RE:First, Everyday driver

["Palatinus, Joe" <jopalatinus@xxxx>]

I am currently a college student driving just my delorean 250 miles from
home.
I got my daily driver Delorean as a Junior in High school, and I drove
the heck out of it while I was still close to home (in TN). I had the
a/c go out, the waterpump/alternator belt break, the alternator stop
working the fuel pump go out, the clutch master/slave cylinder go out,
all in my first two years of ownership. I learned a lot about the car
and signs and symptoms of most of the problems I was likely to run into
while I was near home and able to fix the issues. THIS IS 100%
NECESSARY. There are many people with Deloreans who have minimal
knowledge about their car's workings, but these people probably do not
drive their car very far often (drive daily). My Delorean is my only
mode of transportation, and I know pretty much the status of every bolt,
I know each distinct hum my car makes, and this way I can catch and fix
problems before they get me stranded somewhere. You need to devote time
and energy to the car or else.

As for the car and the college environment, I have had two school
newspaper articles about my car, one talking about how cool it is, and
the other explaining how my car is the source of the entire campus'
cocaine. (no joke) Some people will love your car, and others will hate
it. I actually had a guy walk up to me when I was in the tampa bay area
filling up with gas and tell me that I was driving a stainless steel
hunk of $H*T and it was trash, and he called me a few other expletives
just because of my car, (I had never, nor do I ever wish to see that guy
again).

Bottom Line: Owning a delorean as your only car in college is an
experience that can be very fun (you can fit three college girls in the
delorean with you and go clubbing, trust me ;), but if you don't have
the patience to think consciously about your car and learn about all of
its systems and mechanism, then I would not recommend it.
I am however a proud owner and I would not want to drive anything else
while I'm here at school.

Joe P.
VIN 17167 146,000 miles, (~20,000 problem free at school)