RE: [DML] General Reation to the Delorean

["Cameron, Peter" <cameron@xxxxxxx>]

my experience is also very positive. I've had vin 3579 for 2 years now, use it as my daily driver. Previous owner wass the original owner, maintained it reasonably well and drove it regularly (odometer said 16K but angle drive was broke when I got it, Pat Grady says it has more miles than that). My investment has been the above mentioned angle drive, exhaust gasket and muffler, steering rack, and Eibach shocks and springs for lowering (these items done very well at a very reasonable price by PJ Grady), and alternator, radiator, and audio upgrade (which I felt competent enough to tackle). It has been 100% reliable for the 24K miles I've driven it. 

Interactions with interested onlookers have been 99.9% positive. Only negative was a guy who claimed to have been part of the original design team, and he went on and on about what a piece of junk it is - incidentally he was driving a 20 yo pickup truck in a state of obvious gross neglect. My license is TIMACHNE, which often draws additional positive comment. And my son gets a lot of pleasure from the car, sharing it with his friends,... Insurance is surprisingly cheap thru Allstate. There are a lot of good cars out there, well maintained and updated, at around ~$20K. My opinion - if you like talking to people and appreciate the opportunity to have many spontaneous conversations, have fair-to-middling mechanical skills so you can take on the easy jobs, and  want a car that is fun to drive and will hold its resale value, the Delorean is far and away the best buy in the marketplace.



From: Dan Haney
Sent: Sat 9/9/2006 3:14 AM
To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [DML] General Reation to the Delorean


Rick A. Wrote:
>I totally disagree with the very rosy picture people paint about 
> throngs of adoring well-wishers at every filling station and 
> Silverstream Diner on the highway.

Rick I was not painting a rosy picture at all about my experience driving across West Texas, I was simply relaying my real life experience on that day during that particular trip.

I would not call myself an expert when it comes to our little silver cars or even about human nature. However, in 21 years of ownership, I can count on two hands the number people who have appeared to genuinely dislike the car. Do people crack drug jokes? Certainly! Do I get asked about reliability? Of course, and yes we all can get tired of the McFly or BTTF references but most of the time even the cocaine jokes are conversation starters and nothing more.

We've driven the car more than 44K miles over the years, gone to several dozen car shows, rally's, Poker Runs and even one movie premier and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. IMHO there are fewer cocaine jokes now than in the eighties, but the BTTF references are just as popular today as ever. However in my case it may be a tainted population because my license plate is after all 882FUTR. 

Generally the Delorean has given us more good times than bad, I have had to tow it home a few times for things that happen to any vehicle, fuel pump, alternator etc.. Is the Delorean as reliable as a Camry? Probably not, but it can be a very reliable car for daily driving or simply as a weekend cruiser with proper maintainance (My car has been both). The vast majority of people enjoy the car for what it is, rare and unique with a colorful history. Sometimes you do feel like you're in a fish bowl, but there are worse things than attracting a bit of attention, such as not owning a Delorean!

One last thing, and I posted this before, as a long time owner, these are the best of times in terms of parts, service and technical help thanks to the vendor options like DMC, PJ Grady and real car guys such as John Hervey of Special-T-Auto and Toby Peterson-Delorean Parts NorthWest and the many other car guys who regularly post on this forum (Thanks James). That doesn't mean anything is less expensive, its just that there was a time when Delorean ownership was like being on your own island. You had to find your own parts that worked through cross referencing and trying to find a trustworthy mechanic to even touch the car was next to impossible.

Dan Haney
vin 03254 






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