Re: [DML] On Buying a DeLorean (best year to buy)

[Mike Substelny <msubstel@xxxx>]

I caution all subscribers to take this type of advice with a grain of salt. Do not to be
lulled into a false sense of security! Simply knowing a DeLorean's VIN (or build date)
tells you NOTHING about its value or its viability!

Consider that daily drivers are not necessarily the most valuable. Concours quality,
gold plated, and other very special DeLoreans would be unlikely candidates to become
daily drivers.

If you are seeking a daily driver, your #1 consideration is reliability. After 20 years
many of the early cars have been updated, some with technology superior to that in the
last cars to leave the factory. At the same time, many of the later cars have been
neglected.

Your #2 consideration is cosmetics. Again, the leather/headliners/dashboard in a 20 year
old car will not be significantly different from that in an 18 year old car. You cannot
tell from the VIN whether these things have been replaced or not.

If someone wants to argue the superior quality of the last DeLoreans produced, I will
point out that they have extra rustproofing over the epoxy on the frame. The reason for
this? They sat stored in a harsh environment for so long that they developed some rust
before they were even sold. The rustproofing was intended to hide this deterioration.

There is no shortcut to evaluating a DeLorean, and that includes the first 500 of them.
Yes, "doing your homework" must include plenty of research so that you know what to look
for in any individual car, but if you believe that one car will be more reliable than
another sight unseen simply based on the VIN, then you are doing yourself a disservice.

The best the VIN (or build date) can tell you is what luggage compartment lid, stereo,
antenna, clock, wheel color, etc. to expect. These are mostly minor aesthetic
preferences.

- Mike Substelny
VIN 01280, 8 years