[DMCForum] attn: Bill R. [Re: Lit Bumper (Farrar)]

[Farrar Hudkins <fhudkins@xxxxxxx>]

Heya Bill,

content22207 wrote:
> Bad news Farrar: you don't replace just the black "bumper" portion
> (use the word "bumper" loosely -- behind it is nothing more than foam
> rubber). Whole back end of the car is one giant piece of plastic.

Yeah, I know. But to call it a "fascia" sounds so ... so ... foreign. ;P

> We really need to get a DeLo in your hands to play with. Would you be
> willing to consider a fixer upper?

Not really. Since I have very little actual mechanical experience 
(replacing belts, thermostats, water pumps on cars that otherwise 
function perfectly does not count), I am not willing to buy a car that 
has any serious mechanical problems. I need one that I can drive home. 
(And as soon as I get there, replace the TABs. Ha ha.) I don't have a 
garage, engine hoist, lift, etc.; instead I have a bunch of wrenches, 
metering equipment, and ramps.

I might as well state my ignorance for all to see. I know some basic 
info about cooling systems, and how everything works, but I've never got 
into the meat of an automobile. I have never been inside an engine -- 
never done a ring job, replaced a head gasket, nothing. I have never 
operated on a transmission of any kind. I have the manuals for the 
DeLorean and have studied them (especially the parts manual -- it's good 
to know where everything comes from and where everything goes -before- I 
get the car). I'm a bright guy, a quick learner, and very intuitive 
about stuff, but I don't want to dive headlong into something that 
doesn't work. I'd rather fix it after it breaks, since I knew what kept 
it running before. At the moment I've never done that.

That having been said, electrical stuff is no problem. I've been working 
with electrical stuff since I was a kid, and I love it. So if it runs 
like a top but none of the lights work, I don't care. (Well, except for 
that pesky "driving at night" bit.) I just don't have the vocabulary.

As for the cost, well... At one point I was trying to save up between 
eight and ten grand thinking that I'd do all right. Not so now. Most 
DMC-12s I have seen that sell for less than ten grand would be horrible 
for me -- I'd probably go and kill the thing out of frustration after 
spending a fortune trying to get it running. So I'm still saving... I'm 
aiming for between ten and twelve grand. Sure, it'll take me a while 
longer, but I have been waiting ten years already. (I considered the 
raffle on a whim, but didn't go for it. Maybe in 2006 I'll buy a ticket 
or two.)

 > I disagree with the rule of 20.
> Have $11,000 in mine ($900 of which is a replacement engine). Doesn't
> look like much, but runs reliably and well. Surely I could get a whole
> new interior and even a replacement door (dent is too low to pound)
> for $4,000, and still come out 25% lower.

I don't much care about the interior, and couldn't care less about 
"stock". If it looks like a DeLorean and runs reliably, it's for me. I 
have no experience taking an engine apart, and I know there's no one in 
the area who could just stop by and help me out if something goes wrong 
-- the nearest owner to me, as far as I have seen, is Andrei, and he's 
ten hours away. I'm on my own down here.

I can fix electrical stuff and repair the interior to my heart's content 
over a period of time. Since I fully expect to never get rid of the 
thing after I buy it, I don't mind taking forever to get it pretty. The 
most important thing for me would be satisfaction -- if it doesn't run, 
I get no satisfaction from having bought the thing. Having carbureted 
your engine to get it running reliably, I'm sure you understand.

I guess after reading this some people will say I shouldn't get the damn 
thing because I'm such an ignoramus and it would rot away under my care, 
but oh well, I'm committed. (...or should be, heh heh.)

--Farrar

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