Re: On Buying a DeLorean...a Primer!

["Jeff" <Gr8old1@xxxx>]

Thanks for the sound advice sir,

Being a younger enthusiast at the ripe OLD age of 24..I myself am 
hoping to purchase my first D before the Memphis show (already have 
my room booked!)and it certainly would be nice to be able to DRIVE to 
the show! A few points that i would like to expand upon:

> First, read a copy of Stainless Steel Illusion, that will give you 
the background you need to make a proper selection. 

Still a hard book to find..and expensive when you do. If i'm not 
mistaken wasn't someone here a publisher, a few months ago i remember 
reading that this person might raise some funds for a reprint. 

>I've purchased 2 Ds in the last 10 months,

Can i have your job?

>After reading the book you'll note there were a lot of changed made
>month by month,

Is this due to the stock of parts being used up before being 
succeeded before the new improved parts?

>Best suggestion is get the latest one you can find,
> preferably an '82 or better, or if you find an '81 you like, it 
would be
> best if the VIN is 5000 or better. This is important.

Agreed, '83 would probably be the least likely to cause trouble, BUT, 
there's just something about THE hood (grooved w/ gas flap)!! i think 
THE hood was gone at approx vin 3200? someone correct me if i'm wrong.


> The consensus is you should not buy a fixer-upper, it'll kill you in
> time and money. Best reasoning is something that has been driven 
with
> some regularity but not a high mileage unit, around 30,000 miles is
> about right. What you really want is a nice car that someone else 
has
> spent the fixup money on, you'll see advertised a car with $15,000 
in
> fixup costs and the car is for sale for $18,000. That would merit a
> look.

I'm pretty sure the "rule of 20" should be noted here. You would 
still need insurance, registration, tax. etc..

>now here's the part to pay attention to. The VIN number is
> listed on eBay ads, with that I went into the owners list on the 
DML and
> found that although the current owner (from NJ) wasn't listed, the
> previous owner in NY was.

Non-owners cannot get to the owners list. Hence the name "owners 
list" It would be great if i could call whoever has owned the car 
previously (if not the being sold by the first owner), but without 
that list, it isn't going to happen. 

> What I'm saying is that first of all it's very much a buyer's 
market,
> there are a lot of cars around, do your homework first, get a nice 
one
> you can enjoy, and at a reasonable price. Don't get dazzled by the
> first one you see and/or by a cheap price, take a little extra time 
to
> get it right rather than spending a lot of time regretting a hasty
> choice.

First time buyers have no real experience in looking for a good 
purchase. But i think the DML runs a close second to ownership. Even 
though i have yet the opportunity to even ride/drive a D, i feel that 
this list is a valuable source of knowledge. This list has given me 
the knowledge of the man, myth, legend, car and company that allow me 
to intellectually speak about such topics. i think it's safe to say 
that i speak for non-owners who are members of the list:

We appreciate the help and guidance that our friends here on the list 
provide us. We look forward to joining the community of Delorean 
owners and do so anxiously.

-Jeff Chabotte
Norwich, CT
Striving for the dream.