I would classify my car as a basket case, but I went looking for a project
car from the beginning. Before I bought it, I asked several people to guess
what it would be worth on the open market. Everyone guessed way higher than
what I actually paid for the car. I would like to see pictures of the one
Josh is looking at.
Josh, take a look at what mine was like when I bought it. There is no way I
would have paid anywhere near $6,000.00 for my car.
-----Original Message-----
From: Walter Coe [mailto:Whalt@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 4:30 PM
To: DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [DMCForum] old member new owner
C'mon guys, don't come down on Josh too hard even tho he may
deserve it. ;-)
Being a red painted DeLorean, this reminds me of two other
owners on the Forum: Samuel & Greg. Both these cars were
basket cases and still in the process of being restored.
As for the sound system: Yeah, that was probably the first
modification I did to my DeLorean (after jumping out the fan
fail relay). But my efforts would have been better spent
doing more important things like fuel system, electrical,
brakes, etc. But I did first what I understood best which
was car audio. I since taught myself how to work on the car
with help from guys on the internet as well as several
locals who loan me tools, look over my problems, etc. Now
believe it or not, several guys come to me for advice.
So young grasshopper Josh.... remember that $20K rule even
tho it paints with a wide sloppy brush and doesn't apply to
every situation. I paid $17.5K for a garage queen that was
mostly original. The great thing about the car is that
there were very few corrosion problems. But the bad thing
about it (actually good in many ways) is that very little
work had ever been done to the car. This meant that many
systems were about to fail when put to normal use: brakes,
transmission, etc. The good thing about it is that too
often on DeLoreans I see damage caused by work that was
improperly done such has hacked electrical, stripped
fasteners, holes cut, etc. The car still has many issues I
have yet to resolve, and my investment in it is approaching
$30K. And consider what I started with. If you buy a
project car for $6K, be prepared to spend lots of time &
money just making it mechanically reliable. Do not be
mistaken that you can easily find a mechanic whom you can
trust AND be knowledgeable with DeLoreans. If you do not
intend to do the work yourself then wait and buy a
professionally restored car.
Nice tools are expensive, and you need room to work and
store the car. The worst thing for a DeLorean is to store
them outdoors. The interiors (at least in Florida) act like
one-way moisture valves. Water gets in and doesn't leave.
And when I store a DeLorean garaged, mold can grow
everywhere inside.
If you buy a $6K painted car, I suggest having at least
another $6K in your pocket to spend on parts & tools.
Otherwise it will be a lawn ornament.
Back to the Home of PROJECT VIXEN