First post: To import or not...

[Horsebox]

Hi all,

This is my first post so I'd better briefly introduce myself. My name is Mark and I'm a 33 year old living in West Sussex. A combination of years of saving and a recent job promotion means I'm in the fortunate position of having the cash sitting in a bank account ready to buy a DMC, once I've educated myself on what it is I should and shouldn't be looking for!

Since I have no meaningful experience of mechanics I would be looking for a car in excellent condition (relatively speaking!) and would plan on driving it around 20 miles each day to and from work. Any mechanical problems and I'd have to pay for specialist help. Do you guys think this is feasible with a DMC or am I in cloud-cuckoo land?

I've spent the last few days gleaning information from the various DMC forums, and it seems that although buying in the UK would be the easiest option, cars don't often come up for sale. Looking at what's available in the US, there seems to be a much better turnover and on paper they look better value, even considering the import costs. And of course it would be nice to increase the gene pool of DMCs in the UK.

The example in the link below seems to fit the bill. It looks about as roadworthy as you'll find. Would somebody be kind enough to cast their eyes over it and let me know what they think? Due to the modifications that have been carried out does this somehow detract from its authenticity?

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/3734153523.html

On another thread in this section someone mentions a DMC that is being sold in Spain. Asking price 27k Euro. I'm having difficulty reconciling the two in terms of value-for-money!

Anyway, thanks for any replies!

Mark

[asifmalik]

Hi Horsebox.
I recently purchased a DMC from the states, and it wasn't as described had lots of faults but was cheaper than a UK model.
All the guys on the forum here have been fantastic, and Ive made new friends and am learning how to repair the DMC which im loving.
I'm not a mechanic, but like to tinker and fix things.

Even a perfect example will probably go wrong at some point, it's an old car, so be prepared for extra costs in repairs and parts.

Daily runner? Are you sure you would drive it daily?
I wouldn't leave mine parked on the road un-attended......re-think this one.

Add an extra £2,000 - £2,500 for shipping, duty, collection from docks etc.
You will need to get it to pass a UK MOT. We can cross that bridge when your ready.

If I were to do it again, I would buy a UK model, and pay the extra.

[jerzybondov]

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the forum! To answer your questions:

1) Driving 20 miles a day in a DeLorean is perfectly feasible, providing that you have a good one. Even so, you ought to prepare yourself for more often maintenance / trips to the garage as most of the parts (even on a recently restored car) are 30+ years old and going to be less reliable than something newer.

2) Specialist help... this forum will give you a huge amount of help and advice to help you sort problems yourself, but if you want a DMC specialist to do it for you, there's really only one who comes widely recommended and that's PJ Grady in Canvey Island. So not wildly convenient for you. However if you can find a friendly classic car specialist near you, then between them and this forum you should be able to sort 95% of the stuff that will come up.

3) Authenticity. There's a few members here who love to keep things OEM, but they're in the minority and generally speaking things like modern shocks and exhausts increase the value/desirability of a D. That Craiglist car looks decent, but I'd want more information than that before parting with $33k. Have you joined dmctalk yet? (http://www.dmctalk.org) If I were buying a car from the states I'd start there and go with a members car where the history is well known. $25k should buy you a very tidy example.

4) BUT importing isn't the way to go for everyone, as asifmalik pointed out. Takes ages, is a lot of legwork, and you still don't really know what you're getting.

Any other questions fire away - you'll find no shortage of answers here

PS Regarding asif's point about leaving the car on the street - depends on which street you're talking about. They don't get nicked (to my knowledge one has never been stolen in the UK) - so I wouldn't worry about that - you just wouldn't want Mr Whitevanman reversing into it when he's trying to squeeze into a space.

[dmc4087]

My initial impressions of that car in the ad are pretty good, it looks clean and seems to have been maintained.

My only gripe is the auto gearbox.

[Dangermouse]

The craigslist car is a "Stage II" car, and that always adds a few thousand $ to the cost.

Based on the add, it looks like a hice car.

[Admin-bloke]

My initial impressions of that car in the ad are pretty good, it looks clean and seems to have been maintained.

My only gripe is the auto gearbox.

Am I the only one who prefers the drive ability of the auto?

[delorean12uk]

My initial impressions of that car in the ad are pretty good, it looks clean and seems to have been maintained.

My only gripe is the auto gearbox.

Am I the only one who prefers the drive ability of the auto?

The automatic is the desirable out of the 2 variants, and they hold their money better than a manual. With the manual variants, drivers are more prone to 'Tennis knee' after prolonged usage due to the hydraulic clutch. I know most modern cars have hydraulic clutches, but a vehicle from this era can cause the driver after a lot of use groin issues which eventually lead to infertility. The sort of person who would say 'My only gripe is the auto gearbox' is the sort of person who would use the same knife for the marmalade as they would the butter, enough said. Mr Horsey box, if you are going to buy a Delorean, buy the right one first time, other wise you might have regrets!! ...............Long live the mighty auto!!!!

[Horsebox]

Evening,

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone - very kind of you all!

I agree to an extent with the reservations with the auto box. I'm the same, despite currently driving an auto for the past eight years and becoming somewhat of a convert. Despite infuriating problems with my current steed, the auto box is bulletproof and has never missed a beat but, rightly or wrongly, I'm a bit put off by an auto as old as the DMC. But perhaps this is an unfounded prejudice.

asifmalik: Sorry you've had a bad experience with an import, and thanks for being frank about it. I hope it doesn't sound flippant, but at least your container wasn't empty when it came off the ship - as ultimately that's the risk I guess we take when it's so easy to click-click on a computer and send thousands of pounds to someone in another country we've probably never met before. I hope you manage to iron it out without losing all your hair! Fortunately the staff car park where I'd be driving it to is like Fort Knox so there's no question of it being pinched - I guess I'd have to find a quiet corner in the recesses somewhere to minimise the risk of it being scraped though.

jerzybondov: Good call to find a local classic car specialist - I'll get onto it. I have a good friend with a Triumph Spit and I'm sure he takes his somewhere locally. I've been lurking on DMCtalk but haven't joined yet. As you can no doubt tell from my questions and responses, I'm very much at the beginning of it all.

Thanks again,

Mark

[Dangermouse]

Definitely introduce yourself on DMCTalk and even start a thread like this on in the Cars For Sale/Wanted section. You never know what might turn up.

If you buy a car off a known forum member there, you should be in for fewer surprises. Not that your first inspection of any delorean won't be a surprise in itself.

If you are on FB, check out Chris B's deloreansforsale page as it lists a large percentage of cars currently, and previously for sale, so you can get an idea of what your money might get you.

And all hail to the mighty auto, it's even better than a modern box as there are only 3 gears to go wrong, not that they do of course, and there is less changing between cogs. Very smooth.

[Darren C]

Welcome Mark.

I'm in West Sussex, so your most welcome to come over and see my De, talk everything Delorean and I'll willingly show you around my car and what to look for when buying or importing.

pm me if interested.

Regards
D