Re: [DML] Hello! And: Upcoming purchase ...

["Walter" <Whalt@xxxx>]

I wish you luck with your coming purchase. I bought my Delorean in a
similar situation. I live in Tampa and found a nice Delorean for sale in
Ft. Pierce (just north of Ft. Lauderdale on the east coast). I drove over
with a friend to check it out. I bought it from a dealer who only owned it
for a short time and would/could not tell me anything about the previous
owner. The car had less than 9K miles on it. It was very clean and had no
weather related deterioration. I bought the car (for $17.5K) and took turns
with my friend driving it home a few hundred miles away.

In city traffic it overheated, but not bad. I was watching the gauge most
of the time. It turns out that the electrical system in the car had never
been upgraded, and it had a bad relay. This was the night before the drive
home. With nothing but a volt meter I bought at Radio Shack for this
purpose, I found the problem and hot-wired the fans to always stay on. The
rest of the trip home was uneventful except for the fun!

If you have very far to drive with your new Delorean, I recommend having a
driver who can deliver you to pick it up and then follow you home. I would
plan on the other car being an SUV that can tow a car dolly if necessary. I
would bring a full complement of tools and an extra battery & jumper cables
as well as some jugs of water in case the cooling system leaks.

If this car is not a daily driver, then expect little things to keep going
wrong with it until it does become a daily driver. The Delorean is full of
factory weak spots and defects as well as more problems that will come about
because of the car's age. Generally, problems like this are not fixed until
AFTER they become a problem. So unless these things have already broke and
been repaired on your car, then chances are they are getting ready to break.
Since the car you are buying already as 40K miles, most of OEM problems
should be resolved by now. When I bought my car, I had no idea what I was
getting into since there were a lot of (and still a lot of) things that need
to be fixed. So far, my Delorean has never left me stranded (yet -- but
knock on stainless). I have put 4400 miles on it in the past 11 months
since I bought it. I would have done more than double that if I could keep
it running well enough. If I spent half the time working on the car that I
spent on reading DML backissues and Delorean related web sites then I would
have a full restoration done by now! But I need the knowledge first. It's
strange how this knowledge is mostly only available on line or by word of
mouth from a vendor.

Also some more advice: Have the service manuals with you. If a set doesn't
come with the car, then buy some from your favorite vendor. And keep their
phone numbers handy on your trip home. I would establish contact with some
of the better vendors and make an appointment with them to be on call while
you are on the road. (Fat chance, but worth a try.) I suggest considering
DMC Joe and Rob at PJ Grady. DMC Houston may be of help too. Delorean One
is almost always too busy. ;)

I recommend saving the exhaust manifold gasket replacement for until after
you get the car home. The main problem with a bad gasket is the loud
tap-tap-tap noise it makes. I don't think this is anything real bad except
it is annoying to listen to. It may also allow exhaust gases to linger
where they don't belong. To take the manifold loose, you need to soak the
studs with a penetrating solvent for a few days to help stop them from
breaking off. You might break some anyway and then you will have to drill
them out -- fun, fun -- not something you want to try with a car before you
take it home for the first time.

Gook luck,
Walt Tampa, FL