So You Want to Buy a DeLorean? The rules for a successful hunt

The number one thing we hear at DMCTalk.com is: "Im going to buy a DeLorean in 6 months... what should I look for?"

Not that I doubt EVERYONE, but the majority of people are not going to buy the car in 6 months. However, people DO need to know what they are looking for when buying a DeLorean.

First things first. You honestly need to know what you are buying. Forget Back to the Future, forget what you have in your head. You will NOT be able to time travel, you will not be fast, you will not be on the same level as a Lamborghini. You WILL, however, own a very unique car that is, for the most part, easy to maintain and fun to enjoy.

The car is old. It is from a generation before cell phones, compact disks, and Croc's. You have to remember, when the DeLorean was designed, men were still wearing something called 'Leisure suits' and Disco wasn't completely dead yet. You are not going to be driving a car that's like anything that's in a showroom. Remember, technology has come a VERY long way. You also don't have power steering, your radio sounds like your speakers are sitting in a coffee can, and give up any dreams of hanging your arm outside the window. Also:



- 130 HP. Most base Corollas are closer to 158bhp. This may not sound like a huge difference, but remember, the car is under powered by todays standards. I don't care about 1981 standards, because it's not 1981.

- Power Steering? Nope.

- Power seats? Nope.

- Plywood? Strangely, yes. Some parts are formed with plywood... Oddly enough, i've found duct tape holding wires to the pontoon before. Weird.

- Want bigger rims? Hope you like 4 lug patterns.... most of those rim options suck.


There are also positives, though. I mean, most people looking into the car have some kind of connection in some way to and ideal or dream of owning the car.

- It is unique. It's a great way of driving something different that is relatively affordable.

- When it works, it works well.

- You will meet some great people.

- It runs on regular unleaded.

- Upkeep is not that bad.

- You'll be the coolest guy at a Sci-fi convention

Don't make the car out to be more than it is. You will never be faster than the next guy, so just enjoy it as an opportunity to enjoy a leisurely drive.


You want to look for a car that someone is familiar with. When you know the person you are buying a car from, or know people who know your soon to be new car, it will be better than just randomly choosing a mystery car that has not run in years.

AVOID: Cars that have not been driven for years. This is a telltale sign of an issue. Fuel systems on these cars are sensitive. They do not like old gas, they do not run well with stale gas. Chances are that car that was started up every weekend really wasn't. The car sat, and they are selling it because they tried to fire it up and now the injectors are FUBAR'd.

DO: Buy a car with some documentation. If you purchase a car from a member of the DeLorean community, chances are people will vouch for it. People can tell you how it runs, or give suggestions on what it needs. Cars that are documented on such sites as www.dmctalk.com or www.dmcnews.com are great because you can see work previously done before that owner was set on selling. It's like a time capsule and you can find out alot of what you may have to correct.

AVOID: Rusty frames. Sure, you can get it cheap, and it's only a little rust, right? Chances are there is more rust under that epoxy. You are only seeing what has bubbled out. Bad frame = $$$$. You can't just paint over it, you need to fix it properly. Surface rust is not the same as rot. If you are not willing to take the time to do this properly and invest the time and money to do so, you will get frustrated that you can not safely drive your car.

AVOID: Too good to be true cars. EVERYTHING REPLACED! Must Sell! $6,000 obo! Yeah, that's a scam. As stated, if you don't know anything about DeLoreans, you should ASK FOR HELP. Go onto the forums and see if someone will go with you to look at a car. I have personally done it twice before, and if you are serious, i'll do it again.

I hope this doesn't discourage anyone. You have to know that there are ways to make sure you do not get ripped off, and to make sure you pay a decent price for a decent car. Cars that have been sitting for 10 years without updating or constant maintenance are NOT worth book value. The value of the car actually goes DOWN for an unrestored car because of the amount of work it takes to bring the car to a safe standard. It's very true.

I still go by the numbers that were set as a precedence back in 2000. With the economy floundering, I find the numbers to hold true. What do you get for 10-15k? A candidate for a restoration. 15-19k? A car that can be restored to use as a daily, and a good candidate for the next stage. 20-29k? A damn nice car that you should be able to drive anywhere, wash, and take to your favorite car show.
What do you get for 30k-42k? In my honest opinion, you got ripped off. Unless you are striving to have a PERFECT car, there are alot of great candidates around for alot less money.

I hope you enjoyed my light hearted look at rules everyone should follow when buying a DeLorean. Now we will get to my car.