[DML] Re: Ignition issue- RESOLVED (long)

["bbbigray" <bbbigray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi List!

This has been an interesting thread, and I'm pleased the moderators 
have been so patient with it.  In a world where the full-service 
local retailer is being destroyed by WalMart-ism, I gotta weigh in.

Tough issue--to outsource or support the DMC vendor community?  On 
the one hand, this vendor community is fabulously vibrant and 
innovative, even if somewhat "expensive."  On the other hand, when 
you own an exotic, you're on your own to the extent that vendors come 
and go, some really are on the take, and service centers are rarely 
down the block.  Besides, with a little legwork you can save a buck 
or two at the cash register.  Which way do you turn, discounters or 
full-service vendors?

At this point I must confess that, since I live out in the boonies, 
I've done considerable research into the outsourcing issue, have 
bought lots of aftermarket parts with good results, and have a small 
library of service manuals to boot.  (Mitchell's Bosch K-Jetronic Svc 
Manual, for example.  Great procedure for ID'ing busted pulse coils.  
This car's been a daily driver since '83.)  So before I stump for the 
vendor community, color me guilty.  

That said, IMHO, supporting a good full-service vendor is an 
investment that pays and pays.  If you take a "global" view of the 
life-cycle costs of your car, they save you a ton of money and return 
to you tremendous value.  (Are you listening, Wal-Mart shoppers?)  

For starters, your time has to be worth something-- good vendors save 
you research time, sourcing time, and most important, primrose path 
time.  Unless you absolutely adore prying oil filters open on 
Saturday afternoon, start with a dollar amount for that.

Then you get into direct cost, the one most people think of.  You 
don't buy the wrong part three times before you get the right one, 
and you replace one that isn't broken a lot less often.  Also, the 
vendors generally know which of the many candidate parts is the best 
choice, so you maximize the productivity of the part.  Finally, cars 
being fun to work on, good parts make 'em all the more fun.  Tack 
those costs/values onto the list.

Now it gets a bit more nebulous.  When I first had 10693 in the early 
80's, most of these pups were parked, abused, neglected, and serviced 
by an awful lot of less-than-qualified people.  Most of them ran like 
trash.  

Fast forward to today, with a huge and growing vendor and support 
community, and we have two new things.  More and more of these cars 
are being driven and taken care of.  More happy drivers, more demand, 
more resale value.  

Second, because of the vendor and support communities, including this 
list, these cars have become eminently ownable--easier to work on, 
easier to get parts for, they're far more reliable, and they perform 
better.  The Dream becomes accessible to more people.  So tack the 
enhanced resale values into the equation, and add a pinch for the 
social bennies of letting more people come to the party.  (DMCH and 
DeLorean One prices were considered unthinkable a few years ago.  
Stay tuned.)

Rewind to yesterday-- without this prolific vendor group, a lot of 
people would be back to owning stainless steel workbenches, and a lot 
more would be on the outside looking in, just like the 80s.

Finally, the toughest money factor to pin down--productivity.  A 
hypothesis:  You want a driver and you can buy one of two cars, one 
showroom stock, the other upgraded and custom-tailored to do exactly 
what you want it to do, same money.  Which one has more value to you, 
and how much?  How many vacation days will you waste on an OEM fuel 
pump, how many good Stones CDs won't you listen to because you don't 
like the stereo?  How many road trips will you decide not to take 
because you don't have cruise control or a stainless clutch line?  

In short, how much bang for the buck do you get out of your car?  
It's purely a judgement call, but include a line item for that in 
your outsource/vendor analysis.

(Incidentally, for you showroom types, try maintaining a concours 
without an affordable warehouse full of showroom parts.  In additon, 
the more drivers/mods that are out there, the fewer OEMs exist, and 
your collectible D gets rarer and rarer.)

So is the bottom line really worth saving five bucks plus postage for 
an oil filter?  Do you truly have the time to reverse-engineer your 
car, your computer, your vintage tube-powered guitar amp, your boat, 
all the cool gizmos built into your house, and the burgeoning 
population of all your other time-consuming hobbies, not to mention 
all that indispensable stuff crying out for you on E-Bay?  Would life 
truly be better with Rolled-Back prices and no specialized vendors?  

Personally I cover my six and keep my eyes out for new sources, and I 
love knowing how all my gadgets work so I can creatively misuse them, 
but I faithfully go the vendor route.  I spend less money and realize 
more value overall, and most crucially in the grand scheme of the 
meaning of life, I maximize my time and money for the greatest number 
of toys.  (People fit in there too, somewhere.)

You can't get that at WalMart.  

And what, by the way, is the value of a forum where you can post a 
question about an oil filter, unravel the mysteries of modern 
Galbraithian market economics, and discover the true meaning of life?

--Ray
10693 and Counting.



-- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Soma576@xxxx wrote:
> >>>>>>>>>>
> The Delorean venders do. If there was something
> better for the car they would know it, and supply it. It is in their
> collective interest to supply us, the customers, with the best parts
> they can. The same cannot be said about the 17 year old behind the
> counter at Autozone.
> David Teitelbaum
> vin 10757 
> >>>>>>>>>>
> 
> My thoughts exactly. if that Fram filter were as good as the 
Purflux, they would be selling it.  My cost of goods on a PH7328 Fram 
filter is less than $1.40 a pop (where i work).  I wonder how much 
the vendors pay for a Purflux?  Seeing as the Purflux filter from PJ 
Grady costs the consumer $12.73, i'm sure Rob would rather sell the 
Fram filter at a lower COGS and give us some of the savings....... IF 
that filter were good enough.  since not a single vendor sells it, 
that should tell you something. it is either inferior or just plain 
isn't right.
> 
> Andy




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