanically ignored for decades. It needed everything that a long storage car needs, starting with a fuel system. What he didn't mention (and does not show up in the picture) is that the car had an absolutely hideous set of red painted-on pinstripes applied by the original dealer.

I don't recall when you visited in person but it was likely the car that was in the showroom at that time (unless there was no car in the showroom, in which case we were finishing it up for the sale).

The picture in the magazine article is Mike and me rolling it out of the author's garage and into the trailer.

[virtualchuck]

It was a car that was in decent "physical" condition (other than being missing the louver completely), but had been in his garage mechanically ignored for decades. It needed everything that a long storage car needs, starting with a fuel system. What he didn't mention (and does not show up in the picture) is that the car had an absolutely hideous set of red painted-on pinstripes applied by the original dealer.

I don't recall when you visited in person but it was likely the car that was in the showroom at that time (unless there was no car in the showroom, in which case we were finishing it up for the sale).

The picture in the magazine article is Mike and me rolling it out of the author's garage and into the trailer.

Yikes red pinstripes...Yes, the car was in the showroom when I visited, and I recall it being in absolutely beautiful condition. I'm glad to see it back on the road (sans the pinstripes)

Chuck

[Jonathan]

Thanks for the link, Chuck.

I'll admit I didn't read the article until the second time I clicked on it, and only after seeing Dave's comments. When I first saw the comment about "too bad it was an automatic," I doubted the author had anything to say I needed to hear.

Amazing how often that comment comes up, and not just with DeLoreans. You see it a lot at car shows and definitely with Corvettes. You could be looking at some beautiful car in 100 different ways, but if the owner decided he preferred automatics, say because he sits in rush hour traffic a lot, then all of a sudden the car is inferior somehow.

Silly ignorance mostly, bash something or "don't like it" even though you didn't even give it a chance.

'So, do you like broccoli?'
'Nah, can't stand the stuff, ever since I was a kid.'
'Have you even tried it in the past 30-40 years?'
'Nope.'

Automatics. Eating habits. Ford vs Chevy. Always needing to hit from the tips at your local golf course. Fighting a 1,000 year old territorial argument with your neighbor.

Some folks do stuff they don't even know why, they just know that's what they always do and have never questioned it. That's ok, someone a little less pig-headed just got themselves a nicely restored car.

[Mark D]

I wouldn't go so far as to call the original owner pig-headed just because he didn't want an automatic. It's just a matter of preference. If I was going to spend lots of time and money to fix up a DeLorean (which I have) I'd want it to end up exactly the way I wanted when it was finished. It wouldn't make much sense to invest that much into a car and never be fully satisfied with the end result. At least he knew what he wanted and didn't get half way into the restoration himself and then decide it wasn't worth continuing on.

DeLoreans are much more homogenous because of the lack of options the car had but I see people express the same type of preference in regards to hood type, interior color, wheel color, etc. I see the same thing on other car forums as well.

[Jonathan]

I wouldn't go so far as to call the original owner pig-headed just because he didn't want an automatic. It's just a matter of preference.

You're right, Mark. It definitely is a preference. Everyone gets to choose, of course, that's the beauty of it.

I just thought this guy wasn't so obliging with other people's preferences, as he mocked his own father who had "thought it was a good idea to have an automatic mated to the 130 hp engine, yaday, yada, yada..."

If he really does enjoy driving manual transmissions, super, good for him. He can go get a manual transmission instead of dealing with the automatic car it sounds like was given to him. The chastizing of automatics seemed to come through more strongly than just a preference he didn't share. Like it was the only 'excuse' necessary to justify getting rid of the car. And as Jeff pointed out, he's picking on a lot of car stuff that isn't related to the type of transmission, and honestly, you should have expected if you just let it sit. Kind of a cop-out to call the fuel system finicky when you admit to letting it sit and get gunked up over the years.

That's like blaming your Sunday morning hangover and barfing all day on the "bad hot dog" you got off the street meat vendor at 2 am and not the 15 beers you had earlier in the night.

[Mark D]

All good points Jonathan... I read the article again and his attitude showed a little differently on the second read through. He did come off a bit pig headed about the automatic transmission and some of the other issues with the car. I'm pretty sure the manual trans cars perform nearly the same as the autos anyway with only a slight advantage to the manual trans car. All the drivabily issues he was looking at were due to the car sitting for a long time so he must have not done much to prepare it for storage.

Either way, I saw the restored car at DMCMW's open house and it was one of the nicest I've ever seen.

[louielouie2000]

I remember this car:

http://www.delorean.com/delorean/6797/#!prettyPhoto

It always bugged me that the wide black stripe was incorrectly installed. And it baffled me that for as incredibly clean as the car was, the DMC logo on the stripe was so worn. :confused:

Don't get me started on the skinny back tires, either. :facepalm:

[Chris Burns]

Sounds like "Darren Decker" talking Louie....:hihi2:

[David T]

Sounds like "Darren Decker" talking Louie....:hihi2:

I wonder who in New Jersey bought the car? This article is very typical of children who wind up with a parent's car. The car was special to the parent but not so much the child who inherited it. Especially if it doesn't run and will take a big commitment to get it running again.At least the article keeps the car in the public's eye and was, on balance, pretty favorable. All the rest was just trivial details and personal descriptions. Also a lot of free publicity for DMCMW.

[john 05141]

Was that this guy?
Than I've seen it at DMCMW in 1012.
in the right corner (above the right taillight) you can see the white new front facia that is mentioned here.

Jan

[DMCMW Dave]

Was that this guy?
Than I've seen it at DMCMW in 1012.
in the right corner (above the right taillight) you can see the white new front facia that is mentioned here.

Jan

No, that was several years ago. By the plate I recall it was a customer car we put in the showroom for the winter that year.

[SS Spoiler]

Probably Kent Van Meters of Webster MN. He has since sold his car. [too many painful memories after his wife Judy died]

[DMCMW Dave]

Kens car went to a new owner in Texas circa 2008 .



Sent from my phone

[Chris 16409]

I got a kick out of the fascia story he told. A year or so ago when I needed a new fiberglass front fascia, Toby told me Dave at DMC-MW found a pristine original front fascia that they used to make a mold for the new ones. I think that's pretty cool. The new owner has some bragging rights now.