[DML] Re: Rule of 20

["valleyrat12" <valleyrat12@xxxxxxxxx>]

OK, im starting to see where you guys are coming from.

My car is not perfect cosmetically. There are cracks on the binnacle 
and dash, and the seats are not so good (I have covers on  both 
seats and dash) but that has not stopped people in MUCH more 
valuable cars from drooling all over my Delorean.

I have inspected both trailing arm bolts and ball joints and they 
look OK, perhaps I will take your advice and replace them just to 
be "sure". My car spent most of its life in AZ before moving to CO 
(and now CA) so there is not perceptible rust on the frame and 
no "bubbling" of the epoxy.  The body panels are not bad, there is a 
small crease in the passenger fender that some hack repair was made 
to (don said that they could make it better but not perfect) and the 
top of the driver quarter panel had a dent at one point (hack repair 
again) you would have to look close to notice these problems. 

I guess for me the car is good, it's what I can afford.  When I get 
much wealthier I will do all the little things that it needs and I 
suppose that they might add up to another $5000 or so.

Nathan	
2277


--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "tuxr" <tuxdarby@xxxx> wrote:
>
> I was including enough cosmetic things to make it presentable, so 
> when people come up and see it when you're getting gas, it looks 
> pretty good.  Not necessarily showroom new, but decent enough that 
> there aren't glaring faults that hit an admirer right in the face 
> when they look at it briefly.  Maybe if they hung around for a 
> little while or drove in it they'd notice the flaws, but not right 
> off the bat with a first impression.  I wouldn't want a Delorean, 
or 
> any car, that was mechanically reliable but had a tear in the 
> shoulder of the seats, a cracked dashboard, withered shift boot, 
and 
> a headliner that really was a "shoulderliner".  Just my personal 
> preference, I drive it everyday, so that's how I was defining the 
> end result and the cost associated with it.  If you don't have a 
> passenger front fender or right rear quarter panel as you 
mentioned 
> below, I wouldn't say that's a finished car for "rule" purposes.  
> Not knocking that at all, to me that would be a restoration in 
> progress, nothing wrong with that.  But just wanted to compare 
> apples to apples.
> 
> Just out of curiosity, on your car, did you check out the 
condition 
> of some of the critical safety parts, such as ball joints, 
trailing 
> arm bolts, etc.  You may consider it driveable and reliable, but 
it 
> may be an extremely serious safety hazard.  Again, I was including 
> replacement of critical safety items whether it looked like it 
> needed it or not (and I've learned from experience how a ball 
joint 
> may look OK, but breaks - fortunately at 2 mph, wouldn't want to 
> think what would have happened on the interstate).
> 
> --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "valleyrat12" <valleyrat12@xxxx> 
> wrote:
> >
> > As ar recent purchaser of a Delorean I can say this:
> > 
> > Purchased the car for $13,000
> > Tax:$1,072
> > Smog: $100 (failed twice) 
> > Parts so far:$400
> > Parts to make it completely reliable: $300(accumulator/coolant 
> hoses)
> > Total: $14,872
> > 
> > I have done all the work myself so far and plan on it in the 
> future. 
> > My car is currently perfectly drivable, I just don't like the 
look 
> > of those hoses and the hotstart/coldstart problem is more of an 
> > annoyance than anything. So, for me it is the rule of $15,000 
give 
> > or take. Unless something goes drastically wrong with the car 
god 
> > forbid....
> > 
> > If I were to "restore" the car it would need a lot of cosmetic 
> > parts; new louvres, various interior parts, right rear quarter 
> panel 
> > and a passenger front fender but these things do not affect the 
> > reliability of the car.  So, what is this "rule of twenty"? Are 
> > there really people that have had to put 8-10 thousand dollars 
> into 
> > their cars before they could even drive them?? Or are we talking 
> > about cosmetic issues?
> > 
> > Confused...
> > 
> > Nathan
> > 2277
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "tuxr" <tuxdarby@xxxx> wrote:
> > >
> > > Seems a hot topic these days, the real cost of the car.  Some 
> > still 
> > > use the Rule of 20:  add what you pay, plus repairs and 
> > refurbishment, 
> > > it will come to $20,000.  So if you pay $12,000, it will cost 
> > $8,000 
> > > on top of that.  If you pay $15,000, it will cost $5,000 on 
top 
> of 
> > > that.  Based on everyone I know, have talked to, my personal 
> > > experience with two cars, and reading this and other online 
> > > discussions, I'd like to throw on the table that the rule of 
20 
> no 
> > > longer applies.  Actually, any "rule" should really be two 
> rules, 
> > one 
> > > for those who have the skills and capability to do the work 
> > > themselves, and one for those without those skills and have to 
> get 
> > it 
> > > worked on at a shop.  Two entirely different cost structures.  
> > There 
> > > can't be only "one" rule.  My view is it should be the "Rule 
of 
> > > 22/27".  While your heart may want to stick to the Rule of 20, 
> > hard 
> > > economics must be recognized.  And it seems the downside 
> > (unexpected 
> > > higher costs) really outweigh the upside (coming in under 
> budget).
> > >
> >
>








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