Re: [DML] First, Everyday driver

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Sun, 22 Jun 2003, mcydrake wrote:

> Hello, I am a teen in CT that would like to know if a DeLorean would 
> be a good first car, and daily driver. I love these cars and will 

I have to say that it probably wouldn't. This has come up a few times on 
the list so you might look at the archives. 

The DeLorean has a few disadvantages that make it somewhat unsuitable for 
a first car, including but not limited to...

Insuring a DeLorean is hard; insuring a 16-year-old is hard, insuring both 
is practically impossible.

Since you mentioned it, no, the stereo is not particularly good. There's 
no CD player, the radio reception is bad (on early cars with the 
windshield antenna, which requires an aftermarket antenna to fix), and the 
speakers and head unit are both non-standard sizes making upgrades 
awkward. These problems can all be addressed but they're disadvantages 
that almost no other car has.

Visibility in a DeLorean is very poor (both out of the car, and other 
drivers seeing you). It's not an easy car to drive, compared to most
others out there.

Everyone crashes their first car. DeLoreans are rare and irreplaceable 
and can also be very difficult to repair from collision damage.

There's no back seat. (draw own conclusions ;) )

DeLoreans are not particularly suitable for the snow. There is plenty of 
snow in CT.

Some of your friends will probably think it is weird. Of course, this 
depends on your friends :)

Mechanical suitability is probably the least of your worries. Even if you
can fix it (and even if you can't, PJ Grady, one of the best DeLorean
shops around, is on Long Island) - you would probably be better off with
something else, just because of the car's characteristics. I was involved
in a frame-up restoration on a '55 Jeep before I had my driver's license. 
But, when the time came to actually get something to drive, I went and
bought myself a Geo Metro. In this case it was the Jeep's 60 mph top
speed that I decided was unsuitable (probably the only time someone bought
a Geo Metro for performance reasons). I did, indeed, end up crashing it,
though I never managed to total it. But I had a friend that went through
four Honda Civics. My advice would be to wait a few years, then get a 
DeLorean as a second car, for which it is excellent.

There are lots of other cars in the same price range that would probably
be better. I usually recommend something like a MKIV Supra or a Camaro,
which although they may not be much easier to insure, eliminate most of
the other disadvantages.