Just what?s going on with DMCH?

[DMCVegas]

With the accelerated rate over the past couple years where people in this world are ever more narcissistic, violent and take no responsibility for their actions, do you really think we have 60yrs left?

Absolutely. Not because I'm some perpetually positive person who hopes for the best, or because of my love for people. Nope, I believe we'll be around for quite some time because I'm an absolute cynic. Confused? Indulge me for a moment.

Do you know what one of the largest warning signs that a person is inevitably going to commit suicide is? It's sudden happiness! Yes, you read that correctly. Someone who is perpetually clinically depressed, sees no way out of a bad situation they're in, has no hope, whatever. That person is sad. But then all of the sudden they're full of joy out of nowhere. Why is that? Because they've found a solution to all of their problems in death. Ending it all means that they're no longer around to be subjected to their pains, nor liable for their debts, problems, etcetera. And the thing about this is that a good chunk of society is constantly daydreaming about this too, and have been for as long as mankind has been around. From yea olde bell ringer in robes in the street proclaiming that the end is neigh from the dark ages, to past fads of zombie apocalypses in pop culture. Covid plagues, giant meteors crashing into the planet, nuclear bombs going off, assholes being, well, assholes on the internet like me... It's all the same. Just a gigantic daydream that all our problems will soon be over because of some catastrophe that whisks us away from the harsh pain of reality.

But personally, no. I'm of the mind that we aren't going to get off that easily. We're going to be around for a long, long time in order deal with our problems. That is the level of cynicism I have.

I disagree that electric is the future, but that's a whole other topic.

And that is perfectly fine. But it just looks as though everyone here has completely missed the damn point I was raising about EV conversions. Specifically that engine swaps are not just inevitable, but should be accepted as well. To expand upon my last post briefly, with reference to carburetor conversions, I didn't simply want just a conversion that would be available to anyone who wanted to complete one, I wanted a complete how-to guide for the procedure. How to swap in the fuel delivery system, tune it, maintain it, etc. The reasoning being both for accessibility, but more importantly for the purpose of creating a universally accepted and standardized modification within the marque. How many times over the years did you use to hear complaints about those 80amp Ducey alternators? The plastic clutch lines? Fan Fail Relay modifications? Tank Ziila? Stainless brackets for Training Arm Sheilds? Stainless coolant bottles to replace plastic ones? The list goes on. These are all commonly accepted, if not per the opinion of the community as a whole, required modifications for our cars. Just as a Chevy swap is considered standard practice for some Jaguars and Volvos, so should LS and Honda swaps for DeLoreans for those who wish to do so.

And yes, despite the attacks against me in the past, no, I am hardly a purist. I enjoy modifications, but I just believe that the should be done correctly. But the only way to do that is to stop shunning them, moreso when they're inevitable. Otherwise enjoy your stainless steel paperweight that no longer runs because of a lack of parts. I mean if dudes in Cuba are still tooling around Havana in 70 year old Chevys, Studebakers, and Packards because they could swap engines and keep their cars going, we can too.

I hope it fails spectacularly and by the looks of the panning on social media, it will. If I ever get back in the game, it will be through whatever MW is offering at the time.

Meh, I don't care about the vehicle. Hell, if I had the means and it hit production I'd buy one. Mostly too because I despise Fisker. You want to talk about a shit company, Fisker, not DMCH is the real bunch of assholes that deserve ridicule. I remember when General Motors was getting ready to sell off the Kappa platform and the entire plant in Delaware. Penske and DMCH were both interested with DMCH looking to badge engineer the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky. Neat little cars. But no, Fisker convinced everyone to sell the plant to them. The Kappa platform was discontinued, hundreds of workers at the Wilmington Assembly Plant were fired, and the state of Delaware lost millions of dollars from subsidies they gave to Fisker.

Fuck Karma and their half-assed Fisker crap. I hope they loose their lawsuit and go bankrupt. They're acting less like a manufacture and more like a band of pathetic patent trolls.

Right now electric cars are not really viable without government incentives, but I do believe they will be in the future. But, you realize that petroleum based fuel will become less expensive, not more expensive as electric vehicles become mainstream

Alright. Apparently this whole EV topic has taken a life of it's own. So if the mods wish to break this off into another thread, go right ahead. I've no intention of participating, so I'll threadkill it right now.

1. Technically petroleum fuels are already flooded with government subsidies in the form of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of tax breaks issued each year to petroleum companies who write-off everything from losses to expenses for exploration costs. Kill those tax cuts and watch how much less competitive fossil fuels become.
2. Cue the Dilbert cartoon. Oil is a fungible resource. If we don't consume it here in North America, other regions will. Most likely Asia and Africa. So the demand won't go away. There will be other countries who will step in and buy what we don't in order to keep the price high.
3. Beyond that, understand that commodities pricing is NOT based upon supply and demand.
4. In the future, I seriously doubt we will see the aggressive expansion of gas stations in the western world, with refueling stations more likely to recede in the decades to come. But more on that later.

Do you pay road tax? If not, you are getting a direct government incentive.

Also, your price may have been lower because of government breaks to the manufacture.

Interesting you mention this. Auto manufacturers of ICE vehicles such as Toyota have received tens of millions of dollars in tax credits for relocating to Texas, as well as other companies such as Hyundai, Nissan, and Toyota who have moved manufacturing into Mississippi under the guise of "job creation". Which these corporations still get the lions share of government subsidies over EVs.

Road taxes are an interesting thing. So let's talk about those. You see, when you purchase motor fuels at the pump, you're not just paying fuel costs and taxes. Oh no. Large chunks of the price per gallon go directly back to the petroleum manufacturer to cover costs such as fuel distribution and delivery, and believe it or not, marketing costs. And then we have a few cents per gallon that gets thrown to the gas station itself. So, if lets say every year when you renew your vehicle registration the state were to charge you equal sales tax and road tax fees for the miles you drove based upon an equivalency of gallons of motor fuel you'd have purchased if those miles had been driven on a comparative ICE, you'd still likely save a couple hundred dollars per year by cutting the oil company out of the deal, and the government would STILL get their share and lose no revenue in the process.

They will increase the taxes if that happens.

Nope. Now certainly once EVs take over I wouldn't put it past regulators to place excessive taxes upon regular motor fuels to curb use in the same way which taxes on tobacco skyrocketd in order to facilitate cessation. Possibly with exemptions for classic cars in the same way that some rural stations will exempt sales taxes for OHV-use only diesel. But that's likely many decades away.

But otherwise I absolutely can see gasoline prices shooting up as EV adoption takes place. As we consume less motor fuel and lower demand, the shipments will become fewer from overseas refineries. Which in turn means that since we're not buying in bulk, we're not going to get that same discount. And even before inflation took hold over the past couple of years, WTI Crude from fracking needs to stay high in order to maintain the profitability of oil extraction and refining. And with a raw pre tax equivalency of less than .60? per gallon when using electricity instead of petrol, how in the hell can oil companies compete with that?

The main thing I predict will happen is the decline of the gas station. Most people don't realize that gas stations only make a few cents per gallon profit on the fuel they sell. The real money is inside with convenience store sales of food and beverages. To open a station, assuming you don't have a licensing agreement with a petroleum provider that you have to pay for, the costs are astronomical. You've got to pay for underground storage tanks. Then you've got to pay to get them installed. Then you've got licenses to pay for to sell those fuels. Then you've got ground water monitoring you need to pay for. Then after "X" amount of years you'll have to dig those tanks up and start all over. And even then you've got to hope that your fuel prices are set to keep you competitive or else people won't stop in.

Yet on the flip side Target and Walmart are just paying to have the local utility company pull in some additional power lines to run charging stations in their parking lots cost a fraction of a gas station, and have essentially created a fuel station for EVs. So imagine you're an entrepreneur who wants to open up a convenience store. Which looks more financially attractive? Selling Petroleum or Electricity? Again, decades away but likely to be the change we see in the future to further drive fossil fuels out of the market.

[Timeless]

Do you pay road tax? If not, you are getting a direct government incentive.

Also, your price may have been lower because of government breaks to the manufacture.

No road tax. Is there a US government incentive for a vehicle produced in Germany? I purchased a Tesla Model 3 in late 2019 and did receive some $ when they had the tax credit offering.

[Jonathan]

I'm having the sudden urge to write something long-winded... for old times sake.

Michael... you too?

[DMCMW Dave]

Absolutely. + a whole bunch of other words

Man, I truly miss your writing (not kidding). Do you have a blog somewhere else?

[Michael]

I'm having the sudden urge to write something long-winded... for old times sake.

Michael... you too?

I don't do that here anymore...I can't do it without twisting someone's panties up in a knot so they complain to the compassionate mods who will in turn lock the thread to satisfy the hurt widdle feelings of one delicate beta boy.
Most of the members now have a private room on FB by invite only. That's where we converse and nobody gets butthurt....and you should see what the longtime members (and vendors) REALLY think about this LOL!

[Citizen]

Absolutely. + a whole bunch of other words

I'm having the sudden urge to write something long-winded... for old times sake. Michael... you too?

Man, I truly miss your writing (not kidding). Do you have a blog somewhere else?

I don't do that here anymore...[Snip]

Most of the members now have a private room on FB by invite only. That's where we converse and nobody gets butthurt....and you should see what the longtime members (and vendors) REALLY think about this LOL!

+ 1 on Dave S' statement...wish Robert would come back (not kidding either) and post again. Add Michael to that list as well.

Mostly I agree (but not always), but both of your writing styles (in perfect English) keep me interested and reading whether I agree or not. It was disappointing that many of the people that make up the DeLorean knowledge base have migrated to FB, because there are many folks left here on Talk that need their expertise, but will not, for a plethora of reasons, join FB.

Thomas

...

[Timeless]

It was disappointing that many of the people that make up the DeLorean knowledge base have migrated to FB, because there are many folks left here on Talk that need their expertise, but will not, for a plethora of reasons, join FB.

Thomas

...

I'm one that refuses to join/support mainstream social media platforms.

[Bitsyncmaster]

It was disappointing that many of the people that make up the DeLorean knowledge base have migrated to FB, because there are many folks left here on Talk that need their expertise, but will not, for a plethora of reasons, join FB.

Thomas

...

What you post on face book gets lost after a week or two and is very limited to search and even comments get buried in sub comments unless you keep updating and reading the whole thing over and over again. I still only post technical stuff on TALK. It's a shame a lot of owners don't access it.

[Timeless]

What you post on face book gets lost after a week or two and is very limited to search and even comments get buried in sub comments unless you keep updating and reading the whole thing over and over again. I still only post technical stuff on TALK. It's a shame a lot of owners don't access it.

True story. I and many appreciate your valuable input for the community!

[Mark D]

What you post on face book gets lost after a week or two and is very limited to search and even comments get buried in sub comments unless you keep updating and reading the whole thing over and over again. I still only post technical stuff on TALK. It's a shame a lot of owners don't access it.

I can't stand how facebook sorts, hides, and prioritizes certain posts and comments over others and turns what would be a logical flow of information into an otherwise jumbled mess. The mass exodus from car forums is irritating because the format is such a better way to store information that can be searched and viewed from beginning to end.

To your point about having to keep updating a FB post and reading the whole comments section over and over again, it seems like that is by-design to keep people engaged and endlessly scrolling.