Re: delorean quality formerly 'live the dream ad' (LONG!)

["therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx>]

You do bring up questions, and a coupIe of valid points I do 
admit. Yeah, the DeLorean is after all just a car. Come to think 
about it, why should anyone feel so passionite about an 
innanimate object? After all, it is just steel, fiberglass, rubber, 
plastic, glass, some leather and vinyl. A little petrolium lubricants 
here and there, a few copper wires. It's just a car. We've paid 
thousands of dollars for our cars. Some of us use our cars for 
daily transportation, some for recreational use, and some of us 
simply keep them in garages to look at. So why all the fuss? 
Well, let's try and find out.

Do I put too much faith in my DeLorean? No. How far does my 
faith go? To be honest, I trust my DeLorean with my life. I can say 
with full confidence that I absolutely trust my DeLorean with my 
life! How can I prove it? If I didn't feel safe, I wouldn't even open 
the door, let alone get behind the wheel. After all, I could be rear 
ended, t-boned, hit by a tractor-trailer. I could drive off a bridge 
into a river, I could flip upside down, gasoline could pour out, 
cover me, ignite, and I could burn to death, right? WRONG! I don't 
believe if any of this happened I would be killed. And I prove it 
with my life everytime I turn that key. Why? Because my car is that 
well designed/engineered/made! Since she's come into my 
hands, her progress has come quite a ways. In that time, I've 
also become quite familiar with her. I now trust my car since I 
know what she is capable of, and I've replaced most of what 
needed to be done. I don't even carry a life hammer inside. I 
dobut that I'll flip over, and be trapped inside. If the accident really 
is that bad, I'll probably be too dazed, or flat out incappable of 
getting out of the car by myself. I might as well carry a rabbits foot 
for good luck. Because I've always veiwed those hammers as 
"supersticious" items.

Comparing the DeLorean to modern and/or cars mass 
produced by big name auto companies is quite honestly apples 
to oranges. Remember this: The DeLorean was produced by a 
company that was just starting out. It had limited production, a 
limited timeframe to be built, limited assembly times, and an 
engineering firm that did not dedicate themselve the 100% 
attention that the project not only deserved, but PAID for! By 
comparison, vehicles such as the new Ford Thunderbird have 
been in production for years. I've seen pictures of prototype 
Fieros from the early to mid 80's that echo Saturn SL1s & 2s that 
were not released until the middle to late 90's. And of course 
these vehicles will most of the time use a mix and match of test 
proven components that have been used on previous cars. Did 
you know that the same Eagle Premier that uses a PRV motor 
also shares it's rear braking system with the Dodge Viper? And 
of course the same goes for chassis and suspension design. 
Even Jaguars are no longer the same. They now share the exact 
same suspension and chassis as Ford Crown Victorias, and 
Escorts! The DeLorean while designed by competent people 
was a car that was truly made from scratch. It utilitzed concepts, 
but wasn't able to directly borrow them for it's application. It was 
too unique.

You also had a good # of corporate employees that were basicly 
rejects from other car companies. Wheather it was the quality of 
parts, or the quality of employees, there were some areas that 
were lacking. The DeLorean project had odds against it from all 
sides. The fact that the car even made it into production is a 
small miracle in itself.

Did the company fail miserably? I'd say so. After all, the goal of 
the company was to stay in business for an infinate period of 
time. So yes, absolute failure is of course miserable. Is it John Z. 
DeLorean's personal fault? I mean, is he absolutely 
responsible? NO! DMC had plenty of help from all sides around 
that brought it to it's knees. If you want to focus on one person in 
particular, how about Sol Shenk? (or however you spell his 
name) Sol ran Consolidated International. What later became 
KAPAC. And of course that is the company that auctioned off 
DMC's assesests, and ran The DeLorean Depot for many years 
selling parts off. Sol Shenk was offered DMC & DMCL on a silver 
platter. This company that took years for JZD & crew to 
assemble and build, was offered up by the British Govt. to him. 
He had everything! A manufacturing plant, a supply of currently 
built cars to immediatly sell, a ready to go set of plans for a turbo 
car, the final revisions for the DMC-12, a 30 year parts supply, 
and the hopes and dreams of 2500 factory workers. He alone 
was given the opprotunity to save DMC. He could have been the 
hero of the 80's. An automotive saviour bigger than Lee Iacoca, 
and a success story to rival that of the software companies of the 
time. But no. He snubbs his nose at it all, and by doing so he 
nails DMC's coffin shut. A company that now had everything 
going for it, he finally doomed.

So now, what are we left with? Cars. Thousands of stainless 
steel DeLoreans. And what have we decided to do with them? 
You need only read a single days worth of postings to discover 
what's happened. While only a short production car, the 
DeLorean has not only developed, but it has earned a well 
dedicated following. Many people here do what they can to keep 
their cars on the road. Even fellow owers who own Concourse 
cars that are not driven that often. You can sure bet that if they 
wanted to, their cars are ready to hit the pavement at the drop of 
a hat!

And the final aspect. Why own a DeLorean? To me, it is the 
perfect car. Not only for function, but ideals. I love the fact that I 
drive a car that was ment to be driven forever. And this the car 
accomplishes by way of generating it's own following, and by 
looking so updated. I don't care where, or WHEN you are. The 
DeLorean looks absolutely perfect. No matter the year, the 
DeLorean is as modern as the cars that try and surround it. I 
also love the idea that I have purchased a car for life. It's 
comfortable, looks nice, and I have no social reasons to sell it. If 
I now choose to purchase a new car off the lot, it's because I 
want to, not because I have to. the wait was well worth it. I own 
my dream car, I have no monthly payments, I'm not pressured 
into buying something else, and I'm beyond content. It truly is fun 
to drive my car. I work with people who own Camaros and 
Mustangs. They always nit-pick at their cars. Wheather it's 
dropping cash for a new exhaust system, a stereo, wheels, 
ignition system, etc..., they are never happy! There is always 
something that they NEED to do to their cars to satisfy them.

And there are policical reasons that I own my car. I don't agree 
with any car mfgs today on what a car should be. So rather then 
spend my hard earned money on something new, I have exactly 
what I want, and I am happier. And of course in a world where 
every other car on the road has a cartoon character urinating on 
somebody elses car logo, the DeLorean is exempt. And of 
course it just feels like a mature car.

So I guess in the end here, the DeLorean isn't just a car. It is a 
statement for some. And as far as quality is concerned, who 
knows. If I believed everything about the DeLorean I read in print, 
I guess I wouldn't own one. I know that there are a few original 
owners on the list here. I guess they would be the best ones to 
ask about what it was like to own a brand new DeLorean.

-Robert
vin 6585 "X"
Living the dream, and defying the world!